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Jonah 1:1-5 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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We are starting series going through the book of Jonah, if you guys want to turn there.
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If you ask a group of kids to tell a story from the Bible, chances are Jonah is going to be one of those stories.
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The book of Jonah is an exciting book with unbelievable characters and situations.
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We have God.
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We have Jonah, the horrible missionary.
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We have God's mission.
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We have a storm.
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We've got Jonah being swallowed by a big fish.
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We have the fact that Jonah lives in a big fish for three days.
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We have Jonah being stewed out onto dry land.
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We've got a plant that God provides for Jonah.
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There are just some extreme situations to this book.
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With all the unbelievable things, this book is a great story of redemption.
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In fact, each chapter, four chapters, each chapter has a different story of redemption in it.
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It's a great story of adventure, of God's power, a great story of God's sovereignty, a great story of the human heart, who we really are.
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It's a great missionary story.
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With God's mercy shown to Jonah, a Jew, to the Ninevites, Gentiles, and to sailors who are pagans.
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It's a great story.
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And a lot of times with great stories, we kind of dismiss it for Sunday school lesson material.
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But this is a great story for all of us this morning.
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So I'm going to read the entire book.
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And then we'll dig into the first five verses.
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Verse 1.
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Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying,
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Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.
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But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
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He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish.
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So he paid the fare and went on board to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
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But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.
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Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his God.
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And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them.
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But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship, and had lain down and was fast asleep.
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So the captain came to him and said to him,
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What do you mean, you sleeper?
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Arise, call out to your God.
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Perhaps the God will give a thought to us that we may not perish.
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And they said to one another, Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.
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So they cast lots, and a lot fell on Jonah.
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Then they said to him, Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us.
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What is your occupation?
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And where do you come from?
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What is your country?
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And of what people are you?
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And he said to them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.
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Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, What is this that you have done?
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For the men knew that he was fleeing for the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
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Then they said to him, What shall we do to you that the sea may quiet down for us?
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For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.
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He said to them, Pick me up, and hurl me into the sea.
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Then the sea will quiet down for you.
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For I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.
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Nevertheless, the men rode hard to get back to dry land, but they could not.
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For the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.
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Therefore they called out to the Lord, O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life,
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and lay not on us innocent blood.
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For you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.
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So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
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Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
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And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah.
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And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
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Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying,
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I called out to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me.
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Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
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For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me.
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All your waves and your billows passed over me.
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Then I said, I am driven away from your sight.
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Yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.
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The waters closed in over me to take my life.
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The deep surrounded me.
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Weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains.
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I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever.
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Yet you brought me up my life from the pit.
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Brought up my life from the pit.
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Oh Lord, my God.
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When my life was fading away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you into your holy temple.
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Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.
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But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you what I have vowed I will pay.
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Today, salvation belongs to the Lord.
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And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out onto the dry land.
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Then the word came to Jonah.
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Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, Arise.
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Go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.
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So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.
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Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city.
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Three days' journey in breadth.
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Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey, and he called out,
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Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
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And the people of Nineveh believed God.
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They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
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Then the word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe,
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covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
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As he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh,
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by the decree of the king and his nobles,
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let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything.
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Let them not feed or drink water, but let them and beasts,
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covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God.
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Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
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Who knows?
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God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger,
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so that we may not perish.
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When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way,
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God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them,
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and he did not do it.
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But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
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And he prayed to the Lord and said,
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O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country?
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That this is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish?
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For I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful,
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slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,
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and relenting from disaster.
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Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me,
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for it is better for me to die than to live.
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And the Lord said, Do you do well to be angry?
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Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city
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and made a booth for himself there.
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He sat under it in the shade,
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till he should see what would become of the city.
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Now the Lord appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah,
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that it might be a shade over his head to save him from his discomfort.
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So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.
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But when dawn came up the next day,
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God appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it withered.
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When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind,
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and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint.
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And he asked that he might die and said,
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It is better for me to die than to live.
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But God said to Jonah,
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Do you do well to be angry for the plant?
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And he said, Yes, I do.
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Well, to be angry, angry enough to die.
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And the Lord said,
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You pity the plant for which you did not labor,
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nor did you make it grow which came into being in a night
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and perished in a night.
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And should not I pity Nineveh,
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that great city,
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in which there are more than 120,000 persons
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who do not know their right hand from their left,
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and also much cattle.
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So, a little bit of background to the book of Jonah.
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The book takes place in the 8th century B.C.
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Nineveh was a capital of Assyria.
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They're not sure if it was the capital,
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but it was definitely a capital.
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There were a lot of nobles who lived in this city.
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And it was a great city.
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Large city.
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And the Assyrians were well known by all of Israel
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for their brutality and cruelty.
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They were known to tear off lips and hands of their victims.
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Lips and hands.
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The lion's den.
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Torture were regular practices for this brutal people.
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Historically speaking,
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Jonah is a prophet of God.
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This isn't the first time that the Word of the Lord came to Jonah.
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In fact, we see in 2 Kings,
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where God spoke and used Jonah to speak to the people of Israel.
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So, Jonah is not new to hearing the Word of the Lord.
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This book is very important to us.
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Not because of the story,
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although that is important.
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It's important because Jesus Himself
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spoke about Jonah and the big fish.
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Jesus Himself spoke and said that this happened.
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And if Jesus said it,
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and these things did not happen,
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then we must discount the rest of the Scripture
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and just go on our merry way
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and forget about this Christianity thing.
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C.S. Lewis wrote it this way.
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He says,
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A man who was merely a man
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and said the sort of things Jesus said
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would not be a great moral teacher.
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He would either be a lunatic
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on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg
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or else he would be the devil of hell.
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You must make your choice.
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Either this man was and is the Son of God
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or else a madman or something worse.
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You can shut him up for a fool.
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You can spit at him and kill him as a demon.
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Or you can fall at his feet
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and call him Lord and God.
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The idea there is that
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what Jesus speaks and has spoken
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has to happen,
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has to be real.
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And so Jonah,
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spoken from God's mouth in Matthew 12,
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has to have happened.
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Which makes our time studying it
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all the more important.
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See, in it we learn about God.
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We learn about God's desires.
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We learn about His characteristics.
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We also learn,
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as if we didn't know already,
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ourselves,
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the heart of man.
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And it's always good to remind ourselves
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who we are
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or who we were.
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Because,
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because who we were
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and who we are
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always elevates who Christ is
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if we're Christians,
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if we're believers.
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If we truly look and see who we were
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and what Christ did,
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then it elevates Christ.
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And that makes this book
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very important.
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I've titled this message,
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God's Mission Versus Man's Heart.
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And if you know anything about the Bible,
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then you know that God trumps man's heart.
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God always trumps.
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As Creator,
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as Mercy Giver,
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as Holy,
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as Justice Maker,
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He trumps us.
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But the book of Jonah,
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as we've just read,
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is filled with great hope.
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Great hope
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for us in the world.
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And that excites me.
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And that should excite you as well.
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There are three points
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to the sermon this morning.
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And each point has two parts.
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So don't get confused.
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We have God speaks
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and Jonah hears.
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We have God's message
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and Jonah's reaction.
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We have God's response
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and Jonah's pretense.
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I want to make it clear
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that God's mission,
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and this is going to be repeated
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as we go through this book,
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God's mission is completely
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dependent upon God.
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Not dependent upon you,
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not dependent upon me,
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not dependent upon Jonah.
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It is dependent upon God.
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What God wants to do,
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what He desires,
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it happens.
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What He creates,
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it becomes.
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He gives a mission
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and it happens.
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So God's sovereignty
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is clearly displayed
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in the book of Jonah.
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All right,
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so the first point this morning.
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God speaks
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and Jonah hears.
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Verse 1.
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It says,
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Now the word of the Lord
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came to Jonah,
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the son of Amittai.
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We have the two characters.
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We have God,
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we have the Lord,
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and we have Jonah.
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God speaks
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and Jonah hears.
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As I've said already,
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this is not the first time
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that God spoke to Jonah.
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In 2 Kings 14,
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we have the only other place
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where Jonah is mentioned
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in all of Scripture.
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And God has spoken
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through Jonah
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to the people of Israel.
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Now in my opinion,
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before studying this book,
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I thought Jonah
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was just a goober.
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I thought he was an idiot.
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That God spoke to him clearly,
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however that was.
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Voice, word,
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picture in the sky,
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who knows?
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It doesn't tell us.
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But God spoke to him clearly,
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and he goes the opposite direction.
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What a fool!
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But honestly,
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he's quite different than that.
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Because in 2 Kings,
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he was already a prophet,
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and the word of the Lord
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came to him.
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And he spoke to an evil king,
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an evil Israel.
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Israel was not godly.
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They were not God-fearing
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at this time.
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So he speaks
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to the people of Israel,
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and King Jeroboam
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does exactly what Jonah says.
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And God blesses Israel.
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In fact,
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the land of Israel
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had grown under this king
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to the size that it originally was
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under King Solomon,
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which was the biggest
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that it had been up to that point.
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So God used Jonah
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to bless Israel.
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There's a chance,
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a great chance,
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that Jonah was wealthy
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and popular.
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That maybe he was hero-like
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to the people of Israel.
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So he was familiar
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with God's voice.
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He knew
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if God spoke to him.
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As we know,
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Jonah didn't really hear God,
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though, right?
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In Hebrew,
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in Deuteronomy 6,
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we have the,
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it's called the Shema.
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Hear, O Israel,
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the Lord is one.
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In Hebrew,
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obedience is always connected
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with hearing.
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Kind of like us today.
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Sometimes we say,
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I listened,
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but I didn't hear you.
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I heard the noise,
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but I didn't really hear you.
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In Hebrew,
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obedience
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was always connected
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with hearing.
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So that,
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if you didn't obey
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what was told to you,
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then clearly you didn't hear.
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If you didn't do
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what God had said,
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then you didn't really hear.
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Jonah
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didn't really hear.
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He listened.
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He picked out
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what he wanted to.
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Go to Nineveh.
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Oh,
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I'm going to go the other way.
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He didn't hear
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what God had said.
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And I think
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it happens to us
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a lot.
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We read Scripture.
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We read the Word of God.
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We listen.
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But do we really hear?
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Do we really follow
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what we've read
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with obedience?
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So God spoke.
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The Word of the Lord
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came to Jonah.
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And Jonah
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listened.
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The Word of the Lord
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fell on his ears,
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but he did not hear.
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All right,
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so that's the first one.
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The next two points
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we're going to spend
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a little more time with.
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So that was
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God speaks
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and Jonah hears.
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Verse 1
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clearly tells us
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the two characters
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in this spot.
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Next we have
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God's message
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and Jonah's reaction.
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Verse 2
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tells us
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God's message.
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Arise,
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go to Nineveh,
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that great city,
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and call out against it
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for their evil
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has come up
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before me.
