Drew’s Blog - Drew Boswell

How Do I Please God With My Life? John the Baptist: Part 1 Matthew 3

How Do I Please God With My Life?

John the Baptist: Part 1

Matthew 3

Introduction

When I was called into the ministry I left from college at Auburn and moved to Wake Forest, NC for seminary. I eventually married, started a ministry in MD, had kids, and tried to live out that calling. But it required me being physically separated from my home town and most of my family.

During that time my grandfather on my mother’s side began to experience dementia and as I would travel home on holidays, he would forget who I was. So slowly over the years I went from being his grandson Drew who spent weeks during the summer with him building things and gardening to all he could remember was “preacher.” My whole life condensed down to one word.

This morning we will begin a four-part series on John the Baptist, John was known to be a righteous man, a prophet, and someone that Jesus described as, . . . “among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.” (Matthew 11:11) John is remembered as the person who baptized people – but why did he do that? Why did so many people come to hear him preach? What was it about John the Baptist that he pleased God with his life?

John the Baptist’s message was to prepare people’s hearts for what God was about to do – so they would not miss it. Mark your calendars for June 27^th, 5-7pm we will have a special prayer service. God is about to do a work at Bellevue Baptist Church, and we must prepare our hearts for what is coming.

Prayer – Jesus, we come before you this morning in recognition that you alone are God. We seek your forgiveness for when we, in our pride, put ourselves in your rightful place. We praise your name because you knitted us together in our mother’s womb, and you lay out our lives before us. You alone are sovereign. Please bless the reading and teaching of Your word this morning. Show us how to apply it to our lives so that we may be changed. Amen.

The Promised Prophet (vv. 1-3)

Matthew 3:1 “In those days [1]John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea[2], 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”

John the Baptist preached in an area known as “the wilderness.” This was a region that was mainly used as pasture land, it was not cultivated, and there were large portions of desert and dry areas. There were occasional watch towers, settled inhabitants, and even cities.[3] It was described by the historian Josephus as “parched, unhealthy, and destitute of water, except the river”[4]

All of John’s preaching is summarized with the word, “Repent.” It means to turn away from sin, which in times leads to a change of the way we think about that same sin. Why should they repent? “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”[5] – the messianic promised king is here, he is present.

What does repentance and baptism go together? In ancient times when a king would draw near to a town, the people would come out and fix and repair the road so that the king could pass by or through their town. They would prepare their homes and businesses, and put on their best clothing. They prepared for the king’s presence.

John the Baptist’s preaching does not focus on the outward appearance, his is on the heart. John’s message is that the King who is from the kingdom of heaven is here, and the way you prepare for his arrival is to turn from sin, and prepare your heart for his arrival. John’s baptism does not cleanse the soul, but it ceremonially prepares the heart for a word from the Lord.

John doesn’t fit in the world[6] – where he lives is uncivilized, what he wears is unfashionable, what he eats is uncouth, and what he says is offensive. John the Baptist is a picture of self-denial. He runs against the grain of our materialism and consumerism.

The Prophet’s Profile (v. 4)

“Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.”

“a garment of camel’s hair” This was a coarse cloth made by weaving camel’s hair, and is still worn today by people in the East who are poor. A belt was essential to the loose, draping, clothing of John’s day – if you were going to be active and move around, one would need to gird it up and secure the material. But, instead of being opulent or luxurious, John’s belt was simple leather. The prophet Isaiah is also described as wearing hairy garments and a leather belt.[7]

The poor in this area would remove the head, legs, and the wings and the locusts were boiled, stewed, or roasted and sometimes dressed with butter.[8] They were eaten both fresh, and dried, and salted. “wild honey” was from the bees in the wilderness region.

The way he dressed and what he ate (locusts) was not unusual if you were a nomadic person who lived in the dessert. But these people tended to be poor and looked down upon by society. Also, the way John dressed was reminiscent of how the prophet Isaiah would have dressed in “hairy” garments with a belt of leather.[9]

Later in Matthew 3:7 it says, “he [John] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees” – John was living in the wilderness, people were coming to him, in a large crowd, how would he know who was a Pharisee and Sadducee? It was how they dressed.

Numbers 15:38 says, “The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner.” The Jewish people during prayer time would put a prayer cloth on with the tassels and tie a small wooden box around their head, that contained various Scriptures. The Pharisees would make their boxes larger and keep them on all day. And to show they were holier than everyone else made their tassels so long they would drape them over their shoulder.

Jesus even calls them out on this in Matthew 23:5-7 “They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.”

So there is a stark contrast between John the Baptist (camel hair, leather belt, spirit of Elijah, wilderness living) and the Pharisees and the Sadducees (big boxes on their head, ridiculously long tassels). Jesus later describes John the Baptist in Matthew 11:11, “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.”

“manifestation of love in the garb of severity.”[10] His very appearance would cause you to think about the sin in your life.

The Professing People (vv. 5-6)

“Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.”

Even if you view verse five as hyperbole, “Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region about the Jordan” it would have been thousands of people coming to see, hear, and to be baptized by John and to confess their sins.

The people as a whole were recognizing that they were not keeping the laws of God, and they were seeking forgiveness by confessing their sin. But, God was drawing people to Him that realized they had a sin problem. They continued to sin and break the law even though they tried not to sin, and to keep the law and it bothered them enough to go and see John.

