WEBVTT

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 Good morning, so we'll be reading the whole of chapter 3.

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 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,

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!

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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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 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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 And 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 man and beast be covered with sackcloth,

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 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, God may turn and relent, and turn from his fierce anger, 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, and he did not do it.

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 Well, good morning, everyone.

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 It's good to be back, and there's some familiar faces too,

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 especially Gray, as you're right in front of me, so it's great to see you again.

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 Why don't we pray as we come to God's word?

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 Father, my words don't have power to even get to my own heart, let alone anyone else's,

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 but your word does.

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 And so I pray that you would pierce each of our hearts this morning.

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 I pray that you, as we just sang, that we would rejoice in the fact that we bring nothing to you in our hands.

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 Simply to your cross we cling.

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 So I pray that you would speak to us in your word.

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 Give us listening ears and hearts.

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 In Jesus' name.

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 Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Well, we've had Easter as kind of broken up, Jonah,

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 so I'm just going to start with a bit of a recap,

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 and hopefully that helps you if you're joining us this morning.

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 Like a movie or book, so we're in Jonah, by the way.

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 I suppose we've had the Bible reading, you should know that.

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 Like a movie or book recounting a true story,

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 there's four scenes, four backdrops for what happens in Jonah.

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 So chapter one, you're on the boat in the storm.

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 Chapter two, you're inside the fish.

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 Chapter three today, we're in the city of Nineveh.

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 And chapter four next week, we're on a hill under a vine.

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 So scene one on the boat, Jonah is called by the Lord to go to Nineveh.

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 He disobeys.

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 He goes in the complete opposite direction.

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 Why?

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 It would be like a Ukrainian walking into Moscow and crying out the evils against it.

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 It would be like a migrant or a Jewish person going to a neo-Nazi rally

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 where police aren't present and crying out against it.

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 Like to be imprisoned or punched would be the least of your worries.

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 But I think it's more than fear of personal safety that Jonah doesn't go.

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 And chapter four, we'll see next week, really develops this.

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 But Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, Israel's greatest threat.

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 Jonah would rather see his country prosper.

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 He does not want to see these evil pagans get a chance to repent.

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 Now, the irony in scene one is that despite Jonah running in the opposite direction,

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 God's mission to the nations is unstoppable.

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 What do we find at the end of that scene?

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 Pagans are in awe of the true God.

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 They see the Lord's anger turned away by Jonah sacrificing himself as a substitute for them.

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 And they commit, they make vows to the living God.

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 The very opposite of what Jonah wanted happened.

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 Not because of him, despite of him.

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 Then we go to scene two in the fish.

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 The Lord doesn't give Jonah what he wants or deserves.

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 He wants to be away from the presence of God.

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 He should have let him go to the bottom of the ocean in the darkness and no life.

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 But he doesn't.

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 He shows incredible mercy.

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 Miraculously saving him physically in the fish and how he survived in the fish, it is a mystery.

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 But spiritually, he has gripped afresh that his life is entirely because of the undeserved, steadfast love of the Lord.

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 He's gripped my mercy in the fish.

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 Now, if you went to Grace Kids or Sunday School, whatever your church called it, if you went to church growing up, most of us know scenes one and two.

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 And we kind of could be tempted to think the story stops.

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 If we stop there, well, we're not stopping there.

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 We want to preach through all the word of God.

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 If we stop there, we miss some big lessons in the book of Jonah.

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 As we come to scene three in the city of Nineveh, the story focuses on the theme of repentance.

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 What is repentance?

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 It's a radical change of heart and mind.

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 It's a turning completely the opposite direction, a turning from what is wrong back to God.

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 Here's what we're going to see in chapter three.

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 God's grace produces repentance.

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 That order is really important.

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 His grace produces repentance.

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 We're going to see it's God's word has power to cut to the heart.

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 You can't explain it.

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 There is a power here that you can't explain.

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 And the third thing we're going to see is God responds to repentance.

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 He sees it and he loves to show radical mercy.