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Clearly,
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we don't have
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the exact message
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of what Jonah
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was supposed to say.
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We see what he said
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in chapter 3
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where he said,
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40 days
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and Nineveh
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shall be overthrown.
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Not a real
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articulate message.
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Probably
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a little Jonah
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sided there.
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We have not been,
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it has not been
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clearly told to us,
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but what we do know
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is that
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Nineveh
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heard the message.
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They repented.
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They repented
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and they started
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worshipping
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the Lord,
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Yahweh.
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It was a call
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to repentance,
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to turn from their sin
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and turn towards God.
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And it's the message
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that Peter preached
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at Pentecost.
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It's the message
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that Paul preaches.
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It's the message
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that Jesus preached.
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It is the story
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of the Bible.
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God's redemption
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to a repentant
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people.
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When Martin Luther
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nailed the 95 Theses
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to the church
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in Wittenberg,
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number one
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on his list,
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the Christian life
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is to be a life
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of repentance.
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Because that is
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the message
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of Scripture.
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Scripture.
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This is where we
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stand.
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This is the message
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to us.
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In this story,
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this is where we
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sit.
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We must be a
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people of repentance.
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This message is not
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just to Nineveh,
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it is to us.
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Look at verse 2
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again.
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Look at it.
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It starts with two
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commands.
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Arise,
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go.
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Go.
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To give a sense
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of urgency.
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Not just get up
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at your leisure,
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make your way
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over to Nineveh.
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Arise and go.
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In other words,
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hear your orders,
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now move.
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Hear your orders,
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now go.
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As I've talked
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about the Assyrians,
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and I've talked
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about the people
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of Nineveh,
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this would be
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like in 1944,
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for God to tell
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you to go to
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Nazi Germany
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and preach
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against Hitler
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and the people
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of Germany
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who are buying
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into the Nazi
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regime.
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That's probably
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pretty accurate.
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We would say,
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that's crazy.
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What would make
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it worse is if
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you were Jewish
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and God told you
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to go do that.
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That would be
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even better.
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God has sent
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me to tell you,
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Hitler,
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that you are
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going to hell
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unless you repent.
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Five seconds
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maybe,
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you'd be dead.
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Unless God
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had a plan
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for the Nazi
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Germany,
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like he has
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here for the
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Ninevites.
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You remember
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when you were
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a child and
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you played
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hide and seek?
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You know,
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if somebody
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was trying to
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find you and
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you happened
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to be just
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around the
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corner,
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you maybe
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would close
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your eyes
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because,
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you know,
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if they
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couldn't see
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you,
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or if you
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couldn't see
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them,
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they couldn't
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see you.
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You guys
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relate to that?
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We do it in
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class and in
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prayer time,
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you know,
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when you
20:59
don't want
20:59
to be called,
21:00
we put our
21:00
heads down.
21:02
No,
21:02
I really
21:02
don't want
21:02
to pray,
21:03
so I'm
21:03
just going
21:03
to,
21:04
I can't
21:04
see him,
21:05
he can't
21:05
see me.
21:07
We do
21:07
that.
21:13
We,
21:14
as people,
21:14
tend to take
21:15
that same
21:15
practice
21:16
and apply
21:18
it to our
21:19
theology.
21:20
We apply
21:21
it to what
21:22
we think
21:23
God is.
21:24
We think
21:24
that if we're
21:25
not looking
21:26
at God,
21:27
if our
21:27
eyes are
21:27
closed,
21:30
that he
21:30
doesn't
21:31
exist,
21:32
or that he's
21:33
not paying
21:33
attention,
21:34
or he
21:34
doesn't
21:34
care.
21:37
If we
21:38
just ignore
21:39
him,
21:41
and this
21:42
isn't just
21:42
non-Christians,
21:44
this is
21:45
believers,
21:45
too.
21:46
These are
21:46
Christians who
21:47
do this.
21:48
I do
21:48
this.
21:50
You know
21:50
the difference
21:50
between a
21:51
Christian and
21:51
a non-Christian
21:52
here?
21:52
Is that the
21:52
Christian knows
21:53
he's doing
21:54
it.
21:55
The non-Christian
21:56
has no idea.
22:01
And that's
22:01
what the
22:03
Ninevites
22:03
were doing.
22:05
They were
22:06
existing with
22:07
their eyes
22:08
closed,
22:08
so to speak.
22:09
They were
22:10
existing without
22:11
knowing God's
22:12
God existed,
22:14
without knowing
22:14
that he was
22:15
watching them.
22:21
And honestly,
22:22
this is the
22:23
reason why
22:23
Jonah didn't
22:24
want to go.
22:27
Chapter 4
22:27
tells us he
22:28
didn't want to
22:28
go because
22:29
God was going
22:29
to show mercy
22:30
on them.
22:31
But think
22:32
about where
22:32
Jonah's coming
22:33
from.
22:33
He's coming
22:34
from Israel,
22:35
who are
22:35
practicing evil
22:38
things.
22:40
Idol
22:41
worship.
22:41
their being
22:43
evil.
22:44
So,
22:45
if God
22:45
showed mercy
22:46
on the
22:48
pagans of
22:48
Nineveh,
22:50
how much
22:52
greater is
22:52
the judgment
22:53
going to be
22:54
on a people
22:55
of Israel
22:55
who knew
22:57
God existed,
23:00
who knows
23:01
that God
23:02
is there?
23:03
How much
23:03
greater is
23:04
that judgment
23:05
going to be?
23:06
And for us,
23:10
it's the same
23:10
thing.
