Jonah Files #3
INVEST AND INVITE
Are you ready to go? Not to lunch…but to invest in the lives of people and invite them to know Christ who we are proclaiming today to be our everything, that if you don’t have Him you are lost?
Are you reluctant?
We heave been talking about Jonah and Jonah was a hard headed, prideful and reluctant God man. He definitely didn’t want to go.
He had been raised in the church, indoctrinated by the church, taught by the church and eventually accepted a call from God to serve the church. The problem for Jonah was when God decided he wanted to use him outside of the walls of the church.
God wanted him to go to Ninevah and “preach against the city.” Jonah said, “NO.” Then he tried to run. He got on a ship to get away from God’s presence but he could’nt escape.
Jonah, defiant as ever, sleeps through a horrendous strom that God sends, sort of like we do sometimes. They tell Jonah to pray, he refuses to even pray. Finally, God points out that the storm is because of Jonah and they throw him overboard.
Jonah is sinking into the sea whgen he is swallowed by a big fish. Inside of that fish Jonah makes his peace with God. The fish vomits him out on the shore nearest to Ninevah and Jonah trudges off to preach the message.
Jonah 3:1-10 (NLT)
1 Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: 2 "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message of judgment I have given you."
Aren’t you glad that God is the God of second chances? How many of you have ever played golf and needed a mulligan? Or hit a foul ball? If you are here this morning and need a second chance to get it right, God is the God for you.
3 This time Jonah obeyed the LORD’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. 4 On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: "Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!"
Let me interpret this message…it’s more like…
God is going to smash you, thrash you, trash you, crash you, dash you, gash you, and make hash out of you…
If you don’t turn you will burn because you never learn and that is what you earn.
You have fell, into a giant well, all the way to hell where you will be smoking like a pell mell, and that is what I am here to tell
So don’t boast, or your’e gonna be toast, like a burning roast and your city will just be a sign post…
So that is my story, the truth is awful gory and if your tourched that will be glory!
5 The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they decided to go without food and wear sackcloth to show their sorrow.
6 When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in sackcloth and sat on a heap of ashes. 7 Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: "No one, not even the animals, may eat or drink anything at all. 8 Everyone is required to wear sackcloth and pray earnestly to God. Everyone must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. 9 Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will have pity on us and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us."
10 When God saw that they had put a stop to their evil ways, he had mercy on them and didn’t carry out the destruction he had threatened.
God was working. It wasn’t the messenger, it was God. God in His omnipotentce and in His sovereighnty stirred the hearts of the people of Ninevah and one of the mightiest revivals in all of history broke out.
I’m a student of church history…and some of the most fascinating stories you can read are about the occurrences of Great City-wide Revivals! [shake entire city for God]
For example, 200+ years ago, preacher named Charles Finney conducted Revivals in the NE part of the US. These were large crusades during a time of revival in the US. On one occasion in Rochester, NY, over 100,000 came to Christ…the entire city was shaken for God!
Then there was the great Welsh Revival at the turn of the 20th C. It all started in a small room/teen meeting in a small church…spiritual fire fell on a youth meeting! The young people were weeping and crying out to God to make a difference in their lives so they could make a difference in the world. Their fire spread to the adults who carried it throughout their city, and eventually throughout the country of Wales…and the ripple effect was felt around the world!
I’m not talking about one of these temporary, counterfeit revivals that touch only the emotions…
I’m talking about a revival where Christians genuinely get right with God, and lost people get saved in great numbers, where marriages are restored, alcoholics are delivered, and rebellious teens are brought to their knees, where liars become truthful, thieves are made honest, prostitutes are made pure, adulterous men made faithful…
…an old-fashioned, soul-saving, sin-erasing, devil-chasing revival!
Would you like to see that in Parkersburg? Where liquor stores would have to close for lack of business/night clubs/drug dealers have to move elsewhere!
Revival CAN start w/ just 1 person willing to pay the price/hungry for God to do something awesome!]
1 person can realize it only takes a spark to start a roaring blaze!
In the 1800s Gypsy Smith was a great revivalist. When asked how to have revival he said, “go home, lock yourself in your room, draw a circle around yourself w/ chalk, and ask God to start a great revival w/in that circle! When God has answered your prayer the revival will be underway!”
