Tag: repentance

True Disciples Follow Jesus – Mark 1:14-20

February 27, 2023 / Matthew Wilson

Unfortunately, there is no sermon video due to technical problems.

So far in Mark, we’ve looked at Mark’s introduction to Jesus. Mark introduced us to John the Baptist, who himself pointed to Jesus. Where John baptized with water, Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8).

Jesus was baptized by John. Jesus’ baptism was a kind of commissioning service. The Spirit descended on Jesus, a sign that the Spirit would empower Jesus during his ministry. The Father declared his approval of the Son.

Immediately after Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to do battle with Satan. While in the wilderness for 40 days, Jesus overcame Satan where those before him had failed. Jesus proved to be the new and better Adam – the true Son of God (see Rom 5:12-21).

In our text today, Mark tells us that John has been arrested (Mark 1:14). We know from Matthew 4:13 that Jesus is living in Capernaum.

Jesus’ Early Ministry *– from the ESV Study Bible*

Sermon Text: Mark 1:14-20

Mark 1:14-15

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

These verses are a summary of Jesus’ ministry. Verse 15 is the core message that Jesus preached during his earthly ministry; that the kingdom of God is at hand and to repent and believe in the gospel.

The kingdom of God is the new age that began when Jesus came. While the Jews were expecting a Messiah who would liberate them from the rule of the Romans, Jesus came as a preacher. Later in his ministry, Jesus would say that his kingdom was not of this world.

The kingdom of God represents God’s rule on earth. It was started when Jesus came, and it will be consummated when he returns. Jesus gave us a glimpse of what the kingdom of God looks like during his ministry. He healed the sick, delivered the demonized, and brought the dead back to life.

In the present dimension of God’s kingdom, we are called to repent of sin and believe in the person and work of Jesus. In the future dimension of God’s kingdom, we will live with Jesus in the New Creation after he comes again.^[1]Robin Sydserff, Teaching Mark: From Text to Message, 145-46.

In my first sermon in Mark, I said that Mark wants us to know who Jesus is, why he came, and what that means for us. Today’s message focuses on who Jesus is and what that means for us.

Mark 1:16-20

¹⁶Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” ¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. ²⁰And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

I live in the southern part of the United States. If I was to talk to someone in my community that professed to be a Christian and ask them how they know that they are a Christian, I might get answers like this:

I have been baptized.
I am a member of a church.
I regularly attend church and faithfully give.
I believe in God.
I believe in Jesus.

Of course, all Christians should be able to affirm those statements. I will argue later that if belief merely constitutes intellectual assent (believing a fact to be true) then that does not constitute saving faith. In America, we usually use the words Christian or believer to describe a Christ follower. Those are okay words to use, but by far the most popular word in the New Testament to describe a follower of Christ is the word disciple.

In his book Spiritual Discipleship, J. Oswald Sanders notes that the New Testament knows nothing of a Christian that is not a disciple. The word disciple is used 269 times while the word Christian is only used three times, and the word believer only twice!^[2]J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Discipleship, 8.

What is a disciple? A disciple is a learner, follower, or apprentice. In our culture, we think of prospective doctors working a residency, a student teacher spending time with a veteran teacher, or an aspiring plumber working under a master plumber.

Something that is interesting about Jesus’ call to these first disciples is that he called them. In biblical times, it was normally the students that would choose a rabbi to follow. Instead, Jesus called his disciples. Notice that he does not call them to a vocation or a particular teaching. Rather, the disciples were called them to model themselves after Jesus himself. It should be noted that this was not the first time that these men had encountered Jesus (see John 1:35-51).

In today’s post, I want to talk about what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. The bottom line is this: true disciples follow Jesus!

Disciples of Jesus recognize the true king (15)

The first mark of a disciple is that they recognize the true king. They recognize Jesus as the true Son of God. Sure, at this time these early disciples didn’t fully understand who Jesus was. But by the end of their time spent with him, they knew that Jesus was truly God in the flesh. A true disciple of Jesus must recognize him for who he is – the perfect Son of God who became a man in order to save his people (John 1:14; Matt 1:21).

Disciples of Jesus practice repentance (15)

What is repentance? Repentance is not just feeling bad or guilty about our behavior. Rather, repentance is a reorientation of worship from our idols to God. An idol is something you cannot be fulfilled without. It could be money, other’s opinions, security, comfort, children, sports, or many other things.

1 Thess 1:9

For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.

That’s what repentance looks like. Disciples turn from worshiping themselves and idols to worshiping God. God gives us a new heart, resulting in a transformed life. Paul Washer says it this way: when you become a Christian, you hate the sin you once loved and love the righteousness you once hated.

Disciples of Jesus believe the gospel (15)

What is belief or faith? Biblical faith is not just intellectual assent to facts. For example, there are many people that would affirm that Jesus is the Son of God and he has died for their sins. Biblical faith doesn’t just mean knowing something with your head. It means that you know it in your heart – so much so that you’re willing to build your life upon the words of Jesus (Matt 7:24-25).

By way of example, if I asked you to go skydiving with me, you can say all day long that you believe in parachutes. But the moment that you truly show your belief to be true is when you jump out of the plane! At that moment, you are trusting in that parachute to keep you alive. It’s the same with biblical faith. When Jesus says that we must believe in the gospel, he means that we are trusting in his life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor 15:3-4) rather than our good works.

True faith will be evidenced by a continuing obedience to the words of Jesus (John 8:31-32; Jam 1:22; 1 John 2:3-6). Jesus doesn’t say that we should trust a prayer, a baptism, or church membership as evidence of true faith. Rather, true faith is evidenced by a life of obedience (Jam 2:14-17).

Disciples of Jesus are from every walk of life (16, 19)

Jesus was living in Capernaum (Matt 4:13). In verses 16 and 19, Jesus calls his first disciples. These disciples were fishermen. But Jesus also called a tax collector (Mark 2:13-14) and a zealot (Luke 6:15). Tax collectors were seen as traitors to their own people while zealots were Israelite patriots who resented the Romans. However, Jesus brings them together. You see, Jesus calls rich people and poor people to follow him. He calls the blue collar and the white collar. He calls people from cities and the hills. He calls black people, white people, Hispanics, and Asian people. He calls people from every tribe, nation, and tongue to follow him (Rev 5:9; 7:9).

Disciples of Jesus count the cost of following Jesus (14, 18, 20)

Disciples realize that they must count the cost to follow Christ. Jesus only began his ministry after John was arrested (v. 14). Simon and Andrew “left their nets and followed him” (v. 18). James and John “left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.” James and John left a profitable business (they had hired servants) that they stood to inherit from their father. And yet, these disciples recognized that following Jesus was ultimate.

This text and other texts such as Luke 9:57-62 and Luke 14:25-33 indicate that Christ demands that being his disciple is the primary commitment in one’s life. Following Christ is more important than our family and our vocations. This doesn’t mean that our families or jobs are unimportant. It means that we must be loyal to Christ even if our families reject us. We are to be loyal to Christ even if means that we are persecuted for our beliefs (for instance, read this article about Jack Phillips, a Colorado cake baker).

Several years ago there was a study done to see what Christians in America believed. The findings were summarized in a term called moralistic therapeutic deism. In short, most people believe that (1) God exists, (2) God wants me to be a good person, (3) God makes me feel good about myself, (4) God is not really involved in my life.

This is not biblical Christianity. Christianity is not something we just tack on to our lives. Jesus demands that we follow him with everything (Mark 8:34-36). We worship Him above all else. We are given a new identity (2 Cor 5:17). Jesus doesn’t just make us nice people. He makes us new people! We abandon our life without Jesus for a life with Jesus.^[3]Robin Sydserff, Teaching Mark, 146.

Jesus doesn’t just make us nice people. He makes us new people!

Disciples of Jesus make disciples (17)

From the beginning of his call, Jesus intended to mold his disciples for the mission. Notice, he says to his first disciples: “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Jesus called these men for a purpose – to follow him and to make more followers.

