2020/Jonah The Man and His Mission #3 (Sermon)_transcript.txt

[0.00 --> 6.68]  I can invite you to turn once again to the book of the prophet Jonah, Jonah chapter 3.
[6.80 --> 12.14]  For those of you who've been watching on live stream or have been present for the last two Sundays,
[12.52 --> 15.50]  we've looked at Jonah 1 and Jonah 2.
[15.70 --> 19.98]  Today we'll look at Jonah 3, and I'll be back, the Lord willing, in a few weeks,
[20.02 --> 23.60]  and we'll complete it and look at Jonah 4.
[24.48 --> 29.78]  I want to just challenge you to sit down some point and just read the whole of the book.
[29.78 --> 31.88]  It's 67 verses long.
[32.48 --> 37.24]  It takes less than 20 minutes to read it, even as you read it very slowly.
[38.24 --> 46.14]  And like I said last week, I would like to ask you also to think very clearly about the words that are being used.
[46.28 --> 49.40]  For example, Jonah went down to Joppa.
[49.86 --> 56.08]  He went down into, under the deck of the ship that he tried to flee on.
[57.48 --> 59.36]  And then he went down into the water.
[59.78 --> 65.78]  You know, as long as we go away from the Lord, we're always going to go down.
[67.24 --> 75.12]  But now Jonah has been, as we ended last week at the end of chapter 2, vomited out onto dry land.
[75.12 --> 83.76]  And so today I would like to look at the journey of this man on his mission and ask the question,
[84.76 --> 88.92]  would you like to have an opportunity for a do-over?
[88.92 --> 95.14]  And with that question in mind, let me read from Jonah chapter 3.
[95.80 --> 96.70]  It's 10 verses.
[97.78 --> 103.84]  Just follow along on the screen if you like, or if you have your own Bible with you, then follow along there.
[103.84 --> 106.46]  So verse 10 of chapter 2 said,
[106.46 --> 112.00]  The Lord commanded the fish and had vomited Jonah onto dry land.
[112.76 --> 118.72]  Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.
[119.76 --> 125.06]  Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.
[126.48 --> 129.14]  And Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.
[129.14 --> 131.94]  Now Nineveh was a very large city.
[132.48 --> 134.84]  It took three days to go through it.
[135.78 --> 139.22]  Jonah began by going a day's journey into the city, proclaiming,
[139.54 --> 142.40]  40 more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.
[143.66 --> 145.42]  The Ninevites believed God.
[146.18 --> 151.18]  They declared a fast and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
[152.36 --> 156.04]  And when the news reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne,
[156.04 --> 161.62]  took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat down in the dust.
[162.50 --> 165.08]  Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh.
[165.96 --> 174.60]  By the decree of the king and his nobles, do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything.
[175.72 --> 181.42]  Do not let them eat or drink, but let people and animals be covered with sackcloth.
[181.42 --> 184.66]  Let everyone call urgently on God.
[185.26 --> 188.18]  Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
[188.92 --> 189.84]  Who knows?
[190.94 --> 198.46]  God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.
[199.82 --> 203.80]  When the Lord saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways,
[203.90 --> 208.62]  he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
[208.62 --> 210.62]  This is the word of the Lord.
[212.36 --> 214.90]  So would you like to have an opportunity for a do-over?
[216.96 --> 218.58]  Just think about that for a moment.
[219.94 --> 222.96]  Now I'm not just simply saying, you know, a little thing.
[223.06 --> 224.90]  I'm talking about a big thing.
[225.04 --> 229.38]  How about going to school and doing that over,
[229.52 --> 232.32]  but this time taking your studies a bit more seriously?
[232.32 --> 239.44]  How about the career choice that you made?
[241.92 --> 243.68]  Are you happy in what you've done?
[245.06 --> 247.44]  Would you like to have an opportunity for a do-over?
[249.82 --> 251.34]  Or how about marriage?
[251.34 --> 256.30]  Or how about not having children?
[259.08 --> 262.40]  Would you like to have an opportunity for a do-over?
[264.26 --> 272.18]  Those are difficult questions to ponder because they get to the heart of who you are as a person.
[272.18 --> 281.60]  The reality is, is that all of us would benefit from a do-over.
[282.98 --> 284.48]  We've said the wrong thing.
[286.08 --> 287.56]  We've done the wrong thing.
[288.72 --> 290.34]  We've been in the wrong place.
[291.66 --> 293.26]  We've developed the wrong attitude.
[294.84 --> 296.72]  We'd like to go back and say,
[297.42 --> 298.74]  I'm not doing that again.
[298.74 --> 302.04]  I'd like to have a do-over.
[303.16 --> 304.18]  Jonah heard from God,
[304.28 --> 305.82]  Go to that great city.
[305.94 --> 308.34]  Its wickedness has come up before me,
[308.44 --> 310.22]  and I want you to preach against it.
[310.36 --> 310.98]  And Jonah said,
[311.06 --> 312.26]  No, I'm not going to go.
[313.10 --> 315.28]  And he ran in the opposite direction.
[315.90 --> 323.24]  Instead of going about 550 miles or 800 kilometers from where he lived to where Nineveh was,
[323.60 --> 324.62]  and you have to go over land,
[324.62 --> 330.32]  he decided to go down to Joppa and took a ship of Tarshish to go to the opposite direction,
[330.88 --> 333.16]  2,500 miles roughly,
[334.48 --> 335.70]  but at least he could sail,
[335.80 --> 336.58]  didn't have to walk.
[337.66 --> 338.02]  He said,
[338.08 --> 338.82]  No, I'm not going.
[339.08 --> 339.52]  Why?
[340.78 --> 341.12]  Well,
[342.00 --> 345.96]  Nineveh was a great and a wicked city and an enemy of Israel,
[345.96 --> 349.64]  and Jonah didn't want anything good to happen to them.
[349.92 --> 350.80]  He hated them.
[350.92 --> 352.46]  He was a racist.
[352.88 --> 354.42]  He was an imperialist.
[354.66 --> 356.02]  He was a nationalist.
[357.36 --> 360.90]  And he gets confronted by his identity.
[361.10 --> 365.06]  The sailors in the midst of a storm that God sends says,
[365.16 --> 365.84]  Who are you?
[366.96 --> 367.64]  I'm a Hebrew.
