Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Jonah. Jonah. We are continuing through Hebrews
11.32 and all the prophets. Let's thank our Lord. Our Father,
We bow before you this evening, thanking you, praising you, blessing
you, Lord, not as we ought, but as we desire. Lord, we ask you,
would you bless the Word tonight? Bless it to our heart. Help us
to worship. We pray for Christ's sake. Amen. As we consider this evening the
word of the Lord to the prophet Jonah, I pray that our hearts
might be illuminated by God's Spirit as we behold the wonder
of the glorious redemption and preservation of God's people. This book, amazing book, I was
going over this evening, well today, my preparation for this
study this evening, and I was thinking of all the books that
were written This is a book that our Lord spoke of specifically
concerning Himself. In Matthew 12, I'll read this
to you. Matthew 12, verses 38 and 40. It says, Then certain of the
scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we
would see a sign from Thee. But He answered and said unto
them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign,
and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of the prophet
Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and
three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth. And the men
of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation and shall
condemn it Because they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and
behold, a greater than Jonas is here. Now I know this, there
is no possible way, as in every one of the books that we have
studied, these prophets. There's no way that we're going
to exhaust the depth of this book. Even as I was reading over
it, I was seeing things that I could preach different messages
from the same book. But the symbolism that's set
forth in this book is precious to the point that our Lord gave
those Pharisees He describes this answer. He said, you want
a sign? You're not going to get one sign.
You're going to get the sign of the prophet Jonah. Well, tonight,
I would like for us to look at this book for a few minutes.
I'd like to consider four things. Number one, that man is totally
depraved. Number two, that the Lord irresistibly
calls His elect Number three, that Christ was made sin that
He might redeem a particular people. And number four, His
preserving grace is never going to fail. Alright, number one,
man is totally depraved. Man, as he is born in Adam, is
a rebellious sinner. Now I want us to read Jonah 1,
verses 1-3. Now the word of the Lord came
unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh,
that great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness is come
up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto
Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa,
and he found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare
thereof, and went down into it to go with them unto Tarshish
from the presence of the Lord." Now, we are dealing with a prophet
of God. We're dealing with the record
of a prophet. One that God Almighty has set
apart for His good pleasure for the proclamation of His Son.
As I said a moment ago, a prophet that the Lord used the example
of to Himself. And I want to be very, very careful
when we study this prophet right here. that we set forth the glory
of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is God's spokesman. This
is the Lord of glory speaking through His man, His anointed. Here was God's prophet. But the
Lord's prophet sets forth in His calling the attitude and
action of every man that is absolutely born in Adam. Here, Jonah sets
forth the general call that is given to every man. Now, there's
a call that goes out. We can say as we preach the gospel,
repent. Call upon the Lord while He may
be found. And that call means absolutely
nothing to someone that the Spirit of God doesn't bless it to their
heart, give them a new heart to call them. Here was a man
that God Almighty knew and loved. But he sets forth in picture
and type the rebellion of a man, every man, every woman born in
Adam. This is the picture of God's
elect. before the Lord calls them out
of darkness. Here's what he did. The Lord
called him, and Jonah rose up to flee into Tarshish from the
presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, found
a ship going to Tarshish, paid the fare thereof, went down into
it to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
How many things do we see that are rebellious before Almighty
God. He found a ship. Went down. That ship. Anything that gives a man a feeling
of security. That's his ship. That's his cloak. That's his guard. And what did
he do? He paid the fare. Paid his own
fare. Man thinks he can. And that's
nothing but pride. thinking that a man can pay his
way. Man is absolutely depraved. He's running. He's a rebel. You know that the Scripture says
forth, my sheep hear my voice. I know them. They follow me. willing in the day of His power.
If a man can flee from God, it's because God has not irresistibly
called him yet. If God calls a man, he's coming.
So here we have a picture of man by nature fleeing from God. Secondly, the Lord shall irresistibly
call out His own. Look at verse 4. The Lord sent out a great wind
into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the
ship was like to be broken. Here is a picture of God's Spirit
that blows as he will. That spirit that's going to irresistibly
call out God's elect. That ship was like to be broken. Almighty God is going to tear
down a man's security, his false security. The Scripture says,
then the mariners were afraid and cried every man unto his
God and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the
sea to lighten it of them. But Jonah was going down into
the sides of the ship and he lay and was fast asleep. Now
here's man by nature. These mariners are out in this
ocean. Hardened men. They weren't afraid
of a little squall. But these men were afraid. And
what did they do? They began to throw their wares,
cast their wares to lightning. When he thinks that his life
is in peril, you know what he's going to do? He's going to try
to reform. I tell you what, I better quit
cussing and dancing, smoking, drinking, picture shows. I started throwing the wares
off, trying to lighten the load. Maybe the Lord will have mercy.
