Welcome to Dingwall Free Church A Sinner Sent: A City Saved When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy

Welcome to

Dingwall Free Church

A Sinner Sent:

A City Saved When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you,

LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy

temple. Jonah 2:7

God Calls Us to delight in Christ and to Share His Hope

ORDER OF SERVICE

Psalm 48 B:1-9* (p. 64)Prayer and Children’s TalkPsalm 32:7-11* (p. 38)Reading: Jonah 3Psalm 119:9-16 (p. 400)SermonPsalm 25:4-9* (p. 29)

Bible Reading

– Jonah 3Page 928

Bible Reading (Pew Bible - page 928) Jonah 3:1-10

• Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."

• 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days.


• 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

• 6 When the news 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. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:


• "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 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 had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

Jonah - A Sinner Sent: A City Saved January 2007 Sermon Series

• Jonah is about the BIG THEMES of the Bible – not a Big Fish.

• Themes of grace, mission, election, failure, repentance, becoming useful to God.

• About God correcting his people: Rev 3:19, Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Prov 3:12, The LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

1 - God Cares Enough to Send a Preacher (1-2)

• Jonah 2 ends: Salvation is from the Lord.

• Did God need Jonah, any more than he needed William Carey in India?

• If salvation is God's business, won't he do it all, without our help? Jonah 3 is the answer! William Carey


• Jonah, Jesus and Carey all knew God’s method of saving people:

• God sends a preacher, to warn of judgment, and bring people to repentance.

• God’s GRACE to the preacher (2) as well as the hearers.


• 3:1 A fresh start for Jonah, NOT for God. His plan is the same.

• Jonah's job is to speak on God's behalf, not to make it up. (5 – they believed God, not Jonah).

• Preaching is NOT only something that happens from a pulpit.

• Are we as committed as God to sending preachers?

2 – God Cares Enough to Warn of Judgment (3-4)


• 3:3 Nineveh was a great city: i.e. important to God, it mattered to him.

• Took 3 days to cross (ESV/ NIV 1978), or 3 days for a proper diplomatic visit (later NIV editions). God cares greatly for this CITY (4:11).



• Jonah’s message: 40 more days and Nineveh will be overturned.

• A summary of his preaching! A warning of absolute, final and catastrophic judgment.

• But there is time to do something - a period of grace.

• A final demand, before you get cut off! Final

Demand



• Are we as committed to warning of judgment as God?

• Jonathan Edwards famous sermon – why preach like that?

• What shall we tell children about Jesus?

• He's not just our friend, he's our Saviour.

3 - God Cares Enough to Delight in Repentance (5-10)

God Cares Enough to: 1) Send a Preacher. 2) Warn of Judgment

• Obvious what the Ninevites have to do, just as it was obvious at Pentecost.

• You killed the Christ… “What should we do?”

• Jesus drew attention to the Ninevites as the ones who would condemn his own generation for not turning.



• Jonah’s words are just a summary – from 8 the Ninevites knew a lot more.

• Jonah’s experience also preached: Luke 11:30, For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.



• They did the obvious thing (5-9) - didn't need to be told they were in big trouble.

• Do people in this town know how to repent?

• Do they know how to drive on the A9?

• Repentance is turning.

The A9At Aviemore



• Are we as committed as God is to bringing people to repentance? It starts with bringing ourselves to repentance.

• LUKE 11:32, The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.

Please join us inThe Church hall for a

Hot or cold drink& for

Fellowship tonightin the ManseGod Calls Us to

delight in Christ and to ShareHis Hope.

Documents

Welcome to Dingwall Free Church A Sinner Sent: A City Saved When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy