Jonah 3:5-10

INTRODUCTION: It often seems that Christians have an impossible task. There are so many people who are lost, and so few workers. But things are not so different today than they were in Bible times. The prophets of old had some of the same problems. We can learn about the preaching of the message of salvation from on such prophet, Jonah.

BODY

I. DON'T RUN FROM HARD DUTY

A. Jonah ran from his duty to God.

1. Jonah 1:1-3- "Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, {2} "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me." {3} But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD."

2. The context of the books suggests to us that he did not want God's mission to succeed. He was a patriot and Assyria was the enemy. It would have been much better militarily for Israel to be destroyed.

3. It could not have been easy for Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and cry out against its wicked practices.

B. It's by far the easier thing to do nothing as Christians, being unfruitful.

1. Matthew 13:22- ""Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful."

2. Laziness as Christian is condemned.

a. Matthew 25:24-26- ""Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. {25} 'And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' {26} "But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed."

3. We can run away from our responsibilities to the Lord.

a. 2 Timothy 4:10- "for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica;
Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia."

b. 1 Corinthians 4:2- "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."

II. BE CONFIDENT WITH THE SIGN GOD PROVIDES

A. The account of Jonah in the belly of the great fish is told as a historical account in the New Testament.

1. Matthew 12:38-41- "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." {39} But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. {40} "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. {41} "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here."

B. It was enough of a sign to Jonah to cause him to repent and go preach God's message to Nineveh.
1. Jonah 3:1-4- "Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, {2} "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you." {3} So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. {4} And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!""

C. We have a sign that should motivate us to preach the Word to here in St. Charles.

1. Matthew 12:39-40- "But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. {40} "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

2. John 20:30-31- "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; {31} but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."

3. It is the message of the death burial and resurrection that we preach to a lost city.

a. Romans 1:15

b. 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

A. Jonah was given God's commission to deliver God's message to Nineveh.

1. Jonah 3:2- ""Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.""

B. The power to change peoples' lives is still in the Gospel.

1. Romans 1:16

2. 2 Timothy 4:1-4- "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: {2} Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. {3} For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; {4} and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables."

3. 1 Corinthians 1:21- "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe."

4. That message must be preached if we expect our friends and neighbors to be saved.

a. Mark 16:15

b. "Unless they hear they cannot live, the gospel is for all."

A. What was the gist of Jonah's message?

1. Jonah 3:4, 9- "And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown! ...Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?"

2. If some of us lived in Jonah's day we likely would have said, "You're preaching too hard and too negative!"

B. There comes a time when we must preach "tough" and "controversial" lessons.

1. 2 Timothy 4:2- "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."

C. We should not blindly and bitterly lash out with the gospel - we must use wisdom in our preaching

1. Colossians 4:5-6- "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. {6} Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one."

2. Jude 1:22-23- "And on some have compassion, making a distinction; {23} but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh."

V. FEEL THE URGENCY OF THE TASK

A. There was an urgency about Jonah's message.

1. Jonah 3:2-4- "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you." {3} So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. {4} And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!""

2. Either they would turn from their sins or perish.

B. Souls are dying...too much time has been wasted already .

1. 1 Corinthians 15:34- "Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame."

2. Colossians 4:5- "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time."

C. Compel them to listen.

1. Luke 14:23- ""Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled."

CONCLUSION: The responsibility of Nineveh was to repent; the responsibility of judgment belonged to God; the responsibility of Jonah (like our responsibility today) was to attempt to change a city. Let's be about that task in St. Charles.