[367.64 --> 374.28]  I'm a follower of the God who created the heavens and the earth, the sea.
[376.38 --> 379.00]  And the sailors threw him overboard at his instruction,
[379.46 --> 380.72]  and then they stopped.
[380.96 --> 384.08]  When everything was done, the storm was gone,
[384.18 --> 389.84]  they stopped and they sacrificed not to Elohim, but to Yahweh.
[389.84 --> 393.26]  And the distinction is something like this.
[393.36 --> 395.32]  Both are names of God,
[395.44 --> 399.14]  but Elohim is sort of a generic name.
[399.82 --> 400.18]  God.
[401.66 --> 403.04]  Well, when you use Yahweh,
[403.56 --> 405.22]  you think about Father,
[406.32 --> 408.00]  one with whom you have a relationship.
[409.40 --> 411.34]  And they celebrated.
[412.56 --> 416.00]  They gave sacrifices to Yahweh.
[417.00 --> 418.42]  But Jonah went down.
[419.84 --> 421.64]  He went down as a Hebrew
[421.64 --> 424.86]  who had failed to live up to the purpose of the Hebrews.
[425.02 --> 427.78]  I will bless you, God had said to their founder, Abraham,
[428.02 --> 430.30]  so that you will be a blessing to the nations.
[431.98 --> 432.96]  Jonah went down.
[433.78 --> 436.00]  And in his distress, he cried out to God.
[436.10 --> 437.36]  He turned toward the temples.
[437.50 --> 441.56]  Mentioned twice in his psalm, in his prayer.
[442.04 --> 445.60]  He turned toward the temple because in the temple is the Ark of the Covenant,
[445.60 --> 448.84]  and on the Ark of the Covenant is the mercy seat.
[448.84 --> 454.14]  And within the Ark of the Covenant is the copy of the moral law given to Moses on Mount Sinai,
[454.14 --> 456.00]  the known as the Ten Commandments.
[456.78 --> 459.12]  And Jonah recognized he had fallen far short.
[459.58 --> 461.38]  And he turns for the mercy of God,
[461.38 --> 464.72]  and he ends up giving this shout of understanding.
[464.72 --> 467.18]  Salvation is from the Lord.
[468.88 --> 471.72]  Instead of going down any further,
[472.34 --> 476.66]  he's now brought up and vomited out,
[477.26 --> 479.10]  and he gets a do-over.
[480.24 --> 483.58]  The word of the Lord comes a second time to Jonah.
[483.58 --> 486.94]  Jonah, go to Nineveh, that great city,
[487.88 --> 491.28]  and give them the message that I will give to you.
[492.48 --> 493.68]  And Jonah goes.
[494.78 --> 497.80]  If he had to walk, it's about 800 kilometers,
[498.06 --> 501.00]  and if you can walk about 40 kilometers a day,
[501.28 --> 506.48]  you're going to have lots of time to think about the message that you need to give.
[506.48 --> 511.38]  The reality is that he had time to reflect and think.
[512.50 --> 515.14]  And we know as you've read further in the story,
[515.64 --> 521.18]  you know that ultimately Jonah is not very happy with God.
[522.96 --> 525.28]  Because the God who had extended him mercy
[525.28 --> 530.38]  was also the God who was going to extend mercy to the Ninevites.
[530.38 --> 535.30]  And while Jonah appreciates mercy,
[536.30 --> 538.80]  he doesn't want mercy to go to them.
[539.02 --> 539.30]  Why?
[540.24 --> 544.56]  Well, he was very concerned about quantity.
[546.12 --> 549.74]  There's a quantity of miles, kilometers that he has to go.
[549.84 --> 550.66]  That's one thing.
[551.24 --> 556.16]  But there is also a great quantity of people in Nineveh
[556.16 --> 559.02]  and in the Assyrian empire,
[559.02 --> 561.74]  and they were on the border of Israel,
[561.74 --> 563.62]  and they were a threat.
[564.04 --> 565.06]  They were big.
[565.16 --> 566.10]  They were powerful.
[566.24 --> 567.46]  There were many of them,
[567.56 --> 570.18]  and Israel was so small.
[571.32 --> 572.60]  You know, it'd be better
[572.60 --> 575.76]  if things went negatively for the Ninevites.
[577.34 --> 580.18]  And the Ninevites were already on edge.
[581.28 --> 584.12]  And I think we all identify with that a little bit.
[584.84 --> 587.32]  Because, you know, we're dealing with COVID-19,
[587.32 --> 591.60]  and everybody's a bit on edge, a bit reflective.
[591.96 --> 594.16]  When you walk past somebody in a store,
[594.26 --> 596.40]  you want to make sure that you don't get out of,
[596.66 --> 597.92]  or get too close to them.
[598.14 --> 599.68]  And if you do get close to them,
[599.72 --> 602.26]  you're quick to say that Canadian phrase
[602.26 --> 603.04]  that we all like,
[603.08 --> 603.54]  I'm sorry.
[605.32 --> 605.56]  Right?
[605.90 --> 607.54]  We're all changing.
[607.62 --> 608.74]  We're all bit on edge.
[608.82 --> 610.60]  Well, the Ninevites were on edge,
[610.68 --> 612.68]  and they were ready to lash out
[612.68 --> 615.68]  because they were themselves afraid.
[616.10 --> 616.46]  Why?
[616.64 --> 619.62]  Well, three things historians have pointed out.
[619.92 --> 622.02]  They were suffering from famine.
[623.86 --> 625.74]  And also, Kevin mentioned that, you know,
[625.82 --> 628.78]  there is a locust plague hitting.
[629.30 --> 631.18]  People will suffer from famine,
[631.64 --> 634.26]  and that makes them afraid for themselves
[634.26 --> 636.84]  and for their children and for their future.
[637.98 --> 640.52]  And when other people come to their meager supplies,
[641.32 --> 642.84]  they are ready to lash out
[642.84 --> 645.10]  and to build walls.
[646.78 --> 649.24]  There were plagues in the time.
[650.54 --> 652.74]  People died because of illness,
[652.94 --> 655.38]  because of communicable diseases.
[655.38 --> 657.82]  And again, we can identify.
[659.26 --> 660.48]  And then there was something else
[660.48 --> 663.96]  that had happened in 763 B.C.
[664.82 --> 667.24]  There had been a solar eclipse.
