string(7) "m-66998" Burnt Hickory Baptist Church

Sermons

← back to list

Mar 13, 2022

Runaway Prophet | Our Mission of Evangelism

Runaway Prophet | Our Mission of Evangelism

Passage: Jonah 3:1-10

Speaker: Matt Petty

Series: Runaway Prophet

Category: Sunday Sermons

Keywords: worship, faith, jesus, sunday, god, sermon, evangelism, christian, bible, gospel, hope, believe, prophet, jonah, the bible, faith community, bible study, live music, life lessons, obeying god, mission in life, livestream, burnt hickory baptist church, burnt hickory worship, storm of life, hearing the word of god, boat, storm, big fish, run away, bible stories, 3 nights

As we study the third chapter in Jonah, we see Jonah come to terms with his calling, and finally obey God in proclaiming the gospel to the Ninevites. We also see how our role and mission of evangelism defines us as God’s people and how urgently people around us need to hear the good news of Jesus. We also learn that God does not delight in judgement, but in mercy, and because of this, we see a people saved from their sins. We know that salvation comes from the Lord, but do you realize that faith comes only from hearing the word of God? We see it over and over in scripture, that we are to speak the word of God into our lives and the lives of those around us every day. This is what builds faith and a faith community. You may have joined the lost coin challenge a few weeks ago, or are participating in 321 Serve this month, but these are just starting points to beginning a missional lifestyle and seeking opportunities to evangelize and be involved personally in peoples lives in our community. Take time and answer these questions: How can I speak the word of God into people’s lives this week? How can I specifically pray for others in my life that need Jesus? As always, if you’ve got questions about who Jesus is and how to begin your faith journey, then reach out today – burnthickory.com/next. We would love to talk with you and answer any questions as well as pray with you.

We've become accustomed to a world where all our needs are met where nearly everything we could ever want is literally at our fingertips. Food water, shelter, clothing, we take some things for granted. For us, they've always been there. But what if we didn't have these things? How would it affect our daily lives? It's the same with the Bible. It's our guiding light showing us the only way to live in our right relationship with God. But what if it wasn't there? What would our lives be like without the Bible?

For millions of people in the world, this is still their daily reality. There's not a single word of Scripture translated into a language they can clearly understand. That's why Wycliffe exists at this moment all around the world. We're working with local churches and communities to speed the light of truth to people still waiting. Because when people get the Bible in their language, they can know the Life-Giving truth of the good news they can fully grasp who God is and what Jesus has done for them. They can experience the hope and transformation of God's Word. It's a movement of global proportions, and we won't stop until every person on the planet can access the Bible. In the language and format, they can clearly understand.

Since the moment Burnt Hickory was established as a mission down the road and quickly became a church. One of the distinctions of this church has been its treatment, its love, and its proclamation of unashamedly the Word of God. We have put it in a prominent place in our lives, as well as put it in a prominent place of ministry here. And one of the ways that we've done that is through teaching it on Sunday morning. Another way is through teaching it in every single one of our age group ministries. And then a third way that we are excited today to be able to do this is by watching how God can take all of us and launch us into what that video just said. Helping translate the Bible into languages that have never seen God's Word translated into. We just watched a video that showed us that the Word of God is not in every language, in fact. Did you know there are 7000 languages on this planet? At this very moment? In 1800 of those languages do not have God's Word written in their heart language. That means that if a pastor like me stood up and said, Hey, let's go to Matthew chapter one, they couldn't do that in their language. They couldn't hear it in their voice, they couldn't hear it in their mother language. So, one of the things that being missional month for us of March in our 321 Serve month and today being the missional day that we're going to do as a church is we're going to adopt two different Bible projects in Africa. One of the projects we're adopting is the Koiné people.