23:11
It's scary.
23:13
If we continue
23:13
to go on,
23:14
if we are
23:14
children of
23:15
God,
23:16
and we
23:16
continue to
23:16
practice
23:17
immorality,
23:19
if we continue
23:20
to be evil
23:21
and deny
23:26
the existence
23:26
of God,
23:28
because we
23:29
do that,
23:30
guys.
23:31
We do it.
23:32
We do it.
23:36
God
23:41
will get your
23:48
attention.
23:50
He will get
23:50
my attention.
23:52
We have to
23:54
repent.
23:55
The Christian
23:56
life is a
23:56
life of
23:57
repentance
23:57
for God's
23:59
glory and
23:59
for our
24:00
good.
24:03
End of
24:04
verse 2.
24:06
It says,
24:07
Call out
24:08
against it
24:08
for their
24:09
evil has
24:09
come up
24:10
before me.
24:14
God is
24:15
the only
24:15
audience that
24:16
matters.
24:18
He is
24:18
it.
24:19
He's the
24:20
one who
24:20
judges.
24:22
He must
24:23
live,
24:24
we must
24:24
live to
24:25
an audience
24:26
of one.
24:27
Not our
24:29
mom,
24:30
not our
24:31
dad,
24:32
not our
24:32
girlfriend,
24:33
boyfriend,
24:33
wife,
24:34
husband,
24:35
boss,
24:36
pastor.
24:36
We must
24:37
live to
24:38
an audience
24:38
of one.
24:40
No one
24:40
else matters.
24:43
And here,
24:44
it doesn't
24:44
say that
24:45
their evil
24:46
has come up
24:47
against you,
24:48
Jonah,
24:48
so I'm
24:48
going to
24:48
get them.
24:49
Or their
24:50
evil has
24:50
come up
24:50
against Israel,
24:51
so I'm
24:52
going to
24:52
get them.
24:53
Because their
24:53
evil has
24:54
come up
24:54
before me.
24:57
The
24:58
actions of
24:59
the
24:59
Ninevites,
25:01
denying the
25:02
existence of
25:02
God by
25:03
their
25:03
practices,
25:06
tells us
25:07
they thought
25:08
God did
25:09
not exist.
25:12
And
25:12
verse 3
25:13
tells us
25:15
that Jonah
25:16
thinks God
25:17
is small.
25:20
Look at
25:20
verse 3.
25:22
But Jonah
25:23
rose to
25:23
flee to
25:24
Tarshish
25:24
from the
25:25
presence of
25:26
the Lord.
25:27
He went
25:27
down to
25:27
Joppa
25:28
and found
25:28
a ship
25:28
going to
25:29
Tarshish.
25:30
So he
25:30
paid the
25:30
fare and
25:31
went on
25:31
board to
25:32
go with
25:32
them to
25:33
Tarshish
25:33
away from
25:34
the presence
25:34
of the
25:35
Lord.
25:36
So that
25:36
was God's
25:37
message.
25:38
Go to
25:38
Nineveh.
25:39
Preach
25:39
to them
25:40
repentance.
25:42
Here we
25:43
have Jonah's
25:43
reaction.
25:46
Jonah
25:46
rose.
25:47
He rose.
25:48
He got
25:48
the first
25:49
commandment
25:49
right.
25:51
Remember it
25:51
says arise
25:52
go.
25:54
He rose.
25:55
But he
25:56
went,
25:56
opposite
25:57
direction.
26:01
Tarshish is
26:02
repeated here
26:02
three times.
26:04
And I
26:04
don't know if
26:04
you guys
26:05
noticed that
26:05
when I've
26:06
read it.
26:07
I mean it's
26:07
a clearly
26:07
obvious word
26:08
Tarshish.
26:09
It's three
26:10
times repeated.
26:12
And that's
26:12
to show the
26:13
severity of
26:14
Jonah's
26:15
disobedience.
26:19
The author
26:20
makes it
26:20
clear that
26:21
Jonah
26:21
disobeyed
26:22
in a
26:22
big way.
26:23
Jonah's
26:27
message was
26:28
to go to
26:29
Nineveh.
26:29
Which from
26:29
where Jonah
26:30
was we're
26:30
not exactly
26:31
sure but
26:31
was to
26:32
go northeast.
26:34
So Jonah
26:35
was to go
26:36
northeast.
26:37
And Joppa
26:37
is southwest.
26:40
Joppa is
26:41
southwest.
26:41
That's pretty
26:42
much opposite.
26:45
On top of
26:46
that Tarshish
26:47
most people
26:48
say was a
26:49
city on the
26:50
coast of
26:50
Spain.
26:52
Now he's
26:53
got to go
26:53
through the
26:53
entire
26:54
Mediterranean
26:54
Sea to
26:55
get there.
26:56
And that
26:56
was his
26:57
place he
26:58
wanted to
26:58
go.
27:00
So not
27:00
only was he
27:01
going the
27:01
opposite
27:01
direction but
27:03
he was
27:03
going 1500
27:04
plus miles
27:05
away from
27:06
where God
27:07
wanted him
27:08
to go.
27:09
Crazy.
27:12
He knew
27:13
he did not
27:14
want to go
27:15
to Nineveh.
27:16
He knew
27:16
and he went
27:17
the opposite
27:18
way.
27:18
And we say
27:19
what a fool.
27:21
What an
27:21
idiot.
27:24
And yet we
27:25
do the same
27:26
thing.
27:27
What was the
27:28
last thing that
27:28
God told you
27:29
to do?
27:30
What was the
27:31
last thing that
27:31
you know
27:32
clearly God
27:34
wanted you to
27:34
do?
27:36
Did you do
27:36
it?
27:39
Have you been
27:40
faithful in all
27:41
things?
27:41
Because poor
27:42
Jonah, this is
27:45
one situation.
27:45
We only have
27:46
two in the
27:46
Bible so he's
27:47
shooting 50%.
27:48
Now you
27:51
and I, how
27:52
many times has
27:53
God told you
27:53
to do
27:53
something?
27:56
What are we
27:57
shooting?
27:57
30%?
27:59
80%?
28:04
And we're
28:06
given this.
28:08
We're given
28:09
the revealed
28:09
Word of God.
28:10
We're given
28:11
the revealed
28:11
will of God
28:12
by His Word.
28:14
We know
28:15
what we're
28:16
supposed to do
28:16
a lot of
28:17
times.
28:19
Yet we
28:19
still
28:20
deny.
28:28
This was
28:29
Jonah's
28:29
mistake.
28:30
He thought
28:31
he could run
28:31
from God.
28:33
He thought
28:33
that if I
28:34
just go far
28:34
enough, if I
28:35
just pick a
28:35
destination, I'm
28:38
going to go to
28:38
Australia.
28:40
He just
28:40
picked a place
28:41
that was
28:42
opposite.
28:43
He thought
28:43
that he could
28:43
run from God.
28:45
from the
28:46
presence of
28:46
the Lord
28:47
is what
28:47
verse 3
28:48
says twice.
28:51
Again, the
28:52
author is
28:53
repeating
28:53
himself to
28:54
show the
28:55
ridiculousness
28:56
of Jonah
28:58
and the
28:59
utter
29:00
disobedience
29:01
of this
29:03
man.
29:06
From the
29:07
presence of
29:07
the Lord.
29:08
The author is
29:09
not telling us
29:10
that Jonah
29:10
thought he
29:11
could run
29:12
from the
29:12
presence of
29:12
the Lord.
29:13
Verse 9 of
29:14
chapter 1
29:15
tells us that
29:16
Jonah knew
29:18
who God
29:18
was.
29:19
I am a
29:20
Hebrew and I
29:20
fear the
29:21
Lord, the
29:21
God of
29:22
heaven, who
29:22
made the
29:23
sea and the
29:24
dry land.
29:26
He knew who
29:27
God was.
29:28
God was.
29:30
It's more
29:31
like Jonah
29:32
is saying, or
29:32
the author is
29:33
saying that
29:33
Jonah is no
29:34
longer standing
29:35
in God's
29:35
presence.
29:35
He's no
29:36
longer standing
29:36
with God.
29:37
He's no
29:37
longer doing
29:38
the will of
29:39
God.
29:43
Kind of like
29:44
Elijah who
29:45
said, I am
29:46
standing in the
29:47
presence of
29:48
God.
29:48
I am doing
29:48
what God has
29:49
commanded me
29:49
to do.
29:50
It's kind of
29:51
that same
29:51
language.
29:54
Jonah is
29:55
not standing
29:57
with God.
29:58
And the
30:01
funny thing
30:01
with this
30:02
story is
30:04
that Jonah
30:05
probably thought
30:05
he was doing
30:06
good.
30:07
He thought he
30:07
was doing
30:08
okay.
30:08
I take
30:09
back good.
30:10
Okay.
30:11
Because God
30:13
tells him what
30:14
to do,
30:14
wherever his
30:15
location is,
30:16
and he has
30:16
to go
30:16
southwest to
30:18
Joppa.
30:19
And a long
30:20
journey, I'm
30:20
sure.
30:20
Everybody
30:21
walked back
30:21
then.
30:22
However long
30:23
it took him,
30:23
he got to
30:23
Joppa.
30:24
And in his
30:25
head he says,
30:26
I'm going to
30:26
go to Tarshish
30:27
before he gets
30:28
to Joppa.
30:29
And there
30:29
happens to be a
30:30
ship there
30:30
who's going to
30:31
Tarshish.
30:33
So, not only
30:35
has he gotten
30:35
through the long
30:36
journey, he now
30:37
has a ship
30:38
that's going to
30:38
Tarshish.
30:39
And lo and
30:40
behold, he's got
30:41
enough money to
30:41
pay for the
30:42
ship to go to
30:43
Tarshish.
30:44
However long
30:44
this journey is,
30:46
he probably
30:47
thought, God
30:49
is surely
30:49
blessing.
30:51
Everything is
30:52
working out.
30:52
this is great.
30:56
But, we
30:59
think this
30:59
too.
31:00
We do
31:01
this as
31:02
well.
31:03
You buy a
31:05
car that
31:06
stretches the
31:07
budget, that
31:08
stresses the
31:09
finances, and
31:10
because you
31:11
haven't had a
31:11
wreck, you
31:12
say, God
31:13
wills it.
31:14
God is
31:14
blessing.
31:14
Or, you're
31:19
dating a
31:20
non-believer, and
31:22
things have been
31:23
going great.
31:24
You haven't
31:24
gone too far
31:25
physically, and
31:26
she or he
31:27
loves me, and
31:28
we have good
31:30
conversations, we
31:31
support each
31:31
other.
31:32
We haven't got
31:33
pregnant yet, so
31:34
God wills it.
31:36
God is
31:36
blessing.
31:40
Or, what
31:40
about not
31:42
really buying
31:43
into this
31:43
Christian thing?
31:45
What about
31:46
going to
31:47
church?
31:49
Going to
31:50
eat afterwards
31:50
with church
31:52
people?
31:55
Talk about
31:56
spiritual things,
31:58
but deep
31:59
down, you
32:00
know you're
32:01
not even a
32:02
Christian.
32:04
But, I
32:05
haven't lost a
32:06
loved one yet.
32:06
God hasn't
32:07
really got my
32:08
attention yet.
32:08
I'll wait.
32:10
I haven't
32:11
fallen deep
32:11
into sin,
32:12
into whatever
32:13
that may be.
32:14
God still
32:16
blesses.
32:17
Incredible!
32:21
See, Jonah
32:22
had a smooth
32:23
ride to
32:23
Joppa.
32:25
A smooth
32:25
ride to
32:26
Joppa.
32:26
Doesn't say he
32:27
had any
32:27
trouble.
32:30
He thought he
32:30
was going to
32:31
have a smooth
32:31
ride to
32:32
Tarshish.
32:33
So, there's
32:34
Jonah's
32:34
reaction.
32:37
Now, we
32:37
have God's
32:38
response and
32:40
Jonah's
32:40
pretense.
32:41
verses 4 and
32:42
5.
32:43
I call this
32:44
God's
32:44
oh yeah
32:45
moment.
32:47
You're going
32:47
to go that
32:47
way?
32:48
Oh yeah.
32:48
I'll show
32:49
you.
32:50
Verse 4.
32:52
But the
32:52
Lord hurled
32:53
a great
32:54
wind upon
32:54
the sea,
32:55
and there
32:56
was a
32:56
mighty tempest
32:57
on the
32:57
sea, so
32:57
that the
32:58
ship
32:58
threatened
32:59
to break
33:00
up.
33:02
This
33:02
verse
33:03
has become
33:04
fascinating
33:04
to me.
33:06
God's
33:07
sovereignty
33:07
is displayed
33:08
in the
33:08
obvious.
33:08
God is
33:09
in control
33:10
of the
33:10
obvious
33:11
things.
33:11
The
33:11
wind,
33:13
the sea,
33:15
but he's
33:15
also
33:16
sovereign
33:18
over the
33:18
not so
33:19
obvious,
33:20
the ship
33:20
in this
33:21
verse.
33:22
And we'll
33:22
get to
33:23
that in
33:23
just a
33:23
minute.
33:25
Jonah
33:26
disobeyed.
33:27
He
33:27
disobeyed
33:28
God.
33:29
But,
33:29
the sea,
33:31
the wind,
33:32
and even
33:32
the ship
33:32
obeyed
33:33
God.
33:35
They did
33:35
what God
33:36
commanded.
33:37
Look at
33:37
verse 4.
33:38
But the
33:38
Lord
33:39
hurled
33:39
a great
33:40
wind
33:40
upon
33:41
the
33:41
sea.
33:42
This
33:42
language
33:43
is like
33:43
a man
33:44
hurling
33:44
a spear.
33:47
Hurling
33:47
a spear
33:48
at a
33:48
target,
33:49
at an
33:49
animal,
33:50
or whatever,
33:50
an enemy,
33:52
with
33:53
strength
33:54
and
33:54
intensity.
33:57
God
33:57
hurled
33:58
this
33:59
wind
33:59
at
33:59
Jonah,
34:00
at the
34:01
ship
34:01
that
34:01
Jonah
34:01
was
34:01
in.
34:02
The
34:03
wind
34:03
obeyed.
34:04
Went
34:05
where
34:05
God
34:05
commanded.
34:06
the sea
34:07
obeyed
34:08
and
34:08
created
34:09
a storm
34:09
like
34:09
nothing
34:10
the
34:11
sailors
34:11
had
34:11
seen.
34:13
Now look,
34:14
the ship
34:15
obeyed
34:15
as well.
34:17
So that
34:18
the ship
34:18
threatened
34:19
to break
34:19
up.
34:20
The ESV
34:21
translation
34:22
is correct.
34:24
To kind
34:24
of say
34:26
it this
34:26
way,
34:26
the ship
34:27
in Hebrew
34:27
is personified.
34:28
destroyed.
34:29
So that
34:30
the ship
34:30
considered
34:31
breaking
34:32
up.
34:33
Considered
34:34
tearing
34:34
in half
34:35
because the
34:35
storm
34:35
was so
34:36
great.
34:38
So whatever
34:39
that looks
34:39
like on
34:40
the ship,
34:40
I have
34:40
no idea.
34:42
But the
34:42
storm
34:43
was so
34:44
great,
34:45
the wind
34:46
obeyed
34:47
God,
34:47
the sea
34:48
obeyed
34:48
God,
34:49
and the
34:49
ship
34:49
considered
34:50
to break
34:51
apart.
34:52
They're
34:53
God's
34:53
sovereign
34:54
hand.
34:55
And when
34:58
the Lord
34:58
gives a
34:59
mission,
35:00
when He
35:00
commands you
35:01
to do
35:01
something,
35:03
that
35:04
something
35:04
is going
35:04
to get
35:05
done.
35:07
Whatever
35:08
that is,
35:10
God will
35:11
have His
35:11
mission
35:11
complete.
35:14
Here,
35:16
the storm
35:16
that God
35:17
threw at
35:20
Jonah,
35:21
and that
35:21
they had
35:21
to endure,
35:23
was a
35:24
storm big
35:24
enough,
35:25
and great
35:27
enough,
35:27
that it
35:28
scared the
35:28
sailors,
35:29
these guys
35:29
who sailed
35:30
for a living,
35:31
these guys
35:31
who lived
35:32
on the
35:33
Mediterranean
35:33
Sea.