But Jonah had different feelings…Chapter 4…
1 This change of plans upset Jonah, and he became very angry. 2 So he complained to the LORD about it: "Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people. 3 Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather be dead than alive because nothing I predicted is going to happen."
4 The LORD replied, "Is it right for you to be angry about this?"
5 Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see if anything would happen to the city. 6 And the LORD God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased some of his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
7 But God also prepared a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant, so that it soon died and withered away. 8 And as the sun grew hot, God sent a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. "Death is certainly better than this!" he exclaimed.
9 Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?"
"Yes," Jonah retorted, "even angry enough to die!"
10 Then the LORD said, "You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. And a plant is only, at best, short lived. 11 But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?"
Jonah 4:1-11 (NLT)
As we finish talking about Jonah, I would like to point out 3 things from this scripture passage today.
PERSPECTIVE 1…GOD’S VIEW OF THINGS.
“SHALL I NOT PITY THAT GREAT CITY, PARKERSBURG.”
God looks down us and He sees, He sees it all.
- He saw every cheap come on in every cheap bar last night.
- He saw the domestic violence that occurred last night.
- Every child that went to bed hungry because their parent spent the money on drink or gambling.
- He saw all the homosexual acivity last night
- He saw all the lonely people who went home with someone last night just so that they wouldn’t have to alone
- He saw the guy who broke into your car, or the business.
- He saw those contemplating suicide
- He saw the high brow parties where people cover their emptiness with fine clothes and sophisticated talk.
- He saw the people who walked into the porn places last night and what they did…
And he says, shall I not pity that great city, Parkersburg?
- he was in the board room as they talked about moving the company out of state
- he saw the paycheck that won’t cover this weeks expenses
- he saw the fear on the face of people all around as they wonder if they can make it
- he saw the family maxxing out their credit card to eat.
And he says, shall I not pity that great city, Parkersburg?
- he knows about the AIDS patients
- He knows about the drug addicts
- He sees the people in the nursing homes with no one to love them
- He sees the sex offenders…
- He saw the little girl I met recently, 2 grades behind, living in squaler, watching 3 little children…
And he says, shall I not pity that great city, Parkersburg?
- He sees the spiritual emptiness, he is the 225+ churches in this sounty this morning and He knows that less then half of them even want His holy presence!
- He sees people are waiting for someone to come and tell them about Jesus, but no has arrived.
- He sees the empty prayer meetings.
- He sees the spiritual confusion
- He sees satan trying to tighten his grip on this entire area
And he says, shall I not pity that great city, Parkersburg?
So how does God feel about what He sees?
Jonah knew how God felt, he stated it…
Jonah 4:2 I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people.
God may hate the sin that goes on around us, but He loves this city. He established this city. He determined that we should be here, now, in this place as salt and light to these very people who are lost.
We know God loves this city because He has sent us, His ambassadors to tell them.
I guess what I am saying is that we need not take the attitude of Jonah, an attitude of anger, of isolating ourselves as the city continues in sin. We cannot just shout at the city and remind them of their sin, we must penetrate it with the power of God. We are called to this place whether they listen or not.
PERSPECTIVE 2…THE VIEW OF A SNIVELING PREACHER
What was wrong with Jonah? Look at what he does…he reluctantly gives out his “turn or Burn” sermon, then he leaves, goes up on a hill to watch and see if the place will be lit up like a roman candle, and them pouts when God doesn’t do it!
Not only that but he is mad because a plant grows and provides him shade from the sun, and then it disappears and he more passionate about that plant then for the souls of any of the people in Ninevah.
He is hot, and angry, and frustrated, and judgemental, and unconcerned about those whom he has grown a detached hatred toward. He thropws a pity party and when nobody comes he is more dejected to the point of “take my life!”
What kind of person is that? What kind of person can get more attached to “stuff” than to souls?
What kind of person hopes for others to get judged by God?
What kind of person trudges through their “Christian duty” but their heart isn’t in it?
Us. That’s who. We have all done it.
ILLUS- I remember sitting in the church office one day when a rusty van pulls up…
Who would do such a thing? Me.