People were realizing that God was coming close to them and they needed to straighten out their lives, to prepare their hearts for the King was coming. So, you have many people, coming to John to be baptized to show that they recognized that they had a sin problem, and they wanted to prepare their hearts, through repentance of sin, and baptism so that they would not miss “the kingdom of God” when it was “at hand.” It was a baptism of repentance.

The law of the Old Testament shows us that no matter how hard we might try to live a good and live a straight life, our sin nature betrays us, we stumble over the sin hole in our lives, and we break the law.

The Presuming Phonies (vv. 7-10)

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the descendants of Abraham and therefore believed that they were not going to have to experience the coming of God’s judgement. They felt little need to repent. One Rabbi in the Midrash even says, “In the age to come Abraham sits beside the gates of Gehenna, and suffers no circumcised Israelite to go down.”[11]

The Pharisees and Sadducees sin is one of presumption.[12] They thought they could have a sinful nature and just catch Abraham on the other side. It’s the same presumption that believes that because we said some sinner’s prayer, when we were ten at a summer camp, and we cried and were emotional that that means we are saved. But there has been no change, no repentance of sin, no change of heart. Because there is no heart change, there is no spiritual fruit.

The coming Messiah “takes away the sin of the world,” not just those related to Abraham. But it’s not because of how religious we are, nor who we are related to.

“Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.” If I am a peach tree then my purpose is produce the fruit of peaches. If I am an apple tree, then my purpose is to produce the fruit of apples. If I do not do what I was created to do, I will be judged, cut down, and thrown into the fire.

So what is the purpose of mankind? – because if we miss it, then we will be judged. John says, “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” “repent” means to turn from sin. It is to change our mind in how we regard sin. So when we repent of sin, we change how we think about sin. What once was alluring and thought to be fun, we now know it is catastrophically destructive and evil.

Repentance fundamentally changes our relationship with God. We draw closer to God, as we turn from sin. This is what God wants – He loves you, He sent His Son to die for you, and God wants a closer and more meaningful relationship with you – our sin gets in the way of that happening.

John is angry with this group of people because there are vast amounts of people wanting to draw close to God, they are broken over their sin, and they are about to meet God in the flesh – but there is a chance that this other group of religious people with keep them from understanding the true meaning of salvation and why they were created.

Ephesians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

There are two powerful words in this Ephesians passage. The words “that we” are given to show our correct response to every spiritual blessing and being chosen for salvation. We were given these unfathomable gifts and blessings so that we can stay close to God. The only thing God is really concerned about is our relationship with Him (and the closer the better).

You were not saved before the creation of the world, and given every spiritual blessing, so that you may work yourself to death to perhaps earn God’s favor, maybe He will love you if you work hard enough for Him, maybe He will forgive you if you work years as penance.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees were two groups of extremely religious and smart people. But they offered a belief that they could have a relationship with God because of who they were related to, and how they washed their hands, took so many steps on the Sabbath, and hundreds and hundreds of other manmade rules – They believed that God would love them because of all the rules they kept.

John’s baptism was an outward expression of what was occurring in a person’s heart – repentance. The Pharisees and Sadducees were only focused only on the outward appearances.

John is angry (and we should be as well) because these groups of religious people were offering a false gospel. Christ died on the cross, and paid our full sin debt. He did everything that was required so that our sin could be taken care of forever. Yet religious people say thank you Jesus for dying on the cross, and all that, but I got it from here.

I will make things right, when I mess up. I will dress a particular way because that will make God love me more. I will serve all these hours so that God will love me more. I can make up for my sin, by working harder.

We must turn from our sin in repentance, and grow closer to Him daily – but we do not carry the burden for the sin – Jesus already did that on the cross. We rob God of His glory, when we act religious – as if what Jesus did on the cross was not enough.

Our life’s purpose is “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” We receive salvation from our sin through Jesus Christ, and Him alone. Then every day we are blessed to open our eyes, we are to turn from sin, and to walk before God as a holy and blameless person – to simply be His child.

What does your relationship with God look like this morning? If you have never received Christ, you can do that right now. I will be standing here, we can go sit down and talk. If you have already been saved, but know your focus has become outward appearances and your heart has grown cold and dark to the things of God – repent and turn back to Him this morning. Get rid of whatever is in the way of you and your relationship with God.

__________________

[1] “In those days” is used several times to show a segment of time has passed, ex. Ex. 2:11; Isa. 38:1. In this passage it is jumping from his birth to him preaching in the wilderness, approximately 30 years. Broadus, 35.

[2] John is the last of the prophets.

[3] Psalm 65; 12; Joel 2; 2 Chronicles 26:10; Judges 1:16; Joshua 15; Isa. 42:11

[4] John A Broadus, An American Commentary on the New Testament, Matthew (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Judson Press, 1886) 33.

[5] Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience, so he may be sympathetic toward their desire to not use the name of God, therefore he substitutes “heaven” for “God.” Broadus 35.

[6] Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Matthew, All Authority in Heaven and on Earth (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2013) 71.

[7] 2 Kings 1:8

[8] Broadus, 37.

[9] Did John the Baptist dress like Isaiah or did Isaiah because of his prophetic vision of John dress like what he saw?

[10] Ibid.

[11] Broadus, 47.

[12] O’Donnell, 78.

The Kingdom of Heaven

The Kingdom of Heaven

Miscellaneous Scriptures

In Matthew chapter one, we see a list of people who show us that Jesus was the genealogical heir to the throne of the king. In other words, he had the right to claim the thrown of David.