[668.58 --> 671.66]  And solar eclipses were always identified
[671.66 --> 674.76]  as an omen for bad stuff to come.
[676.52 --> 680.60]  They were seen as scary experiences.
[680.60 --> 685.42]  And so the Ninevites were on edge.
[686.14 --> 689.12]  Here, this powerful group of people.
[690.74 --> 692.34]  And Jonah was worried
[692.34 --> 695.50]  about the quantity of them
[695.50 --> 698.44]  and the quantity of their hatred
[698.44 --> 702.36]  and the quantity of their danger.
[704.06 --> 705.76]  And God says to Jonah,
[706.32 --> 706.64]  Go.
[706.64 --> 712.32]  And you tell them what I want you to tell them.
[713.94 --> 715.20]  And Jonah goes.
[716.70 --> 717.34]  Why?
[717.54 --> 720.60]  Well, because God is a God
[720.60 --> 724.26]  who holds creation in His hand and His power.
[724.66 --> 727.48]  And if you look at the story very carefully,
[727.84 --> 731.74]  you will note that God is always providing something.
[733.06 --> 734.88]  He provides Jonah with a mandate.
[735.10 --> 735.32]  Go.
[735.32 --> 736.82]  He provides them with a message.
[736.94 --> 738.46]  Preach against that wicked city.
[738.80 --> 740.10]  He provides a storm.
[740.22 --> 741.64]  He provides a great fish.
[742.06 --> 743.94]  He will, and we'll see that next time,
[744.28 --> 746.52]  He will provide a gourd, a plant.
[747.02 --> 749.70]  He will provide a hot wind.
[750.62 --> 753.42]  He will provide a message.
[756.02 --> 758.36]  But God also provides second chances.
[758.52 --> 760.28]  And that's where it's really important for us
[760.28 --> 762.38]  to reflect on and to think about
[762.38 --> 763.50]  for a few minutes.
[763.50 --> 765.66]  In your life,
[765.66 --> 768.38]  do you need a second chance?
[769.88 --> 773.06]  A second chance to heal a broken relationship?
[774.12 --> 776.32]  To say, please forgive me?
[777.18 --> 780.76]  To take responsibility for your action,
[781.24 --> 782.32]  for your word?
[782.32 --> 783.32]  God comes.
[783.32 --> 787.02]  And God comes, and He creates hope
[787.02 --> 789.50]  because He is a God who's ready to forgive
[789.50 --> 793.48]  and a God who is ready to renew and to restore
[793.48 --> 797.78]  because He is not a God so much concerned about quantity,
[797.94 --> 799.78]  although He is concerned about that too.
[799.92 --> 801.40]  We'll see that in chapter 4.
[801.40 --> 804.72]  But He's a God who's concerned about quality.
[806.48 --> 809.52]  The quality that you have as a person
[809.52 --> 814.52]  and the quality that the person beside you has as a person
[814.52 --> 817.12]  and the quality that the people,
[817.26 --> 818.74]  the citizens of Nineveh
[818.74 --> 821.32]  and the citizens of Assyria have
[821.32 --> 823.36]  as people, as persons,
[823.36 --> 826.46]  despite their wickedness,
[826.72 --> 829.00]  despite their acts of violence.
[830.24 --> 835.60]  And that quality is the quality of being made in the image of God.
[835.60 --> 840.02]  You and I are reflective of God.
[841.70 --> 845.28]  You and I are called to care for the creation.
[846.62 --> 849.12]  We are called to care for each other.
[849.54 --> 851.50]  One of the earliest lessons of the Scriptures,
[852.40 --> 857.22]  Cain asks of God about his brother Abel,
[857.34 --> 858.86]  Am I my brother's keeper?
[859.98 --> 861.60]  And the answer is yes, you are.
[862.60 --> 864.08]  You're also your brother's brother
[864.08 --> 866.14]  or your sister's sister
[866.14 --> 867.22]  or sister's brother
[867.22 --> 868.82]  and sister's keeper.
[869.98 --> 874.10]  God expects of us that we will care for each other.
[874.26 --> 876.62]  And when we act with wickedness
[876.62 --> 878.76]  and violence against each other,
[878.76 --> 880.66]  He is angry
[880.66 --> 885.40]  because He knows that inevitably
[885.40 --> 887.26]  wickedness and violence
[887.26 --> 889.48]  will lead to the disintegration
[889.48 --> 892.52]  of family and of relationships
[892.52 --> 893.66]  and of nations
[893.66 --> 896.56]  and it will lead to the disintegration
[896.56 --> 898.70]  of the fabric of the universe
[898.70 --> 899.54]  and the world
[899.54 --> 901.22]  in which He has placed us
[901.22 --> 902.56]  as stewards and caregivers.
[904.14 --> 905.48]  And so He gets angry.
[906.90 --> 907.74]  And He says,
[907.88 --> 911.00]  I will not allow it to continue.
[911.00 --> 917.26]  And so what He does is He sends a servant
[917.26 --> 923.00]  to do what many people think is ridiculous.
[924.06 --> 927.28]  He should have sent a scientist
[927.28 --> 931.06]  or a social scientist
[931.06 --> 933.54]  or an engineer.
[933.54 --> 935.72]  But a preacher?
[935.72 --> 938.62]  You send a preacher?
[939.36 --> 941.40]  To face wickedness
[941.40 --> 942.86]  and violence?
[944.62 --> 946.14]  I don't know if you watch the news.
[946.24 --> 947.76]  I suspect all of us watch the news.
[947.90 --> 949.76]  But, you know, a couple of days ago
[949.76 --> 950.70]  John Lewis died.
[951.98 --> 954.36]  He was one of the six leaders
[954.36 --> 957.26]  of the civil rights movement
[957.26 --> 958.52]  with Martin Luther King.
[958.52 --> 960.38]  He was one of the guys
[960.38 --> 961.80]  who walked across that bridge
[961.80 --> 963.50]  in Selma, Alabama.
[964.40 --> 965.70]  Suffered a fractured skull.
[967.84 --> 969.28]  He wanted to be a preacher.
[969.74 --> 971.18]  Never did become one.
[971.24 --> 972.62]  He went to seminary.
[973.62 --> 974.90]  Because he stuttered.