Jesus made this even more explicit in the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20). Jesus told his followers to go with the gospel, baptize those who respond, and teach them to obey him in all of life for the rest of life.

The message has not changed in 2000 years. We preach Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:1-2). When we fish, it kills the fish. When we fish for men, we are seeking to hook them with the gospel. We want to see people die to their sins and become alive to Christ and his mission.

This passage describes Christianity in a nutshell – King Jesus has come, and he demands that we turn from our sin and believe in him, and follow him. But it doesn’t stop there – we are also to help others know and follow King Jesus.

As you read this post, I want you to consider – are you living as a disciple of Jesus?

Have you recognized Jesus as your true king? Is he the lord of your life?
Do you practice repentance? Do you hate your sin?
Do you believe the gospel – not just with your mind but your heart?
Are you dying to yourself and following Jesus?
Are you seeking to make disciples and to fulfill the great commission?

Being a Christian is not just attending a service and believing the right facts about God. Being a Christian means that I am a slave to Christ that seeks to honor him with my whole life (1 Cor 6:19-20).

References[+]

References
↑1	Robin Sydserff, Teaching Mark: From Text to Message, 145-46.
↑2	J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Discipleship, 8.
↑3	Robin Sydserff, Teaching Mark, 146.

Commit to the Church – Acts 2:36-47

September 12, 2022 / Matthew Wilson

I recently began a new sermon series at my church on what biblically committed church membership looks like. To see the posts based on that series, click here. This post is based off of that sermon, which you can listen to here.

Sermon Text: Acts 2:22-24, 36-47

In this sermon series, I’m going to make this argument: being committed to a local church is required by Scripture. During our this series, we’re going to look at what biblical church membership looks like.

What does it look like to be committed to Christ by being committed to other believers?

How can we be faithful to Christ by loving and caring for our brothers and sisters?

Maybe you’re asking, why do we even need a series like this?

The church I pastor is like many others. There are many people in the church that have a very low level of commitment to the church. Here are six reasons I came up with about why my church needs a sermon series on church membership.

Six Reasons Why We Need a Sermon Series on Biblical Church Membership

(1) Easy believism

Easy believism is a doctrinal view that salvation is a one-time decision and that there is no need for personal holiness or good works. Adherents believe that because they cited the sinner’s prayer and were baptized that they are okay with God. They dismiss the need to follow Jesus as Lord.

(2) Emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus

In America, many have so emphasized the need to have a personal relationship with Jesus that they’ve essentially downplayed the need for committed church membership. Some of these people sit at home every week, reasoning that they can read their Bible and listen to preaching in the comfort of their home.

(3) Covid

Most churches, including ours, shut down for a period of time. When they re-opened, many did so in a limited way. Covid has no doubt had some negative effects on many churches. Many folks have been slow to return to church or if they have they are even less committed then they once were.

(4) Prosperity

Material prosperity has hurt the American church. Because we can afford to travel and have fun, church is put on the backburner. You could lump travel sports, vacations, lake houses, and more under this reason.

(5) A bad ecclesiology (a misunderstanding of the church)

Here’s a statement some might make: “I am going to church.” Someone might use that phrase to mean they think of church as a place or a building. Others think of the church as an event that they attend. Both groups are likely to compartmentalize their Christian lives. They live like Christians for an hour on Sunday, but they don’t live for Him the rest of the week.

(6) A consumeristic view of the church

Some people think that church is like a religious shopping mall. Donald Whitney says, “[These people] attend services as religious consumers who feel no more sense of commitment to the church than does a consumer to a mall.”^[1]Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, 13 They are not committed to the church in any way except perhaps they give a small amount of money because they feel obligated to do so.

Summary

Perhaps you or someone you know isn’t committed to the church because of one of these reasons. Here is the underlying assumption with these six reasons: The church is optional for my relationship with Jesus and my spiritual growth.

Thom Rainer writes, “I [believe] that congregations across America are weak because may of us church members have lost the biblical understanding of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ.”^[2]Thom Rainer, I am a Church Member, 5

The reality is that church is not optional. Being committed to a local church is required by Scripture and it is essential for our spiritual growth as believers. In this series, we’re going to look at what biblical church membership looks like.

As I get started today, I’m going to begin in Acts 2 with the formation of the early Christian church. Before I do, I want to give you a little bit of context.

Acts 1:1-5 – Jesus tells the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:6-11 – Jesus commissions his disciples to be his witnesses a final time and then ascends back to heaven.

Acts 1:12-26 – 120 Christians were devoting themselves to prayer and Matthias was selected to replace Judas.

Acts 2:1-13 – The 120 Christians received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The day of Pentecost, also known as the Festival of Weeks, was 50 days after the Passover. At this festival, God’s people celebrated the first of the wheat harvest. Because of the festival, many Jews from all over the known world had traveled to Jerusalem. We see this specifically in Acts 2:5.

Acts 2:14-36 – Peter preaches a sermon at Pentecost to the Jews who are gathered for the festival. He discusses three Old Testament texts – Joel 2:28-32, Ps 16:8-11, and Ps 110:1. Peter uses the two texts from the Psalms to present Christ as the Messiah.

Through Peter’s preaching and the work of the Spirit, the Christian church was born. We’re not going to read the whole sermon, but I want to share some of it with you and see what happened at Pentecost and how the early Christians committed themselves to one another.

Sermon Text: Acts 2:22-24, 36-47

The reason I chose this text to begin our series is because this text gives us a paradigm of commitment to Christ and His church.

The first thing we see is that the preaching of the gospel creates the church.

The preaching of the gospel creates the church (14-36)

There is no church without the gospel. There is no church without gospel preaching. In Peter’s message, he showed that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is the Messiah. He is the Anointed One of Israel. Look again at Acts 2:22-24.

This gospel didn’t originate with man but was according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God (v. 23). And God raised him from the dead, for death could not hold him (v. 24).

In case there was any doubt, Peter concludes his sermon (v. 36) by definitively declaring that Jesus is the Christ, and he shows them their guilt (“whom you crucified”).

There is much more we could say about Peter’s sermon and one day I will when I preach through Acts. But today I want us to simply see that Peter preached Christ. Notice how they respond (v. 37)

The preaching of the gospel produces conviction of sin (37)

37 – Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

The text says that “they were cut to the heart.” That’s conviction.

This is what gospel preaching does. When God’s Word is preached correctly, it cuts our hearts if we are living contrary to it. Paul calls God’s Word a sword (Eph 6:17). Just as a sword is used to cut flesh, the sword of God’s Word cuts our hearts. It’s only when we’re cut down by God’s Word can we be healed by the gospel message. Until we understand our sin, the cross of Christ doesn’t make sense.

Friends, every one of us here this morning has sinned against a holy God. We all deserve God’s judgment. While we were not the ones who physically put him on the cross, He died for our sins just as much as anyone who was there. After these Jews were convinced of their sin and were convicted of it, they ask the apostles a question: “Brothers, what shall we do?”

The preaching of the gospel demands a response (38)

38 – And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The first thing Peter told them to was to repent. Repentance is often lacking in American churches because some “churches” don’t speak of sin. But friends, the gospel message demands that we repent. Repentance means to change your mind. Our minds need to be changed and renewed according to God’s Word (Rom 12:2). To repent of your sin means that you have remorse for your sin, and that you are choosing to turn to Christ.

We are to repent of our sin and be baptized into Jesus Christ.

Peter continues: “be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.”

There’s much we could say about this verse on baptism. Those in the Church of Christ use this verse and a few others to say that you are not saved until you’re baptized (this is called baptismal regeneration). I don’t believe that’s what this or any other verse teaches and that is not the focus of this sermon. If you want to know more about baptism, then come back next week.

While baptism doesn’t save us, we are still commanded to be baptized. Baptism is where we “go public” with our faith.^[3]For two readable books on baptism, see Understanding Baptism by Bobby Jamieson and Going Under: Discussions on Baptism by Jim Elliff. When we’re baptized, we are proclaiming the new life that we have in Jesus Christ. Our old self has been crucified and buried with Christ. We are raised to walk in newness of life. Baptism is a picture of the cleansing of sin that has taken place within us at conversion.

In verse 38, we see that the preaching of the gospel demands a response. We respond in repentance of sin and place our faith in Christ. After trusting in Christ, we are commanded to be baptized as we identify with Jesus.

The reception of the gospel leads to forgiveness and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (38-40)

38-40 – And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

When someone receives the gospel, their sins are forgiven. That can be you as you read this blog post. If you’ve never repented of your sin and trusted in Christ, then you can. If you do, you’ll have forgiveness of sins.

Not only will you have the forgiveness of sins, but you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (v. 38). The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, comes to live inside believers in Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, guides us in truth, and helps us to live for Christ.

Here’s the beauty of the gospel of message that is becoming evident in Peter’s sermon. This message is not just for Jews. The gospel is “for all who are far off” (39). In verse 40, Peter continued to exhort those who were present to be saved.

So far, we’ve seen that the preaching of the gospel creates the church (14-36). The gospel creates the church by producing conviction of sin (v. 37) and demanding a response (v. 38). The reception of the gospel leads to forgiveness and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (38-40).

After receiving Christ through faith and being baptized, what happens?

Those who respond to the gospel and are baptized are added to the church (41)

41 – So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Verse 41 is a summary statement.

“Those who received his word” – believers (those who believed Peter’s message about Christ in vv. 14-36)
“were baptized” – baptized
“added” – added to the church in Jerusalem

Someone must have been keeping records because Luke writes there were “about three thousand souls.”

One thing we’ll see in a couple weeks is that church membership defines who is a member of the church and who is not. Having a membership roll is a biblical practice and we’ll see that in our sermon on church membership.

Finally, we see that those who were added to the church committed to one another.

Those who are added to the church commit to one another (42-47)

42-47 – ⁴²And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Again, in v. 41 the new believers were baptized and added to the church. Look at the very next phrase, found in v. 42.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

Friends, these Christians didn’t just walk an aisle, make a profession of faith, and call it good. On the contrary, they devoted (committed) themselves to the church. They committed to its leaders (the apostles) and its members.

Look at the early church in vv. 42-47.

They were committed to the apostles’ teaching.
They were committed to fellowship.
They were committed to breaking bread together.
They were committed to prayer.
They were committed to hospitality.
They were committed to giving to others.
They were committed to worshiping together.
They were committed to loving one another.
They were committed to seeing the gospel go forward.

Here are the sermon topics for the next 11 weeks.

Commit: Be Baptized
Commit: Join a Church
Commit: Attend Regularly
Commit: Submit to God’s Word
Commit: Pray Fervently
Commit: Give Generously
Commit: Serve Faithfully
Commit: Fellowship Joyfully
Commit: Rescue Lovingly
Commit: Evangelize the Lost
Commit: Disciple the Saved

Friends, that’s what this sermon series is all about. We all want the church to grow, but it starts with us. It starts by us looking in the mirror. We need to first of all examine ourselves and make sure that we’ve truly committed to Jesus Christ (2 Cor 13:5). After that, we need to examine if we’re committed to Christ’s people.

As I said in the introduction, being committed to a local church is not optional for a follower of Jesus.

Have you been slacking in your commitment to Christ?

Have you been slacking in your commitment to the church?

I’ve heard it said, “The church is God’s plan A and there is no plan B.”^[4]I’m not sure the source of this quote.

Have you made the church optional in your life?

What is more important that Jesus?

Is there something you’re committed to more than God’s people?

If so, repent confess your sins to God and then build your life upon the church, which will never be defeated (Matt 16:18).

References[+]

References
↑1	Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, 13
↑2	Thom Rainer, I am a Church Member, 5
↑3	For two readable books on baptism, see Understanding Baptism by Bobby Jamieson and Going Under: Discussions on Baptism by Jim Elliff.
↑4	I’m not sure the source of this quote.

God’s Mercy for the Wicked – Jonah 3:1-10

April 5, 2022 / Matthew Wilson

This post is adapted from a sermon I recently preached. Unfortunately, the sermon was not recorded.

An Overview of Jonah

Introduction to Jonah

In chapter one (Jon 1), we read about Jonah and the storm. In chapter two (Jon 2), we read about Jonah in the fish. Today, we will be reading about Jonah’s experience in the city of Nineveh.

Jonah 3:1-10
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. 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!” 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.”
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.

BIG IDEA: God will pour out his wrath on sinners, but He shows mercy to those who repent.

That’s a pretty basic theological statement, but it’s not a popular message for modern minds. Many don’t like the idea of God, especially the God of the Bible. Even more despise the idea of God’s wrath and the thought of us being sinners in need of repentance. In fact, the only part of that sentence that most people like is that if there is a God, He is merciful. Nonetheless, our views of God must come from Scripture and not from ourselves or the culture.

After the fish spit Jonah out (Jon 2:10), in verse 1 we’re told that “The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time.”

In the Old Testament, prophets were to take the word of the Lord that came to them and proclaim it. Today, there are no prophets as there were in the Old Testament. Today, God does not speak through prophets, but through His written Word, the Bible. The job of every preacher of God’s Word is to communicate the meaning of Scripture as it was intended by the author, as inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:20-21). As Christians, we are to read God’s Word and have it change our hearts and minds (Rom 12:2). We cannot expect to be faithful to the will of God when we refuse to open the Word of God.

We cannot expect to be faithful to the will of God when we refuse to open the Word of God.

We’re not told where Jonah was spit out, but once again, the Lord tells Jonah to go to Nineveh. At the very least, Jonah would have had 550 miles to travel, which would have taken at least a month if he was riding a camel or donkey and much longer if he was on foot. The Lord tells him to call out against the city of Nineveh and to speak “the message that I tell you.”

As Christians, we are not free to alter the message of Scripture. We are to proclaim God’s message even when it is unpopular. We preach the truth of God’s Word and we do not apologize for it. To alter or soften God’s Word is to be disobedient to God Himself.

Jonah was given a second chance even though he was disobedient to the Lord. If you are not a Christian, you may be surprised that even though God will judge every sin, He is also a God of second chances.

Though God was displeased with His prophet, He never deserted him, as evidenced by His sending of the great fish. As God was merciful to Jonah, He will offer mercy to the Ninevites as well.

How about you? How many times have you disobeyed God and deserved His punishment, yet God has shown you mercy?

God showed mercy to Jonah because He cared about the Ninevites. But God also cared about Jonah. He wanted Jonah’s heart to reflect the heart of God (Jon 4:9-11). God is not simply interested in obedience out of duty, but He wants us to delight in Him (Ps 37:4).

This time, Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord (v. 3).

In chapter one when Jonah received his commission, he “fled to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord” (1:2). This time, Jonah realizes that he should not and cannot run from God’s will and so he goes to Nineveh in reluctant obedience.

Scripture does not give us every detail of the story. As I mentioned earlier, we are not told where Jonah was spit up onto dry land. We’re not told if he went to Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice (Jon 2:9). We are simply told that Jonah “arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord.”

The text says that Nineveh “was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.”

Nineveh is called a great city four times in Jonah (Jon 1:2, 3:2-3, 4:11).

There is some debate about what exactly the text means when it mentions “a three days journey.”

One possibility is that it would take three days to get through the city and its suburbs.
A second possibility is that it would take three days to go around the outside of the city.
A third possibility is that “three days’ journey” is an idiom that is meant to communicate how long it would take to get to Nineveh. In other words, this phrase is meant to communicate that the city is far away from Jonah when he began his journey.

The clear thing about the text, however, is that Nineveh was a significant place. As we will see in chapter four (Jon 4), this great city greatly mattered to God.

When Jonah arrives in the city (in v. 4), he began to warn the Ninevites of God’s coming wrath. His message was simple – “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that those were the only words that Jonah spoke, but it was the core of Jonah’s message.

In Scripture, the number 40 is often identified with testing or judgment.

During the great flood in Genesis, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights.
The Jewish spies explored Canaan for 40 days.
The nation of Israel was tested in the wilderness for 40 years.
Goliath taunted Israel’s army for 40 days.
Here, the Lord gives the Ninevites 40 days to repent of their wickedness.

The word “overthrown” is the same word that was used in the warning to Lot about Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:23-29). It’s clear using this word and the number 40 that the author is communicating that Jonah’s message was a word of judgment. Notice, Jonah did not name their offenses. He didn’t tell them what they ought to do. He did not explicitly offer any hope of avoiding judgment.

He didn’t even mention God’s name. Remember, in chapter one (Jon 1:9) he told the Gentile sailors that He feared the Lord, and Jonah used the name Yahweh. But when it came to the Ninevites, it seems that Jonah shared very little. He simply warned them of coming judgment. As we will see in chapter four, Jonah did not want the Ninevites to repent. He wanted God to wipe them out.

Like Jonah, we are called by God to give people bad news. We are called to warn them of God’s coming wrath against them. It is only when people understand the depth of their own sin against a holy God will they be ready for the good news that He offers forgiveness through Christ. The good news of the gospel only makes sense to people if they understand their condemnation without Christ.

We are called to warn others of the wrath to come, even our enemies.

We are called to warn others of the wrath to come, even our enemies.

Jonah was not a missionary that preached a message of hope but was a reluctant prophet that preached a message of judgment and doom. In what must have been a shock to Jonah, the people of Nineveh believed his message.

Verse five is a summary statement of what happened, and vv. 6-9 contain the details.

Perhaps you may be asking this question:

Why would a city full of wicked people believe Jonah, who was a prophet from a different place and who worshiped a different God?

There are several possible reasons:

One is that around the time of Jonah’s mission, Assyria had experienced a series of famines, plagues, revolts, and eclipses, each of which would have been interpreted as omens of far worse things to come.
It’s also possible that someone saw the fish spit Jonah up onto dry land and that news had spread to Nineveh.
Perhaps the pagan sailors spoke of Jonah as well as the mighty power of the Lord to still the sea. Maybe they had told traders that went into Nineveh and told the tale.

One or more of these were contributing factors, but the most likely cause is that they had a guilty conscience (Rom 2:15) because of their wicked ways and that God had begun to till the soil of their hearts.

The text says that the Ninevites “believed God”, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they were converted. There seems to be no indication that they entered into a covenant relationship with God. Notice, there is a mention of God (Elohim), but not of Yahweh (the Lord) as there was with the sailors (Jon 1:14-16).

We also are not told that they removed their idols or understood God’s law. In the ancient world, people believed there were all sorts of powerful gods, but they only worshiped ones they believed had power over their lives.

It seems that they didn’t really believe in God in a salvation sense, but rather that God’s word of judgment was true and would come to fruition if they did not change their behavior.

They wanted to do whatever it took to keep themselves from experiencing God’s wrath.

The message of Jonah reached the king of Nineveh. Verse six says that he got up from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Sackcloth was rough and uncomfortable material (similar to an old potato sack) that was worn to indicate mourning.

Not only did the king put on sackcloth and sit in ashes, but he issued a proclamation that was published throughout the city in vv. 7-8.

7-8

In modern day terms, he called an emergency press conference and gave instructions to the citizens of Nineveh: neither men nor animals were to eat or drink. They were to be covered with sackcloth and to “call out mightily to God.” In addition, they were to turn away from their evil and violent ways.

By commanding the people to cry out to God and to turn from their evil ways, the king hoped that they would be spared from God’s wrath. That is what we see in verse nine.

The king doesn’t seem terribly confident that God would relent but he hopes that their repentance will turn God away from his fierce anger.

