A Greater Than Jonah is Here

Q: What does the Bible say about the sign of Jonah?

The Bible reveals that the sign of Jonah points to Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, affirming salvation through Him alone. The sign of Jonah, as referenced in Luke 11:29-32, signifies Jesus Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection, mirroring Jonah's experience in the belly of the fish. Just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites through his preaching of impending judgment, Christ's death and resurrection serve as the ultimate sign of God's mercy and grace toward sinners. This emphasizes that salvation is solely of the Lord and relies upon Christ's finished work, making it clear that authenticity in faith does not rest on signs or wonders, but on the Word of God and the gospel of grace.

Q: How do we know that salvation is only through Jesus Christ?

Salvation is only through Jesus Christ, as He is the appointed substitute for our sins, fulfilling the Scriptures. The New Testament affirms consistently that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. In Acts 4:12, we read that there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. This is anchored in the historical reality of Christ's death and resurrection, detailed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, where it states that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and rose again on the third day. Salvation, therefore, is not based on human merit but is a gift of grace received through faith in Christ’s accomplished work, reinforcing the doctrine of sola gratia – salvation by grace alone.

Q: Why is repentance important for Christians?

Repentance is crucial for Christians as it reflects true faith and recognition of one's need for God's mercy. Repentance is an essential aspect of the Christian faith, as seen in the response of the Ninevites to Jonah’s warning in Jonah 3:9. They repented at the preaching of judgment without any promise of mercy, displaying a fundamental understanding of their sinful state and need for God's grace. In the New Testament, Jesus emphasizes repentance as key to entering the kingdom of God, indicating its vital role in the life of believers. True repentance leads to transformation, reflects genuine faith, and acknowledges Christ's sacrifice as the sole means of forgiveness, aligning with the understanding that salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end.

Q: What does 'salvation is of the Lord' mean?

'Salvation is of the Lord' means that God alone is the source of salvation, accomplished through Christ. 'Salvation is of the Lord' encapsulates the Reformed understanding of God's sovereignty in the salvation process. This phrase, derived from Jonah 2:9, underscores that salvation originates from God and cannot be earned by human effort. It reflects the doctrine of total depravity, where humanity is unable to attain righteousness apart from divine grace. God's sovereignty is displayed in His provision of Jesus Christ, who was sent as the Lamb of God to bear the sins of His people. Thus, believers recognize that all aspects of salvation – election, justification, sanctification, and glorification – are the work of God alone, ensuring that He receives all glory for His grace.