[975.92 --> 977.24]  He preached to the chickens
[977.24 --> 979.60]  at home on his farm.
[980.26 --> 980.80]  He said,
[980.90 --> 981.82]  I even married some.
[981.90 --> 982.60]  I buried some.
[982.72 --> 983.52]  Gave them funerals.
[983.52 --> 986.24]  You think,
[986.56 --> 986.92]  a preacher?
[988.60 --> 989.58]  And yet he preached.
[990.52 --> 991.32]  Nonviolence.
[992.64 --> 994.90]  You stand up, he says.
[995.10 --> 997.00]  You speak up, he said.
[997.16 --> 998.82]  You march, he said.
[999.28 --> 1001.74]  You'll sit down in protest.
[1003.32 --> 1004.82]  But you don't engage in violence.
[1005.98 --> 1006.32]  Why?
[1008.90 --> 1010.88]  Because the person who opposes you
[1010.88 --> 1012.10]  is an image bearer of God.
[1012.10 --> 1014.44]  And one of the striking things,
[1014.50 --> 1015.90]  I watched it on the news last night
[1015.90 --> 1018.06]  in a reflection on his life.
[1019.02 --> 1021.04]  One of the police who beat him up
[1021.04 --> 1023.26]  on the bridge in Selma
[1023.26 --> 1024.98]  asked to see him
[1024.98 --> 1027.20]  and asked for forgiveness.
[1028.78 --> 1030.76]  A very moving moment.
[1032.66 --> 1033.30]  It's what a preacher
[1033.30 --> 1035.64]  with a message of hope
[1035.64 --> 1036.96]  and grace
[1036.96 --> 1038.28]  and do-overs
[1038.28 --> 1040.04]  can accomplish.
[1040.04 --> 1042.64]  And God said to Jonah,
[1043.52 --> 1044.06]  Go.
[1045.46 --> 1046.52]  Give the message
[1046.52 --> 1047.52]  I will give you.
[1047.60 --> 1048.96]  I don't care what you think of
[1048.96 --> 1050.26]  over the next 20 days
[1050.26 --> 1052.50]  as you walk towards Nineveh.
[1052.74 --> 1053.48]  The message
[1053.48 --> 1055.00]  I will give you.
[1055.90 --> 1057.36]  It's eight words long.
[1058.72 --> 1060.80]  It's five words in Hebrew.
[1063.00 --> 1064.28]  Yet 40 days
[1064.28 --> 1064.78]  in Nineveh
[1064.78 --> 1065.74]  will be overthrown.
[1065.74 --> 1069.94]  If my homiletics professor
[1069.94 --> 1071.76]  had read that,
[1071.84 --> 1073.42]  if I had handed that in
[1073.42 --> 1074.76]  as one of my sermons,
[1075.20 --> 1076.26]  yet 40 days
[1076.26 --> 1076.98]  and Toronto
[1076.98 --> 1078.26]  will be overthrown.
[1079.08 --> 1080.40]  Yet 40 days
[1080.40 --> 1081.84]  and just fill in the blanks.
[1082.92 --> 1083.68]  He would have said,
[1084.14 --> 1084.42]  F.
[1085.08 --> 1086.30]  There's no introduction.
[1087.30 --> 1088.70]  There's no exegesis.
[1089.66 --> 1091.18]  There's no testimony.
[1091.50 --> 1092.46]  There is no illustration.
[1092.84 --> 1094.50]  There's nothing of interest.
[1094.62 --> 1095.88]  There's just a threat.
[1097.62 --> 1099.52]  There's no hope here.
[1101.40 --> 1102.76]  Yet 40 days
[1102.76 --> 1104.26]  and Nineveh
[1104.26 --> 1105.26]  will be overthrown.
[1109.14 --> 1110.44]  And Jonah moves
[1110.44 --> 1111.38]  with a message
[1111.38 --> 1113.06]  into the heart of that city.
[1113.30 --> 1114.26]  Three days journey
[1114.26 --> 1115.26]  across to go.
[1115.26 --> 1117.84]  He goes a day in,
[1117.92 --> 1118.64]  sort of gets into
[1118.64 --> 1119.72]  the center of the city.
[1120.58 --> 1121.46]  And he preaches.
[1121.60 --> 1122.40]  Yet 40 days
[1122.40 --> 1122.84]  and Nineveh
[1122.84 --> 1123.68]  will be overthrown.
[1123.78 --> 1125.40]  Now does he change it at all?
[1125.76 --> 1126.52]  Well, yeah.
[1126.64 --> 1127.18]  We don't know
[1127.18 --> 1127.86]  how many days
[1127.86 --> 1128.82]  he preached this thing.
[1129.86 --> 1130.82]  How many days
[1130.82 --> 1132.20]  did he sit outside the city?
[1133.12 --> 1133.84]  Did he start,
[1133.96 --> 1134.94]  say, 40 days
[1134.94 --> 1136.54]  and then the next day
[1136.54 --> 1137.52]  39 days
[1137.52 --> 1138.40]  and then the next day
[1138.40 --> 1140.18]  38 and 37, 36?
[1140.44 --> 1141.64]  Did he get down to one?
[1142.78 --> 1143.60]  We don't know.
[1143.60 --> 1145.92]  That's the power of story.
[1146.60 --> 1147.80]  It invites you in.
[1148.00 --> 1149.04]  It makes you think.
[1149.24 --> 1150.38]  It makes you ponder.
[1150.60 --> 1151.84]  It makes you reflect.
[1152.32 --> 1153.50]  It makes you wonder.
[1154.76 --> 1156.34]  It makes you decide.
[1157.82 --> 1158.70]  Yet 40 days
[1158.70 --> 1159.08]  and Nineveh
[1159.08 --> 1160.02]  will be overthrown.
[1160.82 --> 1162.00]  Yet 17 days
[1162.00 --> 1162.48]  and Nineveh
[1162.48 --> 1163.46]  will be overthrown.
[1163.98 --> 1165.04]  Yet 18 months
[1165.04 --> 1166.44]  before there's a vaccine
[1166.44 --> 1168.22]  for COVID-19.
[1168.48 --> 1169.80]  How will you survive
[1169.80 --> 1171.12]  for another 18 months?
[1171.12 --> 1173.38]  Well, the answer is
[1173.38 --> 1174.38]  by the grace of God.
[1175.48 --> 1176.00]  All right?
