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October 18, 2020 10:00am
October 25, 2020 10:00am
“The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.” George H. Morrison
Locations & Times
Christian Life Church Columbia
2700 Bush River Rd, Columbia, SC 29210, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
WHEN GOD RELENTS October 25, 2020
SCRIPTURE
And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 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. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 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. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 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, 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. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” 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. Jonah 2:10-3:10, ESV
JONAH RETURNING
God has given Jonah several renewed opportunities at life, repentance, and calling.
“The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.” George H. Morrison
There are four possible reasons Jonah runs in the first place:
1/ Was the task to difficult?
Jonah’s reluctance to go reveals his belief that God would use him mightily.
2/ Was the task too far?
Jonah’s willingness to travel five times farther to Tarshish debunks this theory.
3/ Was the task too risky?
This is a possibility, but the prophet must know nothing is more risky than running from God Almighty.
4/ Was the task too compassionate?
Jonah’s revealed hatred (chapter 4) shows he believes God is too kind to sinners.
He makes a common mistake: Jonah allows sin against him to become sin in him.
When we weigh our sins against others, the scales always tip in our favor; but God’s scales are perfectly balanced.
In Scripture, “forty” is identified with testing or judgment (Noah, Goliath, Jesus, etc.).
Messages of impending judgment are not always unavoidable events. We pray for the nation to turn, but make preparations if she doesn’t.
Jonah is afraid Nineveh will be saved, but not sanctified.
His message reaches Assyria around 750 BC. Less than 30 years later, they overthrow the northern kingdom of Israel (circa 722 BC).
NINEVEH REPENTS
Nineveh is described as a “great city” four times in Jonah.
1/ Nineveh is great in size.
It is a large city (approximately 60 miles in circumference) in Assyria located in the northern part of modern-day Iraq.
2/ Nineveh is great in success.
Being near the Tigris and Khoser Rivers, it is a type of port city acquiring much wealth.
3/ Nineveh is great in sin.
“I built a pillar at the city gate and I flayed all the chief men who had revolted and I covered the pillar with their skins; some I walled up inside the pillar, some I impaled upon the pillar on stakes.” Temple Inscription of King Ashurbanipal
What sorrow awaits Nineveh, the city of murder and lies! She is crammed with wealth and is never without victims. There are countless casualties, heaps of bodies—so many bodies that people stumble over them. Nahum 3:1, 3, NLT
4/ Nineveh is great in salvation.
According to Scripture, every single person turned to the Lord for salvation!
GOD RELENTING
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. Jonah 3:10, ESV
Even in the midst of judgement, God may relent for the purpose of saving some (Sodom, King Nebuchadnezzar, Amos, Revelation, etc.).
CLOSE
1/ I need to ask God to reveal any seen or unseen hatred in my heart.
2/ I need to realize that I never know what God is doing in another
SCRIPTURE
And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 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. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 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. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 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, 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. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” 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. Jonah 2:10-3:10, ESV
JONAH RETURNING
God has given Jonah several renewed opportunities at life, repentance, and calling.
“The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.” George H. Morrison
There are four possible reasons Jonah runs in the first place:
1/ Was the task to difficult?
Jonah’s reluctance to go reveals his belief that God would use him mightily.
2/ Was the task too far?
Jonah’s willingness to travel five times farther to Tarshish debunks this theory.
3/ Was the task too risky?
This is a possibility, but the prophet must know nothing is more risky than running from God Almighty.
4/ Was the task too compassionate?
Jonah’s revealed hatred (chapter 4) shows he believes God is too kind to sinners.
He makes a common mistake: Jonah allows sin against him to become sin in him.
When we weigh our sins against others, the scales always tip in our favor; but God’s scales are perfectly balanced.
In Scripture, “forty” is identified with testing or judgment (Noah, Goliath, Jesus, etc.).
Messages of impending judgment are not always unavoidable events. We pray for the nation to turn, but make preparations if she doesn’t.
Jonah is afraid Nineveh will be saved, but not sanctified.
His message reaches Assyria around 750 BC. Less than 30 years later, they overthrow the northern kingdom of Israel (circa 722 BC).
NINEVEH REPENTS
Nineveh is described as a “great city” four times in Jonah.
1/ Nineveh is great in size.
It is a large city (approximately 60 miles in circumference) in Assyria located in the northern part of modern-day Iraq.
2/ Nineveh is great in success.
Being near the Tigris and Khoser Rivers, it is a type of port city acquiring much wealth.
3/ Nineveh is great in sin.
“I built a pillar at the city gate and I flayed all the chief men who had revolted and I covered the pillar with their skins; some I walled up inside the pillar, some I impaled upon the pillar on stakes.” Temple Inscription of King Ashurbanipal
What sorrow awaits Nineveh, the city of murder and lies! She is crammed with wealth and is never without victims. There are countless casualties, heaps of bodies—so many bodies that people stumble over them. Nahum 3:1, 3, NLT
4/ Nineveh is great in salvation.
According to Scripture, every single person turned to the Lord for salvation!
GOD RELENTING
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. Jonah 3:10, ESV
Even in the midst of judgement, God may relent for the purpose of saving some (Sodom, King Nebuchadnezzar, Amos, Revelation, etc.).
CLOSE
1/ I need to ask God to reveal any seen or unseen hatred in my heart.
2/ I need to realize that I never know what God is doing in another