35:35
It scared
35:36
them.
35:38
Verse 5,
35:38
the mariners,
35:39
the mariners,
35:40
however you say
35:40
that word,
35:41
were afraid.
35:42
The sailors
35:43
were afraid.
35:45
And they
35:45
went into
35:46
survival mode.
35:49
Let's throw
35:49
this off.
35:50
Let's throw
35:51
this off.
35:52
Let's lighten
35:53
the load.
35:53
We have to
35:54
survive this
35:54
great storm.
35:58
Jonah's
35:58
pretense,
35:59
or his
35:59
assumption
36:00
was that
36:01
everything was
36:02
good,
36:03
that everything
36:03
was okay.
36:05
I made it to
36:06
Joppa.
36:07
I found a
36:08
boat.
36:08
I had enough
36:09
money.
36:10
Here I go
36:10
off to
36:11
Tarshish.
36:16
He closed
36:17
his eyes
36:17
while God
36:18
was sending
36:18
a storm.
36:19
God was
36:22
orchestrating
36:23
a great
36:23
symphony
36:24
while Jonah
36:26
had his
36:27
eyes
36:27
closed.
36:30
How many
36:30
of you guys
36:31
are doing
36:31
that?
36:32
How many
36:32
of us
36:33
are doing
36:33
that?
36:34
How many
36:34
are ignoring
36:35
the existence
36:36
of God
36:37
when in
36:39
reality,
36:39
God is
36:41
working?
36:41
God is
36:46
sovereign,
36:46
then you
36:47
know that
36:49
he does
36:49
not need
36:49
you or
36:50
me to
36:51
fulfill his
36:51
plan,
36:52
to fulfill
36:53
his mission.
36:54
But yet,
36:55
God invites us
36:56
to join him.
36:58
He invites us
36:59
into his
36:59
kingdom work.
37:00
He invited
37:01
Jonah,
37:01
Jonah,
37:02
and he
37:02
decided he
37:03
was still
37:03
going to
37:03
use Jonah,
37:04
and he
37:05
got his
37:05
attention.
37:08
Have you
37:09
fulfilled the
37:10
mission that
37:10
God has
37:11
for you?
37:14
Are you
37:14
sitting down
37:15
below while
37:16
a storm is
37:17
raging,
37:18
while your
37:18
eyes close
37:19
thinking that
37:20
God does
37:21
not exist or
37:22
care or that
37:22
even everything
37:23
is okay because
37:24
nothing severe
37:26
has happened?
37:29
No big
37:30
storms have
37:30
happened in
37:31
my life.
37:34
For some
37:35
of you,
37:38
fulfilling the
37:38
mission of
37:39
God is
37:40
receiving the
37:41
free gift of
37:42
salvation.
37:43
Right now,
37:44
for some of
37:45
you, it is
37:45
receiving this
37:47
gift of
37:47
salvation.
37:51
God's
37:52
mission for
37:52
Jonah was
37:53
to go to a
37:53
pagan Assyrian
37:54
city and
37:56
preach to
37:57
them repentance.
38:00
Your mission
38:01
might just
38:01
be to repent
38:02
right now.
38:06
Nineveh was
38:07
not a Jewish
38:07
city.
38:09
They were an
38:10
enemy of
38:11
Israel and
38:11
of people who
38:12
practiced
38:12
brutality on
38:14
the Jews.
38:16
In my
38:17
opinion,
38:19
Jonah is
38:20
warranted for
38:21
not going.
38:23
He's right on
38:25
for not wanting
38:25
to go.
38:27
But my
38:27
opinion does
38:28
not matter.
38:31
Your opinion
38:31
does not
38:33
matter.
38:37
God's
38:37
mission is
38:38
not dependent
38:39
on us.
38:40
It is
38:41
dependent upon
38:41
Him.
38:46
God desires
38:47
that His
38:47
creation,
38:48
that His
38:48
people,
38:48
that people
38:49
would know
38:50
His Son
38:51
and be His
38:52
children.
38:54
Praise God
38:55
for the book
38:55
of Jonah.
38:56
Praise God
38:57
for this
38:58
experience,
38:58
this time,
38:59
that we're
38:59
able to
39:00
read that
39:01
Jonah was
39:01
to go to
39:02
a Gentile
39:03
nation,
39:04
a pagan
39:05
nation,
39:05
a non-Jewish
39:06
nation,
39:07
and preach
39:08
repentance.
39:10
Because that's
39:10
you and me.
39:14
We are
39:15
Gentiles.
39:16
Unless you're
39:17
a Jewish,
39:17
we are Gentiles.
39:18
We are
39:18
outside the
39:20
chosen people
39:21
of God.
39:22
We are
39:23
not of
39:23
Israel.
39:25
And in
39:25
the book
39:25
of Jonah,
39:26
before
39:27
Christ,
39:29
Jonah was
39:29
to go
39:29
and to
39:30
preach
39:30
to Gentiles.
39:34
What a
39:34
great story.
39:35
What a
39:36
great mission.
39:38
Praise God
39:38
for His
39:39
mission.
39:41
Praise God
39:42
for calling
39:43
a people to
39:43
Him who
39:44
are not
39:45
Jewish.
39:47
Praise God
39:47
for calling
39:48
based on
39:48
Him alone.