Notice that the king is concerned that the Ninevites would perish. This is the third time that a pagan has shown concern that people might perish. We saw the captain of the ship concerned about him and his crew (1:6). We saw the sailors ask the Lord for mercy and that they would not perish for throwing Jonah overboard (1:14). And here in v. 9, we see the king of Nineveh hoping that the city will not perish.

Ironically, God’s prophet Jonah has expressed no such concern. In fact, he was very short with the sailors and the Ninevites, but his prayer of thanksgiving for his own deliverance was quite long (Jon 2).

As Christians, we should care more about human suffering than unbelievers.

As Christians, we should care more about human suffering than unbelievers.

As the Ninevites repent, they are in fact spared.

In v. 10, we see that when the people repented, God relented.

God saw the people’s repentance and he spared them. The text says that, “God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”

The KJV says that God repented. I don’t really the use of the word repent. I say that because when I think of repentance, I think of a change in morality. But God is perfect. He does not sin, and He does not change.

The theological word for the idea that God does not change is immutability. I want to share two verses to emphasize that God does not change:

Numbers 23:19 – God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

The reality is that God did not change His mind. Implied in Jonah’s message of judgment was that judgment would be spared if the people repented.

There are varying opinions as to whether the Ninevites were converted. One commentator says that Jonah was the most successful evangelist of all time. In my view, the text seems to indicate that the repentance of the Ninevites was quite shallow.

It seems to me that he Ninevites were not really acting in true faith and devotion to Yahweh, but were really acting out of self-preservation (see especially v. 9 – “Who knows?”). But God honors their small step in the right direction and relents from His imminent judgment.

Overall, it seems that the majority of the Ninevites were not truly converted, but perhaps a few were. Remember, Jesus mentioned the Ninevites to the Pharisees because of their willingness to repent when warned of coming judgment (Matt 12:38-41).

Conclusion

The repentance of the Ninevites is similar to someone who hears the gospel and walks down the aisle. He or she makes some sort of emotional decision but later drops out of church and continues to live as they always have with no regard for obedience to Jesus.

Most of these people want to escape hell and exhibit some remorse for their sins, but many have not genuinely put their faith and trust in Jesus, which becomes evident over time (Mark 4:13-20).

We all need to be warned about superficial repentance. In His mercy, God spared Nineveh of immediate judgment. However, it is not enough to be spared a temporary judgment. If the Ninevites only repented but did not put their faith and trust in Yahweh, they would be judged in eternity. In fact, only 125-150 years later, Nineveh experienced God’s wrath, which is expressed in the book of Nahum.

Friends,

It is one thing to believe that a message is true in your mind. It is another to believe it in your heart.

It is one thing to believe that the gospel is true. It is another to build your life upon it (Matt 7:24-27).

It is one thing to walk the aisle and “accept Jesus”. It is another to follow after Jesus, deny yourself, take up your cross, as you submit to Him as Lord (Luke 9:23-24).

God is patient. He is kind. He is merciful. But He will pour out his wrath on sinners who do not repent (John 3:36).

Do we see ourselves as needing mercy just as much as the Ninevites? It’s easy to compare ourselves with others and to become self-righteous. The reality is that we are all in need of God’s grace (Rom 3:10-11, 23).

Maybe you’ve never committed acts of violence or torture, but we have all broken God’s Law. James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”

The greatest news is that God shows mercy to those who repent of their sin and trust in His Son Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, and died for our sins as a substitute for us, who deserved His wrath.

Have you trusted in Jesus as Lord? Are you honoring Him with your life? Are you offering yourself to God as a living sacrifice?

Christians,

God does not tell us to tell people that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their life. Jesus never said this to anyone.

Are we willing to share the message of God’s Word, even the uncomfortable parts about God’s wrath and judgment?

God commands us to call people to genuine repentance and true faith in Jesus.

Will we be found faithful when God calls us to the Ninevehs in our life?

Tag: repentance

True Disciples Follow Jesus – Mark 1:14-20

Commit to the Church – Acts 2:36-47

God’s Mercy for the Wicked – Jonah 3:1-10

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