I am never amazed at how we can make it all about us so much of the time. How we develop the mentality that makes everyone we see our servants. The world revolves around me and my needs and everyone is here to service me. And when you fail to service me, watch out!
What I am saying is that it is easy to become like Jonah. It is easy to have self pity, it is easy to be self absorbed, it is easy to pretnend we know how to do God’s job better than he does. It is easy for us to find a place to sit and watch everybody else AND REFUSE TO BE HAPPY FOR THEM WHEN GOD WORKS IN THEIR LIFE.
It is easy to become taken up in our petty feelings, even secretly wishing for God to strike, or for someone to fail or even for the church, or your work, or your boss to fall apart to make a point.
Jesus said that one of the signs of the times would be the love of many growing cold. Another sign would be Christians who turn on each other and hurt each other.
JOHN THE BAPTIST ILLUS…
Nobody likes coming in second, or third – or worse. No, something in us wants to always be on top, and somewhere deep within we quietly rejoice when our competition hits a snag or collapses.
I imagine John’s coworkers were in hyperventilation mode as they arrived with the news that his operation – and theirs – was no longer the biggest shop around. It appears the disciples of Jesus had taken up baptizing – in the same river, no less – and were drawing crowds that dwarfed those that were still coming to John.
You see, John was the first guy in the baptism business. The pioneer. Thus the name we still know him by today – John the Baptist. Technically, he was the first Baptist.
Crowds were flocking to hear him teach and people were being baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. In time, his reputation reaching the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem and, curious, they dispatched some priests to investigate.
Being in ministry most of my life, I can imagine how I might have felt if my operation had grown so much that it caught the attention of the "big dogs" at headquarters and they had come down to see firsthand what was going on. Arriving on the crowded scene, the priests approached John and asked, "Who are you?"
If there was ever a moment to stand in the spotlight, this was it.
If there was ever an opportunity for John to take credit, snag some glory, and grab the headlines, the moment had come. There he was, a simple prophet, surrounded by devoted followers and some of the top religious leaders of the day. "How’d you build such a big ministry?" they began. "What’s the key to your baptizing success? What do you have to say for yourself?"
But John knew exactly what (actually, Who) they were looking for. And he knew what he had come to do. So when asked about his identity, when given the chance to take center state, John "did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, ‘I am not the Christ’" (John 1:20).
When it came time to either be the star of the show or shine the light on someone else, John immediately directed the attention to the one he was called to serve.
The next day John was again baptizing in the Jordan when he saw Jesus coming toward him. I imagine his heart was now firmly lodged in his throat, but John managed to shout for all to hear, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
John knew who Jesus was, and when the moment arrived he turned, pointed his finger, and exclaimed, "There He is," – or as we have in some translations, "Behold."
"Behold!" John cried. "There’s the One we’ve all been waiting for!" Every head turned to look at Jesus Christ, the eyes of an entire crowd now riveted on one man. But scan the crowd and see if you can find John. Just a sentence ago all eyes were turned on him. All the attention was his. People hung on his every word. Now he was out of the spotlight, just another face in the crowd with his eyes glued on Jesus.
And John seems so content – and even genuinely thrilled – to point people away from himself to one he believed was greater. As the crowd locked its gaze on the Christ, he continued, "This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me’" (John 1:30).
And then John uttered the words that pierce the flesh but free the soul: "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:29-30).
The difference between John and Jonah? John knew that he was working to glorify God. Jonah thought God should be working for him!
PERSPECTIVE 3…Things really heat up when a power that is beyond us is applied to our work.
In the end the story is always about what God is doing. Take a feeble man with a bad attitude and a edgy sermon who hikes out of the scene as fast as possible + add God’s power = REVIVAL
Take a slick operator, polished sermons, well advertised crusade – MINUS God’s involvement = NOTHING!
I can’t spend a lot of time on this, but needless to say, one of my favoriate scriptures says it all…
“It’s not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord.”
I want us to take a power beyond us out into this community. I do not want to go as I have seen some, disgusted, unhappy, prune faced, baptized in lemon juice.
I want to go as His ambassadors, blessing the community. I want them to see not us, but the God who is loving, compassionate, forgiving and totally outrageous!
We need something beyond us.