But here is still a picture of man by nature. Jonah, the Scripture
says forth, was fast asleep. But the shipmaster, verse 6,
came, the Scripture says, to him, and said unto him, What
meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if
so be that God will think upon us that we perish not." In particular,
who did the shipmaster, who did the Lord come to in particular? He came to Jonah. Jonah, an object
of God's mercy and in regenerating grace, God Almighty set forth
in this tithe, in this picture right here, God is going to have
His own. Well, the Scripture says in verse
7, And they said every one to his fellow, Come and let us cast
lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot
fell upon Jonah. The Lord ordered the lots. You know that. The Lord ordered
the lot. The lot is cast, but the whole
disposing of it is of the Lord. But do you know what they thought?
The mariners that were cast in the lots? Let's find out who's
guilty. Somebody around here is guilty.
Obviously it's not us. But let's find out who it is.
Still man by nature. Rebellious. And the Scripture
says in verse 8, Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee,
for whose cause this evil is upon us. What is thine occupation,
and whence comest thou? What is thy country, and what
people art thou? The Scripture sets forth, obviously,
Jonah confessed who he was. that he knew the Lord. Look in
the next verse, verse 9, He said unto them, I am a Hebrew. I fear
the Lord, the God of heaven, which made the sea and the dry
land. Then were the men exceeding afraid and said unto Him, Why
hast Thou done this? For the men knew that He fled
from the presence of the Lord, because He told them, I am a
Hebrew. I am one called of God. I am
the Lord's. Surely he exposed his guilt. I'm guilty. I'm the one. When
God calls a man out of darkness, that man is made to be honest
before God. I am a sinner. I am a rebel. I'm the one that was running.
Almighty God in His infinite mercy and grace calls me to call. Made me willing in the day of
His power. Then they said unto him, What shall we do unto thee,
that the sea may be calm unto us? But the sea wrought and was
tempestuous." More tempestuous. It was getting worse and worse.
What these mariners saw was temporal problems. They saw the sea, but
it was a picture, that storm pictured man's true problem. Man is a rebel against God. God's
offended. There's a breach. There's no
peace. There's no reconciliation. Man
is cast away because of his rebellion. And it's going to take more than
just an admittance of guilt, sin. Jonah did that. He admitted. The Scripture says
He told them in verse 10, the latter part of verse 10, Why
hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled
from the presence of the Lord. Because He told them. I am a
rebel. But what is it going to take
to calm the sea for us that we perish not? He said unto them
in verse 12, Take me up. and cast me forth into the sea.
And so shall the sea be calm unto you, for I know that for
my sake this great tempest is upon you." It's going to take
a sacrifice. It's going to take one that can
satisfy God. It's going to take God's sacrifice,
a just payment for man's rebellion. That raging sea was a type of
God's anger and wrath against sin, and only one could still
that sea. Now here we find Jonah being
a picture of Christ. And I know my first point is
right. I know that a man is a rebel
against God. I know that's right. I know that
Almighty God is going to effectually call out His people. I know that's
so. But I tell you this, if I've
ever been sure on a point, this third point, I know this one's
right because the Lord said it was. This is the sign right here. You want a sign? As Jonas was
three days, three nights in the belly of the whale, so shall
the Son of Man be three days, three nights. in the belly of
the earth. I know this point. Here's my
third point. Christ was made sin that he might
redeem his people. The Scripture sets forth this
great event that our Lord spoke of. Jonah told the mariners,
this is what's going to calm the sea. Jonah has a glorious
picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, take me up, verse 12,
cast me forth into the sea. So shall the sea be calm unto
you, for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. The Lord said, if I be lifted
up from the earth, I will draw all men, all of his people, all
kinds, From every nation and kindred and tribe and tongue,
I'll draw them unto me." After the useless efforts of trying
to avoid that act, the scripture sets forth in verse 15, they
rode in verse 13 and tried to avoid that. There is no satisfaction
but the sacrifice of Christ. Verse 15, so they took up Jonah
and cast him forth into the sea. and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the Lord
exceedingly and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and made vows.
Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and
Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Here our Lord was made what his
people are. cast into the very furnace of
the wrath of Almighty God, the One that took Jonas and every
other object of His mercy, and bore the brunt of God's wrath
in their stead, here was the ransom for many." These fellows
had thrown everything else overboard. And it was to no avail, no reform,
no trials, no emptiness was going to satisfy the wrath of Almighty
God. The sacrifice of Christ was the
only thing that was going to satisfy and calm the sea. Here
was the pearl of great price. And now, in the belly of this
whale, the Scripture sets forth our Lord speaking. In the tithe
of Jonah, chapter 2, verse 1, then Jonah prayed unto the Lord
his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of
mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me. Out of the belly
of hell, cried I, and thou hearest my voice. For thou hast cast
me into the deep, in the midst of the seas, and the floods compassed
me about. All thy billows and thy waves
passed over me." As I read these words, and I realize, and I know
that for all of us here, to enter into the depth of this we can't,
but the absolute wrath and agony of the Lord Jesus Christ being
forsaken of His Father, and that which He bore, bearing the equivalent,
if I could say it like that, of an eternal judgment in one
sacrifice. Then I said, verse 4, I am cast
out of thy sight, yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.
Oh, blessed be the Lord that there was one that did that for
us. The waters compassed me about
even to the soul. The depth closed me round about. The weeds were wrapped about
my head. He was bound. Bound by love. The love of his Father's honor
That everlasting covenant of grace, the redemption of his
people. He said, I lay down my life for
my people. I went down to the bottoms of
the mountains. The earth with her bars was about
me forever. Yet hast thou brought up my life
from corruption. O Lord my God, when my soul fainted
within me, I remembered the Lord. And my
prayer came in unto thee, into thy holy temple. They that observe
lying vanities forsake their own mercy, but I will sacrifice
unto thee with a voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord." And
the Lord spake unto the fish, spake to the grave. And it vomited
out Jonah, a picture of our blessed Lord in resurrecting glory upon
the dry land. Yes, salvation is of the Lord. In its conception, in its execution,
in its satisfaction, He finished it. Our Lord declared. It's finished. Our Lord declared
salvation is all of the Lord. And we repeated in heart, believing
it, thankful that Almighty God would have mercy upon us. That
fish vomited out Jonah, a picture of our precious Savior, upon
the dry land. And fourthly, The Lord's preserving
grace shall never fail. Now I'll let you read the third
and fourth chapter. Jonah goes into Nineveh, into
that great city. And he begins, the Scripture
says, a three-day journey that he made in one day. And he began
to preach as soon as he got in there in verse 4. And he cried
and said, Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown."
That was the word that God had told him to go and preach. And
he did preach it. After the Lord called him a second
time, the Scripture says, that he went into Nineveh. Now we
see God's mercy to send a prophet to a wicked city. And here I
see Jonah In two types, really. I see him as a type, first of
all, as the Lord Jesus Christ being God's prophet in obedience. He went obediently, promptly,
completely, divinely sent. I'll just read verses 1 to 4,
chapter 3. The word of the Lord came to
Jonah the second time. Arise, go into Nineveh, that
great city, and preach unto it preaching that I bid thee. So
Jonah arose and went into 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 of days' journey and
cried and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." When the Lord spoke to Jonah
the first time, he was disobedient. A picture of the first Adam. When God spoke to Adam and told
him he'd have all the fruits except this one. And in the day
that you eat thereof, not if you eat, in the day you eat,
you're going to die. But here, when the Word of the
Lord came to Jonah the second time, or the second Adam, of
whom Jonah was a type, there was obedience. So Jonah arose
and went into Nineveh. Any obedience that we see in
Jonah or any other believer is to the glory and grace of our
precious Lord. By one man's disobedience, many
were made sinners. But by the obedience of one,
many were made righteous. Jonah came into this city and
he preached. And the scripture says that the
people of Nineveh, verse 5 in chapter 3, believed God and proclaimed
a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to
the least of them. The king declared that a fast
would be held Everything was to be covered with ashes, animals,
everything. And the scripture says in verse
9, who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from
his fierce anger, that's what the king says, that 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. Now, let me tell you
what the Scripture does not set forth in that last verse I just
read. Almighty God does not show mercy
because a man works first. Almighty God granted repentance
and saw the fruit of what He had done. And he was pleased
to turn in his providence toward the city of Nineveh, granting
repentance to them, and the evidence that God had granted repentance
unto them was manifested in the fact that they believed God. The Lord gave them a heart. But
even as we behold Nineveh, I saw Jonah in two types, even as we
behold Nineveh's repentance, and Jonah being a type of the
Lord Jesus Christ, obediently setting forth the message of
Almighty God as God's true prophet, we behold Jonah as a picture
of every believer. that struggles with the presence
of sin, that old man that is ever in us that never leaves. Verses 1-3 of chapter 4, but
it displeased Jonah exceedingly. And he was very angry. And he
prayed unto the Lord and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not
this my saying? when I was yet in my country. Therefore I fled before unto
Tarshish, for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O Lord, take I
beseech thee my life from me, for it is better for me to die
than to live." Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? As I read that scripture again,
I cannot cease to be amazed at
the mercy of our God toward his people for Christ's sake. When
I read what Jonah said unto the Lord, This is what he said. He said, the reason that I ran
from you when you first called me was because I knew that you're
a merciful God. You would not have sent me, you
would not have sent your word to Nineveh if you were not pleased
to show mercy to that city. And the message that you gave
me was this, 40 days and Nineveh is going to be overthrown. This
was the message you gave me. 40 days and Nineveh is going
to be overthrown. And I knew that you're a merciful
God. And it's going to make me appear
as though that I'm a false prophet and that you're not truthful
to your word. The message was 40 days in Nineveh is going to
be overthrown. It's going to make me look bad.