While you're turning to Luke
chapter 11, let me tell you something I read yesterday. There was a
man who had observed a battle taking place on a field near
him. He didn't say which battle it was or even what war it was.
It may have been Civil War. It may have been Revolutionary
War. It was one of those wars when soldiers lined up like idiots
on the field of battle and shot at each other until they didn't
have anybody else to let shoot. And they used cannon fire. This
man said he saw men standing on the battlefield and a cannon
was fired at this line of men. But as soon as they heard the
cannon ignited, as soon as they heard the explosion, they fell
flat on the ground and the volley went right on top of them and
no one was injured by it. What a mighty mighty effectual
armor they employed, they could not have found a safer way to
face the cannon fire. As soon as they heard the ignition
of the fire, as soon as the cannon ball was released, they fell
flat down before it and found no harm as they fell before their
enemies. That which gave those men warning
notice of imminent danger was the sound of the blast of the
powder in the cannon. What mercy that the blast was
heard before the shot arrived. Now listen to me. God Almighty
in like manner warns before he slays. He sounds the alarm before
he sails. He blows the trumpet before he
charges with the sword of his justice. He often has caused
you to hear the igniting of the canon of his justice. Will you
be wise and fall down before him? Who can stand before his
indignation? Not one. But fall down until
his indignation is passed over. Fall before him and sue for mercy. You have no other hope. You have
no other armor. That's exactly what the Ninevites
did when Jonah came preaching to them. Jonah came and warned
of judgment. He said, yet 40 days and Nineveh
shall be overthrown. And thus the Lord God warned
that wicked city of impending wrath and judgment. But those
wicked men fell on their faces and God spared the city. Now
that's the background for our text this evening. Luke 11, 29. And when the people were gathered
thick together, he began to say, this is an evil generation. They
seek a sign. Show us something. Isn't it amazing? With all the miracles our Lord
had performed before them, they said, now show us something else.
with all the wonders he had performed, they should show us a sign. Do
something by which we're convinced that you're the Messiah. Do something
before us by which we can be convinced that you really are
the Christ of God and we'll believe on you. And there shall no sign
be given him. No, sir. No, sir. Won't give
you one. But the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was a sign unto
the Ninevites, So shall the son of man be to this generation. Verse 32, the men of Nineveh
shall rise up in judgment with this generation and shall condemn
it. For they repented at the preaching
of Jonah and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. Now give
me your attention carefully. I want to show you three things.
First, our Lord speaks of the sign of the prophet Jonah. Faith
believes God. That sounds like such a simple,
trite, perhaps insignificant statement. But only unbelief
looks for a sign. Only unbelief depends on signs. Those in our day, like those
in our Lord's day, who make signs, evidences, and proofs to be the
basis of their faith will perish in unbelief. Now I realize that
we live in this age when the Pentecostals charismatic tomfoolery
has swept across not only our land but almost every other land
in Western civilization and everybody is talking about signs and wonders
and miracles and we do this so men will believe. The signs given
by the apostles, those wonders by which our Lord was identified
as the Messiah, which were fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies,
those signs and wonders, the speaking in tongues and the miracles
and so forth that the apostles performed and had gifts and grace
from God to perform, identified them as the messengers of this
Messiah. But when the apostles died, when
the apostles died, When the apostles died, there are none today. There
are no apostolic men in apostolic succession today. When they died,
the signs and wonders of the apostolic age died with them. We have no need for them. We
have the revelation of God in Holy Scripture. Now listen carefully. It does not matter what you see
with your eyes, what you experience in your flesh, what you experience
in your emotions, what you feel, what science proves or disproves,
what miracles prove or disprove. This, which is written in this
book, is God's word and it does not need and will not have validation
except in this word. That's all. That's all. What
are you saying, pastor? Sometimes people had the idea
that somehow if we could just, with scientific evidence, prove
to men that God created the world, then folks would believe God.
No such thing. No such thing. If we could just,
with logic and reason and historic buttressing and apologetics,
defend the faith in such a way that men simply could not logically
refute the gospel of God's grace, then they would believe. No.
No, sir. Man may be logically, reasonably, even scientifically
and historically forced to concede what he despises. Faith bows
to the word of God. Faith does not depend upon emotion. Faith does not depend upon feeling. Faith does not depend upon experience. Faith believes God. That's all. That's all. Our faith
stands in this book. And if our faith is based upon
anything else, our faith is false faith and nothing but unbelief.
That's all. I'm calling you this night to
repentance and faith in Christ. You who have yet stood obstinately
in rebellion and unbelief and refuse to come to Christ, I call
you to repentance and faith. You who have long believed on
the Son of God, You who yet struggle with your sin and your unbelief,
I call you and myself to repentance and faith in Christ. I have no
argument with which to persuade you but the gospel. I have no
sign to give you, no miracle to perform, no evidence to convince,
nothing but the naked gospel of God's free and sovereign grace
in Jesus Christ, the sinner's substitute. Will you hear me?
God help you to hear me. Believe on the Son of God right
now to the saving of your soul. Believe Him. Fall flat down before
Him who has been your obstinate enemy all your life. I call on
you to do so for Christ's sake. I pray that God the Holy Spirit
will give you grace to do so. Hear me, if you're out of Christ,
the wrath of God is on you. tremble for your soul as I make
that statement. The wrath of God is on you. There is no reason
for you to even suspect that God is in favor. People say,
well, God loves you. God's love, my bestest, is found
only in Jesus Christ, his son. Nowhere else. Outside Christ,
God never speaks a word of love, grace, mercy, kindness, favor,
or hope. The wrath of God's on you. I
don't mean it's going to be its own you. God's glittering sword
is swinging over your head and with the next breath he may sweep
you into hell and you fully deserve it. There is no righteousness,
no redemption, no deliverance, no salvation for any sinner except
Jesus Christ the Lord. His name is Jehovah's Atenu,
the Lord our righteousness. We have no righteousness but
him. We can produce none of our own.
We can do nothing to satisfy God's justice on our own behalf.
Christ alone is made of God and the chosen centers, wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. And God Almighty has promised
life eternal, free salvation, complete pardon. everlasting
justification, permanent acceptance, immutable, immutable acceptance
with Him to every sinner who believes on His Son. He promised
it. His word is believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. He that believeth on the
Son. But outside Christ, without Christ,
there's no salvation. no mercy, no hope. This is what the sign of Jonah
declares. Salvation is of the Lord. He was the one who originated
it. He is the one who executes He
is the one, and he is the one who shall have the praise of
it. Salvation from start to finish is of the Lord. If you go to
hell, you go to hell because you deserve it. And you have
chosen your own way. If God takes you to glory, it's
because he gives you grace and he'll have the praise. Now, this
is what the sign of Jonah declares. And you're as familiar with those
words in Jonah 2, 9 as I am. Salvation is of the Lord. But
as I kept looking at this passage the last several weeks, I kept
asking, how is Jonah a sign of this blessed gospel? Let me show
you. It's very simple. You're familiar
with the story. In Jonah chapter one, verse 17,
we're told that the Lord God prepared a great fish to swallow
up Jonah. In exactly the same way, The
Lord God Almighty prepared and ordained from old eternity the
instrument of death for his darling son as our substitute. It was
spoken of, represented throughout the scriptures, and we're told
in Galatians 3, as Paul quotes from Deuteronomy, cursed is everyone
that hangeth on a tree. It says, Christ has redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For
it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. So the
Lord God ordained that his son must die, die under the penalty
of the law, die as the sinner's substitute, die under the curse
of his holy law, be made sin for us. And the only way it could
be publicly identified, according to Old Testament scripture, that
his son died in this manner to fulfill the scriptures is by
crucifixion. And so he raised up a bunch of
barbarian Romans who invented the practice. And the Jews tried
repeatedly to stone him, but the Savior was crucified instead.
Second, Jonah was cast into the sea by the hands of wicked men
and by the pleasure of God. You remember those men in Jonah
chapter one, they said they were out in the storm and a vehement
storm arose and they began each one to cry to his gods. And Jonah,
he's just called the cucumber. He knows what's going on. And
they said, what do you mean? What's going on with you? And
Jonah said, it's for your sakes that the Lord's done this, or
for my sake the Lord's done this to you. Throw me in the sea.
And those fellows who believed not God, who were base idolaters
in terror for themselves to save their own lives, picked Jonah
up and threw him into the sea because that was God's pleasure.
They did it because they wanted to. They did it because they
chose to. They did it to save their own
skins. But they did it because God had ordained it. So it is
written in the Book of Acts, the Lord Jesus Christ was delivered
by the will of men, by wicked hands, according to their own
will, they nailed him to the tree. But he was delivered by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God because it pleased the
Lord to bruise him. As Jonah was in the heart of
the whale's belly, in the heart of the earth, in the belly of
hell for three days and three nights, with all the waves and
billows of God's wrath passing over him, cast out of God's sight,