And we see that that the list begins with the name Abraham (not Adam, or the in eternity past as John indicates). But showing that his genealogy came from Abraham this shows that he has the right to be king. Herod kills all the male children in Bethlehem because he was afraid that the Christ child would take his throne as rightful heir.

There is a new king (Jesus) and there is a new kingdom, and all the miraculous signs (Prophecy was fulfilled several times through his birth. Wise Men from the East followed a moving star that brought them to Jesus. The virgin birth, the claim of His divinity – “He shall be called Immanuel,” there were dreams from God, multiple times to multiple people, and angelic visits that gave warnings and instructions.)

Joseph and Mary were told that Herod had died and so they moved to Nazareth (and again prophecy is fulfilled of Jesus being a Nazarene).

After 400 Hundred years of silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament, we see a flood of miracles and God’s hand moving among His people – all point to an establishment of God’s kingdom – which John the Baptist calls the kingdom of heaven (3:2) and Jesus calls the kingdom of heaven (4:17).

So we see that Jesus has the birthright to be king, He is God who has come down to earth, and the “kingdom of heaven” is at hand – is here.

The Kingdom of Heaven

What is the “kingdom of heaven”? – In Matthew there are 31 verses relating to the “kingdom of heaven.” There are 66 references to “kingdom of God.” Which is essentially the same thing.

The Managers & The Owner

The first time we see the concept of a kingdom is Genesis 1:27-28 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God creates all that exists and then shares his reign with mankind. Mankind is to oversee creation and continue to re-create as we go. So we build cities, put people on the moon, create things, advance technology, etc. We are made in his likeness, in this fashion. The Bible begins as a kingdom, and we as humans have to make decisions about what is right and wrong, good and evil in that act of dominion.

Mankind chooses to reject God’s rule and we begin to rule instead. The Old Testament is this back and forth between God re-establishing His rule, and other rejecting it.

God Selects A Family

The first way that God does this is by choosing a single family – and God will reveal to this family what it means to live according to His ways and how mankind is supposed to be before their God. Abraham and Sarah were to train their family the ways of God. Abraham’s family grew and became really large and end up as slaves to Egypt and Pharaoh.

God then raises up a leader (Moses) and he goes to war against Pharaoh. – God wins the conflict and Pharaoh destroys himself. The slaves are liberated and freed.

He then invites them to a mountain and gives them over 600 laws that shows them how to live in a new covenant. Then as time goes by the kings of Israel become little pharaohs, all driving the people into the ground and being horrible kings.

Prophets are sent to tell us that God is going to fix this problem. Isa. 52:7-10, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” 8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion. 9 Break forth together into singing,

you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”

A Long Line of Pharaohs

The newest pharaoh in a long line of pharaohs is Rome. So when the Jewish people heard that a Jesus was saying that He was a new king and that he was establishing a new kingdom – they would have been very excited.

What is Jesus mostly known for in the world? Many people would talk about how He encouraged people to love each other. But this only occurs on two occasions. Jesus was not crucified for teaching “love your neighbor as yourself.”

He is claiming to be the new king who will reign, as God, and fix this mess. Remember, the kingdom of heaven/God is mentioned 97 times throughout the book of Matthew – Jesus talked about this more than anything else.

The King Enlists A People

Then the king begins to enlist a people; He goes walking along a lake and says to fisherman, “come follow me.” He is claiming that He will be taking over the world. If you were putting your boat into the water at a lake and someone came up to you and said, Come follow me” I am taking over the world, we would think they were crazy.

But, Jesus’ kingdom is going to be radically different than any that has come before it. Matthew 4:23 tells his new followers what He plans to do, “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.” Jesus has to do a lot of teaching and preaching in order to explain that His kingdom is different.

The King’s Reign

What does it mean to live under the reign of Jesus? Mark 10:43 “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus teaches what it means to be significant, the renewal of the human condition – we must first face the dark parts of our hearts, and false beliefs. We then lay all this before Christ and experience His grace, mercy, and healing.

This is not about information, it is a call to encounter the king of creation. He wants us to live under His reign and we are challenged to make a decision, because our sin is destroying the world and the people around us.

We can all agree that the abuse of children is evil and wrong and that it needs to go away. Jesus goes even further by saying it’s not just the abuse of children that needs to go, but the root desire of lust that needs to go. Lust is a distortion of love.

Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” We don’t want murder in our world, but Jesus goes even further to the root of anger and feelings of superiority needs to go.

But how do we separate the root of sin in all people from them, without destroying them?

The critical part of Jesus coming and the kingdom of heaven being near is that this new king must be crucified for the kingdom. There has to be a way for mankind’s sin to be done away with. Our rebellion against the One true King has to be punished – but instead of mankind being punished for the sin they deserve, the king dies for the kingdom instead, as a substitute.

So king Jesus gets a crown of thorns, He receives a royal robe where he is mocked and scorned, and instead of sitting upon a throne, He is raised onto a cross and crucified.

Jesus dies, was buried, and rose again three days later – and then ascended into heaven. So the good news of the gospel is that Jesus, the king, has defeated sin and death through his death on the cross.

So I look around and I still see horrible things in the world (child trafficking, kidnapping, disease, rape, war, famines, disease, and the king went back to heaven. If the kingdom came near, why is there still all these things two thousand years later?