[1176.04 --> 1177.10]  That's how we survive.
[1177.62 --> 1178.80]  By the grace of God.
[1179.20 --> 1179.54]  Yet,
[1180.00 --> 1181.68]  yet 40 days.
[1182.44 --> 1185.00]  What a ridiculous message.
[1187.40 --> 1188.54]  And notice what it says.
[1189.02 --> 1189.78]  The Ninevites
[1189.78 --> 1191.52]  believed God.
[1191.52 --> 1195.28]  Know this
[1195.28 --> 1196.38]  as you function
[1196.38 --> 1197.18]  as a church,
[1197.70 --> 1198.46]  as a community
[1198.46 --> 1199.54]  of redeemed people
[1199.54 --> 1200.10]  within,
[1200.30 --> 1200.94]  you know,
[1201.00 --> 1202.28]  this community
[1202.28 --> 1203.58]  and the broader creation.
[1204.16 --> 1204.90]  Know this.
[1205.94 --> 1206.46]  Salvation
[1206.46 --> 1207.60]  is of the Lord.
[1208.96 --> 1209.88]  That doesn't mean
[1209.88 --> 1211.08]  you shouldn't develop
[1211.08 --> 1212.34]  sermons and programs
[1212.34 --> 1213.34]  dealing with skill.
[1213.52 --> 1213.98]  The Apollos,
[1213.98 --> 1214.52]  you know,
[1214.56 --> 1215.92]  Apollos was one of the great
[1215.92 --> 1217.40]  preachers of the New Testament,
[1217.40 --> 1218.46]  but he sat down
[1218.46 --> 1219.70]  with Priscilla and Aquila,
[1219.70 --> 1220.40]  and they taught him
[1220.40 --> 1221.10]  a better way.
[1222.54 --> 1223.80]  So there's nothing wrong
[1223.80 --> 1224.98]  with developing skills
[1224.98 --> 1226.96]  and doing all of those things,
[1227.12 --> 1228.76]  but you put your hope
[1228.76 --> 1229.52]  and trust
[1229.52 --> 1231.02]  in the power of God
[1231.02 --> 1232.12]  to open,
[1232.78 --> 1233.64]  closed hearts
[1233.64 --> 1234.78]  and minds.
[1235.34 --> 1236.76]  That's where the hope is.
[1237.32 --> 1238.74]  So you keep telling the story.
[1239.52 --> 1241.76]  You keep proclaiming the word.
[1241.76 --> 1244.08]  You keep praying to God
[1244.08 --> 1246.18]  that he will open hearts
[1246.18 --> 1247.46]  and minds.
[1248.46 --> 1250.70]  And then the people of Nineveh
[1250.70 --> 1252.32]  changed.
[1253.76 --> 1256.18]  The city wasn't overturned,
[1256.22 --> 1258.76]  but they were overturned.
[1259.94 --> 1261.44]  From the greatest of them,
[1261.50 --> 1261.84]  it says,
[1261.92 --> 1262.64]  to the least.
[1263.04 --> 1264.04]  From the merchants
[1264.04 --> 1265.56]  in the society
[1265.56 --> 1267.08]  to the people
[1267.08 --> 1268.56]  who swept the floor
[1268.56 --> 1270.38]  or who picked up the garbage
[1270.38 --> 1272.78]  or who had lower standing
[1272.78 --> 1274.32]  socially and economically
[1274.32 --> 1275.28]  in the city,
[1275.70 --> 1277.14]  probably at that time
[1277.14 --> 1277.94]  the slaves.
[1278.44 --> 1279.36]  From the greatest
[1279.36 --> 1280.26]  to the least,
[1280.48 --> 1281.74]  doesn't involve the king yet,
[1281.80 --> 1283.16]  the word comes to him later,
[1283.82 --> 1284.78]  and to the nobles.
[1286.46 --> 1287.80]  They believed God.
[1289.06 --> 1290.86]  And they put on sackcloth.
[1292.18 --> 1293.44]  And they repent.
[1293.66 --> 1294.66]  What does that mean?
[1294.66 --> 1296.62]  Well, they turned
[1296.62 --> 1297.46]  from their wicked
[1297.46 --> 1299.12]  and violent ways.
[1299.52 --> 1301.04]  They began to treat
[1301.04 --> 1303.04]  image bearers of God,
[1303.86 --> 1305.04]  their neighbors,
[1305.42 --> 1307.54]  with respect that they deserve
[1307.54 --> 1310.14]  despite their color,
[1310.94 --> 1312.06]  their race,
[1312.78 --> 1313.60]  their gender,
[1314.20 --> 1315.16]  their language,
[1315.54 --> 1317.28]  their social economic status.
[1317.66 --> 1319.90]  They pursued justice
[1319.90 --> 1322.86]  and righteousness.
[1322.86 --> 1325.48]  Gerald Van Der Zande,
[1325.76 --> 1327.42]  he's passed away now,
[1327.52 --> 1328.54]  but he had a lot to do
[1328.54 --> 1329.98]  with Citizens for Public Justice.
[1330.46 --> 1331.36]  He has a book.
[1332.36 --> 1332.86]  I encourage you
[1332.86 --> 1333.56]  to read sometime.
[1334.12 --> 1335.12]  But the title
[1335.12 --> 1336.10]  is intriguing.
[1337.24 --> 1337.78]  It says,
[1338.16 --> 1338.80]  Justice,
[1339.60 --> 1341.64]  not just us.
[1344.46 --> 1345.02]  Justice,
[1345.68 --> 1348.14]  not just me.
[1350.14 --> 1350.74]  Justice.
[1350.74 --> 1350.88]  Justice.
[1351.40 --> 1353.94]  They began to pursue justice.
[1354.98 --> 1356.46]  And then the word came
[1356.46 --> 1357.26]  to the king.
[1357.90 --> 1359.32]  And the king said,
[1359.92 --> 1360.94]  Everybody
[1360.94 --> 1363.66]  has to get engaged.
[1364.72 --> 1367.26]  There is a federal command
[1367.26 --> 1368.08]  that says,
[1368.20 --> 1370.18]  Everybody wear sackcloth.
[1371.20 --> 1372.32]  That's an interesting thing
[1372.32 --> 1373.12]  to reflect on
[1373.12 --> 1375.38]  in the day of mask wearing
[1375.38 --> 1376.04]  or not.