so our blessed Savior was cast out of God's sight. All thy ways
and all thy billows are gone over me, he cried. And when he
was cast out of God's sight and put to death by the hand of God
Almighty as our substitute, then he was buried, buried for three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth. I know that
there are folks who find that and say, well, that's just not
possible because the Lord was crucified and buried late Friday
afternoon. and then raised early Sunday
morning, so he couldn't have been in the belly of the earth
for three days and three nights. Ah, look, there's a mistake in
the scriptures. Oh, no. No, those fellows aren't as smart
as they think they are. The Romans and the Gentile world
have a common way of measuring time. For us, we commonly speak
of a day as 24 hours. That's just how we commonly speak
of a day. We don't speak of any portion of a day as a day. The
Jews, however, commonly, in the measuring of their feast and
the keeping of the Sabbath day, they constantly and commonly
measured a day as any part of the day. So that if something
happened only for just a brief part of a day, they considered
it a day. And so our Lord was buried on
Friday as the sun was setting, and he was in the earth Friday. He was in the earth all day Saturday
and he was in the earth until the rising of the sun on Sunday. And thus, our Lord says he was
in the earth three days and three nights while suffering the judgment
of God as a substitute for the mariners who threw him into the
sea. Jonah said, you're going to have
to throw me in the water or we're all going to drown. In other words, you go ahead
and throw me in. and I'll be cast into the sea,
and you'll be safe." While Jonah was suffering the judgment of
God as a substitute for those very men who threw him into the
sea, he said, salvation is of the Lord. He found himself in
the belly of hell, and he cried out, salvation is of the Lord.
He turned his heart and his mind toward God in his holy temple,
and this is the proclamation he made. the Son of God also,
when he suffered the wrath of God as our great sin-atoning
substitute, declared God's salvation. Read the 40th Psalm. In verses
10, verse 16, he says, I've declared thy righteousness. And in the
Psalms, it's all about suffering. In chapter 69 of the Psalms,
verse 29, he speaks of the same thing. I declared your salvation,
your salvation, your salvation. Christ crucified. Oh God, help
you to hear me. Christ crucified. Christ dying
in the room instead of guilty sinners for the accomplishment
of justification, redemption, salvation, and righteousness.
Christ having fulfilled all righteousness and putting a period to the law
declares God's salvation. There's no other way for sinners
to be saved. This is God's salvation. The Lord God raised me up in
righteousness and in justice. The Lord God has made me to be
stand in the room of my people. And now God is just and the justifier
of all who believe. Even as he hung on the tree,
our Savior spoke for those who nailed him there. We cried with that Jewish mob,
crucify him, crucify him. David, we cried just as loudly
as they, let his blood be on us and our children. Vehement
hatred against the Almighty. And the Son of God says, Father,
forgive them. They don't have any idea what
they're doing. He said to one who had just railed him as we
railed him in our rebellion. He said to one who had just mocked
him hanging on the cross beside him. He said to that penitent
thief, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. That's where
I'm going. I'll take you with me. And when
he had finished his work, he said, it's finished. The work
is done. And then on the third day, Jonah
came out of the whale's belly. But he didn't just come out of
the whale's belly. He came out of the whale's belly for the
salvation of a specific people. Back in the beginning of the
book, the Lord said to Jonah, go to Nineveh and cry to that
city. He told him to cry judgment,
to cry the warning of wrath. But Jonah knew all the while,
Jonah knew if I go to those Ninevites who are my own enemies and the
enemies of my people, they will hear your word and you'll be
gracious to them. And so Jonah was spit out on
the shore by the whale and he went running to Nineveh, crying
40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So too the Lord Jesus
Christ was raised from the dead the third day for the salvation
of a specific people. The Lord God from old eternity
set him up to be the Savior of his people. From old eternity
the Lord God made him to be the Lamb slain for those whose names
were inscribed in the book of the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. For to this end Christ both died
and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead
and the living. He was delivered for our revenge.
delivered because of our offenses, and raised again for our justification
because of our justification. And now we have through him received
the atonement. Turn over to 1 Corinthians 15
for a moment. 1 Corinthians 15. On your way, stop at Romans 1.
Let's look at both of these. Romans chapter 1. I have said the sign of Jonah
is Christ crucified, the message of the gospel, and here it is. Crucial to the message of the
gospel is the resurrection. Now, understand what I'm saying. Everywhere around the world today,
men and women, in their various ways, most of them pagan and
superstitious and idolatrous, celebrate the fact that Jesus
