The Heart of Our Mission
Notes
Transcript
Jonah 3:1-4:11
Ask the question:
What does Jonah teach me about myself?
What does God want me to see and know from the book of Jonah?
(3:1-4) Go to that great city
(verse 3) Most translations say “exceedingly great city” or “very great city”
Nineveh was a large and important city
The problem is that 4:11 says that there were 120,000 people living there, and this would not have taken 3 days to walk through (archeological evidence also shows that the city was a little over 7 miles in circumference
The point is that the mission of proclaiming the message would take 3 days to complete
Hebrew literally says “great city to God”
This city was important to God
It seems that the favor God shows them, in their wickedness, is to magnify His grace (they were gentiles)
This city was chosen by God to save from His wrath simply because of His free sovereign will
Jonah’s half-hearted proclamation
He proclaims that the city will be “overthrown” or “overturned”
Same word used to describe what happened to Soddom and Gomorrah (utter destruction)
Can also mean “turn around” or “transform”
They would have understood it as a call to turn or be destroyed
It seems that Jonah only proclaims the message that he was sent to give for one day, not the full three
He only does what God told him to do halfheartedly
(3:5-10) Nineveh’s repentance
By-in-large the people respond in repentance
The people believe God
The king listens to the word of the Lord
He repents and commands city-wide repentance
They fast from food and water (including their livestock)
They cover themselves with sackcloth and ashes (including their livestock)
They call out to God mightily
They turn from their evil and violent ways
They simply trust that God might relent
This makes it obvious that they say their wickedness and knew that they deserved to be destroyed
God relents
He sees that they responded to the proclamation of Jonah and repented
He relents of the destruction that He pronounced on them
(4:1-11) Jonah’s angry response
Jonah is not happy
He does not want to see them be saved, he wants God to wipe them out
He even tells God that this is the very reason that he ran away
He would rather die than to see these people come to repentance and be saved
He leaves the city to sit and watch in the hope that God might destroy them after all
God rebukes Jonah
He asks Jonah “do you do well to be angry”
He means “do you have any right or reason to be angry?
He provides a visual lesson
He gave Jonah a shade plant so that he would be protected from the scorching sun
Jonah is very happy for the plant
God kills the plant by sending a worm to attack it
He appoints a scorching wind and sun to come upon Jonah
Jonah becomes angry and asks to die
God points out what the real problem is
Jonah has pity for a mere plant that was graciously given to him but he has no pity for 120,000 people made in the image of God who will die in their sin and unbelief
The heart of our mission
Could you be harboring attitudes like Jonah?
Are you filled with resentment towards someone or a group of people?
Maybe it’s someone who has deeply wronged you
Maybe it’s people of a different political persuasion
Maybe it’s Muslims or atheists or people involved in witchcraft
Maybe it’s LGBTQ people
Or maybe you simply care more about other things than about telling unbelievers the truth of the gospel
Maybe you care more about your relaxation time after work than to do the work of cultivating gospel relationships with unbelievers
Maybe you care too much about what they might think of you if you talk to them about the truth of Jesus
When we live this way, we say with our actions that our hearts are more concerned with other things than to care about men and women who, if they die in their unbelief, will die and go to hell forever
What is in your heart really matters
What is in your heart will dictate what we do with your hands, and feet, and mouth, and mind
Luke 6:45- The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
If our hearts are filled with resentment, idolatry, selfishness, and pride, then we will live just like Jonah
We need to have our hearts and minds renewed day by day in Christ
Romans 12:2- Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We need the heart of Christ
Walk in sacrificial love
Ephesians 5:1-2- Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
May your heart be filled with this Christ-like love
If you ask, the Holy Spirit will work this in your heart and empower you to walk in the love of Christ
Ephesians 3:14-19- For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Go and make disciples in love
Acts 1:8- But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Softly and tenderly
Come home, come home
Ye who are weary come home
Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling
Calling, "O sinner come home"