It's going to make me not have good standing in the sight of
these people. They're not going to believe
that I'm truthful. They're not going to believe
that I'm your prophet. And besides this, it all comes
down, Lord, to your integrity. The Lord asked him, verse 4 again,
Doest thou well? to be angry. Man by nature possesses
a heart that is rebellious and questions God's mercy and grace. Almighty God sent this prophet. Is it not amazing that a believer
still in possession of that old man that God Almighty, for Christ's
sake, shows mercy unto His own. When I think of the disrespect
that I know is found in myself, you're looking at a man that
by and large, well, I can't really tell you the times that I feel
myself. There's times that I feel closer
to the Lord. There's times that I feel closer
to the Lord. And I read something the other
day that Mr. Spurgeon wrote, and he said this,
when a believer feels closest to the Lord, rest assured that
he is absolutely in the very presence of Satan to oppose Him. By and large, when I behold the
coldness of my old heart and the rebellion that I know still
resides within me to question God's good providence, to question
what God would do, to question God's message or God's method
or God's means, who am I? For Jonah to try to justify rebellion
This is the reason I didn't go. I know that you're a merciful
God. That's not the house of Israel. Nineveh was a wicked
city. And for you to send the message
of the gospel there, I know that you'll show mercy, grace. Doest thou well, Jonah, to be
angry? Korah complained. against Moses, God's man. And Moses says, get your censors,
get all your fellows with you, and we're going to have the Lord
settle this tomorrow. And the Scripture says that God
opened up the earth and sent Korah and all that were with
him alive to hell. And Ananias and Sapphira lied
to God They told Peter and the other apostles, we sold a piece
of property. This is the money. But they kept
some of it back. And Peter says, why has Satan
moved upon your heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? And God killed
both of them. Uzzah. The Scripture says, one
day when he saw the ark of the Lord teetering on the cart, was
going to put his hand out to touch the ark to steady it, and
God killed him. But for Christ's sake, for the
sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, God's people are shown mercy
and kindness. I read the words that Jonah said
to the Lord, and he just voiced What's in the heart of every
believer in that old man that's still there? The presence of
sin. This is what Paul talked about
when he said, O wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? Jonah sought. Went outside the
city and just sat down and pouted. And God gave him a gourd to shade
him. And Jonah was glad for the gourd. And the next night, the Lord
sent a worm and ate the gourd. And Jonah sulked because God
had taken his gourd away. And the Lord set forth and told
Jonah concerning that gourd that was taken away. And Jonah being
mad about that, and mad about God showing mercy to Nineveh. And God said in Jonah 4 and 9,
and God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the
gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry even unto death. Then said the Lord, Thou hast
had pity on the gourd. Something that is perishing. Here today, gone tomorrow. That
which thou hast not labored, neither madest it to grow, came
up in the night, perished in the night. You are all concerned
about a gourd. And should not I spare Nineveh,
that great city wherein are more than six gourd 60,000 persons that cannot discern between
their right hand and their left hand. Children. Children. And also much cattle. Does God
Almighty have a right to save whomsoever He will? Yes, He does.
Does man have any right to question God's means or motives? We are called to obedience. Jonah,
a prophet, a prophet called of God, a prophet that was a picture
of our precious Savior, but a prophet that set forth the frailty of
man and God's mercy to his people for Christ's sake. Lord, bless
these words to our heart for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ.