Text: Jonah 3
Title: Why repentance matters
Introduction
Sermon series “Living with No regrets – taken from the book of Jonah
Jonah chapter 3 – Title “Why repentance matters”
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city-- a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish." When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
Jonah 3 outline
Starts in v1-3 with the Word of the Lord
“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.”
Jonah 3 ends in (v10) with the mercy of the Lord
“When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.”
And in between there is a 3rd part (v3-9) which we don’t hear a lot about anymore –
The Wrath of the Lord
“Now Nineveh was a very important city- a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city, He proclaimed: forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.”
Why do we not hear a lot about the wrath of God?
1.Times have changed. (Times have got better.)
But are they?
In America there is 1 murder every 22 minutes; 1 rape every 5 minutes; 1 robbery every 49 seconds and 1 burglary every 10 seconds.
Every Day in America over 3 million neighbors participate in questionable and suspicious behavior.
Conclusion: Times are not better but worse
If times are worse then maybe God has changed…
2. God has changed (God has got better)
Some people will argue that in the Old Testament God is a God of Wrath but in the New Testament God is a God of Love
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead great and small, standing before the throne and books were opened. Another book was opened which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books… If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:11-12;15)
Conclusion:
In order to escape God’s wrath and get to experience God’s mercy (people) have to change and repent
Title: why repentance matters
1.“Now Nineveh was a very important city-“(v3)
A.Why was Nineveh a very important city?
B. Clue: in the very next sentence -“A visit required three days”
C.Nineveh was a very important city because a visit required 3 days.
D.Conclusion: Nineveh was a very important city because of its size
But what if – “a visit required three days” had another meaning
What if a visit required 3 days meant- it took 3 full days to meet everyone. Then Nineveh was a very important city- because it had lots of people.
Point #1 Repentance matters because you and I are very important to God!
God was not very important to the Ninevites – but the Ninevites were very important to God.God might not be very important to you today – but you are very important to God!Always was and always will be!
Reminder: John 3:16 tells us you and I are someone God loves very much and you and I are someone God values very much.
Why am I very important to God?
Neg: We are not very important to God because of what we do for work or for the work we have done for God
We are very important to God because of the work God has done for us.
1.He created us – Through Christ all things were made
2.He died for us – He was wounded for our transgressions.While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
The lie about God's wrath: God pours out his wrath only because people mean nothing to God
The truth about the wrath of God – people mean everything to God
Point #1 – You and I are very important to God
Point # 2. God is longsuffering and patient with us because he does not want anyone to perish.
V4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: ”Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.”
Why did God offer to wait 40 days before Nineveh would be overturned? Why did God not say “40 seconds or 40 minutes and Nineveh will be overturned? He does not want anyone to experience his wrath so he gives us time to repent.
That’s why he sent Jonah to warn the Ninevites.
Question: Who did God send to warn us?
Answer. He sent someone greater than Jonah. He sent Jesus to us.
How is Jesus greater than Jonah? He is God’s own son. Jesus came willingly (Jonah did not)
40 more days and Nineveh will be overturned.If you and I found out that we had 40 days to live would we change some things? Would we repent of some things?
Point #3 God will punish sin
The Ninevites believed God.
I must believe that God means it when he says he will punish sin.
We have a hard time believing God. Adam and Eve did.Eat of the fruit of tree of knowledge and evil and you will die.They didn’t believe God
Why were the Ninevites so quick to believe?
Perhaps they knew their history. They believed in the wrath of God.
(Sodom and Gomorrah, Jericho, Egypt.)
We have a greater reason to believe that God punishes sin.The cross of Christ
"He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquity. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his strips we are healed."
Point #4 Repentance is not repentance until change happens
If nothing ever changes has repentance really happened?John the Baptist said "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."
They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
They gave some things up and they put something on. They gave up food and drink. They gave up their evil ways and their violence. They put on sackcloth.And all for one purpose- to escape God’s wrath
What do we take off and what do we put on?
“Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
Romans 13:14.
Notice the order.First you put on Jesus Christ and Christ in return will help us not to think about sinning.I can’t put on Christ until I stop thinking about sinning.
Why do we have a hard time repenting? Notice we hear mention of the king of Nineveh.How the king was the example of repentance and the rest of the people followed.In everyone’s life there is something that is king.There is something that sits on the throne that opposes Christ as king.For some people fear is king. For other people pride is king. For some people money is king. (see Luke 3)
Jesus wants to replace whatever that king is with himself.
Sometimes that king does not want to surrender that throne without a fight. But when the king repents everything else repents also
Finally
Point #4 Repentance brings us God's mercy.
Repentance opens the door to God’s mercy. ““When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.”
Mercy is not getting what we deserve. And there is no mercy without repentance.
"If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all righteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Conclusion
Don’t wait thinking I got more time to repent. The best time for us to repent is the same day we hear that we need to.
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