Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Sunday, December 13, 2009

5:00 pm

Introduction:
1. There is hope…
Matthew 4:20 “Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”

One of you handed me an mp3 copy of a series by Andy Stanley
“Followers are fishers!”
The Jonah version of that = “Fish or be fished!”

Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses ( – martyrs) in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This Christmas some of you carry a load of concern for someone you love who is not a real Christian. You may even silently muze to yourself that it would be miracle of they came to Christ.

Let me reassure you that it would be!
2 Corinthians 4:3-6 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

You are humble. You have learned that you can’t push.
2 Corinthians 4:5 “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

And let me reassure you there is hope.
2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

2. Review – Using God’s call on Jonah’s life to examine ours!
The supreme purpose for your life can only be found when you answer the call of God in your life :
~ First, to turn to Him in repentance and into a personal relationship with Him.
Our primary calling is the truth that God calls us to Himself.
His summons is to come into a relationship with Him through personal faith in Jesus Christ.

~ Second, God called Jonah because he had a specific job for him to do. And God calls us because he has a job for us to do.

Jonah 1:1-2 “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

2 Kings 14:25 ” Jeroboam, king of Israel…restored the border of Israel…which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.”

800-750 B.C. (Iron Age) Contemporary of Hosea and Amos
The Book of Jonah is The story of a single prophetic mission
Much is compressed into a small space. Just 48 vs like a “Zip” file.

Jonah was a nationalism. He was a Jewish patriot.
He did not want to go to Nineveh and share the message of God.

God has given us special gifts, he has given us a heart for certain things – dreams and passions (they may stay consistent throughout life or they can change with the seasons of life) – Tony Dungee, coach of Tampa Bay and Indianapolis Colts – a coach with a passion for football. But underlying this passion is a passion far deeper – a passion for mentoring ‘at risk’ teens and young adults.

God has given us abilities and personalities and experiences and none of these are wasted in His plan. There is a “fit” for you in some job that God has for you to do.

But it is true that the Bible is realistic about work. There are challenges and thistles and thorns and relational difficulties in the workplace.
Few people enjoy both their work and their personal life.
Where can we find meaning in the midst of boredom and tedium is something we experience in our work? Here’s a partial answer.

~ God called Jonah to go share his message with lost people. Do you see this?
Jonah 1:1-2 “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

Jonah 3:1-2 “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.””

And God says to us
Matthew 4:20 “Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”

I. Why go?
Now I want you to realize something.
The Assyrians were religious people.
They worshipped a pantheon of gods and goddesses.
Wasn’t that good enough!

The ancient Assyrians practiced Ashurism. Ashurism was the first religion of the Assyrians. The very word Assyrian, in its Latin form, derives from the name of Ashur, the Assyrian god.

Before the Assyrians became some of the earliest Christians the Assyrians worshipped a pantheon of gods and goddesses.
Ishtar is a goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex In the Babylonian pantheon, she “was the divine personification of the planet Venus”. Ishtar was above all associated with sexuality: her cult involved sacred prostitution
But they worshipped in ignorance!
Nineveh’s Spiritual Confusion – God’s compassion…
Jonah 4:11 “Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”

It was not enough to be religious and worship gods and goddesses.
They needed to hear about the true God.

Worshipping god may be intuitive! But worshipping the true God is not. The true God must reveal himself to us and we must hear his message. So God sent Jonah to tell them.
Jesus said…
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

John 3:3 “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God…Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

We rightly ask, “Well then, what about those who’ve never heard?

Two key passages…not the only ones but crucial
Book of Jonah and Romans 2

Titus 3:3 “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.”

Ephesians 2:1-5 ” And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”

John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

1 Timothy 2:3-4 “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Saved from what? Condemnation and eternal suffering!

II. The Message Preached!
A. For those in Nineveh
How was Nineveh going to be spared judgment? – A word from God! Jonah 3:3-5

B. For us today…
Facts of History…
~ The sacrifice of Christ
1 Peter 1:18-19 “you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” But you have to hear the message!

~ The resurrection of Christ
1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,”

1 Corinthians 15:3-5 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”

Having faith in God is intuitive.
Having faith in Jesus Christ is not. People must hear about the rock-solid facts of history!

The gospel is news about Jesus Christ and the events in his life and their significance for us.

1 Peter 1:23-25 “since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.”

Acts 16:31 “And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.””

The new birth happens through the Word of God.

III. God calls us to go!
Romans 10:13-15 “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!””

Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

God rescues people from sin and eternal suffering through the good news of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for them.

The new birth, salvation comes through the God-given, clear-headed conscious embrace of the historical person of Jesus Christ as the Savior, Lord and treasure of your life!

Followers are fishers!
Matthew 4:18-20 “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”

What should we be doing to help unbelievers be born again?
Tell them the good news of Jesus Christ from a heart of compassion and a willingness to serve! (Luke 4)

Give yourself to relieving suffering – especially eternal suffering.
Be aware of the many Clarence Thomases around you every day.
Take into account how your reactions, your words, your example and how you use the opportunities you have to share Christ.

A few suggestions…

1. Share Christ – not church dogma!
Someone must tell the lost the historical message of the gospel of Cx.
Do it out of compassion. Do it wisely! Walk with Christ moment by moment being aware that you are a witness and you are the only Jesus others may ever see.

Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas, in My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir tells the story of being raised as a Roman Catholic. He attended Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts. But while in college he parted ways with the church for a while. He says it like this…

“During my second week on campus, I went to Mass for the first and last time at Holy Cross. I don’t know why I bothered – probably habit, or guilt – but whatever the rasons, I got up and walked out midway through the homily. It was all about Church dogma, not the social problems with which I was obsessed, and seemed to me hopelessly irrelevant.” P.51

2. Be enthusiastic, hard workers in whatever you are doing!
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

3. Commit yourself to prayer!
Colossians 4:2-6 “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

4. Always be prepared
1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”

~ Aaron Rogers
~ Woman’s Day magazine
~ Malia Cali and Kyle Pollock
5. Just tell his story through your story!
Acts 1:6-8 “So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh

What will it take to get us to share Christ and talk about our faith?
Christ told the early church to move out. They stayed put.
Then a persecution broke out and they scattered telling the story every where they went.

Ephesians 6:19 “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,”

The first believers were told to shut up about Jesus!
They said we can’t!

Why has God put you where you are?
Could it be for reasons you’ve not considered?
Share Christ at school, at work, across the street, on the plane, on the phone, on Facebook, through texting and blogging.

Jonah wasn’t the last one God sent on short-term missions trips.
Would you consider going on a short term missions trip?
Would you consider going on project?

Finally, let me reassure you that God uses ordinary people.
Jonah would not be the best example of God’s love for lost people.

Jonah was filled with pride. He was condescending and no compassion on the people of Nineveh.

Be patient – God uses many influences! Links in a chain!