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 So let's get into scene three.

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 Verses one and two.

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 If we consider the Lord high above in the heavens, it is incredible that he would speak to anyone a second time.

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 But the Lord loves to give new beginnings.

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 He loves fresh starts.

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 He should have just let Jonah sink to the bottom.

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 Like start with someone a bit more obedient.

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 Like just some, skerrick of obedience.

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 But he doesn't.

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 He gives a fresh start.

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 He comes a second time.

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 Jonah finally obeys.

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 What produced that obedience?

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 He goes according to the word of the Lord.

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 What produced it?

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 Because he was gripped afresh by his own mercy.

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 His own recipient of mercy.

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 If in this past week you've failed with your kids.

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 You've failed to be a light in your workplace.

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 Go again.

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 God is a God of fresh starts.

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 We would all be rendered useless in serving God if God wasn't a God of fresh starts.

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 And the point of fresh starts is renewed obedience.

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 Go.

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 Go say whatever I tell you.

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 He doesn't even know the message yet.

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 He has an idea of what it's going to be.

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 Jonah has tasted the Lord's mercy firsthand.

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 A keenness.

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 A keen awareness rather.

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 Of your own mercy.

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 It humbles you.

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 And you're full of thanksgiving like we see at the end of chapter 2.

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 That is the best place to be.

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 To be used by the Lord.

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 In giving mercy to others.

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 So God is a God of fresh starts.

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

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 But notice his commitment to Nineveh.

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 If his ultimate desire was to see Nineveh perish.

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 He doesn't need to send his word.

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 All he needs to send is fire.

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 There's nothing in them that deserve him sending his word.

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 But he's committed.

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 Go to Nineveh.

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 He's committed to Nineveh.

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 The only thing he owes Nineveh is judgment.

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 But he's committed to Nineveh.

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 I can't explain why.

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 Now the message Jonah speaks, it's heavy, is it not?

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 Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

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 That sounds like God is against you.

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 And he is.

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 He is a God of justice.

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 But as much as it sounds like he's against Nineveh, he's sending his word for Nineveh.

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 He's very much for their salvation.

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 That's why he's sending his word.

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 If you are affronted by God's word, it feels like it's against you sometimes.

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 It is never against you.

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 It's always for you.

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 As much as you don't want to hear it in that moment, he's always for you.

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 Now what did the Lord see in Nineveh that prompted him to give this opportunity to repent?

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 Did he see some sign of remorse?

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 I doubt it.

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 Did he see some positive change?

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 They started to be just a little bit more kind.

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 I doubt it.

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 He's not sending his word to those who repent.

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 His word creates repentance.

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 It's his gracious commitment that creates repentance.

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 That is such good news.

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 It's God's grace that produces, creates repentance.

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 Then verses three to nine.

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 It's God's word that has divine power to cut to the heart.

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 That's impossible to explain.

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 The Lord calls Jonah to a task he can't accomplish.

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 This is an impossible task.

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 The emphasis here is Nineveh is a great city.

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 We're told it's exceedingly great.

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 It's three days journey.

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 I suppose that's the size.

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 But I do wonder, based off chapter two, Sam took us through that, how three days in Jewish

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 thinking was to confirm death.

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 I just wonder if there's a play on numbers here of go and die.

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 Go to this massive city of 120,000 people by yourself.

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 Good luck with that.

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 Go to the capital, the most powerful nation, as a foreigner.

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 You've got no credentials.

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 They have not invited you.

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 Go to a pagan people who worship other gods, who are forcing Israel to pay taxes and say,

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 you are subject to the Lord of Israel.

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 Good luck with that.

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 Go to one of the cruelest, violent empires of ancient times.

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 Assyrian kings, just, I've got to say, I'm sorry if I'm conscious of little ones in the room,

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 but they cut off the limbs of their enemies except for one arm so that they could shake the hand of their enemies as they died.

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 That's just a taste, I won't say any more, because it's more to say, that's a taste of their cruelty.

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 Go to this violent state and tell them they're the ones in danger of perishing by the judge of all the earth.

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 It's an impossible task.

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 Now, just as an aside, quickly, I don't think anyone should be offended by an angry God who threatens punishment.

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 It's a God of love who is angry at injustice and evil.

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 God would not be worth worshipping if he didn't care about all the violence and the injustice in this world.

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 I don't think we should stumble over that.

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 The Lord calls Jonah to a task he cannot accomplish.

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 A people who don't deserve this warning, it's almost certainly going to result in his death.

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 If we think the fish swallowing Jonah is the most miraculous event in the book, I think it is.

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 Verses 5 to 9.

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 This is mysterious how it happens.

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 The people of Nineveh believed God.

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 The only thing I can imagine blokes in the pub and members of parliament agreeing on is getting more money or something that will prosper their own well-being.

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 But here, we're told, from all across the strata of society, the king, down to all the people, they're cut to the heart.

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 They're weeping over their wrongdoing.

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 They didn't hear Jonah as some strange foreigner.

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 They heard his words as from God.

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 The word of God has power to cut to the heart.

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 Now, to what depth this repentance is, there's debate among that.

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 It's not completely clear because, like the sailors in scene one, they call on the name of Yahweh.

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 We've only got the general name of God here, not the covenant name, and they're not making vows to him.

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 But they are grieving over their wrongdoing.

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 They are committing to turning from their wrongdoing.

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 There are the marks of true repentance here.

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 The king is off his throne.

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 He knows he is answerable to the most high God.

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 There's conviction.

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 They're grieving over their sin.

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 They're wearing sackcloth.

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 That's what you'd wear to a funeral when you're grieving.

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 They're grieving over their wrongdoing.

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 They saw that they deserved punishment.

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 They took the threat seriously.

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 They didn't say, God, that's not fair.

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 They didn't shift the blame.

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 They're saying, that's repentance.

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 We deserve it.

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 We deserve this.

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 And they confess their spiritual helplessness.

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 They're fasting.

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 They're not trying to quickly clean up their act or something.

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 They're not saying, whoa, whoa, whoa, God, here's what's on the other side of the ledger.

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 They're just going, God, maybe he'll have mercy.

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 They're just powerless.

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 That's repentance.

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 No human reasoning or psychological analysis can go deep enough to explain what's going on here.

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 It's this mass revival of the word of God piercing their hearts.

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 It's the power of God's word to do that.

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 You can't change anyone.

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 But a simple, even brief word of truth that you know is from God's word, it has power.

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 You don't have to raise your tone to make it more powerful.

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 You don't have to yell it to give it more power.

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 The word of God has power.

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 I know you've experienced that.

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 I think this should encourage us to renew prayer for people we've given up on as well.

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 No one's too far gone.

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 I think the other thing we see here is repentance is what God is pleased with.

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 Repentance is at the heart of the Christian life.

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 When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses in Wittenberg, the first one said,

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 when our Lord Jesus Christ said repent, he meant that the whole of the Christian life should be repentance.

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 Not a one-off that you did 10 years ago.

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 The whole of the Christian life should be repentance.

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 Now just to give you an example of that, this is one that's hit me at the moment in my stage of life.

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 I was reading an article, what makes a dad a Christian dad?

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 And the guy said, if I'm going to be a Christian dad, I have to be a repenting dad.

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 Walk back into a room where I was too sharp, too heavy, too quick to assume, too slow to listen,

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 too eager to make a point and say I was wrong.

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 To say to your child, will you forgive me?

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 I don't think that weakens my fatherhood.

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 I think it saves it from becoming a performance because my children don't need the myth of a father who is always right.

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 They need to know what a man does when he is wrong.

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 They need to know whether grace lives here in this house or only gets talked about here.

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 I was really struck by that.

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 A broken heart, oh God, you will not despise.

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 God's word has a power to cut to the heart.

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 And repentance is what God is pleased with.

00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:07.299
 And God responds, verse 10, God responds to repentance with radical mercy.

00:21:07.299 --> 00:21:12.200
 Let me reverse that.

00:21:12.259 --> 00:21:20.440
 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them.

00:21:22.200 --> 00:21:25.019
 And he did not do it.

00:21:25.019 --> 00:21:29.980
 See the character of God here.

00:21:30.119 --> 00:21:31.359
 He responds.

00:21:31.660 --> 00:21:32.740
 He sees.

00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:37.400
 And he responds to any sincere turning to him.

00:21:38.019 --> 00:21:40.180
 Some of my turning is very half-hearted.

00:21:40.180 --> 00:21:45.480
 But I take not only Nineveh but other parts of the Bible.

00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:48.099
 I take courage that just turn.

00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:48.960
 He sees.

00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:49.639
 He responds.

00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:58.060
 Now, Jonah doesn't stumble over God's just punishment on wrongdoing.

00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:03.180
 We today might stumble a bit on a God of wrath.

00:22:03.280 --> 00:22:07.840
 He's stumbling on how God could show mercy to Nineveh.

00:22:09.660 --> 00:22:19.040
 Now, if we, like Jonah's contemporaries, knew Nineveh, I think we're meant to be shocked he did not do it.

00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:25.900
 How could God relent on them?

00:22:31.740 --> 00:22:33.280
 It's meant to be radical.

00:22:38.340 --> 00:22:44.780
 In 2006, in Pennsylvania in the US, a gunman entered a small Amish school.

00:22:45.100 --> 00:22:47.100
 You may have remembered this.

00:22:47.099 --> 00:22:52.759
 He took ten girls aged six to 13 hostage and he shot them all.

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 Killed five and injured the rest.

00:22:57.619 --> 00:22:59.859
 And he turned the gun on himself.

00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:02.039
 That evil is shocking.

00:23:05.059 --> 00:23:09.740
 But the Amish families and community was more radical than the gunman.

00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:13.599
 They expressed public forgiveness for him.

00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:34.079
 They attended his funeral and expressed grief for the family that he left behind.

00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:43.179
 That kind of mercy is more radical than the evil.

00:23:45.539 --> 00:23:46.419
 It's shocking.

00:23:46.980 --> 00:23:48.899
 It's moving, is it not?

00:23:48.900 --> 00:23:52.140
 That's what Jonah is tripping over here.

00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:55.940
 It's at the heart of the book of Jonah, I think.

00:23:58.380 --> 00:24:01.019
 Just to, chapter 4, verse 1.

00:24:01.100 --> 00:24:04.840
 It displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was angry.

00:24:04.839 --> 00:24:17.759
 Jonah wants a God who judges the evil people and blesses the good.

00:24:18.879 --> 00:24:24.299
 He loves mercy for himself because he's more deserving of it.

00:24:24.980 --> 00:24:25.919
 Not them.

00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:31.080
 I think we get hints of his superiority.

00:24:31.779 --> 00:24:38.680
 Back in chapter 1, he talks about who he is and he answers, I'm a Hebrew.

00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:44.140
 He talks about his ethnicity before he talks about his faith in the Lord.

00:24:44.440 --> 00:24:47.960
 Now, I'm not sure how much to read into that, but it could be a little hint.

00:24:48.300 --> 00:24:48.960
 I'm a Hebrew.

00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:57.840
 And then in chapter 2, those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.

00:24:58.100 --> 00:25:00.759
 I'm not like them who worship idols.

00:25:02.420 --> 00:25:09.720
 Just these little, and then here in this chapter, the only message we're told he preached was the one of wrath.

00:25:09.880 --> 00:25:11.160
 Is that all he said?

00:25:13.740 --> 00:25:16.079
 Is he delighting in a message of wrath?

00:25:16.079 --> 00:25:21.559
 There's a sense of superiority in Jonah.

00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:26.740
 I love mercy for myself.

00:25:29.159 --> 00:25:31.960
 But I can't see that they deserve it.

00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:37.659
 Jonah is superior.