Tabernacles & Temples

In the Old Testament after God’s family left the mountain they made a giant tent (the Tabernacle) according to the instructions given to them from God. It had three sections, (the courtyard, the holy place, and the holy of holies). The Temple was a permanent building but it was set up the same way. Heaven and Earth crossed over in the holy of holies.

The earth is filled with sin, and every person has a sin nature. Animals were sacrificed and their blood covered (or absorbed) the sin of a person for a period of time on the earth, so that they could pray and interact with God.

Jesus “tabernacled among us.” John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,”

1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price.” The place where the kingdom of heaven and earth come together is in the temple (the body) of the believer. Your body becomes the temple of God. That temple moves all around.

So as Jesus was leaving, He gives this command in Acts 1:6-8 “So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Illustration – Gränsfors Bruk small forest ax.

The disciples assume that the kingdom of heaven will be set up in Israel, but the kingdom is to spread all over the peoples of the earth. The king says that he will return, and until he does, his followers are to witness to others what they have experienced (everywhere). There will be good and evil, light and darkness, existing at the same time, until the king returns and as king judge the earth.

It’s the king’s desire that all people all over the earth, come to realize the destruction that is caused by sin and learn how they can have a relationship with God.

The Eventual Kingdom

The book of Revelation tells us that heaven and earth will be brought together at the end of time, 21:1-3 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,2 and God himself will be with them as their God.”

There will be a day when the kingdom of heaven and earth will be brought back together again completely and God will live with His people.

God’s Economics, John 6:1-15

God’s Economics

John 6:1-15

Introduction

Going into my senior year of college I had saved some elective hours and so I decided to take economics (Macro and Micro). It was a fun course and I learned the formula of economics that is called the law of supply and demand.

When demand exceeds supply, prices rise. And when supply exceeds demands, prices decline. Pretend there is a store that sells apples. On a given day there is a tremendous demand for apples. Outside the door there is a line of forty or fifty people waiting to buy apples. The supply is low. What does the storeowner do? She raises the price of apples because the demand is exceeding the supply.

On another occasion, there comes a time when there are a hundred apples in the store and no one has any interest in apples. No one is asking for apples. They are about to rot and will become of no use to anyone. So, what does the storeowner do? She lowers the price because the supply is exceeding the demand.

What does all this have to do with Christ’s feeding of thousands of people on the Galilean hillside? That experience was all about the law of supply and demand. Without Christ, we always want more than we can get. With Christ, we always have more than we need.

Of the 38 parables that Jesus told in the gospels, 1/3 of them deal with our relationship to our material possessions. One out of every six verses in Matthew, Mark, and Luke discuss the right use of material goods. Our Lord reminds us that our money talks and it is saying something about our commitment to Him.

One day Jesus laid out an economic plan for His people. He gave it on a grassy hillside in Galilee. Jesus has an economic plan for our lives, let’s take a look.

Pray – Lord we recognize that you and you alone have provided all that we have, and have blessed our lives with the things we need. You have also given us friends, our church family, our homes, cars, and we thank you. It is our desire to follow your Word – change our hearts to follow your plans and commands.

Without Christ, We Always Want More (John 6:1-9)

“After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him,“Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

A need developed in Galilee. The demand was great. Thousands of people were gathered together far away from home without any food. There wasn’t a McDonald’s as far as the eye could see. There was no apparent supply to meet the demand.

Without Christ there is never enough. Demand always exceeds supply. Those who try to fill this void of their life with money never have enough. How much is enough? Just a little bit more.

How much sex is enough? Just a little bit more. How much recognition is enough? Just a little bit more. How much power is enough? Just a little bit more. Why? Because there is a void in our lives that is so large that only Christ can fill it.

There were three things that brought about this problem of supply and demand (John 6:1-5). These people did not think ahead. There were thousands of men, women, and children who had (1) no sense of proper planning. They had a demand for which there was no apparent supply. The little boy’s mom seems to be the only person among thousands of people who thought ahead.

So how does this affect our lives? How should we plan? It is wise to save in the event of unplanned surprises, to have a retirement account, to put money away for college, or to invest. Planning ahead is very important.

So what do we do with Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust5 destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Our answer is in the second reason that they had the problem – they find themselves in their predicament because they had (2) no sense of purpose (John 6:5-9). When you combine no plan (just living for the moment) and connect it with no purpose for doing it – it stills leaves one empty.

Is it wrong to want to retire, or even retire early? Is it wrong to want to put money into savings for a time of emergency, or just put money aside for any reason (vacations, travel, or develop a portfolio?) It’s all about your purpose for doing it. What goals do you want to accomplish, and why?

Philip and Andrew best illustrate this very fact. The Lord said that He was “testing” them (John 6:6). He had asked Philip where they should buy bread to eat. For several semesters, the disciples had been taking Jesus’ Bible Economics 101 class – and now it was time for the mid-term. How did they do?

Philip gave an interesting response to Christ’s question. He replied that “”Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Phillip had a cash register for a mind. The first thing he thought about was not the glory of God nor the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, but how much would it cost?

They had seen Jesus turn water into new wine, a few chapters before. They had seen Jesus heal the sick. But because they had not seen Him specifically multiply fish and bread they were clueless. Philip dealt with the dilemma the same way an atheist would – he looked only at what he could see.

