TEXT: JONAH 3:1-10
TITLE: “JONAH PREACHES – GOD FORGIVES”
OPEN: A. Most of you are probably familiar with the poem “Footprints in the Sand”
1. It tells about our journey through life
a. How Christ walks with us
--how we see both His and our footprints in the sand
b. Yet, when life gets difficult, we look back and see only one set of footprints
--Why has Christ left us to walk these difficult times alone?
c. Yet, when Jesus is questioned over the matter, the lone set of footprints belong to Him
because He was carrying us through those difficult times
d. It’s a poem that has brought comfort to many people
2. Some years back, someone wrote a revised version of the poem
--One, I think, probably is more candid and truthful about our walk through life:
One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.
But then some strange prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord, they are too big for feet."
"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you along.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."
"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt."
"Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand."
B. I know that the poem certainly represents Jonah’s life as described in the biblical book by his name
1. God comes to Jonah and tells him that he is to go to Nineveh and preach against it
a. Nineveh – that large and wicked city
b, A place where the people are cruel and enemies of the nation of Israel
2. Jonah has no desire to proclaim God’s message to the Ninevites
--so he runs in the complete opposite direction
3. Jonah secures passage on a boat to the western coast of Spain
4. God sends a fierce storm
--one so fierce that it frightens the crew – men who have been experienced in all kinds of sea
weather
5. The begins to unload anything not tied down and begin to pray to any deity they can think of
6. They finally determine that their passenger has something to do with what is going on
--They ask and he says, “Throw me overboard!”
7. Just when Jonah thought he was done with God, God wasn’t done with Jonah
--God sends a great fish to swallow Jonah
8. Jonah spends three days and nights in the belly of this fish
--Plenty of time for meditation and reflection
9. Jonah repents and cries out to God
10. God hears and orders the fish to vomit Jonah out on the beach.
C. Jonah 3:1-10 – “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.’ Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and
went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. On the first
day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.’
The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put
on sackcloth. When the news 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. Then he issued a
proclamation in Nineveh ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast,
herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be covered with
sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not
perish.’ When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had
compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
I. JONAH PRESENTS
A. What did Jonah present?
--God’s message to Nineveh
1. Jonah went to Nineveh and proclaimed the message God gave to him
a. That was the primary role of a prophet
--to deliver a message that comes from and usually involves a message of repentance
2. The place was so big and spread out it took him three days to get the job done.
3. He brought a message of doom.
a. Now we don’t like preaching that message still today.
--In fact it’s my least favorite kind of message to preach
b. But the truth is that those without Christ sometimes need to hear that message.
c. Jesus talked more about hell than he did about heaven.
4. We like to preach a lot about love, not much about fear.
a. We like to preach a lot about grace but not much about repentance.
b. But truth is there must always be a balance based upon scripture.
c. Jonah had to preach the message God had given him.
B. The God of second chances
1. vs. 1 – “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time…”
2. Notable second chances:
a. Abraham
b. Moses
c. Peter
d. Myself
C. Some important lessons:
1. It’s not our job to decide who should hear God’s message of salvation
a. You know it’s amazing how much people feel this way today.
--Some times they don’t even realize it but they truly want to choose who hears the message and
who doesn’t
b. Mostly because they don’t want anyone coming into their church that makes them feel
uncomfortable.
--their Christianity becomes all about them and they start becoming this close clique instead of
reaching out to lost people.
c. How is it possible for the heart of a follower of Jesus to become so much against the person that you
would want to deny them the privilege of hearing about Jesus?
d. How is it possible for a Christian to so dislike a person or a group of people that you wouldn’t want
them in the seat next to you?
2. It’s not our job to decide who might be receptive to God’s message of salvation
a. At first glance the people of Nineveh would have seemed like they would not be receptive to
Jonah’s message at all.
1). I mean they were a happening people.
2). They dominated this part of the world.
3). They were wealthy, powerful and seemed like an arrogant culture that would not listen to the
word of God.
4). If some Christian group did a study of that culture or planned a cost benefit analysis of an
evangelistic program in Nineveh it would not be real positive.
--People would have said, don’t waste your time.
b. Yet, vss. 5-6 says, “The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the
greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When the news 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.”
3. It is our job to be obedient and proclaim God’s message to salvation
--vs. 3 – “Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh.”
4. God was already working to draw the Ninevites to Himself
a. Historical records tell us that a solar eclipse took place June 15, 753 BC.
--That would have been around this time. Now to the pagan religions of that day that would have
been viewed as some kind of omen.
b. Then we know that there was a huge earthquake during the reign of a king named Ashur-Dan.
--There were several by that name but Ashur-Dan III. Would have led during this time period. A
huge natural disaster always makes people wonder if something bigger is going on.
c. There were a series of severe famine that took place between 773 BC and 756 BC.
--They had just experienced two plagues that had wiped out a good chunk of the population.
d. There were also several internal rebellions and some major outside military loses during this time
period.
--There were some warring tribes that had just struck a coalition north of Nineveh and were really a
thorn in the flesh of Nineveh’s king
e. The Ninevites worshipped a pagan idol symbolized as a fish God
1). Can’t you imagine what sort of impact Jonah had on this city? Three days and nights in the
belly of the fish. His skin and hair all bleached out. A message of doom because of the
inhabitants’ wickedness.
2). Perhaps some folks from the area saw the fish vomit Jonah up on shore and had returned
to tell folks what they had seen
C. We, too, have a commission from God to share the Gospel with the whole world
1. There are people beside us every day that need to hear the message of Jesus Christ.
a. It is not our job to decide who should hear or who will listen.
b. It is our job to go unto the entire world with the message of Jesus Christ.
2. Dwight Moody was asked, “How long does a person have to be a Christian before he can start
telling other people about Jesus?” … Moody answered that question with another one, “How long
does a candle have to burn before it starts lighting up the room?”
II. NINEVEH REPENTS
A. Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: “There is always a way out of our distress, a
way that begins with turning toward God.”
1. Definition of repentance:
B. Marks of repentance:
1. Humility
2. Confession
3. Fruit
III. GOD RELENTS
A. No matter how bad your sin, it doesn’t change God’s plans
1. God is greater than your sin.
2. His plans will move forward with or without you.
--He’d rather that it be with you rather than without
B. No matter how bad your sin, it doesn’t change God’s power
1. Jonah tried but God sent the forces of a great storm and a great fish.
2. Now matter how badly we want to change God’s will, He never changes
C. No matter how bad your sin, it doesn’t change God’s promises
1. God promised that if Nineveh would change their ways, He would forgive
2. Nineveh a great city – not just in size but in sin
--No sin too great for God
a. 1 Jn. 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us
from all unrighteousness.”
b. 2 Pet. 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is
patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
CLOSE: A. What can God do through one person who is committed to accomplish what God asks him to do?
Telemachus was a Christian who lived at the end of the 4th and beginning of the 5th centuries
AD . He was a committed Christian who lived in community with other Christian men.
Telemachus was simple in his faith and enjoyed simple pleasures.
One day, he felt that God was strongly urging him to go to Rome. Telemachus had never been
to Rome and had no desire to go to Rome. But he knew that God was asking him to go to Rome
– and so he did.
When Telemachus arrived in Rome, he saw the throngs of people heading into the Coliseum.
Telemachus asked about what was happening. When someone told him about it, he went. He
was appalled to see that people were being killed for amusement. He heard the gladiators take
their oath: “Hail to Caesar, we die for Caesar”.
Telemachus got up out of his seat and ran down to the Coliseum floor. People laughed and
pointed at Telemachus thinking he was part of the show. He walked up to one of the gladiators
and said, “In the name of Jesus – stop!” Looking around, the man saw that the crowd was
treating Telemachus like he was part of the show. The gladiator took the flat side of his sword
and smacked Telemachus in the stomach. He fell to his knees.
But Telemachus got up and ran to another gladiator and said, “In the name of Jesus, stop!”
The crowd began to get annoyed. They began to chant: “Run him through! Run him through!”
Telemachus bravely continued his plea: “In the name of Jesus, stop!”
The crowd chanted louder and louder: “Run him through! Run him through!” One of the
gladiators finally tired of Telemachus ran his sword into Telemachus’ belly. As Telemachus fell
to the ground and his blood began to stain the dirt floor of the Coliseum, he managed one more
time to say, “In the name of Jesus, stop!”Then Telemachus went to be with Jesus.
As the crowd watched what happened and the gladiators stared down at Telemachus, a miracle
happened. One by one, the crowd began to file out of the Coliseum. The gladiators dropped their
weapons and left the Coliseum floor. That was January 1, 404 AD and was the very last day that
the gladiators fought in the Roman Coliseum.
B. What can one person do when they walking in obedience with God?
1. Telemachus stopped one of the most inhumane sports ever invented
2. Jonah preached and Nineveh – that great city – repented
3. What is God asking you to do and what is He wanting to do through you?
C. Fred Craddock tells about when he was a boy that he loved to play hide and seek with his
sister and he was a master at it. He had places to hide in which his sister could never find him.
While his sister was counting to a hundred with her eyes covered, he would run and hide under
the steps in front of the house, under the porch. And when his sister came looking she would get
near to the steps and stand right beside him but never see him. Fred says it was all he could do to
muffle his giggles there in the dark under the porch. He thought to himself, “She’ll never find me
here.” “She’ll never find me here.” Until it dawned on him that, she’d never find him there.
So as soon as he could, when her back was turned, he would come out and yell and run to
home base and jump up and down and make a lot of noise. He did it he said, because he wanted
what everybody here wants, maybe even the Jonah’s among us, even those who are trying their
best to hide from God and from life, which is not to be lost, but to be found.
