1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:05,040 Father in Heaven, we give You praise for all that You've 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:09,680 delivered to us this day. As we open Your word, we trust 3 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:14,240 that the Holy Spirit is going to illuminate Your very word God 4 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,840 breathed to teach us and correct us and train us in 5 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:21,760 righteousness, to rebuke us where we need to be rebuked, and 6 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:27,400 to encourage us, reminding us of who we are in Christ Father. 7 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,760 Indeed, we pray that You would draw us near and that we would 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,880 be overwhelmed by the promise that the Holy Spirit lives in 9 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,600 us. So give us eyes to see and ears 10 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:41,600 to hear, hearts to fill rightly, and a mind to think correctly, 11 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,920 that we might leave this place today knowing that You are at 12 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:52,160 work making us more and more like our Savior Jesus and whose 13 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:54,400 name we pray. Amen. 14 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,160 We're going to be looking at the book of Jonah, chapter 3, the 15 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:03,640 1st 4 verses today, and next week we'll finish this chapter 16 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,520 of Jonah before we come to the missions conference, and then 17 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:08,880 we'll continue in the book of Jonah up to Advent. 18 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,480 Last Sunday I preached essentially about the first 19 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,280 verse of chapter 3, about the word of the Lord coming to Jonah 20 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,480 a second time. Today I'm going to unpack a few 21 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,440 more verses and then we'll look to anticipate what the response 22 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,480 was from the people of Nineveh as Jonah now faithfully went to 23 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,520 preach the word again, Jonah three beginning at verse one, 24 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,960 going through verse 4. Then the word of the Lord came 25 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:39,000 to Jonah the second time, saying, arise, go to Nineveh, 26 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:42,520 that great city, and call out against it the message that I 27 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,480 tell you. So Jonah arose and went to 28 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,080 Nineveh according to the word the Lord. 29 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:51,040 Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city. 30 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:55,720 Three days journey in breath. Jonah began to go into the city, 31 00:01:55,960 --> 00:02:00,600 going a day's journey, and he called out yet 40 days and 32 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:05,440 Nineveh shall be overthrown. This is the word of the Lord. 33 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:12,200 Thanks be to God you may be seated if this is your first 34 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:14,840 Sunday with us. Are you relatively new to our 35 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:18,360 church? We are in this wonderful little 36 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:23,560 minor prophet called Jonah. Let me set the stage for what 37 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:28,400 has happened so far as a way of reminding you or introducing you 38 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,720 to this wonderful little book. Jonah is a prophet of the living 39 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:36,480 God, the word of the Lord, we're told, and chapter one, verse one 40 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:40,120 came to Jonah. The word of the Lord that came 41 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:43,720 to Jonah was that God wanted Jonah to go into that great and 42 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:46,800 evil city, Nineveh. And it was a wicked, wicked 43 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,080 city. The ways in which they treated 44 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,800 people, their enemies was vile. It was horrendous. 45 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:55,920 And so the Israelites hated the people of Nineveh. 46 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:58,160 Jonah hated the people of Nineveh. 47 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:03,440 And as a prophet of the Lord, he had no category for God calling 48 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:07,960 him to now not just be a prophet to the people of Israel, but to 49 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:12,440 go into an enemy land and to proclaim whatever it was that 50 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,480 the Lord called him to say. So Jonah rebelled. 51 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,560 He was reluctant. He was more than reluctant 52 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,680 though. He flat out denied and rejected 53 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:27,440 God's word and what he told him to do, just like us. 54 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:33,400 So Jonah flees as far away as he can get from the Lord, but the 55 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:40,280 Lord has a will to save, and he's going to save who He will 56 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:45,160 save, how He wills to save them. Let me say that again. 57 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:52,680 The Lord has a will to save who He will save and how He wills to 58 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:56,960 save them. And it was His will to use this 59 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:00,960 rebellious prophet who rejected his word, who was running as far 60 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,440 away from him as he could get, to be the one as a failed 61 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,520 prophet, now restored to bring his very word to the people of 62 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,960 Nineveh. So Jonah gets on the ship, He 63 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,560 goes to sleep. He is awakened, The storm is 64 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:16,240 mighty, the ship is falling apart. 65 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:22,079 Jonah then is thrown overboard, but God, because He wills to use 66 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:25,280 whoever he wills to use to save the people He wills to save, 67 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:29,000 created a fish. We believe this is true, a very 68 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,480 real fish, a fish that when it was created, God knew would be 69 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:35,440 the fish that would be part of the history of redemption 70 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:37,760 forever. And this fish, at that right 71 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,800 time, at that right place, the storm is unfolding all around 72 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:45,040 him, swallowed Jonah up as he was descending to the roots of 73 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,040 the mountains as far down as you can go. 74 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:53,480 There in the belly of that fish, Jonah repents as he prays to the 75 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,480 Lord. The Lord then commands that fish 76 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:01,200 to spit Jonah up on dry land. This really happened somewhere 77 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:06,880 in a patch of shoreline. Jonah is ejected out of the 78 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:11,440 mouth of this fish, covered with seaweed, wrapped with the 79 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,800 fragrance of whatever the inside of a fish that large smells 80 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,000 like. Jonah's there standing on that 81 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:21,480 land. And then at some point the word 82 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:25,360 of the Lord came to Jonah the second time. 83 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:30,440 Let me say that again. The word of the Lord came to 84 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:34,200 Jonah a second time. Last Sunday I preached about 85 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:41,800 that verse. The word of the Lord must come a 86 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:47,040 second time, 1/3 time, 1/5 time, a 70 times 70th time. 87 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:53,880 The word of the Lord coming to him again shows His grace, His 88 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:59,000 power, His affection, His zeal to accomplish what he has 89 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,880 purposed. Jonah, then we're told in this 90 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:08,960 text in verse 2, arises. Instead of fleeing away from the 91 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:14,360 Lord, he now moves towards Nineveh, the great city, and he 92 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:18,520 calls out against it the message that the Lord told him to tell 93 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,280 what happened. He's transformed. 94 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:29,440 He's transformed by the grace, the might, the mercy of God, 95 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:34,400 this holy God. And he goes, he goes into the 96 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:39,120 city which has 120,000 people. It's a great city, but it's an 97 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:43,560 evil city. And he goes in obedience to what 98 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:47,360 God called him to do the first time, and now what he is calling 99 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:52,680 him to do a second time. This is the sovereign hand of 100 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:57,040 God at work, the sovereign grace of God. 101 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:01,960 This morning what I want to do is I want to look at 2 102 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:09,000 significant things that give us hope as the Lord calls us as His 103 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,360 children to take His message to the world. 104 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:15,560 Jesus was very clear at the end of Matthew. 105 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:20,280 He says therefore go and make disciples of all nations. 106 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:24,040 You can't be a disciple if you have not become a follower of 107 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:26,800 Jesus. Evangelism, proclaiming Christ 108 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:30,160 as part of discipleship. He says therefore go and make 109 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:33,440 disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of 110 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,280 the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to 111 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:38,960 obey all these things. I've commanded you, and surely I 112 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,200 will be with you to the end of days. 113 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,880 Then before he ascends to heaven, he tells the disciples, 114 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:48,840 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and 115 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:51,920 you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria to 116 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:57,280 the ends of the earth. Jesus Christ was sent to save 117 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:04,080 his people, and until the last of his people are saved, He's 118 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:07,800 not going to return. And there will be a day we don't 119 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:10,320 know when it is. There's no reason to even try to 120 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:13,560 guess when it is. There will be a day when the 121 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:17,800 last of his chosen, the last whom he has willed to be saved, 122 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:21,680 will be saved. And then when Jesus returns, 123 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,720 when the Father sends him, when he descends back to earth, every 124 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:27,560 knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. 125 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:30,560 But here's what I want to give us today. 126 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:37,360 We are called, all of us who in Christ to take the message that 127 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:41,919 we have been, that we have received, and to give it to 128 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:47,400 others who do not know the good news God seeks. 129 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:51,160 This is from the beginning of Genesis to the end of 130 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:56,360 Revelation. God seeks those he's intends to 131 00:08:56,360 --> 00:09:00,120 save. He sends those who have been 132 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,840 saved that others he intends to be saved will be saved. 133 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:08,600 He sins, He seeks, He saves. Repeat. 134 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:14,480 And here's what gives us hope. It's the power of His Word, 135 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:18,360 which is what we're called to give and the purposes of His 136 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:20,800 will. So under those two headings, 137 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:26,760 let's look at this text. If you're paying attention, even 138 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:30,800 close a little bit closely, you realize this is probably about 139 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:35,920 to be a sermon on evangelism. Evangelism really means just 140 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:40,920 sharing the good news. Yet for so many Christians, that 141 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:49,080 privilege, that task, that responsibility frightens us, 142 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:53,680 causes us to be reluctant ourselves. 