The Koiné people actually live a couple hundred miles south or where Peter lives in Nairobi, just above Mombasa. There's 150,000 of them. And over the last years there's been a Bible project established to translate the New Testament into their language. And we have an opportunity to come behind the Koiné people and finish up today, the translation of the New Testament into their language and what we're doing as a church is we want to look at you and just say this. We had a blessed year last year financially. And so, this week our church will be writing a check to Wycliffe Bible translations and we're going to finish the Bible in their language for them. And I just want to say thank you for your gifts over the last year. Thank you for your tithes over the last year because these people in December of 22, well for the first time in their history be able to hold the Bible in their language. And it's because of you. It's because of you. We're excited about that now. That's what we're doing. All right. Now, secondly, we're going to come behind the people group called the Abbé people. There on the Ivory Coast, the western coast of Africa there and said the central Ivory Coast and we are coming behind them. And this is where I need you guys today. We're going to come behind them and we're going to do everything possible for them. To finish the book of John, to finish the book of John. We want to translate the book of John for them. John has the full gospel, and it has the full story of Jesus. And it has the breath of the Holy Spirit spoken into it.

And we want to do that. So, Matt, how do we do that? Well, I'm glad you asked. Here's how for $30 a verse. And I sound like an infomercial right. For $30 a verse you can be about. No, really for $30 a verse. That's what it costs to translate Scripture into another language. In the front lobby of this church and the top language in the top lobby, the church and the kid’s ministry area. There’re poster boards that are already set out that have every verse in the book of John. And we want you as a family to adopt either a verse or a chapter in your family. Walk up to it, sign your name by a verse, scan the QR code and with Wycliffe you have an opportunity to tangibly put the Bible into people's language. Today you can do it in the worship guide, but I just love the visual today of walking up with your family and adopting some verses today to put it into their language. And look, we can get up here every weeklong, right? And go, Man, we love the Word of God. It's like, Amen, But today we have a chance to put our money where our mouth is for people who've never had it. In fact, let me just pray that we can just finish this project for them. Lord Jesus, today, God, we so enjoy the Word of God that we can just fire our app up in our language or open one of the 50 copies of Scripture that we have. God there's people across the globe that don't have that chance. God bless this moment and increase our capacity today to finish this project for these people as well. Jesus, it's in your name. We pray. Amen. Amen.

Well, speaking of the word, if you got the word with you today, I want you to fire it up. And let's go to Jonah, chapter three. Jonah, chapter three. I know you're looking at the clock. You're like, Oh, no, I should have brought a snack, right? Don't worry. All right, no hurry. We're going to be a little bit abbreviated today. It is. Okay. Kind of okay today. Jonah, chapter three is where we're at. We're in a series called The Runaway Prophet, where we've been watching the life of this prophet named Jonah. We've watched that he was a good prophet called by God to Israel, and he served faithfully until one day, God said, Hey, I need you to go reach this people group called The Ninevites.

Nobody like the Ninevites, because they were evil. They were incredibly wicked, and they were the enemies of the Israelites. But Jonah, being a good prophet, we would think that he would have done that. He would have jumped on and said, Yes, Lord, but Jonah does exactly what a lot of us do, and God calls us to do something that we're really not interested in. God said. or Jonah just looked at God was like, No, right, I'm out. Don't call me. Well, he jumps on a boat to get out of the presence of God. And God said, Well, joke's on you. I'm everywhere, right? I will send a storm in front of you. He showed us that he can send storms to redirect us. He showed us, even in our rebellion, that God is in the middle of it, redirecting us to know who He is. Well, Jonah, at the end of the day, gets thrown over the side of the boat. He gets swallowed by a whale, and it takes him just like it takes us three more days to finally be beat down. Right to the point where we say yes to God, and we submit to God. Last week we finished up chapter two to where Jonah finally repented, and Jonah finally looked at the Lord. And we saw last week that God accepts us when we finally just look at him and go, God, I'm sorry and I love you. Well, we jump into Jonah's life and Jonah, chapter three this week in a post whale experience, and it's a whale of a chapter. Here we go. All right. Somebody sent me that one this week. Jonah, chapter three, verse one says, then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. Now, stop right there, because there is something there that every single one of us need to see. And aren't you glad for the second chances from God? Aren't you glad that God doesn't throw us out on day one? Aren't you glad that when we run away from him, we walk away from him, and we hold our hand up and say, No, God? Aren't you glad that we serve a God that looks into us and says, I still love you? And still want you to walk me?

Look, I know there are people literally in this room right now that feel like you are so far gone. Can you come back, Jonah? Emphatically says yes. The love of God can bring you back. Keep going. Verse 2. It says, Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you. Now, if you've been studying, Jonah, you have a little bit of a Deja vu moment right here, because this is the exact words that God said to Jonah in Jonah, chapter one. Then here's what it's showing us about second chances. You see, God loves to give us second chances, but in our second chances are the thing about second chances is, is that God will always bring us back to the place that we said no to him. In God will always bring us back and wants to draw us back into this spot. To where we first looked at God and we held our hands up and said, God, I will never do that. Some of you have been operating in your life under the context of God made a mistake when He called you to do something. That God didn't know what He was asking when He called you to do something. And as a result, you've been trying to live faithfully out a call that he hasn't called you to go because it feels more comfortable. And what God wants you to do is to go back to the place where He called you and look at him and say that you're sorry. Repent from not walking with him and begin to walk into you where he's called you. You see, God will never release you from a call until He recalls you into something else. Jonah showing us this and we ignore that.

We think that God is wrong sometimes and what He calls us to do. But God's like, no, just give it time. I'll call you. Watch. Verse three, Jonah, obeyed the Word of the Lord. That's the first time we've seen that, Jonah, so far right. And went to Nineveh. Now, Nineveh was a very large city. It took three days to go through it. Verse four Jonah began by going a day's journey into the city, proclaiming 40 more days and Nineveh will be overthrown. Now, we've got to pause right here because there's a lot going on right now. I need you to see this in your head just for a minute. Jonah has just been launched literally out of the whale, right? Vomited out of the whale onto dry land. He has cut across the land. He has now entered into Nineveh, and he has walked a full day inside of Nineveh saying one phrase on his mind, 40 more days and Nineveh will be overthrown. Now, we mentioned last week that something would have happened to Jonah's skin. He was in a whale with the gastric juices, the nastiness and the heat for three days. Picture a Middle Eastern man having a little bit of a darker skin than most Anglos in this room. Amen, right? And now he is walking stark white, no hair on his body, bleached skin glowing like an angelic figure through the city, saying the words 40 more days and Nineveh will be overthrown. I think this is an incredible evangelistic effect for Jonah. Right? And he has this eight-word message. And watch what happens. The Ninevites, verse five, believed God. I love how nonchalant the Bible is sometimes. Yeah, the Ninevites believed. They just believed. Watch, a fast was proclaimed, and all of them from the greatest to the least put on sackcloth. When Jonah's warning reached the king of Nineveh, the king rose to his from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth and he sat down in the dust.

What just happened? Even the king repented and trusted Jesus. So, here's the question that we have to answer from these first six verses. What made the people belief? What made the people believe? To which the real answer to that question and this is not a great pastor answer, but it's we don't know. We honestly don't we don't know what made them believe. We just know reading the text that God sovereignly appointed a moment in time. God ordained this moment in time. And made it happen. It could have been that there were some natural events happening that could have been the story of Jonah leaked out into the whole city. It could have been the guys in the boat rowed in front of Jonah. And when they saw him, they were like, Listen to that guy right there. We're not sure. But what is clear from the text and what I want you to see the rest of the morning that we have, which is only 5 minutes, right? The rest of the morning that we have is that God's spirit, catch this, took five simple words. Matt, I thought you said it was eight. It's only five in Hebrew, right? Five words and changed the whole city of Nineveh. Five words. God made them so urgent, so important, so real that every single person repented. Watch, even the king repented. Verse seven, this is the proclamation the King issued to Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles.

