1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:05,720 Praise the Lord, we're going to turn in our Bibles now to the 2 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:11,880 book of Jonah. We're going to read God's Word 3 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:16,760 together, Jonah chapter 1. And if anybody's thinking, where 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,320 is Jonah? Well, if you can open your Bible 5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:25,040 and find maybe Ezekiel and find Daniel, then you'll come to 6 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,600 Hosea. Then after that you'll have Joel 7 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:36,160 and Amos and Obadiah and Jonah tempted to give you a page 8 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:39,600 number, but your page number would be different from mine. 9 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:44,960 So come to Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah, and then 10 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:48,000 you'll come to the little prophecy of Jonah. 11 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:50,920 We're going to read in chapter 1, and we're just going to read 12 00:00:51,160 --> 00:01:00,000 the first 11 verses together. Let's hear the word of God, 13 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:06,960 Jonah chapter one, verse one. Now the word of the Lord came on 14 00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:15,640 to Jonah the son of a Metei, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh 15 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:23,360 that great sepi, and cry against it, for their wickedness has 16 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:28,920 come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee on the 17 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:33,800 Tarsus from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa. 18 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,480 And he found a ship going to Tarsus. 19 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:42,120 So he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it to go with 20 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:45,920 them on the Tarsus from the presence of the Lord. 21 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:53,080 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was 22 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:58,240 a mighty Tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be 23 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:03,000 broken. Then the Mariners were afraid, 24 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:09,720 and cried every man unto his God, and cast forth the wares 25 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,320 that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it off them. 26 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:21,320 But Jonah was gone down into the side of the ship, and he lay and 27 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:26,440 was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, 28 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:34,440 and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper, arise called 29 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:41,200 upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us that we 30 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:46,160 perish not. And they said Everyone to his 31 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:53,360 fellow, Come and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose 32 00:02:53,360 --> 00:03:00,080 'cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot 33 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:06,360 fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell 34 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:11,960 us, we pray thee, for whose 'cause this evil is upon us? 35 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:17,080 What is thine occupation, and whence came as thy? 36 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:22,320 And what is thy country? And of what people art thou? 37 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:31,880 And he said unto them, I am in Hebrew, and I fear the Lord the 38 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,960 God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 39 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:44,200 Then were the man exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why 40 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:49,040 hast thou done this? For the men knew that he'd fled 41 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:56,360 from the presence of the Lord because he had told them, Amen. 42 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,560 We'll end the reading there at verse 10, and we pray God will 43 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:02,840 stamp with his own approval and blessing this reading of His own 44 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,880 precious and infallible Word. Amen. 45 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:14,200 Now my text tonight is taken from the book of Jonah, Jonah 46 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:20,880 chapter 1 and verses 1 and 2. Now the word of the Lord came 47 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,600 unto Jonah the son of Amitai, saying arise go to Nineveh that 48 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:27,960 great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up 49 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:31,760 before me. And of entitled message tonight 50 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:36,720 a word of warning for a wicked city. 51 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:42,360 I want you to notice that the book of Jonah doesn't open with 52 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:48,520 a word of comfort, but with a command to confrontation. 53 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:56,320 The true and living God speaks and calls, and when He opens His 54 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:03,120 mouth, His word carries great authority, urgency, and purpose. 55 00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:10,520 His word to Jonah was direct, clear, and unsettling because he 56 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:15,880 was indeed calling and commissioning his servant, the 57 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:22,640 prophet Jonah, to go to that great city of Nineveh and cry 58 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:26,680 against it. Now that great city of Nineveh 59 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:31,440 was no mean city. It wasn't a tiny, obscure little 60 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,960 village. It wasn't even a little town. 61 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:40,760 It was the ancient city capital of a Syria. 62 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,240 The walls of the city were 100 feet high. 63 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,840 The walls were so wide you could raise 3 Chariots around it 64 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:52,320 abreast. The population of Nineveh was 65 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,160 literally millions. We're not told. 66 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,960 But what we do know was this, that there was 120,000 infants 67 00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:03,880 living in it who didn't know their right hand or their left 68 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:08,080 hand. It was a great, powerful city, 69 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:11,520 influential in the ancient world. 