Then Andrew comes speaks up, “⁹“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, (yeah Andrew! Then he says) but how far will they go among so many?” (oh, so close to being right)

Phillip and Andrew were both soul winners (Phillip found Nathaniel and brought him to Jesus, and Andrew found Peter and brought him to Jesus). But on the Galilean hillside they became part of the problem and not the solution because they had no sense of purpose. Christians who don’t understand why they are on this planet, often times become part of the problem instead of pointing to the answer.

It says that Jesus was testing them – Was Jesus hoping they would say, “Lord, that is no problem for you. We watched you turn water into wine. You can do anything.” Phillip and Andrews are still around today. There are some who are always looking for human possibilities to solve problems with their

When we live our Christian lives this way, our impact stays very small. It is one single lunch perspective verses feeding 5,000 people perspective. The difference in those two perspectives is eternal in its scope.

The third reason they find themselves in this predicament was that the disciples had (3) no sense of potential. Look at this boy who left home with enough food to feed five thousand people and he did not even know it.

Demand often exceeds supply and it’s not just because of no sense of planning, or no sense of purpose. Sometimes it is because we have no sense of potential. It is not the size of our lunch that matters but whether Christ has it in His hands or not.

^“5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him” – The truth is that no matter how much we fail to plan, how we lack purpose, or even see little potential – Jesus sees us, and says “you feed them.” Jesus already knew what He was going to do, He knew that He was going to feed the thousands of people.

Jesus saw the teaching potential in the moment, Jesus saw the potential to show His power to vast amounts of people, he saw the potential in the people to go home and share what they had seen with others – Jesus saw the potential in the disciples when all they had to say was “send them home.”

Do you know what the disciples saying, “send them home” means?

We must ask Christ to give us eyes to see the multitudes and the fish and loaves in our lives as He did on that day. – we have all we need to do any ministry that presents itself before us.

But instead of saying “there’s not enough” or “send them away” or “I don’t see what we can do with this” Ask God to let us see the potential of what you could do for Christ, and what we can do as a multitude of disciples.

With Christ, We Always Have More Than We Need (John 6:10-15)

¹⁰Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. ¹¹Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. ¹²When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. ¹⁴After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Jesus took the bread and fish, gave thanks to the Father, and multiplied it across the multitude. After everyone had eaten there were twelve basketfuls of fragments that remained which were gathered.

The boy could have clutched his brown bag, but he gave it to Jesus. He gave it all – what did he get in return? He had a meal that was all he wanted (which is what he had to start with). He got to see Jesus do something wonderful right before His very eyes. He got another opportunity to give again – from what was left over of his meal. We never give anything to the Lord and lose it. He keeps giving it back to us again and again.

The boy gave to Jesus. Jesus gave to the disciples. The disciples gave to the crowd and the more they gave the more there was to give. And the crowd even had the opportunity to give back. The Bible says “they were filled.” Our biggest fear is, if I give of myself, my resources, my family, my time – then there won’t be enough.

There is a television show called “Hoarders, Buried Alive” on the Learning Channel – it is an illness, but at the heart of the illness is the thought, “I will be happy if I have just a little bit more.” Then they hoard whatever they can (trash, animals, newspapers, clothes, and most of it broken and damaged. But each time they gather something the joy they find is fleeting, and so they go out again.

Notice that Jesus did not just lift his hands to heaven and say, “let manna rain down from heaven.” He desires to use whatever we are willing to give to Him, in honor of Him – why? He desires to show His power and love through us – He desires to use in His plan of redemption and grace to mankind. He uses what we give Him as apart of this plan, even if it is small in our eyes he sees the infinite potential of His power.

Most of us would have stopped there. The need had been met. Jesus then says, “Gather up the fragments that remain.” Now the people gave. The ones who had said, “not enough,” are now crying out “more than enough!” Those that gave nothing, now have something to give back.

There once was a time when you did not know God, and the knowledge of His grace was far from you. But now, you know Him, and every time you reach out to Him, He is there. Every time you pray, He listens, and every time you have a need, your heavenly Father provides. You have experienced the Bread of Life, what do you do with this knowledge?

But Jesus also added, “Let nothing be wasted.” This is the same Greek word that is translated “perish” in John 3:16. The same Greek word that is translated “ruined” or “destroyed” in Matthew 9:17. It is the same word that is translated “perish or spoiled” in John 6:27.

Jesus is in the business of “picking up the pieces” of lost, spoiled, perishing, wasted, ruined lives, and using them again! He wants to gather up the pieces of broken lives today so that none will be wasted or lost.

Matthew 18:14 “So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

Remember it is not the size or the condition of the lunch that matters but whether we are willing to let our Lord Jesus have it all. The lunch did not do any good at all until it was placed in the hands of the Lord, and when it was, what a difference it made!

Some of us who have been crying “not enough” need to begin to trust Christ. With Christ, supply exceeds demand and the cry is “more than enough.” You have hung out with Jesus, but you have never placed your lunch in His hands.

Without Christ factored in the equation of life, we will never be satisfied. We are always trying to fill the void within us. Is Christ the center of every area of your life this morning?

Conclusion

The miracle that we looked at this morning is the only miracle that is shown in all four of the gospels. It is important – God multiplies what we give Him. He uses it to show others His love, and it all begins with one person saying “here’s what I have, let me see the potential of what you desire to do around me.”

