Jonah - the Training of a Disciple - Part 1 — Alan Redpath

Jonah's Second Commissioning

We are taking in a series of messages in the book of Jonah. Under the general theme the training of a disciple. We come to our third Message on Jonah, and I ask you to turn with me to the third chapter of the book of Jonah this morning.

And we shall read it together. Jonah chapter 3. And the word of the Lord came on to Jonah the second time saying arise Go on to Nineveh that great city and preach unto it the preaching that I did thee.

So Jonah arose and went unto Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey. And he cried and saying said yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

Nineveh's Repentance

So the people of Nineveh believed God and Proclaimed a fast and put on that lot from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh and He arose from his throne.

And he laid his robe from him and covered him with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles saying That neither man nor beast heard nor flock taste anything.

That they're not feed nor drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily unto God. Yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way and through the violence that is in man.

Who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from his fierce anger? But we perish not. And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them and He did it not.

Over each chapter of this book as we study it morning by morning I Hope that you're able to place three words of the first chapter we had the disciples rebellion and the disciples redundance and the disciples repentance over chapter 2.

We had the disciples reward. The disciples reaction and the disciples Resurrection. Now this morning we come to chapter 3 and this begins with a dramatic and wonderful and thrilling statement and The word of the Lord came unto Jonah.

The second time there are some great things in this book of Jonah. The first chapter had four of them was to a great city. There's for a great wind. There's 12 a great tempest verse 17 a great fish. But all of these four things seem to me to fade Completely into the background.

Absolutely insignificant compared with one thing the amazing wonder of the grace of God. And Our first word this morning is the disciple recognitioned. The word of God came to Jonah the second time. That's the greatest thing in the book.

Indeed. It's the greatest thing in all the universe. The matchless grace of God after all Jonah's failure after all his rebellion. After all his stubbornness and after all his short-sightedness God called him again.

Still prepared to use him, but you see that's our God my friend. He's just the same today. We find it over and over again in the word of God. You see it for instance in his dealings with Elijah In a cave on Mount Horeb suffering from depression after an exciting and thrilling experience on Mount Carmel and In his depression as we all do in times of depression he had an underestimate of the power of God and an overestimate of the power of Jezebel and He ran for his life.

Just like Jonah did and then God confronted him in a cave and said Elijah. What are you doing here? Elijah just let go and said Lord, you know, I'm the only fundamentalist left around here. I'm the only one left and everybody else is deserted.

Elijah was angry and resentful. At the desertion of other people and then the earthquake the fire on the still small voice Elijah. What are you doing here? Elijah was concerned about what other people were doing.

God was concerned about what Elijah was doing and Elijah wrapped his face in his mantle. That's a good thing to do. A Good thing to do when you're tempted to fume at people. Wrap your face in your mantle.

And he heard the still small voice. What are you doing here Elijah? And then found himself recommissioned. Not dropped but recommissioned and sent back to serve. You find the same thing in our Lord's dealing with Peter.

Our risen Lord who in John 21 and verse 5 that's a wonderful verse in the morning Jesus stood on the shore. I'm sure that Peter thought the morning would never come. That awful night that had gone on for months in his experience.

He thought he was finished his days of ministry was over. He would quit and resign. But Jesus met him and said Peter You love me. Oh Lord, you know, I'm your friend. No, I didn't ask you that I said you love me Lord, I didn't trust myself to say that after all I've done and such a failure Lord.

I can only say you're my friend. Are you sure you're even my friend? Oh Lord. You know I am. Then Peter feed my sheep. He wasn't turned down. He doesn't have to quit. He was sent back to serve wonderful grace of Jesus and Jonah is recommissioned.

The Lord speaks to him a second time not merely preserved but sent back to work and that's true of all of us. It staggers me completely. Honestly, it does. But the Lord hasn't finished with me years ago.

Hasn't got tired of me. Hasn't thrown me aside. Hasn't allowed somebody else to take on the work. Hasn't put me on the shelf. Even Paul was afraid of that not the loss of his soul, but the loss of his fear of service.

The fear that having preached to others he might be disqualified. That's a wholesome fear. I Don't believe in a second chance after death, but I do believe in a check of second chance before it. Not a second chance, but a million chances million chance.

But it's never too late to start again. There's no need for the rest of my life to be wasted even though I've been a complete failure. And that's what the devil says to us. Look what a mess You've made of it.

You better quit you better resign. You better get off from mission field get into secular work leave your ministry resign from that Bible class. Look what a mess and failure you've been. That's the language of the enemy and how easy it is to listen to it.

But our God is able to restore the years that the canker worm is eaten. As anyone is here this morning with a deep deep sense of utter failure I tell you the risen Lord's alongside you Jesus standing on the shore today.

And he's telling you that for every one of us here today the best is yet to be. God is able to restore the years. So he spoke to Jonah again. He's spoken to me again. I'm so glad for a second chance, but what did you say to Jonah?

Obedience to God's Original Call

What did they say to you when he recommissions you verse 2 arrived. Go unto Nineveh. That great city and preach unto it the preaching that I did be Lord. Did I hear all right. Never. Not again. I've had enough of that.

I don't want to go to never. On go to Nineveh do the thing that you refuse to do. But or God speaks a second time. But he says the same thing. He insists on obedience to original orders. Not another strap of light until I obey the thing that I was afraid of.

The cross that I refused to take up the enmity against sin. That I refused. The love of my enemies that I wouldn't show. Yes arise. Go to Nineveh and preach unto it the preaching that I did thee. You see my friends no Jonah is Recommissioned by the wonderful grace of God for submission to the absolute government of God salvation.

Demands the full control of a written Lord. No, you're not that Paul in writing to Romans chapter 6 and verse 16. No, you're not that to whom you yield yourself. Servants to obey his servants you are whom you obey.

If any man would come up to me said Jesus let him deny himself. Let him leave himself behind and come take up his cross and follow me. No man can serve two masters. He will hate the one and despise the other whole to the one.

You can't serve two masters. It's the same call all the time Jonah had repented. Now God tests Jonah's repentance and won't him allow him to go back to his own life nearly a forgiven sinner. What system are you willing to do that which you refuse to do before?

I've nothing nothing else for you all through your life than the principle of Nineveh. I find that a very searching thing. I Find that God is willing to give me a second chance. He's willing to restore the years of the canker worm of Eton.

He's willing to pick up the man who have been a failure time and time again but but I Find that his grace overflowing in my heart. Depends upon my submission to his government over every area of my life.

We all want the grace of God, but how many of us Accept the government of God. How many of us on a Sunday morning will pray our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come. But how few of us recognize that to pray thy kingdom come means first you pray my kingdom.

Go arise and go to Nineveh and Preach the message. That I did the Lord in his great forgiving mercy will always pin us down to a personal Calvary all the time God gives you notice the place and he gives the message.

Go and preach the preaching that I did thee. No preacher has any right to preach anything else from that. What he has received from God. What he has been taught in his own personal walk with God. That which I have received of the Lord have I delivered unto you?

Nothing gets home to other people until first of all it the Holy Spirit has driven it home to my own heart. Nothing comes with authority and with power through me as a witness or a preacher. Unless first of all God has driven it right into my own soul.

So Jonah is recommissioned. To preach the message that God has given him. Recommissioned by grace for submission the government. Our first word therefore is the wonderful grace of God in recommissioning our second word this morning.

Jonah's Reluctant Obedience

Is I'm sorry to give it to you and I trust I'm not doing Jonah an injustice. If I am I'll apologize when I see him in heaven but the disciples. Recommission is followed by the disciples. Reluction the reluctance.

Jonah arose and went to Ninara so far so good. It was right to obey God. But I can't bring myself to believe that his heart was in it. It was fallen. Reluctant obedience. Not out of any love for God. Nor out of any compassion for the people of Nineveh.

But simply because afraid of anything else you notice the language of verse 4 In this chapter and you compare that with what he knew of God in chapter 4 and verse 2. He goes into Nineveh and says to them in 40 days.

It'll all be overthrown. It's straight from the shoulder. 40 days you've had it and what do you know about God? Chapter 4 verse 2 that is a gracious God slow to anger. Full of mercy quick to pardon. He'd already said in the belly of a whale That I will be free.

I believe I'll be free to pay my vows to the Lord and sacrifice to him with Thanksgiving. I Can't believe that Jonah's heart was in it. I read in the Gospel of John chapter 1 and verse 14. The word was made flesh.

And dwelt among us and we beheld his glory. The glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. How often my friend I as a preacher has been full of truth, but devoid of grace. How often I had gone about the task almost with reluctance because my heart wasn't in it.

How often yes, it was truth. It was orthodox. It was fundamental. It was sound. But it was so unattractive. Forgive me. But isn't that the trouble with many of us Christians? We're not on orthodox. But we're unattractive.

I Don't mean physically. I mean spiritually. There's nothing in us that really attracts to Jesus. So repelling very often and so repulsive, but always found an orthodox. Do you know anything about that?

God has spoken to you in these days, or maybe not you some other time. He's spoken to you about an inevitable in your life. He's spoken to you about taking sides with him against it. He's spoken with you to you about a personal revolution.

About a real revolt in the name of the Lord against sin and for God. He spoke to you about loving some Christian you can't like. He's spoken to you about some relationship in your church, which is wrong.

And you've never done anything about it to be reconciled to your friend. He's spoken to you about your compassion for the lost. Yes, you rebelled and you repented. Because of the suffering he put you through.

You had to suffer until you came to terms with him about it, but in spite of all his mercy. Your heart isn't in it. It's a real effort to stay with obedience to God. Do you find yourself on this Easter morning serving the Lord with a chip on your shoulder?

Some resentment that you won't bury. Some sin still that you flirt with. Some sin still that you know ought to be not to be there. You rebelled against it you took sides with God against it once but somehow or other not today and There's no joy in your service.

Don't you find as I bear testimony to this myself? Don't you find? That every revelation of the amazing grace of God is accompanied by a Revelation of the absolute corruption of your own heart. Isn't that progressive Christian experience.

Jonah's reluctance in Old Testament days. The priest often used a flesh hook. You know what he used it for. He was the flesh hook to keep the sacrifice under the flame and today as I speak to you in Jesus name I say to him concerning my own life.

Lord take the flesh hook again. Take the flesh hook on this Easter morning and pull back the sacrifice of my life and keep it under the flame. But I might know the authority and the answer and the power of the Holy Ghost.

Constantly on my ministry and testimony. Are there anybody. Is there anybody here? To whom God needs to take the flesh hook to bring you back. Under the flame. Especially knew about that that in me the sacred fire might now begin to grow.

Or enough of drops of base desire and make the mountain slow. All thou who at Pentecost did fall. Do thou my sins consume. Come Holy Ghost on thee. I call Spirit of burning come. But the third word in my chapter this morning in our chapter is revival first recommissioning and then reluctance, but now amazing.

Revival Through Repentance

Revival chapter 5 verse 5 so the people of Nineveh believed God and Proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the least of them. How amazing. How so sudden well Jonah's message was straight from the shoulder forthright 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

You notice from verse 3 that it was a very great city 60 miles and circumference took him three days to walk to it. Jonah seemed very insignificant, but he had a message from God and even though sullen he was true to it he came to a people who obviously and be prepared of the Lord.

And Whose response to his message bore all the marks of genuine repentance? Both in what they said in what they did. But the Lord Jesus said that Jonah was a sign to Nineveh. Just as he was to the world.

Listeners I read Luke 11 and verse 29. And when the people were gathered thick together he began to say this is an evil generation. They seek a sign and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.

For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites so shall the Son of Man be for this generation. How do you think Jonah could be a sign to the people of Nineveh. Just think back a minute to the story again.

So back in your mind to the 15th verse of the first chapter. Jonah has been thrown overboard. The sea has become straight calm the storm is ended and Jonah has gone. And the sailors have time to catch their breath.

To take stock because that was a trouble they hadn't any stock left. They throw it all overboard too in order to lighten the ship and. So I can imagine those men saying not much use going on for Tarshish.

Now we'd better go back again and get another cargo and I read between the lines and I think of that boat having thrown Jonah overboard and had a cargo having gone. Turning around and going back to Joppa if so.

News of what had happened to Jonah reached Nineveh before he got there. He had heard heard of his dive into the sea. They'd heard of that storm and what had happened to him. And so Jonah comes to Nineveh as a man alive from the dead as a resurrection man.

If I may put it this way a man who once had been dead in sin, but when I was alive to God Jonah was a sign To Nineveh a sign of the grace of God a sign of the judgment of God a sign of the government of God in his life.

Now my dear friend every true Christian should be that a sign from heaven. Not because of what he does or because of what he can do. Not because he can do miracles, but because he is one. A Man alive from the dead.

A man united with Jesus in his death and resurrection. A Man who was once dead in sin, but now is alive unto God all to bear the stamp of Holy Spirit authority. That comes upon a life that is crucified with Jesus and alive to him.

How desperately the world needs the men like that today. Wesley Whitfield Harry Mola Finney Spurgeon Moody FMI Hudson Taylor CT stud resurrection men. Men who had failed that men who had taken alive and taken light and caught fire.

Eccentric men yes. Unbalanced men yes. Fanatics yes, but men whom God used mightily. And what the church needs today desperately is resurrection men. Who've taken fire and a light for God and who became used and who have died out to themselves under the lies under him.

These were all men who had shut and sinned. But whom God spoke a second time and used them to stir the world. You read Hebrews 11 again with that in mind sometime I Used to have all the men there in a sort of picture gallery in my mind high up exalted and Saying to myself all these are great men the greatest men who ever lived.

I could never match them. But they must have been wonderful men. But I discovered one day they weren't the greatest men who ever lived. They were the weakest men who ever lived. Out of weakness they were made strong.

Hebrews 11 is an amazing record of Noah who became an alcoholic. Moses who committed a murder. Samson whose morals don't bear looking at David who committed adultery. Jacob about the biggest cheat that the world has ever known that they all came one day to the end of themselves.

They all touched rock bottom when impotence. Sheer evidence was put into the hands of an omnipotent God. God began to use. God began to stir them and use them to move the world for him. God always does that.

I said before I repeat. That some of us get too big for God to use. God reduces a man to a minimum that he might do through him his maximum. We are told that the people of Nineveh believed God. It didn't matter about Jonah that believed God.

God has spoken to Israel thousands of times, but never with this result here with one message. With all the authority of heaven behind it. The whole city is on its knees. Mark it well. Genuine faith always brings a man on his face before God.

The greatest to the least put on sackcloth. I read this chapter and I I bow before it and I've said to myself again and again Oh God, why doesn't it happen now? Why doesn't it happen? Has God got so few Resurrection men.

Men who really care. Men who really love. Men who are expendable and available to him. Is it that? Or is it because we're afraid. Thank you. Quietly but thoughtfully. Revival Always begins. Repeat that Revival always begins.

The king the king rose from his throne. Laid aside his robe and covered himself with Sattler. Revival near church to be honest. I've been pastor of At least one where this happened. Where Revival broke out among a little group of my congregation and I was jealous of it and Stamped it out.

I've been in many a church Revival break out among a little group of God's people and at oversight level or at the accurate level. Crushed because it's too emotional. A little band of students but hungry for God.

And has thought his face all through the night in prayer stands out at faculty level. Because too emotional. Emotional. Oh, no, may I the God? It presupposes that the church is backslidden and revival means Conviction of sin and searching of hearts among God's people.

Revival is nothing less than a new beginning of obedience to God a breaking of heart and Getting down into the dust before him with deep humility and forsaking of sin. Revival breaks the power of the world and of sin over Christians.

Truths To which our hearts are unresponsive suddenly become alive. Whereas mind and conscience may have assented to truth when revival comes. Obedience to the truth is the one thing that matters. It's not more knowledge of truth you and I need on this Easter Day.

It's Total obedience to what we already know. Revival is not something that God withholds At his sovereign pleasure. I cannot accept that view for he has no favorites and Surely his concern in this world, which is absolutely gone.

Absolutely crazy and Really is heading for disaster. Surely God's purpose is in these last days to pour us out afresh his spirit and in power. When you have a lot of evangelism a lot of very effective evangelism without that.

But revival can begin in your life right now in this service if you are prepared to give Total obedience to the will of God in everything. That's arrival. There may be signs there may be signs that follow that seems strange sometimes but these are not the authentic things.

