The Youth Service of my church (affectionately known as The Next Generation) is currently on a sermon series on the book of Jonah.
Two weeks ago, Ps Reuben preached on Jonah 1 and described to us how Jonah was asked to go northeast to Nineveh but decided to go in the opposite direction -- down south towards Joppa and then westward towards Tarshish (see map on the right for illustration). His sermon entitled "Running Away" can be downloaded here.
Today, he continued on Jonah 3 and that sermon entitled "Saved in 40 Days" can be downloaded here.
I must say that both his sermons were real eye-openers. Traditionally, this book has been used by many preachers to warn us of the consequences of disobeying God. In fact, I recall a song that we used to sing in Sunday School that went as follows:
Oh I don't wanna be a Jonah
And be swallowed by a whale
Oh I don't wanna be a Jonah
And be swallowed by a whale
So I'll obey the Saviour's way
Rain or shine come what may
Tell the people everywhere
they must be born again
But the real essence and message of the book of Jonah is not so much Jonah's disobedience but actually the extent of God's grace! Jonah did not think the people of Nineveh deserved to be spared because of their wickedness, and thus was extremely relunctant to go preach to them. In many ways, many of us are like that too, which reflects that we are operating on the frequency of the law -- do good get good, do bad get beat. But God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Jon 4:2).
In this book, which was written during the Old Covenant, we see a glimpse of things to come in the New Covenant whereby God's undeserved and unmerited favour is extended to all and sundry, and not just to the Jews or a particular group of Gentiles. Amen?
8 comments:
whatgrace, nee nee veh was ultimately destroyed lah you botak LOL
That is why it just a glimpse. The Old Covenant contains types and shadows, but the substance is Christ.
God could not righteously spare the Nivevites back then, because His Son had not yet gone to the cross.
But now He can, through the once-and-for-all sacrifice :-)
aiyoh, thru once and for all sacrifice all become well and victorious meh? read your history read your history, christianity and her cities have been rising and falling like our stock market as was nee nee veh and israel kings and priests lah botug....LOL...can call you botug hor since you call yourself botug...LOL
you hor..very siasuay working and educated adult lah...how you analyse wan botug...LOL
if i go by your pastor cross theory hor...jesus death bao ka liao death should covers pre jesus sins what...wouldnt that also bao ka liao and vincticate these iblical cities and their kings?
no right?
botug....think think...maybe you need grow some hair back then you can think better izzit?...LOL
Yep, you can call me BOTUG
It stands for believer operating totally under grace :-)
Say, how about meeting up for dessert at Stanley's stall? I'm sure we have lots to discuss about...
Allo Allo A-Non
Please dun hide behind & assinate ... from the way you behave, you need treatment even if you could analyse & think better than all of us put together.
That's deep ... I think.
William
liu...maybe anon got the joNUTs bug..LOL.
who knows LOL
How did Jonah made a u-turn in his attitude, beliefs and theology, from a law orientated believer eager to judge and condemn, to one understanding God’s grace and mercy? God never changed. If the Assyrians had not repented, they would have been destroyed. God is not only love, but also of righteousness and justice which demands Him to act for justice even though He loved mercy. Many liberal preachers could only see God's love and not God’s righteousness hence err in believing that there is no hell or that all religions may lead to God. But Jonah was the opposite; he was a “Christian” fundamentalist. What made him changed? It was death. In the middle of the ocean, at the depths when death seem eminent and indeed deserving in this case for Jonah have willfully sinned against God, even if Jonah repented, would God forgave him? for surely like the Assyrians he need to “pay” for his sins. It was the grace and mercy of God that redeemed Jonah from death that resulted in a change of heart. Just as God gave him a second change, in this forgiveness, Jonah found the motivation to forgive the Assyrians and went on to proclaim the good news of salvation to this nation.
What is Jonah to Singapore? We have our own big fish, a hybrid between a lion and a fish but alas it does not eat humans. The story of Jonah reminds us to be slow to judge and quick to have mercy for much grace and mercy has been given to us.
AfoC said "God is not only love, but also of righteousness and justice which demands Him to act for justice even though He loved mercy."
It is subtle but this type of "God is love BUT ..." statement seems to suggest that God's love is superceded by His other characteristics such as righteousness and justice. It is difficult for Christians who think this way to develop any intimacy with God.
Jesus says in Matt 9:13 'But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."'
God does not just love mercy, He desires it. That is why it is more accurate to say that God is a God of righteousness and justice, which demands Him to act for justice BUT GOD IS LOVE AND DESIRES MERCY; hence He chose to send His only Son, Jesus into this world in the likeness of man to bear the administration of His justice on man.
Jonah and the Assyrians lived before Christ and therefore had to bear the consequences of their sin themselves - Deut 24:16 "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin."
We are the blessed ones who live after Christ and should see clearly that GOD IS LOVE full stop. There are no ifs or buts about that.
Post a Comment