This giving begins when a person gives Christ their lives for salvation. He will take what you give him, a person who lives for himself and is at war with God, who is forever lost and without hope, and re-creates him, places His Holy Spirit within him, and adopts him as His own child. You can be at peace with God through Christ Jesus – do you want this morning? It all begins with the first step of giving Him your life.

Jonah’s Journey to a Conversation with God: How our Emotions Blind Us to the Will of God, Jonah 4

Jonah’s Journey to a Conversation with God:

How our Emotions Blind Us to the Will of God

Jonah 4

Introduction

Children’s musical instruments – getting in sync.

Prayer –

A Gracious God Acknowledged (vv. 1-4)

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the LORD said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

The book of Jonah now turns from the people of Nineveh to Jonah – 120,000 people repented and were saved (almost immediately after hearing the five-word message). Jonah’s mission was complete, he did what God asked him to do.[1]

Jonah 3:10 “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, and he did not do it.”

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.” Jonah was not just angry, he was exceedingly angry, with God and His decision to not destroy the city of Nineveh (a city of 120,000 people).

God’s displeasure and anger had been calmed because of Nineveh’s repentance and humbly positioning themselves before God, but Jonah’s displeasure and anger is exceedingly, it’s all amped up. Jonah is angry at what God was doing in the lives of the Nineveh.

Jonah is missing out on the joy that he was apart of 120,000 people placing their faith in God because of his own self-centeredness. Today, believers miss the joy of being involved in God’s work because of their own self-centeredness.

“And he prayed to the LORD” – This is the second time that Jonah prays on the book. The first time was from inside the giant fish in chapter 2, where he cries out to God for his salvation.

“I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster”— This is the Hesed love mentioned in chapter two. It is a love connected to a promised commitment. “I promise to always love you – no matter what you do”, the circumstances, etc. My love it based on my commitment, not your actions.[2]

Jonah is fine to receive the grace of God from the inside of a giant fish, but not too much later he feels the right to determine who should and should not be given God’s grace. By denying grace to others, there must be a part of yourself where you feel you deserved the grace you received.

Our view of the world, and specifically having a distorted one (one that does not line up with Scripture) can be depressing and lead to despair.[3] It’s like musical notes that don’t match up – they are not in sync.

Elijah the prophet defeated the prophets of Baal. Fire came down from heaven and burned up his offering, proving the Israelite God was the one true God. But when the evil king’s wife Jezebel heard what had happened she threatened his life. . . , 1 Kings 19:3-7 “Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”

Elijah was exhausted from running away, he was emotionally drained from the fight with the prophets of Baal, and he’s hungry. When he finds himself in this state, he just wants the pain to stop. Jonah was exhausted and emotionally drained from his rebellion from running from the Lord, and being inside a giant fish for three days. Who knows what kind of tole that takes on a person? Elijah ran away and finally collapsed under a broom tree. Jonah settles in somewhere east of the city.

Jonah’s reality distortion was his view of his right to determine who should receive grace and who should not. In Elijah’s reality distortion, he forgot that God wins everything in the end, and it was Elijah’s job to just keep going.

“4 And the LORD said, “Do you do well to be angry?” – Dr. Phil, “How’s that working for you?” God instead of blasting Jonah, for his “I told you!” comments, God asks Jonah a question. “Is it doing you any good to be angry with God?” As long as you and God are not in sync your life will be miserable.

A Gracious God Admonishes (vv. 5-9)

5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.3 So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?”

And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”

In Jonah’s mind, he had gone in to Nineveh and planted a prophetic bomb. Then he went to hillside to watch it explode. Jonah knew they would revert back to their evil ways. He wanted fire and brimstone to reign down from heaven, for the earth to open up and swallow the Ninevites. He wanted their complete destruction, and he wanted to have a front row seat to watch it all happen right in front of him.[4]

“Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there” A booth is a crude structure made of branches, grass, or whatever was around. The Israelite people celebrated the Festival of Booths. Few of the feasts that were a part of old covenant worship were as joyful as the Feast of Booths. Also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or by its Hebrew name, Sukkot, this celebration was the last of the fall festivals and was held at the end of the agricultural year when the grapes and olives were harvested in Israel. This was a time to thank God for all of the preceding year’s provision and to pray for a good rainy season, which lasted from October through March.[5]

“till he should see what would become of the city” – Jonah is placing himself in the same place as God. Jonah 3:10 “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way . . .” to see if he agrees with it or not. We should never place ourselves in judgement over others.

Then we see that God appoints a series of things to happen around Jonah. Just as the giant fish was appointed, these miraculous “set aside” things happen in short order:

“God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.3 So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.”[6] The plant was God’s plan to show Jonah something; it’s purpose was to “save him from his discomfort” or literally “deliver him from his evil.” We think God was doing this by giving Jonah shade, but that’s not all that is going on here. God is going to do to Jonah, what Jonah wants God to do to Nineveh.

And when Jonah discovers that there is this leafy vine, that is blocking the sun and cooling him off, he is “exceedingly glad.” For the first time in the whole book, Jonah is happy. The miraculous growth would seem that God was supportive of Jonah and his claim that the city should be destroyed.

God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. The storm was prepared to get Jonah into the sea. The great fish was prepared to save Jonah from the ocean depths. The vine was prepared to give Jonah exceeding joy. And now the worm was prepared to rip that joy away. As the vine withered the large leafy green shade began to go away, and the bright rays of the sun started to stream through the booth.