70 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:18,320 And yet this city was deeply corrupt, a place notorious for 71 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:22,160 wickedness. It it lacked the fear of God. 72 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:28,240 It was a place known for its cruelty, idolatry, immoral 73 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:33,840 practises. Notice something God is not 74 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:40,640 indifferent to their sin, nor is God silent in the face of such 75 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,680 wickedness. But before his holy judgement 76 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:50,400 falls on ancient Nineveh, he sends a warning. 77 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:58,000 And the warning comes via the mouth of one man, a servant of 78 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:01,920 Jehovah, a prophet called of God. 79 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:07,560 And God commands this prophet to arise and go to Nineveh, that 80 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:14,320 great city, and cry against it. You see, God here is acting in 81 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:19,760 sovereign grace and mercy. Here is his pattern of work. 82 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:25,160 Listen to me carefully. God warns before he wins. 83 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:31,760 God calls. Before he condemns, God speaks 84 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:38,640 before he strikes, here is this missionary call, and we're 85 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:42,480 learning something about God's holy character. 86 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:47,320 God is holy. God is just. 87 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:52,080 God must judge sin. God can't overlook sin and evil. 88 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:56,400 God is merciful. And not only does he see sin for 89 00:07:56,400 --> 00:08:01,600 what it is, not only does he respond to it, but he warns 90 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:08,080 sinners about coming judgement, and he issues in that judgement 91 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:14,440 a call to repent and receive the word of God. 92 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:20,200 Now, as we consider tonight this warning to Nineveh, I want you 93 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:24,480 to notice that we're not merely looking at an ancient city. 94 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:30,720 For what we're seeing in Nineveh is a reflection of every city in 95 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:36,799 the world, every community, every Society of people, 96 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:41,960 including our own, we province that we call Northern Ireland, 97 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,680 including our United Kingdom. You see, I want you to 98 00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:52,080 understand tonight the United Kingdom is not only ripe and 99 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:57,080 ready for God's judgement, but there are signs already that 100 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:03,760 God's judgement has fallen and it's going to fall further 101 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:08,920 unless from the King on the throne to the pauper in the 102 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:14,880 street, the people repent of their sin and turn back to God. 103 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,400 So that's my introduction, 3 points tonight. 104 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,880 One, notice the divine declaration. 105 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:25,960 It says, now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, the son of 106 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:31,880 Amitai, saying this is where everything really begins. 107 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:37,240 Doesn't begin with Nineveh, doesn't begin just with Jonah, 108 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:41,800 but begins with God's sovereign revelation. 109 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,920 See, this is not Jonah's opinion, it's not his mindset, 110 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:50,240 it's not his desire or his intention. 111 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:56,240 It is God's divine revelation. Now how do we know that Jonah 112 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:58,120 was a servant and a prophet of God? 113 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,160 When we compare scripture with scripture we read in Second 114 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:06,200 Kings chapter 14 and in the verse 25 it says he restored the 115 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:10,760 coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea 116 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,480 of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, 117 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:16,640 which he speaks by the hand of his servant Jonah the son of 118 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:21,880 Mittai the prophet, which was of Gath heifer. 119 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:26,120 Now notice the 2 words, A servant, His servant, that's 120 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:31,240 God's servant, and the son of Amitai the prophet, which is of 121 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:33,640 Gath Hefer. Gath Hefer, by the way, was 122 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:36,920 about four miles from Nazareth in northern Galilee. 123 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:40,040 And of course he restored the coast of Israel from the 124 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:44,040 entering of Hamath onto the sea of the Plain was the days of 125 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:46,080 Jeroboam. Jeroboam was the king. 126 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:52,280 He was king of the Northern Kingdom at this time of Jonah in 127 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,080 Jonah's day. But Jonah was known as His 128 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:59,440 servant, God's servant, and he was known as the prophet. 129 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:04,960 Don't we read over there in the book of Hebrews Godhood sundry 130 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:08,440 times and in divers manners, speaking time passed unto the 131 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:12,520 fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us 132 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:17,160 by His Son. You see, the authority of God's 133 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:23,080 message in the past and in the present rests entirely in God. 134 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:26,640 Remember, we read all scriptures given by inspiration of God and 135 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:29,240 is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 136 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:32,080 instruction and righteousness. What we have in this book is a 137 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:36,720 God breathed book. God has spoken and what the 138 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:40,920 Bible says, God says and what God says, the Bible says. 139 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:44,000 And Scripture is the voice of God. 140 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:49,360 It's a God breathe book and and scripture divinely inspired and 141 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,840 revealed is binding on all people everywhere. 142 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:57,440 See, God is not silent. He's certainly not silent 143 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:02,040 towards wickedness. And God speaks and when he 144 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:05,360 speaks, he speaks clearly, decisively, truthfully and 145 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,520 authority. And when the Word of God came to 146 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:14,160 Jonah, it demanded a response. See, when the Word of God comes 147 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:15,920 to us, you cannot be indifferent. 148 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,760 Indifference is not neutrality. Indifference is sinful 149 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:23,240 rebellion. Jonah didn't invent the message. 150 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,440 I don't believe Jonah invaded the message. 151 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:30,560 I don't believe Jonah was interested in the message. 152 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:34,000 It was God who initiated the revelation. 153 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,600 The revelation always begins with Him. 154 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:44,920 Jonah received this message, and surely there's a reminder here 155 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:49,680 that God's truth is always divinely revealed. 156 00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:54,560 It's not something that's culturally constructed. 157 00:12:55,480 --> 00:13:00,640 Let me ask tonight this question How do you view the word of God? 158 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:05,200 Do you treat it as authentic? Do you treat it as 159 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,800 authoritative? Are you gripped with the 160 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:12,640 assurance that it's a God breathed word? 161 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:16,040 Listen again to Second Timothy 316. 162 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:21,560 All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is 163 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:25,160 profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 164 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:27,680 instruction and righteousness, that the man of God may be 165 00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:30,760 perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work. 166 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:35,880 The word inspiration means God breathed Theo, Neustos. 167 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:40,080 Theo is God, breath is Neustos. Put the two together. 168 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:44,160 All scripture is given by the breath of God. 169 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:49,120 Do you accept that tonight? Have you got an assurance? 170 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:53,640 Do you accept that this is authoritative and authentic? 171 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:58,480 You see, we live in a world where there's many voices in the 172 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:02,280 world, full of voices with different shades of opinion. 173 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:07,680 You've got the agnostic. You've got the atheist, you've 174 00:14:07,680 --> 00:14:13,240 got those who are antagonistic. And what does carried off FPC 175 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:18,480 stand for? In light of those voices, we 176 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,880 must stand for solar Scripture, the Bible alone. 177 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,120 And I want to announce, as Doctor Brown announced in his 178 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:27,480 little video, the Free Presbyterian Church hasn't 179 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:32,640 abandoned solar scriptura. That's a lie to say that the 180 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:37,320 Free Presbyterian Church exists to proclaim that God has spoken 181 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:42,320 and God is speaking and it may not be what people want to hear. 182 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,560 Of course, a silent church in a sinful city is really a 183 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:50,600 disobedient church. And of course the book of Jonah 184 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:52,920 is not a book of legends or fairy tales. 185 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,040 It's not the stuff that's of make believe. 186 00:14:56,480 --> 00:15:00,440 Do you know that the Lord Jesus gave His stamp of authority to 187 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:02,840 the book of Jonah? Listen to this in Matthew 188 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:07,200 chapter 12. But he answered and said unto 189 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:10,680 them, An evil, an adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, 190 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:15,080 and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the 191 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:19,400 prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was 3 days and 192 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:22,720 three nights in the wheels belly, so shall the Son of man 193 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,640 be 3 days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 194 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,040 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgement with this generation 195 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:31,920 and shall condemn it. Listen to this because they 196 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:35,560 repented at the preaching of Jonas, and they hold a greater 197 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,200 than Jonas is. Here. 198 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:43,040 He repeated something similar in Luke Chapter 11 verses 29 and 199 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:45,160 30. And there's the Lord Jesus 200 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:50,480 giving his authenticity to the book of Jonah. 