143 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,600 And so often there's so much shame attached to it. 144 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:00,840 Shame is not helpful in this regard. 145 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,480 We don't need to be motivated by shame. 146 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:13,560 We have the message and the only message that can save a soul for 147 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:16,960 all eternity. If you're in Christ, you have 148 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:24,040 received that word and you are called to now go and give that 149 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:28,320 word away. It's just the beauty of God's 150 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:32,280 sovereign timing that this text is what we're preaching just 151 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:35,720 before the missions conference. The missions conference isn't 152 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:38,720 about us just celebrating those who have responded to the Word 153 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:41,360 they've received and have gone to the outermost parts of the 154 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:44,280 world. It is for all of us to remember 155 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:48,120 that right now, if you're in Christ, you are missionaries to 156 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:54,760 places I can never go. You are missionaries in your 157 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:58,280 home, on your block, in your places of work or places of 158 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:00,880 school, places of recreation, boards. 159 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:04,120 You serve on, places where you eat, you get your haircut, you 160 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,840 shop. You are an ambassador for 161 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:10,200 Christ. All of us, not just some who 162 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:12,960 have a special call. All of us. 163 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:20,360 And that calling is glorious. It's a calling that enables us 164 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,640 in the power of the Spirit and the power of His Word to take 165 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:30,680 the good news, the life giving word that saves people from the 166 00:11:30,680 --> 00:11:35,400 eternal wrath of God. And that can only happen in 167 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:37,880 Christ. So I'm going to begin by talking 168 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:41,560 about the power of His Word. Did you see it in the text? 169 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:47,320 Go back with me to Jonah 3. Then the word of the Lord came 170 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:49,640 to Jonah a second time. This is important. 171 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,960 It's not some other word. It's not something that's 172 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:58,400 generated by Jonah's cultural context and understanding of the 173 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:03,600 people of Nineveh. It is God's very word. 174 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:10,560 This is God's very word. And if you are in Christ Jesus, 175 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:17,360 he used someone to reveal his word to you, another preacher, 176 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:23,200 an author, a relative, a youth pastor, a camp counsellor, a 177 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:28,080 Sunday school teacher. He used someone because he 178 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:32,320 willed that you would be saved. And he who wills those who are 179 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:36,080 going to be saved also wills the way in which they're going to be 180 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:38,400 saved. And his primary way of doing 181 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:43,400 that is using people like us who also have rebelled, like Jonah, 182 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:47,400 who've also been reluctant, who have also had wrong ideas about 183 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:51,360 God. And God restores us and we go 184 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:56,200 forth preaching, teaching, pointing people to Jesus. 185 00:12:57,160 --> 00:13:00,080 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time. 186 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:02,960 What was that word? The same word he received the 187 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:04,520 first time. Arise. 188 00:13:05,680 --> 00:13:10,800 You got to get up. You got to go and I'm telling 189 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:16,600 you where to go to that great city of Nineveh, 120,000 people 190 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:21,760 wicked, their wickedness has risen up to me and God says go 191 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:26,880 call out against it. The message that I tell you what 192 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:28,720 is that? His Word. 193 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:36,240 As Christians who have received the good news, we are only 194 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:43,640 called to give others His Word. We do not have to make something 195 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:47,440 up. Whatever you make up is not 196 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:52,160 living. It's not active, it's not God 197 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:55,920 breathed. But when we give other people 198 00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:00,400 the Word of God, the Word tells us it's breathed. 199 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,160 All scriptures God breathed and is useful for teaching and 200 00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:06,800 rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. 201 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:11,840 Hebrews 4 The Word of God is living and active. 202 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:14,200 It does what nothing else can do. 203 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:20,000 As the Holy Spirit moves, Jonah receives the word of the Lord. 204 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:27,240 The word of the Lord is arise, go and there's a location for 205 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:30,400 Jonah. It's the wicked city, the great 206 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:33,160 city of Nineveh. Where is it for you? 207 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:37,240 Let's not make this complicated. And sometimes that's what 208 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:41,040 happens is we shy away from the simple responsibility. 209 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:44,680 Where do you live? What's the name of the street? 210 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:48,080 The people live next to you, in front of you, behind you. 211 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:50,520 Where do you work? Where do you go to school? 212 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:55,480 Where do you play? All around you are people. 213 00:14:56,640 --> 00:15:00,360 They're crowds. The crowds Jesus would describe 214 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:05,440 with great compassion are those who are harassed and helpless. 