[1376.92 --> 1378.50]  Does everyone do it?
[1378.50 --> 1382.18]  Does it get mandated federally?
[1383.02 --> 1384.90]  So far in our nations,
[1385.08 --> 1385.38]  Canada,
[1385.50 --> 1386.24]  the United States,
[1386.34 --> 1387.56]  it hasn't been mandated
[1387.56 --> 1388.84]  federally.
[1389.56 --> 1390.94]  But you begin to wonder
[1390.94 --> 1391.90]  whether it should be.
[1392.90 --> 1394.26]  Whether we're effectively
[1394.26 --> 1394.96]  fighting
[1394.96 --> 1398.42]  what is changing our lives
[1398.42 --> 1400.26]  and making us think.
[1401.12 --> 1402.10]  The king says,
[1402.24 --> 1402.70]  Everyone,
[1403.36 --> 1404.78]  including your animals,
[1404.78 --> 1407.20]  and they don't eat
[1407.20 --> 1407.98]  and drink either.
[1408.56 --> 1409.66]  I grew up on a farm
[1409.66 --> 1411.44]  and, you know,
[1411.52 --> 1412.14]  in Ontario,
[1412.36 --> 1413.60]  it was cold in the wintertime
[1413.60 --> 1415.20]  and our cows stayed inside.
[1415.62 --> 1416.72]  But every once in a while,
[1416.82 --> 1417.94]  the pipes would freeze.
[1418.98 --> 1420.02]  And then the cows
[1420.02 --> 1421.44]  didn't have water.
[1422.18 --> 1423.10]  And when you came
[1423.10 --> 1423.88]  into the barn
[1423.88 --> 1425.16]  and the cows
[1425.16 --> 1425.98]  hadn't had water,
[1426.08 --> 1426.68]  you were greeted
[1426.68 --> 1427.62]  with a chorus
[1427.62 --> 1429.58]  of complaint.
[1429.58 --> 1434.88]  And it just was
[1434.88 --> 1436.68]  on and on and on.
[1436.90 --> 1437.44]  So you quickly
[1437.44 --> 1438.44]  got out the blowtorch
[1438.44 --> 1439.50]  and by we had
[1439.50 --> 1440.30]  a fair number
[1440.30 --> 1441.76]  of amount of experience
[1441.76 --> 1442.96]  of having frozen pipes.
[1443.06 --> 1443.46]  So we knew
[1443.46 --> 1444.04]  where the pipes
[1444.04 --> 1444.90]  were likely to freeze.
[1445.42 --> 1446.12]  And then quickly
[1446.12 --> 1447.36]  you get the blowtorch out
[1447.36 --> 1448.58]  and pretty soon
[1448.58 --> 1449.86]  you're treated
[1449.86 --> 1451.06]  to this wonderful
[1451.06 --> 1454.36]  sound of running water.
[1454.36 --> 1456.32]  and then it comes
[1456.32 --> 1456.96]  to the cows
[1456.96 --> 1458.46]  and slowly but surely
[1458.46 --> 1461.38]  the moos reside
[1461.38 --> 1462.78]  and reside.
[1463.50 --> 1464.96]  And it is quiet.
[1465.14 --> 1465.94]  It is still.
[1466.18 --> 1467.02]  There is peace.
[1467.82 --> 1468.82]  There is satisfaction.
[1469.32 --> 1469.86]  Can you imagine
[1469.86 --> 1471.10]  how hard these people
[1471.10 --> 1471.88]  had to work
[1471.88 --> 1473.34]  to keep their cows
[1473.34 --> 1473.96]  from drinking
[1473.96 --> 1477.00]  in a hot climate?
[1478.76 --> 1479.44]  Perhaps
[1479.44 --> 1481.66]  the Lord,
[1481.84 --> 1482.50]  it says,
[1482.50 --> 1483.64]  perhaps the Lord
[1483.64 --> 1485.14]  will have compassion
[1485.14 --> 1486.48]  and turn
[1486.48 --> 1487.66]  from his fierce anger.
[1487.90 --> 1489.24]  And we have to turn
[1489.24 --> 1491.26]  from our evil ways
[1491.26 --> 1492.64]  and our violence.
[1493.78 --> 1494.86]  And they do.
[1496.26 --> 1497.56]  And God turns
[1497.56 --> 1498.42]  from his anger
[1498.42 --> 1499.82]  and he relents.
[1500.60 --> 1501.56]  Now there's an interesting
[1501.56 --> 1502.56]  way of looking
[1502.56 --> 1503.22]  at this
[1503.22 --> 1504.52]  because you can
[1504.52 --> 1505.16]  ask yourself
[1505.16 --> 1505.68]  the question,
[1506.02 --> 1506.98]  is this a repentance
[1506.98 --> 1507.84]  that leads
[1507.84 --> 1509.12]  to extended life
[1509.12 --> 1509.78]  on this earth
[1509.78 --> 1511.04]  or is this repentance
[1511.04 --> 1511.72]  that leads
[1511.72 --> 1512.58]  to salvation
[1512.58 --> 1514.14]  that has extended
[1514.14 --> 1515.06]  life with God
[1515.06 --> 1515.58]  in heaven?
[1516.86 --> 1517.46]  And there are two
[1517.46 --> 1518.20]  schools of thought
[1518.20 --> 1518.64]  on this.
[1520.26 --> 1521.46]  One school of thought
[1521.46 --> 1522.34]  is it's repentance
[1522.34 --> 1523.06]  that leads
[1523.06 --> 1523.86]  to change
[1523.86 --> 1524.56]  of behavior
[1524.56 --> 1526.06]  on this earth.
[1526.40 --> 1527.32]  There's a pursuit
[1527.32 --> 1529.02]  of no more justice
[1529.02 --> 1529.90]  and of no more
[1529.90 --> 1530.60]  evil ways
[1530.60 --> 1531.50]  and of doing
[1531.50 --> 1532.20]  what is right
[1532.20 --> 1533.02]  and of doing
[1533.02 --> 1533.86]  what is kind
[1533.86 --> 1534.60]  and of doing
[1534.60 --> 1535.28]  what is loving.