201 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:52,360 And it's not a book about Jonah and the whale. 202 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:57,640 It's about Jonah and the work of God that God had called, called 203 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:01,920 him to, and God just prepared a great whale because Jonah was 204 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:04,800 running away from God and God wanted to bring him back and 205 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:07,560 give him a ride in a whale's belly for a few days. 206 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:12,920 So that's really our first point, the divine declaration. 207 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:18,600 Notice secondly, very quickly, the depravity described. 208 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,960 If you go back to our text, it says, Arise, go to Nineveh, that 209 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:26,960 great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up 210 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:30,840 before me. Think of the words that great 211 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:34,240 city, for their wickedness has come up before me. 212 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:39,000 Notice he calls Nineveh that great city, as I said, not an 213 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:44,400 obscure village, not a wee backward town, but the capital 214 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:49,600 of Assyria. And it was infamous for extreme 215 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:55,400 violence and cruelty. It was a place of idolatry, a 216 00:16:55,400 --> 00:17:01,920 place of false worship, a place of pride, a place of persecution 217 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:05,200 and oppression towards its neighbours. 218 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:08,400 And they are, of course, historical records that bear 219 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:13,800 testimony to their terrible brutality, to their torture, to 220 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:16,760 their conquest and their arrogance. 221 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,160 You know what they used to do when they murdered people in 222 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:24,800 their streets? They spliced their head on a 223 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:30,480 pole three ways. They burnt people alive, even 224 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:34,280 little children. You see Mayhem 3 and one talks 225 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:39,520 about that bloody city. It was a place of murder and 226 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:44,400 mayhem. Murder was rife in the city of 227 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:49,080 Nineveh, according to the book of Zephaniah. 228 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:54,360 In Zephaniah chapter 2 and verse 15, it says this is the 229 00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:56,800 rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly. 230 00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:00,200 That said, in her heart I am, and there's none beside me. 231 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:03,960 How has she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down, 232 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:07,720 and everyone that passes by her shall hiss and wag his hand. 233 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:12,080 And of course that's a reference to Nineveh and will make Nineveh 234 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:15,360 a desolation and dry like a wilderness. 235 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,880 See, Nineveh was full of pride. She was boasting of 236 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,200 self-confidence and self security. 237 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:25,600 She thought she was untouchable. But of course it was a city 238 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:30,360 given over to immorality, iniquity and idolatry. 239 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:33,960 People had turned from the true God to idols. 240 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:38,680 Is there any wonder that Jeremiah or Genesis 6 and five 241 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:42,240 says that the wickedness in the earth is great? 242 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:45,360 And how great is the wickedness in the earth? 243 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:49,120 You think of today? You think of what Paul described 244 00:18:49,120 --> 00:18:52,800 there in the book of Romans. In Romans chapter 3, he says 245 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:57,280 this in verse 10. Listen to the Word of God as it 246 00:18:57,280 --> 00:18:59,600 is written. There's none righteous, No, not 247 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:01,720 one. There's none that understand 248 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:03,040 that. There's none that seeketh after 249 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:05,000 God. They're all gone out of the way. 250 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:06,640 They are together, become unprofitable. 251 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:10,680 There's none that doeth good. No, not one. 252 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:16,880 Do you know that tonight God is angry with the wicked every day. 253 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:20,880 Notice in our text and think of that God is angry with the 254 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:24,840 wicked every day. Think of our text for their 255 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:27,600 wickedness has come up before me. 256 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:32,480 Now what does that mean? This is judicial language, is it 257 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:35,080 not? Is this not the language of the 258 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:41,160 courtroom and the prosecutor? It means that sin is mounting 259 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:46,400 up, one sin on top of another, guilt upon guilt, transgression 260 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:50,040 upon transgression. It's it's accumulating evidence 261 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:53,080 for when the judgement of God falls. 262 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:57,720 It's come up before the Lord. You see, your sin tonight is not 263 00:19:57,720 --> 00:20:02,360 hidden from the Lord. I know that sin is a heinous 264 00:20:02,360 --> 00:20:04,400 thing. I know that sin is the 265 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:10,320 transgression of the law. I know that sin is accumulative 266 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:15,160 and it reaches a point of divine reckoning. 267 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,400 You think tonight of people in our towns and cities, you're 268 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,280 dead. And trespasses and sins. 269 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:24,680 They're darkened in their mind. They're diseased in their 270 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:27,400 affections. They've no love for fear of God. 271 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:30,160 They're in a state of total depravity. 272 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:34,080 And I want to say this tonight, listen to me carefully. 273 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:46,600 No town, no city, no country, no nation escapes God's gears. 274 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:53,960 God sees and knows, and what rises from the earth is seen and 275 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:57,160 known in heaven. You think of our modern world, 276 00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:00,720 None of us bought a reflection of the modern world. 277 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:05,360 It's like a mirror. Violence is normalised, 278 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:11,720 immorality is celebrated. Cinnabons. 279 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:15,720 The major cities of our United Kingdom London, Glasgow, 280 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:20,480 Edinburgh Liverpool, Manchester, Belfast, Londonderry. 281 00:21:22,120 --> 00:21:26,480 Do you know that in the past five years, 30 women have been 282 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:30,320 murdered due to domestic violence in their homes? 283 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,000 We could add into the mix the murder and mayhem of what was 284 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:41,240 called the killing times during the times of Trouble in our 285 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:43,640 land. Inspired by the ARA. 286 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:52,240 Do you know that 11,000 little babies have been murdered in the 287 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:57,280 womb because of the changes to abortion legislation in our 288 00:21:57,280 --> 00:21:59,680 land? What are we doing? 289 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:04,600 We're murdering our own. And you think of the House of 290 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:09,800 Lords vote just the other day allowing woman expecting a baby 291 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:13,400 right up to two or three hours before she's due to deliver that 292 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:16,880 baby to decide to take the life of that baby and she's no longer 293 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:21,480 being criminalised. What wickedness? 294 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:26,800 It's a violation of the command that says thy shall not kill. 295 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:31,920 And you add into the mix the false cults and the false 296 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,160 religion. Do you know that there's now 14 297 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:40,040 places of false religion of Islam operating in Northern 298 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:46,680 Ireland? The Bible says Psalm 711. 299 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:50,120 God is angry with the wicked every day. 300 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:57,960 God sees, God knows, and what rises from the earth enters into 301 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:03,160 the nostrils and the sight of Almighty God in heaven. 302 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,320 God's eye is upon those that know they need to be saved and 303 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:11,800 are not saved. God's eye is upon those who 304 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:15,920 don't rebey the gospel call to repent of their sin and put 305 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,280 their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. 306 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:23,520 Remember what we read in John chapter 3 and in the verse 36, 307 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:27,720 John chapter 3 and in the verse 36. 308 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:32,640 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he 309 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:39,720 that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of 310 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:43,680 God abideth on him. Everyone outside of Christ who 311 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,440 hasn't repented of their sin, young or old, boy or girl, 312 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:51,160 irrespective of where they live, in a little village, a town or a 313 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:55,960 big city like Belfast or some other major city who's outside 314 00:23:55,960 --> 00:24:00,160 of Christ, they're walking about and the wrath of God abides in 315 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:04,600 their head. Bible says the fool have said in 316 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:11,440 his heart there is no God. You see, sin is not just out 317 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:15,920 there by way of actions. Sin is in their heart. 318 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,000 Jeremiah said the heart is deceitful and desperately 319 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,320 wicked. Who can do what? 320 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:26,520 The Bible teaches that we're sinners by nature and practise. 321 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:33,760 Individuals are not just basically good, they're badly, 322 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:37,800 totally fallen sinners. I saw a picture of you tonight 323 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,320 out of Christ. Have you recognised your sin? 324 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:44,880 Are you willing to repudiate that sin? 325 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:50,240 Are you willing to repent and turn from it unto God, whatever 326 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:56,160 that chief sin is? See, that's the depravity that's 327 00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:02,400 displayed. And notice also as we finish the 328 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:07,560 deliverance displayed, if you look at our text that says in 329 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:12,560 verse 2, arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against 330 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:14,480 it. Arise. 331 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:16,960 It's not a simple word. Arise. 332 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:19,240 What is it unfair? What does it suggest? 333 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:22,840 What do you think about it? If I said to you Arise, what 334 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:26,320 would be your posture? The posture would be that you're 335 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:31,960 sitting. Was Jonah sitting at ease in his 336 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:36,320 home in Gath Heifer? Is it not a picture of being 337 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:41,360 settled, sitting and comfortable like like being at ease and 338 00:25:41,360 --> 00:25:43,960 Zion? See, here's a question. 339 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:47,920 Does this mirror our condition? Does this mirror you and me? 340 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,120 Are we settled in a in a routine? 341 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:54,760 Are we happy and content with our lot in life? 342 00:25:54,920 --> 00:26:02,120 Settled by the theology of comfort, sitting still? 343 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,320 Are we content with the way things are? 344 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:15,120 How many are happy to sit, but have you heard the call to arise 345 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:24,920 and the call to go? See How many don't recognise the 346 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:31,000 value of 1 soul? How many don't know that they 347 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,880 need to arise and go to souls with the great message of the 348 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:40,640 Gospel? Many agree that there's a great 349 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:52,080 need, but differently respond. See, the bottom line is Jonah 350 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:58,360 didn't want to go to Nineveh. And Jonah the prophet reflects 351 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:04,720 and mirrors our lives because how many have heard the call to 352 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:08,080 arise and go and they've got excuses. 353 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:12,640 They they've become evasive. And for Jonah, it wasn't just a 354 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:16,840 pattern about geography, it was a pattern about spirituality. 355 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:21,360 He was comfortable, he was happily with his routine. 356 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:24,320 He was happily with the regularity of his life. 357 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:26,520 I'll go to the prayer meeting on a Wednesday. 358 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:28,440 I'll come to the services on a Sunday. 359 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:32,240 I'll go to the old missionary meeting, but don't really upset 360 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:34,880 my routine. You see, there was a challenge 361 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:38,400 here in this command. There was a cost here in this 362 00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:40,680 command. There was a commitment and a 363 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,040 courage that was required in response to this command. 364 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:51,480 The deliverance displayed was this arise, a command to arise 365 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:56,520 very quickly, a command to accept, notice this arise and go 366 00:27:56,520 --> 00:28:00,200 to Nineveh. Nineveh was a distant city, far 367 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:04,880 away from Gareth Hever. It was a depraved city. 368 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:09,320 As I've said, the modern day equivalent is Mosul, which is in 369 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:12,520 Iraq. It was a city of violence, 370 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,880 cruelty, iniquity, idolatry and ungodliness. 371 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:20,120 Ancient Nineveh was a brutal oppressor. 372 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:25,960 It was a city given over to military conquest against its 373 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:29,680 neighbour. It was a great city popular with 374 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:34,120 many. A great city with influence, a 375 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:36,080 great city with power. Go here. 376 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:42,480 Not a chance, Lord. There was a command to announce. 377 00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:46,760 Notice this as we finish. Not only a command to arise and 378 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:51,560 a command to accept, but a command to announce and cry 379 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:54,040 against it, for their wickedness has come up before me. 380 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,920 He was a Great Commission. He was told what to say. 381 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:01,240 Cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before 382 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:03,520 me. You see, the gospel is not a 383 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:08,680 social gospel. The gospel is not about social 384 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:12,000 development. The gospel is not about food 385 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,560 aid. The gospel is not about 386 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:18,720 improving living standards and conditions, but education. 387 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:23,680 And and I'm not saying that's not a part, but there has to be 388 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:29,080 a saving gospel. And this Great Commission was 389 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:34,960 involving great cost and compassion because he was to go, 390 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,960 that is Jonah, and say judgement is coming. 391 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:46,720 Destruction is certain unless you repent and get right with 392 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:50,440 the Lord. And let me say this, this 393 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:56,640 warning implies the possibility of great mercy and grace. 394 00:29:57,080 --> 00:30:00,600 God didn't need to warn Nineveh. God could just have destroyed it 395 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:02,840 without a word. But he didn't. 396 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:06,600 He sent his servant. He sent the prophet Jonah. 397 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,840 Jonah was to go and preach. Yet 40 days and none of us 398 00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:13,720 should be destroyed. A fourth teller of truth. 399 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:15,480 Why? And I tell you this was 400 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:18,360 refinished. Even in wrath, God remembers 401 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:21,680 mercy. And that was no easy task for 402 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:24,080 Jonah. It took commitment. 403 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:27,240 It involved cost. It involved a courage. 404 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:32,000 And God's warning always exposes sin and reveals guilt. 405 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:34,920 God's warning calls for true repentance. 