215 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:09,000 Is that how you see those who aren't in Christ? 216 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:15,320 Do you see their blindness? Do you see their confusion? 217 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:26,320 The Lord calls us to live in Him wherever He has placed us. 218 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:30,960 That's your primary mission field, right where you live 219 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:35,600 living Christ and be prepared to give the message that he calls 220 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:42,160 you to give his message, his Word, the power of God's Word. 221 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:46,640 We celebrate next week what's Reformation Sunday Sola 222 00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:52,000 scriptura, this idea that it's Scripture alone, the final and 223 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:57,560 supreme authority containing all truth necessary for salvation 224 00:15:57,560 --> 00:16:00,200 and sanctification, growth in Christ. 225 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:05,080 Our own confession says that by their light, that's the Word in 226 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:06,760 the Spirit illuminating the Word. 227 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:10,200 By their light and power, they're able to convince and 228 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:14,520 convert sinners to comfort and build up believers. 229 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:18,800 The Word of God is not equally clear in every part because it's 230 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,480 not seeking to answer every question we might have, but 231 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:28,480 regarding the plan of salvation, regarding what it means to know 232 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:30,440 that I'm a Sinner and I need a Savior. 233 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:35,400 The Word of God from Genesis to Revelation has supreme clarity 234 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:39,520 as the Holy Spirit illuminates. The confession says what is 235 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:45,040 necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation is 236 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:51,400 made clear and open for the learned and the unlearned, for 237 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:57,360 the scholar as well as a child who is the Lord moves could even 238 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:02,200 profess faith as a toddler. This is amazing. 239 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:05,880 It's because of God's powerful word. 240 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:13,200 God tells Jonah speak the message that I tell you He tells 241 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:18,119 us. Speak my word, friends. 242 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:19,800 This is why we need to know His word. 243 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:25,400 We need to know it deeply, so deeply that with the Holy 244 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:29,520 Spirit's illumination we can anchor into the things that are 245 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:35,760 most clear, most direct, most concise for non believers to 246 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:39,760 hear. So often we get distracted by so 247 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:48,040 many other things. Jonah is told to speak the 248 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:50,320 message I give him. What was it? 249 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:54,720 Look, we'll be at verse 4. Jonah began to go into the city 250 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:59,640 going a day's journey, and he called out, yet 40 days and 251 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:03,520 Nineveh shall be overthrown. Why did he say that? 252 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:08,440 Why did he say that? That doesn't seem like the the 253 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:11,360 good news message. It doesn't seem like the right 254 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:14,320 way to proclaim the glory of God. 255 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:20,080 He said it because that's what God told him to say in 256 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,000 obedience. He said those words. 257 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,760 It's possible that he said more as he walked through the city, 258 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:30,360 but he said the very thing that God told him to say. 259 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:33,160 And what was it? That they needed to be saved 260 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:42,000 from the wrath of God, The wrath of God that they deserve to have 261 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:44,800 poured out on him, that I deserve to have poured out on 262 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,600 me. That's the message that Jonah 263 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:55,080 brought, and that message was powerful because it was the Word 264 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:59,480 of God. That's what people need us to 265 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,440 give them. It is the word of God. 266 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:05,880 You might think right now, Mark, I just don't know enough. 267 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:10,960 Thank you for admitting that. If you've been in Christ for 268 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:14,720 even a little while, you probably do know enough to 269 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:18,120 simply share the core of the gospel, and you need to learn 270 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:19,720 more. But here's my question to you. 271 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:25,760 Are you going to Start learning today or next time you hear a 272 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,480 sermon on evangelism? Will it be the same thing? 273 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:33,360 Don't use it as an excuse. You can learn quickly all you 274 00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:36,920 need to know. Not knowing enough most likely 275 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:39,960 is not your primary problem. You might blame it on that, but 276 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:44,520 let me help you. If you don't know what to say to 277 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:46,560 a question someone asked, just tell them. 278 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:50,240 I don't know what to say, but I know someone who might know an 279 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:54,680 answer, and you do. Somebody who's more mature in 280 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:58,760 the faith than you are, a Deacon or elder in our church, somebody 281 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:01,920 leading your women's Bible study, a teacher, a pastor. 