Jonah 3

Daniel seeks the Lord in sackcloth in Daniel 9 verse 3 before the Lord gives the 70 weeks prophecy.

All the people of Nineveh including the king, put on sackcloth at the Lord's message in Jonah 3, 5-6.

Remember, Jonah goes around the city, marches throughout that city, and Nineveh, it's huge when you do the math on it, but this huge city, and he goes in, and his message from God was just eight words to the people.

And the king and all the people responded based on that one message that destruction was coming to them.

What do we read here? You and I are called to be watchmen Jonah also received this commission.

Will America be like Nineveh? Will America ask the question, who can tell if God will turn and relent and turn away from his fierce anger so that we may not perish? I mean, it's the question Nineveh asked in Jonah 3 and verse 9 after they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth.

I don't know about you, but it doesn't seem likely to me that America will go down this path of repentance.

But you know what? That is not my responsibility.

God instructs him to go and tells them to repent of their ways.

And thank God in Jonah 3, verse 10, the scripture tells us, the Lord saw their works and they were turned from their evil way.

And God relented from the disaster that he had said he would bring upon them.

And he did not do it.

And with the Lord's help, we'll scratch the surface.

Here, the word of God, Jonah 3, starting in verse 1.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.

So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord.

Jonah? They believed God.

I don't want to ignore it.

I don't think it's insignificant that in Jonah 3, it's the only chapter where the name of God actually isn't mentioned.

It's just Elohim, which I think actually means something.

And today we're looking at a story, at a book of the Bible.

We're looking at the book of Jonah.

And this story actually kind of got me thinking a little bit about when we were kids and when we were growing up.

How many of you ever were playing with your friends and and you wanted to be like your favorite movie character when you were like playing make-believe or you had to be the prince who was rescuing the princess or you had to be the princess who actually took the sword and cut the dragon's head off herself and she did it and you're just like, all right, I want to be the big hero.

And Jesus is that messianic figure.

He's the hero of the story.

And when we look at the book of Jonah, we're introduced to a book that a lot of scholars have called satirical comedy or it's kind of ironic.

Like if it was a TV show, it would be Seinfeld.

October 23rd, a second time.

Jonah 3, verse 1.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.

Jonah didn't like the assignment God gave him.

God directed him to leave his homeland and go to the enemy city of Nineveh, a hostile and evil center of idol worship.

Jonah 3, verse 1.

There, Jonah was to warn the people of God's impending judgment and urge them to repent.

The Hebrews hated the people of Nineveh, so the rebellious prophet fled in the opposite direction, hoping for a different word from God that was more to his liking.

Go and evangelize, Jonah.

Watch now, Jonah 3, verses 4, 5, and 10.

And Jonah began to enter the city on the fifth day's walk.

But remember, before this, Jonah had run away.

Or death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But let's pick it up now.

Jonah 3.

And Jonah now having made up his mind when the fish vomited him.

The power of second chances.

When God calls you again, the power of second chances are evident in this chapter of Jonah 3.

And we're going to dive right into it.

And we're going to explore some things that happened to Jonah.

And we're going to show you how God comes to you and gives you a second chance and what you ought to do when that second chance comes.

Amen.

So let's start by reading the word of the Lord from Jonah 3, verses 1 to 6.

And we're going to find out how Jonah, in the second chance that God gave him, came to speak and preach to the people at Nineveh.

Preach the same things as the apostle, founder, and shepherd.

This is in line with the ministry of Jonah who was asked to preach specific preaching and not just allowed to preach what he wanted.

Jonah was told exactly what to preach.

And the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time saying, "Arise and go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching, the preaching that I bid thee." You preach the preaching that you've been told to preach.

Yeah.

A bishop should ensure that the church is devoted to the apostles' teaching, just as it was done in the New Testament church.

You've not done it before.

You've not done it before.