Do not let any people or animals are herds or flocks’ taste anything. Do not let them eat or drink but let the people and the animals be covered with sackcloth. Do you realize what just happened here? He just drove the poor animals into their repentance. Right. But what is sackcloth? There was just an outward sign of an inward, just grieving hard. That's what it is. It's not some call hemp clothes from Urban Outfitters. All right? That's not what it is. All right. Watch them turn. Verse 8. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways. And their violence. Now, here's the irony. Right up until this point, the Ninevites boasted of how evil they were, how mighty, how evil, how strong, how rich. But now they are the mightiest example in all of the Old Testament of a whole city coming to know Jesus, right? Coming to know who the Lord is and turning back to God. Watch verse nine. Watch what the King says. He says, Who knows? God may relent and with compassion, turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish. Verse 10 when God saw, and little note here, God sees. Amen. When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented, and he did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. But here's the question when I read this it's the obvious question Why? Why did God relent? Why would God do this? I mean, if you've been tracking with us over the last couple of weeks, you have heard about how evil these people are, right? How wrong these people are, how murderous these people are. Why is it that God gave them mercy?

Look, there's one point that gets missed out in the Old Testament more than probably any other point. It would have to be what we're seeing right here and we're seeing in the life of Jonah. And I want you to write this principle down. It's quite simple but profound. Here's the principle. God does not delight in judgment. He doesn't delight in judgment. He delights in mercy. He delights in mercy. Why did God do it? He does it because God doesn't delight in judgment. Now, look, I know when I say that it blows some of your angry hearts out, right? It blows some of the angry atheist lives and worldviews into pieces. But look, God does not overflow with this with this need to cast judgment. That's not how he lives. It's not how he operates. In fact, God overflows with compassion and mercy. He doesn't delight in the death of the wicked and the evil. No God loves and his life and his compassion and is in fathomable. And that's exactly what chapter three is showing us. It's showing us that, yes, we are evil. And yes, we run away from God. And yes, we don't deserve him. And yes, we should not ever have him. But God's love is a compassionate love for us. And if we will just give him half a chance, people, just have a chance and turn towards him. He will graciously lavish you with his grace and mercy. He'll pour it over you. Why? Because he is a good father. He's a good father. He's a good father.

Now, this chapter could take us a long time, right? I mean, it could be about four weeks, just to be honest. But here's what I want to do in this chapter. I want to show us in this chapter how God uses us in that grace and mercy and how He uses us in his mission. There’re basically four things in the book of Jonah, right? There's the theme of God pursuing sinners. We've seen that in pursuing Jonah and pursuing the Ninevites and pursuing us. We've seen the kind of contrast all the times between God's heart towards sinners in our heart. He loves sinners. We would just write them off. What we're seeing in Jonah, we see that Jonah is a small picture of who Jesus is, an incomplete picture of the Savior Jesus. But the last major theme in Jonah is that God uses us in his mission. He uses us in his plan and God bringing others to himself through us. And it's simple as term is the term evangelism. Now, when I say the word evangelism, I know the air leaves the room, right? It just completely leaves the room. And I even know when I say it that some of you that don't normally come to church, you're like elbow in the person beside you saying, See, this is why I don't come to church.

You guys are always trying to convert us. And it's awkward, right? It is awkward. Listen, can I just tell you, if that's you and you think it's awkward because you're a lost person? It is awkward if you're a saved person too. Amen. Evangelism is awkward. It is awkward. In fact, I've heard the definition of evangelism being said as two awkward people talking to each other in an awkward conversation. That's exactly what evangelism is, And can I just make a confession to you? I've been in more awkward evangelism conversations than probably any of you in this room. Right. Some of them have made me question my faith. They have been so awkward. I don't know which in was up at the time. But look, God uses normal people in extraordinary circumstances, and he uses awkward conversations hallelujah. Because half of your conversations are awkward. I've heard them right. We're awkward people. All of us are. But there's two points in evangelism. That Jonah points out here for us that I think can free you up to be part of God's mission. And here's the first one that can free you up. Number one, two evangelism truths from Jonah. Number one, I just want you to get this.

Salvation comes from the Lord. It comes from the Lord. That's a great place to say, man, because it does, right? Salvation comes from the Lord. This was this was Jonah 2:9 last week. We saw it. Right. It was a literal quote from Jonathan. And I didn't make it up. I just wrote it down from the verse. Right. But here's Jonah now, living out this idea that salvation comes from the Lord. And watch Jonah prove this point. It's an encouraging point, but I need to lead you into it to show you why Jonah is so encouraging. Because I want you to see what happens to Jonah's life right here. Watch what Jonah does and how he proves this point. Do you realize that Jonah just preached an eight-word sermon? Eight words? I can't say nothing in eight words. He just preached an eight-word sermon that catch this his heart wasn't even in. He didn't want these people to really get saved, we're going to see this next week. It is the honest story in all the Bible. It wasn't even a good sermon. There was no intro. There was no closing. There were no points. There was nothing to write down in the app. Right. There was nothing. There was no C.S. Lewis quote. And he didn't even tell them how to turn. He just walked through the city. He was like, You're going to perish. You're going to perish. That's it. You're going to perish. I could just see him with like a little those little A-frame boards walking through it, going 40 more days and you will perish.

But this is so encouraging. Do you know why? Because I wasn't on Jonah. It wasn't on Jonah. God saves. God saves. Salvation comes from the Lord. He preached this eight-word sermon. It's only five in Hebrew. And he and the people responded massively. Why? Because the Bible tells us that it is God who works in people's hearts. It's God. And it is God who brings people to repentance. Look. Look at me real closely. That is not something you can do. That is not something you can do. God creates the hunger. God molds the heart to hear the truth. God gives people faith. First Corinthians 12 three. Paul says No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. John 6:44. No one can come to me unless Jesus says the father who sent me draws them. Now, look, I know there's a whole lot in those verses that kind of blows our mind and gets us all over the map. But here's what I want you to see. Relax. If you don't hear anything else today. Relax. Salvation don't come from you.

Last time I checked, you didn't down the cross or anybody since Jesus’ death, Jesus did. I want you to see in Jonah's message here. There's so much to make us relax. And there's so much weight that is off our shoulders when we're told to talk about the gospel. It is not on you to convince someone to trust Jesus. It's not on you. God does the convincing and persuading. You do the presenting. God does it. In fact, we see this in Jonah, right? We see this in Jonah, and we see this in our lives. Let me put it like this. 20 years in student ministry. Let me just tell you this. I have probably seen the worst gospel presentations that you can ever see. Ever I've been on so many mission trips with people where I've stood shoulder to shoulder with a student that was so nervous, I mean, so worked up, so sweaty. And we're talking about the gospel, and I'm looking at them and they're giving me that. Don't make me do it. Don't make me do it. Don't make me do it. I'm like, Oh, it's you. Oh, it's you. And then all of a sudden, they start talking, and it's such a terrible gospel presentation. I'm doubting my faith in the moment that they're talking in this. And then all of a sudden, they get to the end and they're like, Man, would you like to trust Christ today? And I'm telling you, if I'm lying, I'm dying. I've literally seen people turn and go; I've been waiting on this my whole life. And I'm like, waiting on that? What in the world did you just hear? I don't know what you heard, but what I heard, that was horrible. I'm taking your T-shirt you're out, right? Your gone, you're out. But that's the point. It's God. Now, that's no excuse for not learning stuff, right?

But here's the deal. It's God who saves. It's God. We think it is us. We won't say it out loud. We're good Christians, right? We think it's us and it's not. Can I just tell you, even from a message? I'm doing it, I don't care. You know, from a message, even from a message. Sometimes I'm up here and I'm preaching. I'm like, Man, Lord, we're taking off on this one. And I mean, I'm rolling, and I think I am waxing some eloquence every now and then. And there's not normally, but every now and then. And then I'll get to the end of the message thing. And everybody, this whole building is about to repent, and it's like crickets. It's like chirp, chirp, chirp. You guys are hitting the door like a ballgame is done during the invitation, and we're gone. I mean, it's out of here. It's like me and Carey left for the invitation. There ain't nothing happening in this building, right? But then there's other times I'm literally up here apologizing to God because I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. I've gone I've gone off the deep end. I don't even know what I'm reading anymore. And I'm apologizing to God. Because I might be leading people towards some other faith at that point. And then after the message, people are like, Oh, my gosh, God, just touch me. That's the point of Jonah, right? Eight words. The whole city repents eight words, and we think it's on us.

Listen, relax. It ain't on you. Let me just pray. You people are not converted by your eloquence. Are your persuasive powers of the flesh, the converted by the spirit of God in your life? At the end of the day, we're not dealing with we're not dealing with people who just need to be better people. We're dealing with spiritually dead people who need to be raised to life. And that's God that's got only God can do that. Jonah shows us right here. So, in one sense, relax, the pressure's off. But let me bring some balance because number two, there's balance. Watch this. Salvation comes from the Lord. But number two, faith only comes by hearing the word of God. It only comes by hearing the word of God. In fact, the question of the chapter is what turned the tide for the Ninevites? What turn the tide right? It's a trick question. So let me answer it. What turned the tide was them hearing the message of God's word. That's what turned the tide. Was God already working in Nineveh? Of course, God was already working in Nineveh. Was God already supremely in control? Of course, he was supremely in control. But what was it that turned the city? What turned the city was a man of God, stepped up, spoke the word of God into their lives. When you read Scripture, you quickly realize that God's Word is the, not a, it’s the instrument of life-giving salvation in the people's lives. Romans 10:17 says Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message. It comes from hearing the message. When you read Scripture, you see that God does this over and over, because God's Word is not just instruction. It's not just information. It's not just commands. Listen, the very words of God carry power in them. And when you say them and they are spoken into the ears and in the life of a person, God takes over and his sovereign plan for humanity is that you speak, and He saves. You speak. He saves. You speak. He saves. We see it over and over and over and over again.

In fact, I was just thinking this week about Jesus’ walking down and seeing the lame man on the side of the road. Jesus spoke to the lame man, didn't he say, get up and walk? And what did that lame man do? He got up and walked. Why? Because that lame man all of a sudden felt he had the power in his legs to do it? No, because there was power. In the words of Jesus. There's power. Now, look, I can walk by every lame person I've ever met in a wheelchair every time, and go, get up and walk and nothing happens, nothing. But when the Word of God does it, it changes hearts. It changes his mind, because that's the plan of salvation. You see, I can't tell you how many times Jesus words and scripture gives healing, give power, give salvation. So, here's the point. The Word of God cannot do its work. Listen to me closely. If it's not spoken in into people's lives by the believers of God, it can't do its work. If people don't hear it. Our role, the core of our mission that John is teaching us is to get people into the presence of God. That is our role. Look at me this may free you up. For some of you to jump off into evangelism. Our responsibility is not people's salvation. It is not. Some of you grew up in places that you felt that responsibility that is not your only God can do that.

But listen, our objective is to get people into the word of God. But Matt, shouldn't the goal always be salvation? Yes. There's too much pressure to think you can save anyone. You can't save you. Did not die on the cross for that person. Jesus can God save as we speak. And do you know that that's God's plan? I think some of us think that magically people just meet Jesus out of the blue. Here's some homework this week. Read Acts Chapter eight, Acts Chapter nine and Acts Chapter Ten and watch how people meet the Lord in those chapters. Man, there's a ton of miracles in those chapters, but Acts chapter eight, the eunuch. He's walking, he's riding down the road, he's reading the scriptures, right? And then all of a sudden, he's got a question and what does God do? Teleports Peter over there. I mean, Philip over there, right? Philips like, hey you need to know how to understand what you're saying. He's like, Yeah, what does Phil do? He leads him to the Lord, teaches him salvation. What about Saul - Paul, right? Knocks him off the horse. Remember that? Jesus is literally in front of him speaking to him. Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And then what does he say to Paul? Outstanding. He says, Hey, listen, why don't you go down there to Ananias's house, and he'll tell you how to be saved. Jesus told him that. Why didn't Jesus just close the deal? Right? He's Jesus. Why? Because that's not God's plan. It's for people to. Remember Cornelius? God sends an angel, says God hears you. Remember that weirdest dream in the Bible sends them down to Peter's house, which is in Joppa, which is where Jonah went. Another story. Remember what he does? He leads him to salvation. What was the story? We speak. God saves. We speak. God saves. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Faith comes from hearing the word of God.

Two questions and we're done. Two walk aways. Number one is this. And here's what I want you to ask this week... How can I speak the word of God into people's lives this week? Man, just super practical, how can I? What do you need to do this week to speak the word? But man, it might be awkward. It might be. Yeah, probably. What can I do? Maybe you need to send a verse a day for the next 30 days to a friend. Maybe you need to buy a new Bible for somebody and highlight 40 verses that mean something to you. Maybe you need to give someone a list of verses with what you can see happen in your life from. Maybe you invite somebody to your house to go, hey, look, I'm not a teacher. I don't know everything about the Bible, but why don't we just read this and talk about it together? What can you do? Maybe you just need to bring them to church next week. That's a start. What can you do? Look don't wait to count the win when a person trusts Jesus. You count the win, when you get the Word of God into their lives and be encouraged. Because that's your role. It's Jonah did, right? He didn't even want to do it. Half-heartedly he did it, and it worked. What if we did it with full hearts? Number two, how can I specifically pray for others in my life that need Jesus? How can I pray this week? How can I lift them before the king? Listen, if salvation belongs to the Lord, reason would tell us that prayer is our biggest resource in this game.

Now, look, prayer doesn't excuse you from sharing the Word of God. I've heard people say that I'm just a prayer warrior. That's great. Now go share the work right prayer is our biggest power to prepare us for this. I read a quote this week that said, if God answered at one time every prayer I prayed this week, would anyone new be born into the Kingdom of God? And I'm telling you that floored me this week, because I'll confess to you, this is something I need to be better at. I need to be better. I get cocooned in this place in the ivory tower. Right? Man, If God answered every prayer, how many people would be born into the kingdom of God right now? Man, that convicted me this week. So, here's the walk away and walk down. No big invitation. But I just feel like we need to answer who we're praying for. Who is God putting in your heart? Why? Because we're Jonah. We're Jonah. And there's a whole lot of Nineveh that's waiting on us.

Lord, as we walk from this place today, Jesus. God, let walk in your power and your spirit with repentant hearts. God, just knowing salvation belongs to you. But faith only comes by hearing the word of God. God, let us live that balance this week, Jesus. Let the gospel be ever present on our mouths. Thank you, Lord. We trust you. We know you. For second chances. And for not being the wrathful God. You're a God of compassion and love and grace. God, we ask all this in your name. Jesus. Amen. Amen.

Hey, listen, Peter's going to be in the back mission’s area. There's virtual reality for compassion back there as well. There are verses in the front lobby, there's verses on the air. And bless you guys this week as you walk in the mission of God. You're dismissed.

Follow Along with the Message

Our Mission of Evangelism

March 13, 2022

Jonah 3:1
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:
Jonah 3:2
“Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
Jonah 3:3–4
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
Jonah 3:5–6
5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When Jonah’s warning 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.
Jonah 3:7–8
7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth.”
Jonah 3:8
Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
Jonah 3:9–10
9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

PRINCIPLE: God does not in judgment; He delights in mercy.

2 Evangelism Truths from Jonah

1. Salvation from the Lord.

1 Corinthians 12:3
No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8–9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
John 6:44
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them…”

2. Faith comes only by the Word of God.

Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message…
Isaiah 55:10–11
10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish... 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
2 Walk-Away Questions

1. How can I the Word into people’s lives this week?

2. How can I pray for others in my life that need Jesus?

Additional Notes

 

Email (To Send Copy of Notes)