"The Missions Mandate"
Jonah 1:1-16
Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. 6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, what meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. 7 And they said everyone to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? What is thy country? And of what people art thou? 9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 11 Then said they unto him, what shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? For the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. 12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. 14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, we beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. 15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.
Introduction:
I. The Prophets Authority
a. The Word and his calling
Jonah's authority came from "...the word of the Lord." Our FWB treatise states that God's word is our rule for faith and practice! The authority we have from any and all endeavors comes from Scripture. This is true of all missionary activity, then and now. We believe that all Christian's are "called" to be a witness but there are times when God gives a specific "call" to go to a particular nation, people group or in the case of Jonah, a great city.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
b. The work and his calling
Jonah was to "...arise..." and "...go to Nineveh..." First let's have a geography lesson and it will give you some idea of just what God told Jonah to do and what Jonah planned to do instead. First, the sea port of Joppa, is located about thirty miles northwest of Jerusalem) Nineveh is 600 miles East/Northeast of Jerusalem and
Tarshish is the most distant city in the known world, 2200 miles to the West clear on the edge of SPAIN.
Nineveh was a large city: It required three days to travel from one side to the other (3:3; cf. 4:11). Originally built by Nimrod (Gen. 10:8-11), it was on the east bank of the Tigris River. The city was advanced culturally but its people were arrogant and corrupt. Nahum the prophet spoke against Nineveh as a bloody city full of lies, violence, sensuousness, and idolatry. Their soldiers were infamous for their cruelty. Although God knew of their wickedness, He nevertheless commissioned Jonah to go and preach to them. God sent him there not only for Nineveh's spiritual welfare, but also to shame Israel in a dramatic way. Israel was religiously self-indulgent and did not bother to evangelize the surrounding nations. So when Jonah went alone to preach to Nineveh and the entire city repented, it was a sharp rebuke to Israel's attitude. It seems God often sends individuals to accomplish His work when a larger group does not obey. This is true in the local church as well.
c. The witness and his calling
Jonah is called to "...cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me." Have you ever heard of someone being "called out" because of something they have done? The word "cry" means to speak out or call out. Jonah was to call them out for their evil and wickedness. God tells his prophet that He is aware of their corruption and sin. Part of the responsibility of every Christian is to "cry out" against the wickedness of our day. We are to call folks to repentance and warn them of the dangers of delay and procrastination.
Second:
II. The Prophets Aversion
a. His flight
Jonah's flight reveals something about his concept of God. His day was marked by polytheism (the worship of many gods) and these gods held sway or influence over a geographical area or a nation. Unfortunately it seems that Jonah was under the impression that he could leave the area of Jehovah's influence and flee from "...the presence of the Lord..."
b. His fare
There is always a price to pay, always consequences when we fail to be obedient. Jonah paid the fare but it cost him much more than he thought it would. I don't know who said this but the Cathedral Quartet recorded a song that said:
"Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay."
But there is also something even more sinister at work in the prophet's flight; it was his own prejudice! You see the Ninevites had several strikes against them in Jonah's eyes. First, there was the fear factor. The Assyrian soldiers had the reputation as some of the most vicious and cruel of all time. And there was already a well-known prophesy that the Assyrians would bring a plague of destruction and devastation on Palestine. The prophet Nahum who lived during the same time pronounces: "woe to the bloody city (of Nineveh)" (3:1). The city and the Assyrian Empire had a well-earned reputation for being bloody. Just a casual glance at the reliefs from the palaces of Sennacherib and Ashurbanipal shows the "gory and bloodcurdling history as we know it" (Bleibtreu. 1991:52). There are reliefs with people being impaled, decapitated, flayed, and tongues pulled out. Other reliefs show the Assyrians making people grind the bones of their dead ancestors, and even vultures plucking out the eyes of the dead! Associates for Biblical Research
Next, they were Gentiles and we know the traditional problems that Jews had with Gentiles. They were considered unclean, defiled, degraded and not worthy of redemption. These two strikes were enough to send the prophet in the opposite direction. As far as Jonah was concerned he had a social and a racial problem with the Assyrians.
Just this week the subject of race and prejudice has come to the forefront and there has been a national dialog going on in the main stream media and the social media platforms. Our National Executive Committee has even issued a statement reaffirming our historical position on racism, and I quote:
"In light of events that occurred over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, the National Association of Free Will Baptists remains firm in its stand condemning racism in any form. This stand was taken over 20 years ago by the denomination, and it remains true today as we endeavor to spread the gospel to one race--the human race--and "all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues."
Executive Committee Adopts a Motion Regarding Racism
The Executive Committee of the National Association of Free Will Baptists met December 7, 2011, in its regular semi-annual meeting. The committee took the following action:
"Motion passed that we reaffirm the resolution deploring all forms of racism that was adopted at our 1995 convention and that we support the official statement issued by the National Association of Free Will Baptists Executive Office. Further, we recommend the Bible study Racism, the Bible and the Church published by Randall House: http://www.accessbiblestudies.com/bible-studies/racism-the-bible-and-the-church."
The resolution mentioned is as follows: 1995 Resolutions Committee Report
Resolution #2 -- Resolution Concerning Racism
Whereas, all people are created equal in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and,
Whereas, all people have descended through "one blood" from Adam (Acts 17:26) and,
Whereas, God desired for all people to be saved (2 Peter 3:9),
Be it resolved that the National Association of Free Will Baptists do hereby condemn racism in any form and do pledge to proclaim the Gospel freely to all men of every race.
"Racism is a sin problem, not a skin problem!
"We cannot pray in love and live in hate and still think we are worshipping God." A. W. Tozer
"Prejudice is a disease caused by hardening of the categories."
c. His fall
The advantage that we have that Jonah didn't is that we know that you cannot "run from God." It's impossible because we know that He is Omni-present! He is everywhere, all the time. The Psalmist David wrote:
Psalms 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
But we need to recognize also that figuratively speaking anytime we disobey God we go "...down..." and "...from..." the Lord!
III. The Prophets Adjustment
a. The providence of the Sovereign
The story of Jonah is more about God's providence than the prophet's issues with the Assyrians. Jonah needed an attitude adjustment and God provided one although His prophet was pretty obstinate. That is true of all of us. The Apostle Peter had a problem with the Gentiles but God showed him that they were not "unclean" and promptly sent Peter to preach to them. Like Jonah, Peter had issues later and Paul had to confront him about his inconsistency. One thing that is often overlooked in this narrative is the conversion of sailors on board the ship. You see, God was focused on both the Ninevites and the sailors simultaneously. He can do that because He is God. God is interested in the salvation of the entire world.
b. The prayer of the servant
There are many great prayers in the Bible and Jonah's is one of them! What a prayer Jonah prayed! There have not been many like it. Listen to the words of the prophet as he prays from the belly of a whale;
Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, "I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. 4 Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.' 5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!" 10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. ESV
Sperm whales can dive to a depth of over 10,000 ft deep and they can do this several times per day looking for food. No wonder Jonah felt like he had traveled to the bottom of the ocean!
c. The preaching to the sinners
Notice at the beginning of chapter three that we find that the Word of the Lord came to Jonah "...the second time..." This is that proof that God had been gracious and had heard the prophet's prayer and approved of his penance. He is forgiven and recommissioned. I preached a message years ago about "The God of Second Chances," and it was to remind us that our God looks for a heart that has been tendered in repentance so the He might show mercy and forgiveness.
Jonah is to "....preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee..." all those many centuries ago God was still choosing to use "...the foolishness of preaching..." to convert sinners. He has not changed today.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Finally: The aftermath was almost predictable. We are told that the entire city repented in sackcloth and ashes from the king to the beggar on the street.
Conclusion: Ultimately all men are divided into two groups.
ILL - When the great ship Titanic sailed her maiden voyage, 2,224 precious souls were aboard. Among those, there was a vast division among those sailing in first class and those in steerage. The passengers ranged from the rich to poor immigrants. HOWEVER, when that great ship sank to the bottom of the ocean, there was no first class; no second class...For the final published report only divided the passengers in two ways. Saved or Lost. So it is with us friends, as we sail life's journey. When the trip ends and all is said and done, which designation will be yours? Saved or lost.
ILL - A black man and a white man were driving down the road, debating the topic of whether Jesus was black or white. On and on they went. Back and forth; "He was white" says the white guy, "because he was Jewish, and the shroud confirms, that he was Caucasian. "No he was black." says the black man. "Noah's descendants settled in Ethiopia, and the lineage of Jesus is from there." The two men were so busy arguing, they weren't watching the road and slammed into a semi, and killed both of them instantly. The two men wake up in heaven; Jesus comes around the Pearly gates and says, "BUENAS DIAS SENORS!"
ILL - I like what Jesse Duplantis says about it, he says that we were all made of dirt, that there's white dirt, red dirt, yellow dirt, brown dirt, and black dirt, so we all came from the same place, we're dirt. We would think that it crazy if we saw one clump of dirt telling another clump of dirt "I'm better than you are."That is exactly what we do, when we tell someone who's not the same color that we are, I'm better than you, or I'm so different than you that we can't associate with each other. We're all just dirt and no matter what color dirt we are, we're still just dirt.
ILL - Because our sins of prejudice have been paid for, God calls us to judge correctly.
In the movie "Shallow Hal" Hal, played by Jack Black, sees people based on their outward beauty. He is then hypnotized by the self-help guru, Tony Robbins. For the rest of the movie, he sees the people around him based on their inner beauty.
In a way, that's what the Holy Spirit does for us. Our values and our view of the world is transformed by His power.