Christ arose from the dead. Thank God he has arranged it
so the whole world is confronted with that fact that cannot be
denied. It cannot be refuted. It is more
thoroughly verified than any fact in history. It cannot be
denied. But you understand the resurrection. The message of the resurrection
is the message of Jonah. Look here at Romans chapter 1,
verse 1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ,
for an honor, called to be an apostle, called to be God's messenger,
separated under the gospel, which he had promised afore by
his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Whatever the gospel is, it's
what was spoken of in all the Old Testament. Whatever the gospel
is, it's what was illustrated in all the Old Testament. Whatever
the gospel is, it's what was typified in all the Old Testament. Afford promise by his holy prophets
in the scriptures. Now look at it. It's all about
his son. Concerning his son. It's not
about the church, not about church history, not about this denomination
or that. It's concerning his son. Concerning
his son. Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus, his name, the Savior. This man born at Bethlehem is
God, the Eternal Son. He is the Christ, that one promised
in the Old Testament, the Messiah, the Deliverer, and he is Lord. Like it or no, he is your Lord. Freedom. Which was made of the
seed of David, according to the flesh. The Lord Jesus Christ
did not have his beginning when he came into this world, and
he didn't have his ending when he left. But he was made to be
a man according to the flesh after the seed of David, as the
prophets had said he would be, and declared to be the Son of
God with power. Now listen. The Son of God, our
Savior, this man, Jesus of Nazareth, came here into this world, assumed
human flesh, and while he walked on this earth, He, being a man,
made himself equal with God. There's no question about it.
He told everybody who heard him, I am God. He said, I am God. That's the reason Jews tried
to kill him. Read the 10th chapter of John. They said, we're not
going to kill you because of some evil work you've done, but
because you, being a man, make yourself equal with God. And
he said, the one standing here talking to you, the one here
expanding the word to you, this one here telling you about Jonah,
I am God, the eternal son. Well, let's see. You remember
what the Jews said when they hung on the tree? Let's see if
God will hang. Let's see. Let's see if God will
accept him. Let's see. Hang on for three
days. He was declared to be the Son
of God with power, look at it, according to the spirit of holiness
by the resurrection from the dead. Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, made to be sin, suffers the wrath of God and is put to
death under the curse of God's holy law. because holiness demanded
it. Holiness demanded satisfaction. Holiness will not allow the holy
God to pardon the sinner without the sin being put away to the
full satisfaction of justice. And now the spirit of holiness
raises him from the dead and says sin is put away. This one
who died is indeed the son of God. Read on. And that he was
buried and that he rose again I'm sorry, I'm going ahead of
myself. Here in Romans 1, declared to
be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness
by the resurrection from the dead, by whom we have received
grace and apostleship. This is how you get it. Through
this one who is the incarnate God, crucified, risen again,
dispensing grace upon the merits of his accomplished redemption.
All right now look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 1. There is but one gospel. There is but one. There is just
one. Have you got that? There's just
one gospel. And it's not Arminian free will
works religion. I don't care whether it goes
by the name Baptist, or Protestant, or Papist, or Hindu, because
the religions are all the same. They wear different costumes,
some look a little funnier than others, and they go through different
ceremonies, but anybody who makes salvation to be dependent on
you. I don't care whether you're talking
about works of your hand or the works of your will. Anybody who
makes salvation to be in any way At any point, at any time,
to be dependent on something you do is preaching another gospel. They're preaching a God who can't
save, a Christ who can't redeem, a spirit who can't regenerate
without your cooperation. And that's a false God, a false
Christ, a false spirit, a false gospel. Look at what Paul says
here. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel. The definite article is very
important. Not a gospel. Well, that's the Baptist gospel,
I know, and it's just as bad as the papist gospel. Well, that's
the Presbyterian gospel, I know, and it's just as bad as the free
will gospel of any other kind. Oh, no, no, no, no, the gospel,
the gospel, the gospel, which I preached unto you, which you
also have received, and wherein you stand, by which also you're
saved. You ain't saved any other way.
The only way God saves sinners is by the gospel. It doesn't
say many other ways. If you keep in memory, that is, if you hold
fast what I preached unto you, unless you believed in vain.
A lot of folks get it in their head and depart from it, and
their faith is just empty, vanity, nothing. For I delivered unto
you first of all that which I also received. Look at it now. H-O-W. That's the operative word. The gospel is not the fact that