00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:43.539
 And that's exactly the context when Jesus quotes this passage in Matthew 12.

00:25:43.539 --> 00:25:49.559
 The Pharisees are shocked that Jesus can be so merciful to sinners.

00:25:50.279 --> 00:25:53.000
 And Jesus says in Matthew 12,

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 In other words, why aren't you repenting?

00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:13.740
 All that was stopping them was a sense of superiority.

00:26:20.220 --> 00:26:24.099
 Like Jonah, the Pharisees wanted God to bless the good and punish the evil.

00:26:24.519 --> 00:26:29.480
 They didn't appreciate that them themselves needed shocking mercy.

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 If at any point you and I believe someone is less worthy of receiving mercy than us,

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 we are dangerously not understanding the depth of God's mercy to us.

00:26:48.220 --> 00:26:49.420
 Dangerously not understanding.

00:26:49.420 --> 00:27:01.160
 J.I. Packer, in his classic book, Knowing God, says that a person needs three things to understand,

00:27:01.700 --> 00:27:05.019
 deeply understand God's mercy, to be gripped by it.

00:27:05.900 --> 00:27:09.860
 And these things make someone a Christian or not.

00:27:09.859 --> 00:27:13.019
 If this has hit you, if this has grabbed you,

00:27:13.740 --> 00:27:18.119
 one thing you need is a sense of your moral debt before God.

00:27:18.299 --> 00:27:19.119
 And Nineveh had that.

00:27:20.119 --> 00:27:21.759
 They deserve God's fierce anger.

00:27:21.939 --> 00:27:26.779
 You need a sense of your problem before God.

00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:32.219
 The second thing you need is a sense of your spiritual powerlessness.

00:27:32.220 --> 00:27:40.900
 A lot of religion is just doing something, something to curry God's favour.

00:27:42.839 --> 00:27:46.880
 Now, if you want to understand mercy, you need to understand, you need to sit in the ashes.

00:27:48.380 --> 00:27:49.559
 You need to wear sackcloth.

00:27:49.880 --> 00:27:53.620
 You're powerless to deserve it.

00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:55.480
 You can't cry hard enough.

00:27:58.900 --> 00:28:01.680
 You can't set stronger resolves.

00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:03.900
 We're powerless.

00:28:04.019 --> 00:28:05.440
 We just sang it in that song.

00:28:06.299 --> 00:28:10.900
 Not the labours of my hands can fulfil your law's demands.

00:28:11.019 --> 00:28:13.360
 Could my zeal, no respite, no.

00:28:14.100 --> 00:28:16.180
 Could my tears forever flow?

00:28:18.120 --> 00:28:19.600
 All for sin could not attain.

00:28:20.259 --> 00:28:21.900
 You must save and you alone.

00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:24.019
 You need to understand your moral debt.

00:28:24.120 --> 00:28:25.840
 You need to understand your powerlessness.

00:28:26.680 --> 00:28:27.759
 But you need a third thing.

00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:32.819
 And this Nineveh could not have understood like we can today.

00:28:33.379 --> 00:28:36.619
 You need to know how costly it is for God to give you mercy.

00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:39.319
 It's not cheap.

00:28:39.319 --> 00:28:52.720
 The only way God could look over Nineveh's wrong, the only way he can look over your wrong, is that that fierce anger has been poured out on his eternal son.

00:28:52.720 --> 00:28:56.440
 God took his anger on himself.

00:28:56.440 --> 00:29:08.559
 Well, in Nineveh, God didn't look for any worth in them to send his word.

00:29:10.019 --> 00:29:13.660
 It wasn't anything in them that...

00:29:13.660 --> 00:29:22.060
 It was the power of his word that created the sadness, that created the crying out for mercy.

00:29:22.259 --> 00:29:27.279
 And we see that he loves to show radical mercy to those who repent.

00:29:30.860 --> 00:29:35.620
 There was nothing in Nineveh that deserved any of this.

00:29:35.619 --> 00:29:48.539
 The Lord doesn't see anything in me or you that prompted him to send his only son.

00:29:51.579 --> 00:29:53.579
 I need shocking mercy.

00:29:53.579 --> 00:30:05.839
 He isn't waiting for you to show signs of repentance before offering forgiveness and a fresh start.

00:30:06.859 --> 00:30:09.859
 He said, come into the presence of my word.

00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:12.059
 Come look at the cross.

00:30:12.199 --> 00:30:14.619
 Come into the community of the word.

00:30:15.179 --> 00:30:19.879
 And be blown away that his son did that for you.

00:30:20.599 --> 00:30:22.059
 Before you were even asking.

00:30:22.059 --> 00:30:25.799
 Before there was even any movement towards him.

00:30:25.879 --> 00:30:26.819
 He did that for you.

00:30:27.240 --> 00:30:28.899
 He wants you that much.

00:30:29.799 --> 00:30:31.799
 It cost him that much.

00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:34.059
 That will bring you to tears.

00:30:35.179 --> 00:30:36.059
 That...

00:30:36.059 --> 00:30:37.079
 Or by the Spirit.

00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:45.899
 Look at the cross and let the Spirit help you grieve over your sin.

00:30:52.059 --> 00:30:59.839
 Let's not wait for that angry neighbour next door to show signs of change before we move towards them.

00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:03.519
 Or that person at work who no one can tolerate.

00:31:05.240 --> 00:31:08.779
 Let's not wait for them to be kinder to move towards them.

00:31:08.779 --> 00:31:14.579
 Don't wait for change in your spouse.

00:31:19.960 --> 00:31:25.920
 Don't wait for that family member who's really done damage to your family.

00:31:27.079 --> 00:31:29.759
 Don't wait for any signs of remorse.

00:31:29.759 --> 00:31:35.599
 I think this passage moved towards them in grace.

00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:46.719
 Let's not wait for signs of change before moving towards them.

00:31:48.599 --> 00:31:52.079
 The Lord didn't look for signs in Nineveh before he moved towards them.

00:31:52.119 --> 00:31:55.139
 He didn't look for signs in you and me before he moved towards us.

00:31:55.140 --> 00:32:00.940
 I'm not saying let's move as morally superior.

00:32:01.160 --> 00:32:03.060
 I'm going to be more merciful than you.

00:32:03.880 --> 00:32:04.580
 Don't go.

00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:06.280
 You can do this in a wrong way.

00:32:07.120 --> 00:32:10.740
 We're meant to be gripped by how shocking God's mercy is to us.

00:32:12.280 --> 00:32:14.500
 And drawing on that move towards them.

00:32:15.740 --> 00:32:16.840
 There is no them.

00:32:16.980 --> 00:32:17.759
 I am the them.

00:32:17.759 --> 00:32:25.279
 He's had mercy that we might be ambassadors of mercy.

00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:28.519
 Will you pray with me?

00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:29.019
 Let's pray.

00:32:41.799 --> 00:32:44.759
 Father, I pray that forgive us for...

00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:53.759
 creating these classifications in our mind and heart of...

00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:56.980
 who is good and who is not.

00:32:57.400 --> 00:32:59.759
 And placing ourselves in the good camp.

00:33:00.900 --> 00:33:01.900
 Forgive us for that.

00:33:02.079 --> 00:33:04.359
 I pray that at the foot of your cross,

00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:07.319
 you would pierce each of our hearts afresh.

00:33:07.980 --> 00:33:11.700
 Both at what we deserve, seen at the cross,

00:33:11.700 --> 00:33:14.940
 but also at the shocking mercy of shyness.

00:33:16.559 --> 00:33:19.319
 Lord, you know where your word needs to hit each one of us.

00:33:19.400 --> 00:33:21.980
 So I pray that you would do that work.

00:33:22.059 --> 00:33:22.720
 In Jesus' name.

00:33:22.960 --> 00:33:23.200
 Amen.

00:33:23.700 --> 00:33:24.700
 Amen.

00:33:24.700 --> 00:33:24.700


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