Recommissioned
Text: Jonah 3:1-10
Core Idea: Our God is a relenting God which is why even the message of judgment can be a message of hope. Then run to the cross today because He will give you another chance. But let’s also run to the world with this life-giving truth so that they will find Christ and be saved.
INTRODUCTION
Good morning, Lighthouse. It is delightful to see you. Well, we are going through the Book of Jonah – observing God’s gracious heart for the lost. And last week, we saw Jonah praying in the belly of a fish – and through his prayer, we learned a lot of things. First, we learned that we have a God who doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve – which is why we can cry out to God again and again and again even when our distress is caused by our own sins. Second, we learned that we have a God who doesn’t give up on us – which is why we can trust Him and be confident of His love for us. And lastly, we learned that salvation comes only from the Lord – which is why we can continue to have hope despite our constant failures. Now, one other thing that I shared was how the author gives very little attention to the fish – in fact, the fish is mentioned only three times in the entire story with very little detail. What does that mean? It means that this story is not ultimately about the great fish but a great God. If we worship a God who is able to create all things just with words, a God who is able to govern and sustain the universe with wisdom and power, a God who is able to raise the dead, it shouldn’t surprise us to see that He’s able to rescue Jonah by commanding a fish to swallow him. All that to say, we shouldn’t be distracted by the fish but see how merciful and gracious God is through the fish. God will do everything He can to save us, bring us back over and over again, even if He has to use a fish to accomplish His will. And today, God’s love for Jonah will be emphasized again as we’ll see Jonah being recommissioned to go to Nineveh. Then with that in mind, let’s open up our Bibles to Jonah 3. Let me read this for us.
1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from His fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Verse 1, “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’” Now, we don’t know if this happened when Jonah was still lying on the shore (covered in fish vomit) – or days, weeks, months later at some other place. But what we do know is that the Word of God came to Jonah again. God gave Jonah (the runaway one, the wayward one, the disobedient one) the exact same mission a second time. Do you know what this means? It means that our failures and our sins do not disqualify us not only from His presence but also from His ministry. I won’t spend too much time here since this is something that we’ve been talking about the last couple of weeks – but when we repent, when we turn back to God, He will restore us and use us to do things greater than we could ever imagine. You see, God could’ve said to Jonah, “I’m so glad that you’re back – but after all that you’ve done, I don’t think I can trust you anymore. You lost your chance. So, I’m going to send someone else – and you can just support him from afar. Just stay behind the stage.” But that’s not what He says – instead, God recommissions Jonah again. You see, our God is a God of forgiveness, grace, and second chances. Then brothers and sisters, today, do you feel like God won’t be able to use you because of what you have done, because you’ve fallen too hard, because you’ve struggled with the same sin over and over again? Do you feel like your life is on plan B because of your sins? If so, let Jonah’s story remind you that God hasn’t given up on you. You’re not lost – in fact, you can’t be lost because God’s grip on you is so much stronger than you can ever imagine. So, come back to God. It’s never too late. He’s not done with you. Turn to Him again because our God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins – but more than that, He’ll again use you as a vehicle of grace for others. He will give you His Word a second time. Then with that in mind, let me share three things from this passage:
· THE OVERWHELMING TASK
· THE RADICAL TRANSFORMATION
· THE SAVING GRACE
1) THE OVERWHELMING TASK
Verse 3, “Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.” Just as God commanded him to do, Jonah went and proclaimed the message of God to the Ninevites – Jonah obeyed God. Now, before we look at how the Ninevites responded to Jonah’s words, I don’t want the simplicity of this verse to cause us to miss how difficult this mission must have been for Jonah. After all, Jonah experienced a life-transforming miracle of being rescued by a fish. So, we assume that obeying would’ve been easy for Jonah. But to guard us from thinking this way, the author intentionally emphasizes the greatness of Nineveh over and over again. How was Nineveh great? First, Nineveh was great in size. Verse 3, “Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.” Second, Nineveh was great in population. Jonah 4:11 tells us that more than 120,000 people were living in this city. Now, considering that Jerusalem was thought to have around 8,000 people at that time, you could understand how large Nineveh was. And lastly, Nineveh was great in wickedness. Jonah 1:2 tells us that their evil has come up before the Lord. They were brutal and extremely barbaric in the way they tortured and killed their enemies. The city was filled with temples and shrines for gods from all over the world. One commentary said that there was no pleasure that wasn’t pursued in Nineveh. They were affluent and arrogant – they greatly boasted of their evil ways. All that to say, Nineveh was great in every way – and Jonah was to go there and warn them of God’s coming judgment. Think about how overwhelming this task must have been for Jonah.
Jonah was just a small-town prophet from a nation that was inferior to Assyria. Not just that, he had to talk about a God who was foreign to the Ninevites. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he had to bring a message of judgment – telling them that they’d be destroyed if they didn’t turn from their sins. You see, this mission was ludicrous – it just didn’t make any sense. One pastor actually said that this would’ve been like for a Jewish rabbi to stand on the streets of Berlin in 1941 and call on Nazi Germany to repent. This was that kind of mission – no wonder Jonah ran the first time. In fact, if we were Jonah, we would’ve been devastated by the futility of this task – many of us would’ve given up even before we started. We may say to ourselves, “How is this ever going to happen? Where do I even begin? Do I just start speaking in the middle of this marketplace? In fact, will anyone be able to hear me? It’s so loud here. There are so many people. More importantly, what if they don’t care about this message? Everyone seems to be doing well here. They look happy. They look content. Why would they care about what I have to say? In fact, what if this message offends them? What if they threaten to kill me? Is this all worth it? What was God thinking? I know that He told me to do this because He cares about the Ninevites. But does He care about me? What about me and my safety and my well-being? This is not going to work. There’s no way I’m going to reach anyone here.” Let me make this a little more personal.
In thinking about the city that we live in, we may say to ourselves, “Okay, I get that God has placed me here for a purpose. But how in the world am I going to make a difference? What can I do to bring transformation to this city? The task is too big – I can’t do it. What’s the point of trying? It’s not going to work anyway.” And as a result, it keeps you inactive – it keeps you compromising. Or in thinking about parenting, we may say to ourselves, “I know that God has blessed me with these children and placed them in my life for a purpose. But how am I ever going to lead them to Christ? How am I ever going to protect their souls? How am I ever going to guard them from the ideologies of this world? Do I have to do homeschooling? Do I have to do this and that? But I’m so tired. I’m so exhausted by all the things I have to do. I keep telling myself I have to do better but I feel overwhelmed by the task. I’m not qualified for this.” Or in thinking about marriage, we may say to ourselves, “I know that God brought us together and I’m really thankful for my marriage. But how do I lead the family if I feel so inadequate? How do I serve my husband when I’m constantly disappointed in him? I just don’t have what it takes to do this.” Or in thinking about our workplace, we may say to ourselves, “I know I’m blessed to have this job. I know that God placed me here to shine the light of Christ. And I really do want to share the gospel with people that I work with. But what if they ask me hard questions and I don’t know what to say? What if I make things worse? What if they misunderstand me? What if I’m marked as a bigot? What if I make things awkward? I don’t think I’m cut out to be an evangelist.” Or in thinking about us, we may say to ourselves, “I want to be useful in the Kingdom of God – but when I think about myself, I’m always reminded of how immature I am spiritually. I don’t have gifts and talents like others. I don’t know too much. I fall into the same sin over and over again. Why would God want to use someone like me? It’s clear that I’m really not good enough for these tasks. God should send someone else.” I could go on and on with so many examples – but does this describe you in any way? Do you feel overwhelmed by the task that God has given you? Do you feel inadequate and unworthy to carry out His will? Then please listen carefully: You are unworthy – and you are most certainly inadequate. Okay, that wasn’t much of an encouragement – but that’s the point. We must recognize that we don’t have what it takes to bring transformation, but God does – which is why we need to learn to take our eyes off ourselves and place them on Him. We need to stop thinking so much of who we are but who He is. I love what Pastor Tim Keller said, “The essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.” Friends, we need to learn to think of ourselves less and think more of the One who is greater than us – the One who has the power and wisdom to actually finish the task and bring transformation to those around us which is what our next point is about.