406 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:39,480 God's warning prepares and opens the way for a display of great 407 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:43,160 grace and mercy. It wasn't easy for Jonah to be 408 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:46,600 faithful just as a way. It's not easy for you to be 409 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:50,240 faithful to your family, to tell them to repent and believe the 410 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:55,040 gospel, to your friends, to your work colleagues, to your 411 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:56,480 neighbours. You're not saved. 412 00:30:56,800 --> 00:31:00,480 Think of it, if they die in their sins, they'll be lost and 413 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:03,680 go to hell. And it was Robert Murray 414 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:07,040 Mcsheehan that said, never mention, hail or preach about it 415 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:13,200 unless you do it with tears. Do you know tonight that God 416 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:15,160 takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked? 417 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:20,520 Ezekiel 33 and 11 according to Jeremiah 18-7 and eight. 418 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:26,360 If a person, a house or a community or a country or a city 419 00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:29,440 repents, God relents of His judgement. 420 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:33,160 Do you know that the people of Nineveh, we've already read it. 421 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:38,800 Matthew chapter 20, Matthew chapter 12, verse 40, the people 422 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:40,680 of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah. 423 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:48,320 God's warning was a sign of great mercy, a Great Commission, 424 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:53,360 a great compassion that involved cost and commitment. 425 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:59,080 And just as Jonah was sent to the Gentiles, so was the gospel. 426 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:05,240 Just as Nineveh was warned, so is the cities in our United 427 00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:09,400 Kingdom. Just as Jonah began with a 428 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:13,280 warning, that warning was full of grace and mercy. 429 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,480 That warning brought a redemptive truth. 430 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:21,000 God wasn't issuing empty threats, but the warning was a 431 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:24,360 merciful opportunity. The judgement hasn't fallen yet. 432 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,640 There's grace and mercy with the Lord. 433 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:34,440 See, Jonah's held up as a sign, the sign of Jonah. 434 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:37,760 Jonah is a sign of Christ's death and resurrection, and no 435 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:42,400 other sign was given. The world has been given a 436 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,840 warning today. Flee from the wrath to come. 437 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:51,320 God hates sin. God issues a warning. 438 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:55,640 Flee from the wrath to come. The gospel is not just an 439 00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:59,440 invitation to a life of submission and salvation. 440 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:03,440 It's a warning. Faithful preaching must include 441 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:10,120 sin, repentance, the blood atonement, judgement, grace and 442 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:13,040 mercy. There's a time to repent and 443 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:15,040 turn to the Lord. I I'm finished, but let me give 444 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:18,880 you a wee illustration. Here's a man that his 30s, he's 445 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,880 into finance, he's a good salary, he's respected, he's got 446 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:24,280 a comfortable life, he's a wife, he's a family. 447 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:28,960 In addition, he's addicted to pornography, he's addicted to 448 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:31,640 gambling. He's been quietly manipulating 449 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:33,680 the numbers to steal money from the firm. 450 00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:37,120 At the start, it was small. At the start, he intended to pay 451 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:40,720 it back, it was just temporary. But when they did an audit, he 452 00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:43,360 was found out. He was exposed, he couldn't 453 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:45,080 sleep. He shifted to blame. 454 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:48,320 He thought he would resign quietly escape the consequences. 455 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:52,320 But you know what happened? He went to church and in an 456 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:56,440 evangelical church he heard that God is holy and God is hates sin 457 00:33:56,920 --> 00:34:00,320 and God is just and God is merciful and God calls to 458 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,800 repentance and God calls to faith and God is not harsh and 459 00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:07,920 God is not angry, but God sees and knows and sin must be 460 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:11,719 answered and accounted for. That man stopped defending 461 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:14,679 himself. He realised that he'd done 462 00:34:14,679 --> 00:34:17,080 wrong. And that week he confessed to 463 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:20,760 sin to God and got saved. That week, the same day he 464 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:25,280 confessed to sin to his boss. He lost everything, his 465 00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:29,080 reputation, his job, police were involved. 466 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:31,440 He lost the respect of his wife and family. 467 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:37,560 But you know what he said after the end of all that he could go 468 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:42,520 home and go to bed and sleep because he got right with God. 469 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:47,320 How could you sleep if the wrath of God was hanging over your 470 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:49,520 head? You couldn't do it. 471 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:53,360 You can't do it. That's why many people are 472 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:59,640 riddled with guilt. And here's this deliverance 473 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:06,560 displayed in these commands. Arise, go to Nineveh and cry 474 00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:10,640 against it. It's a sign of God being 475 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:13,800 merciful. May God be merciful to our 476 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:18,320 cities and our towns and villages at this time.