The same thing that the authentic thing is that here the king the king of Nineveh has Repented and is on sackcloth and ashes is on his face before God. What a chapter of repentance it is. Jonah repented the king of Nineveh repented and God repented.

God saw their works verse 10 that they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil that he had said he would do to them and He did it not. Does God repent? Yes, he does. His character never changes.

With him there is no shadow of turning. He's always against sin. Always ready to bless the sinner who turned from his sin to trust him. Therefore His attitude to me or to you changes according to our attitude to him.

Isn't that one great lesson of this book? One man's repentance took Nirvana. Minimal repentance Turned and moved God to mercy. I believe it is still true. If my people which are called by thy name Shall humble themselves and seek my face and Turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven?

And will forgive their sin and Will heal their land. Revival is not Going through the street banging a big drum. It is going back to Calvary with a big sob. Our chairman told us this morning not this morning last night That the prayer tents in this convention are empty.

Oh to my heart. Why? Why? I'll tell you why. Because Outside of our hearts, there's that label that I often find on the door of a motel. Where I stay from place to place. Please do not disturb comfortable Christians doing our thing.

Playing a church. Don't want to be disturbed anymore. I'm not prepared to pay the prices. Revival. I'm not sure that I have all the actual facts correct, but at least I have sufficient of them to tell you this one of the greatest preachers In Britain of a generation ago Was dr. FB Meyer.

He was a man whose face just shone With the glory and the glow of the Lord Jesus. One time at Keswick He gave his testimony The effect that for three years in his ministry at one time There'd been a sin in his life Which he knew was wrong.

He wasn't prepared to face it because he loved it Didn't seem to affect other people who thought well, it's only between me and God. Why should anybody else better? Why should I bother? But FB Meyer said, you know every time I stood up to speak That sin came between me and my people that sin set me off from heaven.

That sin cut me off from power and for blessing and everything was so dead and congregations grew less and less. Until one day I couldn't stand it anymore. FB Meyer said I went to my study and like Jacob I Battled and wrestled and God wrestled with me all through the night.

And I said to him Lord You've had every key to my life except one. Take the last key. I Can't struggle on anymore. FB Meyer with a with a look on his face that absolutely Made the people at that convention just sit in awe and wonder said do you know What the dear Lord did?

He never took that key. He took out the door ever since then the light of the knowledge of the glory of God has shone into my heart in The faith of Jesus Christ from the dry eye I think that day Like for all the various missionary house parties All over Catholic all the homes where guests were staying till early hours of the morning as Christians Got right with God.

The next day the post office in Catholic was sold out of money orders bought by Christian people to pay the debt and a breath of God Swept through that convention that year Jesus for obeying and never repenting from the greatest Working a miracle there's out and will have written a letter of apology.

And will have shaken hands with somebody else whom we've not spoken to for years and held a grudge against. You look at it, right? Someone will have written to another person who wouldn't dream of coming inside a church And isn't a bit impressed with your Christian faith simply because they've been hurt hurt wounded and to bear the marks of what we've done to them and We haven't had the grace to go and say I'm sorry those with this keep coming to speak to me for service one morning.

And he said to me, you know the pastor strange thing happened the other day. My wife and I and waiting and a bit anxious about her for about 10 years. Because for the last 10 years she had becoming Increasingly cold towards me and she said he said you know, I was so surprised at this because Incidentally, he was quite a wealthy man.

I had given her a new car every other year new fur coats new homes new dresses new houses. I had given her everything a woman could possibly expect but she was so cold. I couldn't understand it. So I thought I'd take the opportunity of her 25th anniversary wedding to take her out for dinner.

And having given her a good meal to ask her why so when we had a good dinner, I plucked up courage and said to her No, I want to ask you something. Why is it that the last 10 years you've been so distant So remote who I've given you everything that you could possibly want cars and clothes and homes and dresses everything.

But somehow or other you becoming so distant to me. She said to that when she said yes, I'm so glad you asked me that I've been trying to pluck up courage to tell you but I never been able to. She said I'm very grateful for the cars and clothes and coats and dresses and homes very grateful but There's one thing that you've never given me.

And that is the love of your heart right now and service and preaching and ministry and Testimony people in a minute and I will just tell him Lord. I Beginning of revival.