An Analysis of A GREAT CITY JONAH 2:10 - Ch 3 I. THE SOVEREIGN . . OF THE CITY v.10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. Note There Is : - (a) Lordship Here And the LORD spake Acts 8:26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. God's Call "angel of the Lord", God's Command "Arise, and go", God's Challenge "which is desert." (b) Leadership Here Here was :- Discipline, Dedication,& Direction v1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, (c) Loyalty Here v.1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, God did not abandon Jonah (d) Love Here v.2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. Go in Spite Of World, Go in Spite Of Self, Go in Spite Of Consequences, Go in Spite Of Preferences (Still Nineveh) ILLUSTRATION:
Alfred Hitchcock, told a parable about the unknown. There once was a king who was granted two wishes. His first was to see the future. But when he saw all that lay ahead - the beauty and the pain - he immediately asked for his second wish; that the future be hidden. Hitchcock "tomorrow does not belong to any man. It belongs to God." God reigns as sovereign, of the city, the town, the world.
II. THE SIZE . . OF THE CITY 2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. 1. A great and proud city.Nineveh was no small city. Its circumference was some sixty miles. The walls around the city were one hundred feet tall and broad enough for three chariots to be driven abreast. It was fortified by huge towers. Its population was estimated at 600,000 to 1,000,000. Jon 3:3 Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey. 1. This would be 60 to 75 miles in circumference.
2. A day's journey would be 20 to 25 miles. III. THE SIN . . OF THE CITY. Jonah 1:2 & 4:11 Ch 1 v 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. Ch 4:11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? When the Ninevites captured a city they slaughtered all the leading citizens. When I say slaughtered, They stretched men out flat on the ground and tied their hands and feet to stakes and literally, with a knife, skinned them alive. They drove a pointed pole into the lower chest of others; picked them up, placed the pole in a hole, and left them there squirming until they died. They made pyramids out of human skulls to mark the route the conquerors had taken.
One historian says, men were actually skinned alive, children burned, some were blinded, some had hands and feet, noses and ears cut off. IV. THE SERMON . . TO THE CITY 2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. 1.The Significance Of The Message "Preach" means sound it out loudly, plainly, urgently.
2. The Supremecy Of The Message, God is commanding, see that you preach no other message than Mine. Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
3. The Source Of The Message "the preaching that I bid thee."
4. The Sanctity Of The Message Not his own imaginations,
5. The Simplicity Of The Message v.4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 6. The Sway Of The Message Rom 1 v 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 7. The Sincerity Of The Messenger 3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey. 4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. Note The : - a. Strictness in Jonah's Obedience.
b. Simplicity in Jonah's Trust.
c. Speed Of Jonah's Service.
d. Surrender Of Jonah's Work (trust God for the results of the mission.) V. THE SALVATION . . . OF THE CITY Jonah 3:4-10 I. THERE'S THE PREACHING OF GOD'S WORD. v 4 A. ONE . . CALLED TO PREACH 4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown 1. Jonah proclaimed his message of judgement all day long as he traveled into the city. B. ONE . . CLEAR IN HIS PREACHING.. 4 b and he cried and said,
C. ONE CONVINCING IN HIS PREACHING. "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown." It Was A Message Of : - (a) Doom "shall be overthrown" (b) Danger "forty days" (c) Deliverance "Yet" Still In The Day Of Grace II. THERE'S THE PERSUASION OF THE PEOPLE. v. 5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. A. PERSUADED Because of the message: So the people of Nineveh believed God
Their Faith "believed God"
Their Fast "proclaimed a fast" Their Fear "put on sackcloth" Their Fervour "from the greatest of them even to the least of them." B. PERSUADED Because of the messenger
1. The sign of Jonah. Luke 11:29-30 9 ΒΆ And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
2 Cor 5:11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
C. PERSUADED Because of the meaning 5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, ie. God's Word, God's Will, & God's Way Of Salvation
III. THERE'S THE PENITENCE OF THE PEOPLE. v 6 - 9 A. THE WHO OF PENITENCE. 6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. 1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. B. THE HOW OF PENITENCE 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. (a) The Reach Of It 3:8 a "But both man and beast
(b) The Reality Of It 8 b "must be covered with sackcloth;"
(c) The Reason For It 8 c "and cry mightily unto God "
(d) The Result Of It 8 d "let them turn every one from his evil way"
(e) The Recognition Of It 8 e "and from the violence
(f) The Ratification Of It 8 f "which is in their hands. Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. C. THE WHY OF PENITENCE. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? (a) The Mystery Of God 9a "Who can tell ,
(b) The Majesty Of God 9b God may turn and repent,
1. Can God repent? The form used here is from the Hebrew verb Nacham,
which is derived from the idea of "breathe heavily" as in sorrow or in relief as one is consoled, "may heave a sigh of relief".
(c) The Mercy Of God 9 c "and and turn away from his fierce anger"
(d) The Mission Of God 9 d " that we perish not ?" Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Isaiah 28 v 21 For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
IV. THERE'S THE PARDON FROM GOD. v 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. A. A PARDON BECAUSE OF WHAT GOD SAW. v10 And God saw their works, B. A PARDON BECAUSE OF WHAT GOD SENSED that they turned from their evil way; C. A PARDON BECAUSE OF WHAT GOD SAID. v.4 Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