2) THE RADICAL TRANSFORMATION
Verse 4, “Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.’” That’s all that Jonah shares. He doesn’t tell them why this is happening or how this can be avoided. So, reading this, it can seem like Jonah’s message was all bad news – but there’s actually a hint of hope found in the word “overthrown.” You see, in Hebrew, this word can certainly mean “complete destruction.” For example, Genesis 19:24-25 says, “Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah – from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities – and also the vegetation in the land.” God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah – then using the same word here, Jonah could’ve meant that Nineveh would be completely destroyed. But at the same time, this word can also mean “to turn upside down” in a good way. For example, Esther 9:20-22 says, “Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.” Their sorrow turned into joy – then using the same word here, Jonah could’ve meant that Nineveh’s sorrow would turn into joy. In other words, Jonah was basically saying, “In forty days, Nineveh will either be turned upside down for bad or for good. It will either be terminated or be transformed. What will you choose? You have 40 days to act.” That was the gist of his message. Then how did the Ninevites respond? In the most shocking way possible.
Verse 5, “The Ninevites believed God.” The unthinkable happened – the Ninevites, these cruel, evil, pleasure-seeking Ninevites believed God. Something that Jonah thought was impossible actually became a reality. You see, we think that people driven by pleasure don’t believe God, that people who love their sins don’t believe God, that people who are content with life don’t believe God – but that’s exactly what happened. The Ninevites believed God. Verse 5, “A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.” Now, this was a common practice for expressing humility, grief, and sorrow over sin in the ancient world. But what’s amazing is that this was a national repentance that transcended every class of people – and the king was no exception. Verse 6 tells us that the king rose from the seat that symbolized his power and mourned in humiliation. And if that wasn’t enough, the king issued a decree to the whole city – verse 7, “Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God.” Now, some of you may be thinking, “Okay, I understand why he was calling the people to fast and cry out to God. But why the animals?” Many commentators say that this was the king’s way of saying, “God, the whole city is choosing to fall under Your authority. The whole city is looking for Your mercy.” In other words, it displayed complete surrender. And the genuineness of their repentance was shown when the king said in verse 8, “Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.” He called everyone to turn from their sins and turn to God. He was calling them to give up their old life in order to embrace a new one. You see, the Ninevites were going through a radical transformation – a revival in the whole city. How is this possible? How can something like this happen? Well, it certainly wasn’t because Jonah was a great speaker. It wasn’t because Jonah’s words were eloquent and inspirational. It was because God was transforming their hearts. Ezekiel 36:26-27 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.” Jonah wasn’t dealing with skeptics who needed to be persuaded or bad people who needed to be convinced to become good – no, he was dealing with dead people who needed to be raised to life. And that is something only God can do.
What does this mean for us? It means that the weight is off our shoulders. We can’t turn people’s hearts. We can’t make people believe. We can’t make immoral people moral. Those can only be done by God – which is why our job is not to bring transformation but simply to go and faithfully preach, faithfully pray, and faithfully serve. Friends, are you overwhelmed by the calling and responsibilities that God has given you? If so, take your eyes off of yourself and look to the One who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask. He will do what we are unable to do. We can’t change our children to believe. We can’t make our friends, co-workers, and neighbors to believe. And we certainly can’t cause the whole city of Toronto to repent – only God can do that. He alone is the One who creates hunger in their hearts; He alone is the One who arranges circumstances so that they want to know about God; He alone is the One who gives them faith.
But at the same time, God still calls us to go. Why? Because He is choosing to work through us. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and told them this in Luke 24:46-49, “The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you.” Here, Jesus laid out God’s plan to save people for Himself. But He didn’t say, “I’m going to tell people about this” – instead, He said, “I’m sending you. You are My witnesses. Go and tell them what you saw.” Now, some of you may be asking, “Why doesn’t God just do it Himself? Wouldn’t that be more effective than sending people like us?” And the answer is it’s because He wants to share in the joy of bringing the lost back home – because He wants us to experience the joy of seeing a soul return to life. Brothers and sisters, remember that we hold in our hands the only true message of salvation the world will ever hear. There will never be another gospel, and there’s no other way for people to be saved from their sins. If our friends, family, and coworkers are ever to be saved from their sins, it will be because someone like us speaks the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. They will not turn, they will not change unless we take this life-giving truth to them.
What we see in Jonah 3 is one of the greatest revivals recorded in the Bible. The entire city of Nineveh (these cruel, evil Assyrians) heard one message from God, and they all repented of their sins and believed God. How did that happen? Because Jonah obeyed – because Jonah went to them with the Word of God. Then let the truths of the gospel penetrate your hearts today – and break your heart for those who do not know Jesus. Meditate on what it will mean for your friends, family, and coworkers to stand before God the righteous Judge apart from Jesus Christ. Remember what the grace of God has done in your own life – and imagine what He could do in theirs. Then let us take the gospel to those around us – wisely but gently, lovingly telling them the truth so that they might turn and be saved. God says in Isaiah 55:11, “My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” In other words, there’s power in the Word. Remember that we’re not called to be fruitful in our ministry but faithful. Then what a wonderful season to think through this as Advent is just around the corner. Invite those around you to come and hear the gospel this Christmas. That’s all you need to do – God will do the rest.
3) THE SAVING GRACE
Verse 10, “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened.” This would’ve been incredibly shocking to Jonah. They were people whom Jonah deemed as utterly undeserving, beyond hope, beyond reach but here was God – giving them mercy. And at this point, Jonah was plunged back into the depths of despair and disappointment with God – which sets up the intense conversation that will take place between Jonah and God in the next chapter.
But the point I want to leave you with is this – that God is a relenting God. Yes, it’s true that God hates sin and evil, but His grace is more. Brothers and sisters, in our sin, you and I stand under the judgment of God. And the Bible clearly tells us that the wages of sin is death. But God in His mercy remained patient with us – and because of His love for us, He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. And when God saw His precious Son on the cross, He did not relent of His fierce anger – instead, He poured out the fullness of His wrath on Jesus. But because of that God passes over us – He will not treat us as our sins deserve.
Jesus said in Matthew 12:39-41, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.” Here, Jesus was basically saying, “When the Ninevites heard the preaching of Jonah (this short message), they repented of their sins. But someone greater than Jonah is here. Then will you remain in your sinful ways, or will you turn?” And this is the question that He is asking all of us today. Friends, I pray that you’ll turn from your sinful ways today. Don’t let your sin rule over you. Don’t compromise. Don’t remain inactive when it comes to your sins thinking that it’s futile to resist because, in Christ, we do have the power to overcome sin. It is possible to say no to our sins because of the Spirit who is living in us. So, desperately cling to Him and passionately pursue holiness for this is God’s will for your life (1 Thess. 4:3, 7).
Let me speak to those who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Friends, there’s nothing in this world that will satisfy your hearts – in fact, running away from God will continue to leave you anxious, empty, and hopeless. So, turn to Jesus today. The king of Nineveh wasn’t sure if God would turn from His fierce anger toward them, but you can be sure because Jesus Christ has come. If you turn from your sins and turn to Him and urgently call on His name, He will save you – you will find Him. Then don’t delay. Turn to this God of mercy today.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, our God is a relenting God which is why even the message of judgment can be a message of hope. Then run to the cross today because He will give you another chance. But let’s also run to the world with this life-giving truth so that they will find Christ and be saved.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) If you were in Jonah’s shoes, how would you have felt when the Word of God came to you a second time? Have you had an experience where you failed at something, but were offered a second chance to redeem yourself?
2) Think about how overwhelmed Jonah must have been as he entered Nineveh. Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the task that God has given you? How did you overcome those fears and doubts?
3) How did the people of Nineveh respond to the message Jonah preached to them? When you see your own sins, does it lead you to grieve and repent (not just in words but also in deeds like the Ninevites)? How can we cultivate this heart of repentance in us today?
4) What are some reasons that may cause us to think that certain people or our culture is too far gone for God to reach? How does Jonah 3 encourage us not to give up but to continue praying and sharing the gospel with those around us?