Christ died and was buried and rose again. That is not the gospel. Those are historic facts. The
gospel is the declaration of how that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures. He died as God's appointed substitute
for the satisfaction of justice in the room instead of his people,
having accomplished eternal redemption by the sacrifice of himself,
putting away their sins. How that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures. All the types, on every word
in all the Old Testament, referring to the death of Christ. There
are no exceptions. Every one of them. show him to
be the sacrifice for a specific people. And as the result of
the sacrifice made, the people for whom atonement was made were
blessed in all the ceremonial law. And in all the New Testament,
there is not the slightest indication anywhere in this book where the
death of Christ is spoken of. that it's anything else. Jesus
Christ died in the room instead of God's elect of his sheep of
sinners who are brought to faith in him and as a result of his
death every sinner for whom he died shall be brought at last
into the possession of every blessing of grace and everlasting
glory. Read on. And that he was buried and rose
again the third day Just like the book said he was. He was
buried, just like Jonah. Buried out of God's sight, proof
that he had died. And rose again the third day,
declaring our justification accomplished. Our justification was not accomplished
by his resurrection, but rather he was raised again because when
he said it's finished, it was done. Sin was put away, now the
risen Savior is proof of it. All right, look again at scriptures. As Jonah was assigned to the
Ninevites, so the Lord Jesus Christ, Christ crucified, raised
from the dead, that is to say the preaching of Christ crucified,
is the only sign God gives to sinners. That's it. Well, if you just,
then I think maybe they'd believe. If you just do this, we ought
to We ought to do these things, you know, to coddle folks and
we ought to do these things because men want these things, you know.
The church needs to accommodate itself and accommodate the gospel
to the times. I'm so sick of accommodating
gospels I could throw up. The religion of this age is nauseating
to me and it's a whole lot more nauseating to God. Oh no. God has one sign for you. One
sign. This is it. died for sinners. Bet so. Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, by the sacrifice of himself, has put away sin. And he now,
that great priest sitting on the throne of glory, is able
by himself to say to the uttermost every sinner who comes to God
by him. All right, now here's the second thing. The Lord Jesus
here declares that grace despised will forever make the fires of
hell burn hotter for your soul. If you refuse to hear the gospel, you will hear it forever to the
tormenting of your soul in hell. Your willful, obstinate unbelief
will make hell hotter for you than any other. The Ninevites
will arise on the day of judgment as witnesses against you at the
bar of God. Look at verse 32, Luke 11, 32.
The men of Nineveh shall rise up in judgment with this generation
and shall condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of
Jonah. And behold, a greater than Jonah is here. Like the
Jews of our Lord's day, you've been favored with the
great privilege of hearing the gospel. Oh, what a privilege. Yet, like those Jews of our Lord's
day, you who hear and believe not
continually, continually, Cry in your heart with hardness and
enmity against God. Kill him. Kill him. Crucify him! He's not fit to
be believed. Are not the men of Nineveh irrefutable
witnesses against you? Are they not true witnesses against
your soul? Is their witness not a justifiable
condemnation of your soul? Let's see. These men of Nineveh
repented and turned to God, though all they heard was one message
from one prophet. That's all they heard. That's
all. All they heard Bob Preet was
one man preach one message. That's all. They had none of
the privileges and opportunities we enjoy. They heard only one
prophet, and he wasn't much of a prophet. Nineveh heard that
one prophet only one time, and the one sermon he preached had
no indication of any care, any concern, or any compassion in
him. Nineveh had heard no word of glad tidings, but only the
thunder of God's law, the threat of God's wrath. And yet, Nineveh's
obedience to the word of God was immediate universal, practical,
and acceptable, and the city was spared. The men of Deneva
repented. They turned to God, though Jonah
gave them no reason to hope for mercy. He didn't say a word about
pardon. He gave no mention of repentance.
He didn't proclaim one word of grace. He only preached hellfire
and brimstone. And then I get letters from folks
who seemed to have Jonah's spirit. He preached hellfire and brimstone.
I want to hear a man preach hellfire and brimstone. Jonah was tickled
to death to do it. That's just the kind of attitude
he had. He seemed to say with delight, 40 days, God's going
to kill you. 40 days, judgment's coming. 40 days, God's going to overthrow
Nineveh. His message began and ended with
judgment, wrath, and terror. The difference between the Ninevites
And you who hear and refuse to believe the gospel is simple
and clear. They believe what God said. With no offer of grace, no promise
of grace, no sign of grace, believing God's word, they simply found
themselves in desperate need. And they therefore made the message
of doom to be a message of hope. They took Jonah's dreadful message