[1536.48 --> 1536.96]  And the reason
[1536.96 --> 1537.82]  why some scholars
[1537.82 --> 1538.72]  say that
[1538.72 --> 1539.32]  is because
[1539.32 --> 1540.90]  the Ninevites
[1540.90 --> 1541.86]  apparently never
[1541.86 --> 1542.78]  give up their idols.
[1542.92 --> 1543.68]  They never give up
[1543.68 --> 1544.30]  their gods
[1544.30 --> 1545.56]  and they never
[1545.56 --> 1547.36]  refer to God
[1547.36 --> 1548.58]  as Yahweh
[1548.58 --> 1549.62]  as the sailors
[1549.62 --> 1550.10]  had done
[1550.10 --> 1550.90]  in chapter 1.
[1551.52 --> 1552.60]  They refer to God
[1552.60 --> 1553.26]  as Elohim.
[1554.40 --> 1555.58]  Sort of general,
[1555.98 --> 1556.32]  generic.
[1557.90 --> 1558.98]  And so their repentance
[1558.98 --> 1560.44]  involves
[1560.44 --> 1561.98]  a change
[1561.98 --> 1563.06]  of lifestyle
[1563.06 --> 1565.12]  but not necessarily
[1565.12 --> 1565.64]  a change
[1565.64 --> 1566.12]  of heart.
[1567.26 --> 1567.92]  And then there are,
[1568.06 --> 1568.54]  there's the other
[1568.54 --> 1569.24]  school of thought
[1569.24 --> 1569.74]  that says,
[1570.20 --> 1570.52]  no, no,
[1570.56 --> 1571.64]  it involves both,
[1571.70 --> 1572.62]  a change of heart
[1572.62 --> 1573.52]  or lifestyle
[1573.52 --> 1574.28]  and a change
[1574.28 --> 1574.88]  of heart
[1574.88 --> 1575.88]  as well.
[1576.72 --> 1577.52]  And if you read
[1577.52 --> 1578.60]  in the Gospel
[1578.60 --> 1581.50]  of Matthew
[1581.50 --> 1582.44]  chapter 12,
[1583.56 --> 1583.78]  you know,
[1583.84 --> 1584.76]  Jesus is asked
[1584.76 --> 1585.74]  by the Pharisees,
[1585.84 --> 1586.06]  teacher,
[1586.22 --> 1586.84]  we want to see
[1586.84 --> 1587.82]  a sign from you.
[1588.48 --> 1589.48]  And he answered,
[1589.60 --> 1589.94]  a wicked
[1589.94 --> 1590.68]  and adulterous
[1590.68 --> 1591.68]  generation asks
[1591.68 --> 1592.40]  for a sign
[1592.40 --> 1593.54]  but none will be
[1593.54 --> 1594.00]  given it
[1594.00 --> 1594.84]  except the sign
[1594.84 --> 1595.88]  of the prophet Jonah.
[1596.78 --> 1597.38]  For as Jonah
[1597.38 --> 1598.14]  was three days
[1598.14 --> 1598.80]  and three nights
[1598.80 --> 1599.26]  in the belly
[1599.26 --> 1600.22]  of a huge fish,
[1600.72 --> 1601.76]  so the Son of Man
[1601.76 --> 1602.62]  will be three days
[1602.62 --> 1603.30]  and three nights
[1603.30 --> 1603.76]  in the heart
[1603.76 --> 1604.32]  of the earth.
[1604.96 --> 1605.84]  The people of Nineveh
[1605.84 --> 1606.50]  will stand up
[1606.50 --> 1607.10]  as a judgment
[1607.10 --> 1608.14]  with this generation
[1608.14 --> 1609.10]  and condemn it.
[1610.02 --> 1611.20]  Now notice these words.
[1612.48 --> 1614.00]  For they repented
[1614.00 --> 1614.98]  at the preaching
[1614.98 --> 1615.86]  of Jonah
[1615.86 --> 1618.78]  and now one greater
[1618.78 --> 1619.38]  than Jonah
[1619.38 --> 1620.04]  is here.
[1621.40 --> 1622.44]  They repented
[1622.44 --> 1623.52]  at the preaching
[1623.52 --> 1624.06]  of Jonah
[1624.06 --> 1624.98]  and they will
[1624.98 --> 1625.50]  stand up
[1625.50 --> 1626.04]  and condemn
[1626.04 --> 1626.58]  the present
[1626.58 --> 1627.20]  generations
[1627.20 --> 1628.18]  of the Pharisees
[1628.18 --> 1629.08]  and the Sadducees
[1629.08 --> 1630.36]  who want to see
[1630.36 --> 1630.84]  a sign.
[1632.88 --> 1633.66]  I'll leave you
[1633.66 --> 1634.74]  to debate that
[1634.74 --> 1636.00]  and ponder it.
[1636.96 --> 1637.94]  Was it just simply
[1637.94 --> 1639.82]  a repentance
[1639.82 --> 1640.74]  of lifestyle?
[1640.94 --> 1642.00]  Because in a hundred
[1642.00 --> 1642.56]  years,
[1642.66 --> 1643.08]  Nahum,
[1643.28 --> 1643.72]  the next,
[1643.86 --> 1644.52]  another prophet
[1644.52 --> 1645.44]  will say that
[1645.44 --> 1646.58]  Nineveh is a city
[1646.58 --> 1647.10]  of blood
[1647.10 --> 1648.60]  and there is
[1648.60 --> 1649.36]  no hope for it.
[1650.52 --> 1651.44]  So if there was
[1651.44 --> 1652.00]  a repentance,
[1652.00 --> 1652.92]  it wasn't passed
[1652.92 --> 1654.44]  on to the next
[1654.44 --> 1655.00]  generation
[1655.00 --> 1656.32]  of people.
[1658.32 --> 1659.68]  But it was
[1659.68 --> 1661.34]  a change
[1661.34 --> 1663.34]  and God
[1663.34 --> 1664.70]  relents.
[1665.86 --> 1666.78]  And he gives
[1666.78 --> 1667.88]  not only Jonah
[1667.88 --> 1670.10]  but he gives
[1670.10 --> 1670.96]  the Ninevites
[1670.96 --> 1672.92]  a second chance,
[1673.92 --> 1675.32]  another opportunity.
[1675.32 --> 1678.42]  he withholds
[1678.42 --> 1680.00]  his fierce anger.