39:49
Because I
39:50
guarantee if
39:51
I'm Irish,
39:53
I bet no
39:53
British person
39:54
is going to
39:55
come and
39:55
preach to
39:56
Irish people
39:56
back in the
39:57
1400s or
39:58
whatever.
39:59
Clay, you
39:59
can correct
40:00
me later.
40:07
It's not
40:08
based on
40:09
anybody but
40:10
God alone.
40:13
His
40:13
message,
40:19
Jonah didn't
40:20
like.
40:20
He didn't
40:21
like it.
40:23
Jonah
40:23
worshipped
40:24
himself and
40:26
his desires
40:27
instead of
40:27
worshipping the
40:28
Creator.
40:31
And here's
40:32
the bottom
40:33
line.
40:34
I'm going to
40:34
close in just
40:35
a minute.
40:35
But if we
40:37
truly understand
40:38
the mercy of
40:38
God, if we
40:39
truly understood
40:41
the mercy of
40:42
God, then we
40:43
would not act
40:44
like Jonah.
40:45
God, we
40:48
would act like
40:48
another prophet.
40:50
One who
40:51
went in the
40:52
presence of
40:53
God, where
40:56
his sin and
40:56
God's holiness
40:57
was revealed,
40:59
knew exactly
41:00
what he had
41:01
to do.
41:01
So,
41:02
turn to
41:05
Isaiah chapter
41:06
6.
41:07
We've gone
41:08
here a few
41:09
times in the
41:10
last couple
41:11
years, but it
41:12
just clearly
41:13
illustrates to
41:15
us what our
41:16
proper response
41:17
is to the
41:18
gospel.
41:20
We're going to
41:20
read just a few
41:21
verses.
41:22
Isaiah 6.
41:23
Isaiah 6.
41:23
Isaiah 6.
41:53
And the
41:54
foundations of
41:54
the threshold
41:55
shook at the
41:56
voice of him
41:57
who called,
41:58
and the house
41:58
was filled with
41:59
smoke, and I
41:59
said, woe is
42:01
me, for I am
42:02
lost, for I am
42:04
a man of unclean
42:05
lips, and I
42:05
dwell in the
42:06
midst of a
42:07
people of
42:07
unclean lips,
42:09
for my eyes
42:10
have seen the
42:10
King, the
42:11
Lord of
42:11
hosts.
42:13
Then one of
42:14
the seraphim
42:14
flew to me,
42:15
having in his
42:16
hand a burning
42:17
coal that had
42:17
taken with
42:18
tongs from
42:19
the altar, and
42:19
he touched
42:20
my mouth and
42:20
said, behold,
42:22
this has
42:23
touched your
42:23
lips, your
42:24
guilt is taken
42:25
away, and
42:26
your sin
42:26
atoned for.
42:27
The gospel.
42:31
And I
42:32
heard the
42:32
voice of the
42:33
Lord saying,
42:33
whom shall I
42:34
send, and
42:35
who will go
42:35
for us?
42:36
And Isaiah's
42:37
response is,
42:38
then I said,
42:39
here am I,
42:40
send me.
42:43
Here am I,
42:44
send me.
42:45
Jonah didn't
42:48
really understand
42:49
the mercy of
42:50
God.
42:50
He knew that
42:51
God was
42:51
merciful.
42:53
He knew that
42:53
it would
42:53
happen.
42:55
But Jonah's
42:55
Jewish.
42:57
Jonah's the
42:59
chosen people.
43:03
And he
43:04
decided that
43:05
what God was
43:05
going to do,
43:07
I don't want
43:09
anything to do
43:09
with that.
43:11
Guys, if we
43:12
truly understood
43:13
the mercy of
43:14
God, if we
43:15
truly understood
43:16
the gospel,
43:18
our response
43:19
would be,
43:19
here am I,
43:20
send me.
43:22
Wherever that
43:23
is, whatever
43:24
that looks
43:25
like.
43:29
The gospel
43:31
that puts
43:32
your sinfulness,
43:34
your depravity,
43:36
up against
43:36
God's holiness
43:37
and His
43:37
justice.
43:41
Justice that
43:42
determines we
43:42
are guilty.
43:45
That we
43:46
deserve the
43:47
wrath of
43:48
God because
43:48
of our sin.
43:52
Ephesians 2,
43:53
but God
43:54
being rich in
43:55
mercy because
43:55
of the great
43:56
love with
43:56
which He
43:57
loved us,
43:59
even when we
44:00
were dead in
44:01
our trespasses,
44:02
made us alive
44:03
together with
44:04
Christ.
44:06
For our
44:07
sake He made
44:07
Him to be
44:08
sin who knew
44:08
no sin,
44:09
that in Him
44:10
we might
44:10
become the
44:11
righteousness
44:11
of God.
44:15
Jesus died
44:16
and rose from
44:17
the grave for
44:17
you and for
44:18
me so that
44:19
we, if we
44:20
repent, if we
44:22
do as the
44:23
Ninevites did,
44:25
that He will
44:26
show us mercy
44:26
and that we
44:28
will be, as
44:28
the Logos
44:30
questioned,
44:32
we will be
44:32
righteous in
44:33
Christ.
44:35
We will be
44:35
made right
44:36
because of what
44:38
Christ has
44:38
done.
44:39
Christ will
44:40
be mediating
44:40
on our
44:41
behalf.
44:44
He is
44:45
mine.
44:46
I pay for
44:47
Him.
44:47
He is
44:47
right.
44:51
God is
44:52
merciful and
44:53
He alone is
44:54
worthy of all
44:55
praise.
44:56
Let's pray.
44:57
God is