282 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:07,200 There's people who know you can come back with them, to them 283 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:10,200 with the answer. My guess is knowledge is not 284 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:17,120 your primary issue. Those who are in Christ, those 285 00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:23,680 who are in Christ, at some point in your life God sent a person 286 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:30,360 to bring to you His Word, and it was powerful, It was living and 287 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:33,080 it still is. And it did the work that needed 288 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:36,400 to be done. And you, whether you were 3 or 289 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:44,120 13 or 25 or 35 or 55 or 75 or 90, you heard it. 290 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:49,240 It was given to you. And the one who gave you the 291 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:56,080 word, now I was telling you like he's telling me to go and give 292 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,960 the word away. The word of the Lord is given. 293 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:06,640 The word of the Lord is go. The word of the Lord is Go give 294 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:11,200 my word, because the word is powerful. 295 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:15,240 But there's a second thing that can give us great hope, and that 296 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:24,720 is the purpose of His will. I said it already, but He will 297 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:33,880 save who He will save how He wills to save them. 298 00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:39,880 He will save who we will save, how He wills to save them. 299 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:47,040 And it was His will to use this rebellious prophet to take this 300 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:53,960 word, the power of His word, to a large, great, evil nation. 301 00:21:55,680 --> 00:22:00,400 He had to hear the message a second time as a transformed man 302 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:05,120 who from the belly of the fish finally came to repentance and 303 00:22:05,120 --> 00:22:07,960 prayed. The Lord commanded that fish, 304 00:22:08,120 --> 00:22:11,720 literally spoke His word to that fish, and the fish spit him up. 305 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:16,800 He then goes and faithfully says what the Lord told him to say. 306 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:23,000 It was the purpose of the Lord, the purpose of His will to use 307 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:26,200 Jonah. There was no one else. 308 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:30,720 He was going to sin. It was the purpose of His will 309 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:34,000 to bring into your life and into my life the people that told us 310 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:37,480 about the living Word of God, about Jesus, the only way of 311 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:41,280 salvation. And now the Lord who will save, 312 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:47,440 who He will save, how He wills to save them, wills to use us, 313 00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:58,600 placing you in specific areas of recreation, on specific plans to 314 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:02,720 travel. We're all around our people who 315 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:09,280 don't know the Lord, who are helpless, harassed, who don't 316 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:11,120 know their right hand from their left. 317 00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:15,280 And this is where sometimes we feel the burden. 318 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:21,360 Friends, if you think about the good news that you have been 319 00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:26,000 given, that you deserve the wrath of a holy God be poured 320 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:32,160 out on you, and the Lord sent his only son to die the death 321 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,080 you deserve. To die after living the life 322 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:39,080 that you and I could never live, to be put in the tomb for three 323 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:42,960 days, to be raised from the dead, to ascend into heaven, to 324 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:46,080 intercede for us now until the Lord tells him to descend again, 325 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:49,240 to return again. He sent his son. 326 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:55,680 That's great news. You and I have the profound 327 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:58,800 privilege to tell other people that news. 328 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:05,040 But let me encourage you, Jesus said. 329 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:10,240 Pray to the Lord of the harvest. You are not the Lord of the 330 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:15,560 harvest. Jonah had no idea how the people 331 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:19,800 of Nineveh would respond. He might have had some idea 332 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:22,240 about the character of God which will come up later. 333 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:30,880 Befriend the Lord of the harvest is going to provide whoever He 334 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:36,480 wills to save those He wills to save, however He wills to save 335 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:38,560 them. Here's what that means. 336 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:44,680 If you today hear this message that I have received the Word of 337 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:48,800 God, and having received that word from the one who gives it, 338 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:53,520 He's calling me to go, to go in my home, to go in my 339 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:57,320 neighborhood, to go in my places of work or school or recreation. 340 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:01,080 And there's a part of you that's just saying, I don't think I 341 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,000 have to do that. I don't think I want to do that. 342 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:13,880 Then you are not going to keep anyone from coming to saving 343 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:16,360 faith. You're not that powerful. 344 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:26,120 You can reject what God tells you and never be used by Him to 345 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:31,240 bring the living Word to others. And if it's His will to save 346 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:35,400 that person that you're reluctant to go towards, they're 347 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:39,920 still going to be saved. But you and I, and our 348 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:45,880 reluctance and our disobedience and in our rebellion will miss 349 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:53,480 the incredible privilege of being used by God to save His 350 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:56,760 people with His power and His living Word. 351 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:06,280 It's scary. There's risk and there's 352 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:09,680 suffering that's always going to be present. 