[1682.14 --> 1683.06]  And Jesus
[1683.06 --> 1684.18]  at one point
[1684.18 --> 1686.30]  comes to the city
[1686.30 --> 1686.94]  of Jerusalem
[1686.94 --> 1690.72]  and he cries.
[1692.72 --> 1693.78]  He's not angry.
[1695.78 --> 1696.84]  He's just sad.
[1696.84 --> 1697.56]  Oh,
[1697.62 --> 1699.16]  how I would have
[1699.16 --> 1699.88]  gathered you
[1699.88 --> 1700.42]  together
[1700.42 --> 1701.60]  as a chick
[1701.60 --> 1702.84]  gathers her wing
[1702.84 --> 1704.18]  or as a hen
[1704.18 --> 1705.34]  gathers her chicks
[1705.34 --> 1706.42]  under her wings
[1706.42 --> 1708.14]  but you
[1708.14 --> 1709.86]  would not.
[1711.78 --> 1712.78]  And he goes
[1712.78 --> 1713.48]  into the city
[1713.48 --> 1715.52]  and he gets
[1715.52 --> 1715.98]  condemned
[1715.98 --> 1718.68]  and he is taken
[1718.68 --> 1719.78]  outside of the city
[1719.78 --> 1721.96]  and he gets
[1721.96 --> 1722.46]  crucified
[1722.46 --> 1724.50]  and buried
[1724.50 --> 1727.14]  and three days
[1727.14 --> 1727.58]  later
[1727.58 --> 1729.68]  the earth
[1729.68 --> 1730.34]  can no longer
[1730.34 --> 1730.98]  hold him
[1730.98 --> 1732.62]  because his
[1732.62 --> 1733.56]  father in heaven
[1733.56 --> 1735.24]  opens
[1735.24 --> 1737.52]  the grave
[1737.52 --> 1738.86]  and Jesus
[1738.86 --> 1739.84]  comes forth
[1739.84 --> 1741.88]  and with Jesus
[1741.88 --> 1744.62]  there is no need
[1744.62 --> 1746.38]  for a do over.
[1748.38 --> 1749.66]  He has paid
[1749.66 --> 1750.24]  the price.
[1750.24 --> 1753.20]  you are free
[1753.20 --> 1754.16]  if you are
[1754.16 --> 1754.88]  in him.
[1756.48 --> 1756.96]  Free
[1756.96 --> 1758.48]  to do what?
[1759.36 --> 1760.62]  To tell a story.
[1761.88 --> 1762.86]  A story
[1762.86 --> 1763.98]  of how God
[1763.98 --> 1765.54]  has changed
[1765.54 --> 1766.28]  your life
[1766.28 --> 1768.12]  and turned
[1768.12 --> 1769.16]  it upside down
[1769.16 --> 1770.96]  and made you
[1770.96 --> 1771.44]  whole
[1771.44 --> 1772.84]  and made you
[1772.84 --> 1773.30]  well.
[1774.46 --> 1775.22]  And when you
[1775.22 --> 1776.30]  tell that story
[1776.30 --> 1778.14]  you release
[1778.14 --> 1778.76]  the power
[1778.76 --> 1779.38]  of God
[1779.38 --> 1780.98]  into the lives
[1780.98 --> 1781.50]  of others.
[1781.84 --> 1782.42]  Let's pray.
[1784.30 --> 1785.32]  Lord our God
[1785.32 --> 1786.44]  we wish
[1786.44 --> 1786.98]  to walk
[1786.98 --> 1787.92]  close to you
[1787.92 --> 1790.26]  to trust you
[1790.26 --> 1792.16]  to be obedient
[1792.16 --> 1792.78]  to you
[1792.78 --> 1794.56]  and yet
[1794.56 --> 1796.06]  in all honesty
[1796.06 --> 1797.22]  we run from you
[1797.22 --> 1798.40]  from time to time
[1798.40 --> 1798.74]  because
[1798.74 --> 1799.82]  we think
[1799.82 --> 1800.68]  what you are asking
[1800.68 --> 1801.26]  of us
[1801.26 --> 1802.02]  is too much
[1802.02 --> 1803.40]  and sometimes
[1803.40 --> 1804.14]  we even think
[1804.14 --> 1804.76]  it is ridiculous.
[1804.76 --> 1807.70]  and yet
[1807.70 --> 1808.68]  you ask us
[1808.68 --> 1809.62]  simply to trust
[1809.62 --> 1809.94]  you
[1809.94 --> 1810.78]  and to trust
[1810.78 --> 1811.32]  the power
[1811.32 --> 1812.12]  of the story
[1812.12 --> 1813.44]  that you want
[1813.44 --> 1813.86]  to tell.
[1815.42 --> 1816.42]  We thank you
[1816.42 --> 1817.02]  for the story
[1817.02 --> 1817.48]  of Jesus.
[1818.16 --> 1818.62]  We pray
[1818.62 --> 1819.06]  that you would
[1819.06 --> 1819.96]  write on our hearts
[1819.96 --> 1820.62]  every word
[1820.62 --> 1822.78]  and we thank you
[1822.78 --> 1823.78]  that we in him
[1823.78 --> 1824.62]  have an opportunity
[1824.62 --> 1825.90]  to come to you
[1825.90 --> 1826.32]  again
[1826.32 --> 1827.14]  and again
[1827.14 --> 1827.84]  and again
[1827.84 --> 1829.44]  to ask for forgiveness
[1829.44 --> 1830.56]  to ask for strength
[1830.56 --> 1832.30]  to do what it is
[1832.30 --> 1833.28]  you want us to do
[1833.28 --> 1835.04]  so that your kingdom
[1835.04 --> 1835.72]  comes
[1835.72 --> 1837.34]  and so that your will
[1837.34 --> 1837.80]  is done.
[1838.06 --> 1838.88]  So hear us Lord
[1838.88 --> 1840.24]  and indwell us
[1840.24 --> 1841.18]  by your spirit
[1841.18 --> 1842.90]  and help us
[1842.90 --> 1843.78]  to repent
[1843.78 --> 1845.66]  as required
[1845.66 --> 1846.78]  in Jesus name
[1846.78 --> 1848.04]  so that we may
[1848.04 --> 1848.88]  always walk
[1848.88 --> 1850.52]  close with you.
[1851.52 --> 1852.00]  Amen.