“8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint.” Most scholars identify this as a sirocco – when this occurs in the Near East, the temperature rises quickly and the humidity drops quickly. It is a constant, extremely hot dry wind with fine particles of dust.[7]

Normally molecules of oxygen, nitrogen and other elements in the air carry their full complement of electrons and are therefore electrically neutral. In various ways, however, an electron may be knocked off such a molecule, leaving it with a positive charge. It is then a ”positive ion.”[8]

The hot air is so full of positive ions that it affects the levels of serotonin and other brain neurotransmitters, causing exhaustion, depression, feelings of unreality, and occasionally, bizarre behavior.[9] The sun beat down on him, the wind was brutal, the more he breathed the worse he felt, he grew faint to the point that he thought he was going to die. Jonah is saying, my life is miserable, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

Who told Jonah to go to Tarshish instead of Nineveh, to run in the opposite direction of God? Who told Jonah to set up the ridiculous hut outside the city and waste away in the heat and sun? Jonah. Jonah’s rebellious heart, keeps putting him in places of torment.

“9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”

Jonah’s priorities are all mixed up. God is teaching Jonah that there are things to consider beyond himself. He is angry because he feels he should be comfortable, while 120,000 lives hang in the balance.

This question that God asks Jonah is the central question of the entire book, it is rephrased from v. 4 – What right do we have to demand that God favor us and not others?[10] Jonah feels there is there is something about him that makes him better than other people because he was shown God’s grace. What God is trying to teach him, is that it is only by God’s grace he is anything.

Jonah also seems to like things that are of value to him. The vine brought him comfort, so he loved it and focused on it. If we are not careful, in our command to go into the world and share the gospel, we may be tempted to only go where we can perceive that it will bring value to us.

A Gracious God Asks (vv. 10-11)

10 And the LORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

The book of Jonah ends with God asking Jonah a question. Jonah values a plant that he didn’t plant, or tend to, and is gone overnight. So he is angry and depressed. While God has compassion on 120,000 people. God values His creation, people.

So we are left to ask “what is it that we obsess about?” What captures our attention, and drives our lives? Is it the same as God’s?

Illustration – Ronnie and the School Bus

____________________

[1] J. Vernon McGee, Jonah and Micah (Thru the Bible Books, Pasadena, California, 1984) 67.

[2] Jonah 2:8

[3] Billy K. Smith & Frank S. Page, The New American Commentary, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, vol. 19B (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman, 1995) 274.

[4] L.C. Allen, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micha, NICOT (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdsamn, 1976), 227.

[5] https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/feast-booths/

[6] “When Jerome changed the traditional rendering of this word from gourd to identify it with castor oil plant, a riot broke out in Oea, a city east of Carthage.” NAC, .278.

[7] NAC, 279.

[8] https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/06/science/ions-created-by-winds-may-prompt-changes-in-emotional-states.html

[9] NAC, 280.

[10] IBID, 281.

Jonah’s Journey to Nineveh: Making the Most of A Second Chance, Jonah 3

Jonah’s Journey to Nineveh:

Making the Most of A Second Chance

Jonah 3

Introduction

Jonah stands on the shore, covered with fish vomit, thankful to be alive. He has a second opportunity, a second chance at life – to be the prophet he is called to be. When we are presented with a second chance in life we all know it. We know when life goes sideways, and when we find ourselves back on track. Second chances often come with a new set of eyes – you see the world differently. Jonah was glad to have air to breath, food to eat, clean clothes, warmth of a fire.

There are some things that keep us from seizing the opportunity when it presents itself:

Not Doing Anything with the New Opportunity: Fear of what happened before. Fear of making the same mistakes.
Not Seeing the Value of the New Opportunity: Presupposing There is a Third Chance, I can do whatever got me off the rails last time, because God will just give me another chance.
Not Willing to Grow as a Person, being Fixed in our Understanding of the World: The new chance is an opportunity for you to grow as a person, but you just don’t see it that way. Jonah falls into this category, he is a prophet, but even after being swallowed by a giant fish, living inside it for three days, and being thrown up on dry land, his heart is hardened.

Prayer – Lord as we emerge from a global pandemic, help us to see this as a new day, a new opportunity to be the person you have called us be. To be the church that turns Bellevue and Nashville upside down with the gospel. Lord help us to see ourselves in the story of Jonah, and to see what you desire to change or cheer on in our lives.

Jonah’s Second Chance (v. 1-4)

Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.

Cancel culture and our society is not a culture of second chances. Our culture today is constantly looking for opportunities to take people down. If you say or tweet something, that society, or even small fragments of society disagrees with then you can lose your job. There are instances where someone boards a plane, tweets out a careless of not thought through tweet and by the time they plane land they have been fired.

Our society has no room for thoughts and ideas that may run differently than them. Even if those ideas were said decades before. There is no dialogue or thoughtful discussion, only you are wrong and have to be punished because of your ideas and feelings.

This time when Jonah has a second chance to do what God told him to do, he seized the opportunity, obeyed the Lord, and “arose” to go to Nineveh.

Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

Nineveh is described again as an “exceedingly great city” – We see the description of Nineveh several times, and all these descriptions points out that there would have been thousands upon thousands of people in the city who were not following the Lord.