353 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:15,360 But the power of His Word and the purpose of His will to save 354 00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:21,360 those he is going to save should give us such confidence to go 355 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:26,680 wherever He's called us to go, even if that's to go right where 356 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:34,640 He's placed us. And that's as far Jonah did not 357 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:42,640 lack courage, it doesn't seem, certainly didn't lack knowledge 358 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:47,200 in terms of the clarity of the Word, but what he lacked was 359 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:53,760 compassion. I already mentioned Matthew 935 360 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:59,880 to 38 in the passage where Jesus says the harvest is plentiful 361 00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:02,600 but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly. 362 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:06,520 That means beg to the Lord of the harvest to send out 363 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:09,400 laborers. Before Jesus gave them that 364 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:11,680 prayer, that command, He said this. 365 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:15,640 Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in 366 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,400 their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom and 367 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:20,160 healing every disease and every affliction. 368 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:24,680 And I hear this verse 36. And when he, Jesus, saw the 369 00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:30,520 crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed 370 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,600 and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 371 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:40,760 Is that how you see the world? Do you look at the world with 372 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:45,600 the eyes of Christ? Do you see people doing really 373 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:50,920 evil things, doing what makes sense to them though? 374 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:55,320 And instead of just being angry about that, and there's a time 375 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:59,280 to be angry, do you have compassion? 376 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,040 Do you see that they're harassed and helpless? 377 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:09,760 This idea of compassion is not just a New Testament reality. 378 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:14,960 In the very last verse of the book of Jonah, here's what we 379 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:16,400 hear. Verse 11. 380 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:21,040 God speaks to Jonah and says, and should I not pity Nineveh, 381 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:26,840 that great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons 382 00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:31,640 who do not know their right hand from their left? 383 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:39,920 The Lord showed Jonah compassion. 384 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:47,160 He showed Jonah pity. If you're in Christ, He showed 385 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:51,120 you pity and compassion. He showed me pity and 386 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:57,480 compassion. Most of the time it's not a lack 387 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:01,280 of confidence or lack of knowledge. 388 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:05,160 Those things can come from the Lord, but it's a lack of 389 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:09,840 compassion that keeps us from seeing the world the way the 390 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:13,960 Lord sees. And when the Lord has compassion 391 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:18,200 on us to see it the way He wants us to see it. 392 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:23,200 When He comes to us a second time, 1/3 time, with the power 393 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:30,240 of His living word, and we hear it, why would we ever say why? 394 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:34,040 I don't understand. Why would we ever say not me? 395 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:41,400 Send someone else if that's you. There's something about the 396 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:45,520 first part of this that you're missing. 397 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:56,040 Ask Christ to meet you there. There's something about the good 398 00:29:56,040 --> 00:30:00,840 news and that you didn't deserve it and neither did I that you're 399 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:03,640 missing. And when the Lord faithfully 400 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:07,040 reveals to you through His word and Spirit whatever He wants to 401 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:11,840 reveal to you, I promise He's not going to say, just keep this 402 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:15,600 to yourself. He's going to say through His 403 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:17,800 word and Spirit, I've given it to you. 404 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:26,560 Now go to Jonah. My Word came to you by the 405 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:32,480 sovereign hand of my grace with my might and mercy, and now I'm 406 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:36,120 sending you to the people of Nineveh, that my word that came 407 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:39,800 to you will go through you to them. 408 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:45,520 Well, we'll see what happens next week as we pick up at verse 409 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:50,720 5 of Jonah 3. Lord Jesus, you were sent and 410 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:54,840 you came. You did everything that was 411 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:59,560 necessary, including dying up on the cross after living a perfect 412 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:01,520 life. That the wrath that we all 413 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:03,400 deserve will be poured out on you. 414 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:08,640 Lord, today as we hear this message ignite in US, burn 415 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:14,640 within us, 'cause us to be eager to go wherever you have will for 416 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:18,680 us to go, to be faithful to speak to whoever You've called 417 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:22,840 us to speak. Equip us, give us the right 418 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:27,560 words, give us the right knowledge, but let us believe 419 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:33,000 deeply and the power that is in us because of the Holy Spirit. 420 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:37,120 Make us faithful. Give us eyes to anticipate the 421 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:41,520 day that you return, even as we now sing about that second 422 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:46,160 Advent and fix our eyes upon the good news of the Gospel of Jesus 423 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:49,040 Christ. We love you, Lord, and pray this 424 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,920 in your holy name, Amen. Please stand.