as an indication that maybe, just maybe, maybe, we don't know,
but maybe, who can tell? Maybe, maybe if God has sent
this man here to tell us that we've got 40 days before judgment
comes, maybe he'll be merciful. Maybe, maybe he'll spare us. Maybe he'll turn away his wrath. Some of you who hear my voice,
on the other hand, hear the glorious gospel of God's rich, free, full
salvation, of grace abounding, of mercy multiplied, eternal
life in Christ. And you spit in God's face. To hell with God. I'm not going
to believe Him. I want your attention. It's exactly
the attitude of man. Exactly his attitude. Ignorance
against God. God Almighty is a liar. I won't believe him. Is that
what the book says? The men of Nineveh repented and
turned to God, though Jonah offered them no hope. This fellow didn't
go to the right seminary. He was anything but a loving,
tender-hearted pastor, anxious to gather the sheep, rather than
thanking God for the privilege of proclaiming his unsearchable
riches of grace to the Gentiles of Nineveh. unto me who am less
than the least of all saints of this grace given, that I should
preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."
Now Jonah, oh no, Jonah pouted and sulked. Not only did he not
pray for the Ninevites, he not only came and refused to pray
for God to cause those who heard his voice to repent, when God
spared him, he got mad at God. They obeyed his voice. So much
for the power of the gospel, depending on the preacher. They
heard his voice and they repented. The men of Nineveh repented and
turned to God by finding message, the message of wrath to be a
door of hope. Listen to this, you don't need
to turn to that. Jonah 3 verse 9, they said, who can tell? Who can tell if God will turn
and repent and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish
not? Oh, who can tell? No invitation
was given. No command was issued to believe.
Nothing was said about repentance or the confession of guilt. Their
only hope was formed from what God had not said. Oh, what faith! They said, well, God didn't say
we couldn't repent. God didn't say he wouldn't have
mercy. God didn't say he would not spare us. Who can tell? Maybe he will. But hear me. You don't need to deduce anything.
This is what God has said. I will be gracious. I will pardon. I will save. Jonah's mission was but a warning.
And yet the warning implied a degree of mercy. And the Ninevites ventured
everything upon just the warning. And they said, who can tell?
If we repent, if we repent and he kills us anyhow, we haven't
lost a thing. If we fall on the ground before
him and the cannon fire hits us anyhow, we haven't missed
anything. But who can tell? Maybe, maybe
he'll be merciful. Oh my soul, the gospel of God's
grace proclaims hope for the hopeless, help for the helpless,
grace for the guilty, salvation for sinners through the merits
of Christ. If the Ninevites, who were under
the sentence of death, could draw from the law a hope
of mercy and venture everything on just the hope maybe God would
be gracious. Reckon why we can't venture everything
on the sure word of God. And it's no venture. It's no
venture at all. Well, preacher, how do you know?
Because a greater than Jonah is here. This one who gives us this word
tonight is a greater man than Jonah. This man's the God man.
This one who gives us this word tonight is a greater prophet
than Jonah. He's the prophet. He is one who
has experienced a better resurrection and he promises a better resurrection
to all who believe. His message is a greater message. His message is plain and clear.
Because it arises from a greater mission. Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners. I never qualified for much in
my life. I qualify for grace. How? That's me. Sins my name. Sins my game. Sins my nature. Sins what I am.
Christ came to save sinners. I reckon he must have come to
save me. I reckon he must have. Come guilty sinner in whose breast
a thousand thoughts revolve. Come with your guilt and sin
oppressed and make this last resolve. I'll go to Jesus though
my sin hath like a mountain rose. I know his courts I'll enter
in whatever may oppose. Prostrate, I'll lie before his
throne, and there my guilt confess. I'll tell him I'm a wretch undone
without his sovereign grace. I'll through the gracious king
approach, whose scepter pardoned him. Perhaps, perhaps he will
command my touch, and then this sinner lives. Perhaps he will
admit my plea. Perhaps we'll hear my prayer.
But if I perish, I'll pray and perish only then. If I've got
to go to hell, let me go to hell clinging to the throne of grace. I can but perish if I go. I am resolved to try for if I
stay away, I know I must forever die. But if I die with mercy
sought, are you listening? If you die with mercy sought,
when I the sting have tried, this were to die delightful thought,
as sinner never dies.

A Greater Than Jonah is Here

What does the Bible say about the sign of Jonah?

How do we know that salvation is only through Jesus Christ?

Why is repentance important for Christians?

What does 'salvation is of the Lord' mean?

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A Greater Than Jonah is Here

What does the Bible say about the sign of Jonah?

How do we know that salvation is only through Jesus Christ?

Why is repentance important for Christians?

What does 'salvation is of the Lord' mean?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

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