We see “forty days” used throughout the Bible. It designates the length of the flood (Gen. 7:4, 12, 17), the time Moses was on Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:18; 34:28; Duet. 9:9, 11, 18, 25), the time for the mission of the spies (Num. 13:25; cf. 14:34), the duration of Goliath’s taunting (1 Sam. 17:16), the time of Elijah’s journey to Horeb/Sinai (1Kings 19:8) as well as the time of Jesus’ fasting (Matt. 4:2, Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2).[1]

But why give a forty-day heads ups that they were going to be destroyed? Couldn’t people just leave the city on day 39? If God’s ultimate plan was to destroy the city, why even send a prophet – just fire and brimstone from the sky and be done with it.

“Nineveh shall be overthrown”— The word “overthrown” is the same word used in connection with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:21,25, 29) because of their depravity, the cities would be destroyed by an act of God and left as a pile of smoking rubble (Genesis 19:28).[2] This word overthrow is used several times in relation to cities being destroyed (Duet. 29:23; Isa. 13:19; Jer. 20:16; 49:18; 50:40; Lam. 4:6; Amos 4:11).

Jonah’s sermon is five words long in Hebrew. “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” He is to tell the Ninevite people the message that the Lord was to give him.

Nineveh’s Second Chance (vv. 5-9)

5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. 6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

There are no other stories in Scripture where an entire city of non-believing pagans because of God’s Word repent and believe God – this was an unprecedented response to an unprecedented command. “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

Remember one of the reasons I suggested for Jonah running in the opposite direction to begin with is no other prophet had been commanded to preach to foreign kings in person. That was unprecedented.

When the sailors and the caption encountered the storm, they believed in the one true God. When Jonah was disciplined by God and swallowed for three days, he repented to the one true God. And now the great city of Nineveh believes in God, – from five words.

We should never underestimate the power of God’s Word and his calling upon our lives.

“And the people of Nineveh believed God” – There are many people who pronounce a belief in God. Do you believe that God exists? They may say, yes I believe in God. The people of Nineveh believed God – meaning they believe God would do what he said He would do according to His Word (destroy them).

When the prophet Jeremiah preached a similar message to God’s own people in Jeremiah 26:8,11 they want to kill him, “And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! . . . 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, “This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.” The fact that everyone in an entire city of 120,000 people in Nineveh believed God’s Word is a miracle.

How do we know they believed? They called for a fast, put on sack cloth, sat around praying in ashes, issue proclamations, and everyone called out to God. Their belief led to action. The Ninevites believed inwardly, and their belief expressed itself outwardly.[3]

There are those followers of God who say they believe but do nothing for the Lord, and their lives have no outward expression of that faith. The Bible refers to these actions that result from a genuine belief in God as “fruit.”

Galatians 5:22-23 “. . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control;”

This is perhaps the largest revival in the history of mankind up to this point – and it was not even God’s people.

We typically describe a revival as a gathering of believers, we bring in a preacher, meeting more than we usually do (Sunday-Thursday), food is mixed in there, with the goal of church people’s heart to be refocused or recommitted toward Christ.

But biblical revival is where God’s people, obey and do what God commands them to do (even if it seems different or unprecedented), and lost people come to believe in Christ in great numbers.

Bellevue, our country needs revival, our community needs revival, our church needs revival. It begins (in His mercy) when we cry out to God, seeking His face, and follow Him in obedience.

Who Knows What the God of Second Chances Will Do? (v. 10)

The king of Nineveh says, “who knows?” We see this same phrase, when David and Bathsheba were praying for their sick child (2 Samuel 12:22). Eventually the child died, but while it was alive, David didn’t eat or drink, and spent his time fasting and praying for the child.[4]

2 Samuel 12:22 “He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knowswhether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”[5]

There is another instance of this phrase “who knows,” in Joel 2:12-12, “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?”[6]

The God of the Bible (Old and New Testaments) is a God of mercy and grace and wrath and judgement. But even if we humble ourselves before the Lord, fast, pray, put on sackcloth, sit around in ashes, God is not obligated or forced into any action. We should never presuppose or try to force God to do anything.

James 4:13 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

If we pray, it is God who determines to answer in such a way as He desires (or not at all).

10 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, and he did not do it.

An entire city of lost people, repented of their sin, cried out to God, and sought His mercy and grace. In Jonah 4:11 “there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left.” They need a teacher, a preacher, someone to explain the ways of God, to show them the way.

Romans 10:13-15 “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent?”

The people of Nineveh are saved, but they don’t have the entirety of God’s Word, they are described as not knowing their left hand from their right – they need someone to show them God’s ways. What if the place you least want to go, is the place where you are needed the most?

The problem of the church praying, is that the church is blown away when God actually answers the prayer. Are we ready when God’s answers the prayer?

The revival did not last very long, I wonder if it was because the man who could have taught them, still hated them, his heart toward the Assyrians was unchanged, even after being in the giant fish.

If God can use a hateful rebellious prophet to save 120,000 people – what is God will use Bellevue Baptist Church to reach 1.2 million with the gospel? If Jonah did it with five words –

________________

[1] James Limburg, The Old Testament Library, Jonah (Westminter/John Knox Press; Louisville, Kentucky, 1993) 79.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Billy Smith & Frank Page, The New American Commentary, Jonah (Broadman & Holmes Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1995) 261.

[4] Limburg, 83.

[5] This passage is used to explain the Baptist theology of “age of accountability”

[6] Another example, Jeremiah 18.