Amen. All right, we're in Jonah chapter three. And last week, of course, chapter number two, I want to recap what I preach about last week.
And the whole sermon was basically focused on how Jonah was swallowed, he was actually swallowed up and in the whale's belly, and how that's a
picture spiritually of how Jesus, well, not spiritually, it's a physical picture of how Jesus later on would be in his, that his soul would
actually go to hell for three days and three nights. And so, and Jesus actually mentions it in Matthew chapter 12. But Jonah gets
called in in chapter number one, to preach to Nineveh, and he tries to flee from God's presence. God causes that great storm. And then the
men end up having to throw Jonah overboard in order to save themselves, which obviously pictures Christ as he's lifted up and thrown in
pictures Christ, how he had to be lifted up to save us and sacrificed for the good of the ship, Jonah was, and then, of course, Jesus Christ was
sacrificed for the good of all mankind. And it pictures his, you know, when he's tossed into the tempest tossed sea, he pictures the horrific death of
Christ, how the billows were over him, crashing over him. And that then, of course, he's swallowed by the whale. And then again, that
pictures the the sacrificial death on the cross. And of course, Jesus being in hell for three days and three nights. Now, I talked about this
last week and how it's not a popular teaching, and how people will actually say that's a heretical teaching. Well, you know, people need to just
quit believing what every person tells them, whatever preacher tells them, and believe what the Bible actually says. And just quit just counting
on some guru to tell you what words mean in the Greek. They'll say that hell doesn't really mean hell. Well, if the if the King James translator
translated hell, then that's what it means. And hell always means hell. It doesn't mean some paradise hotel that Jesus went to and hung out on the
beach while all these other people are screaming in agony next to him down in the pit of hell. That's just ridiculous. Or they'll say it's Abraham's
bosom. Abraham's bosom is a body part. Okay, it's not a specific place located in the center of the earth. You know, when when, when Lazarus was was
comforted in Abraham's bosom means Abraham's like giving him a hug and taking him up to heaven while the rich man is in hell. You know, and obviously
Jesus tells that story in Luke chapter 16, to tell us, you know, the in warn us against hell, that the rich man who obviously isn't named because
it really doesn't matter what his name is anymore, because he's, you know, he's, he's now he's lost to all eternity, and and so on and so forth. So
now, just flip back in your Bible, one page, or you might be on the same page, but Jonah chapter two, verse one, look what it says. It says, then
Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly. So he's swallowed by the fish and then look at verse two, it says, and said, I cried by
reason of mind's affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me out of the belly of hell, cried I, and thou heardest my voice. Was Jonah literally in hell? No, he
wasn't. And I also explained last week how that all the prophets and the Psalms, Jesus explained to the to the men on the road of a man, the road to
Emmaus, how that all those things had to be fulfilled in the Old Testament. And Jesus explained to them that the prophets gave witness and the
prophets, all the prophets gave witness to the fact about who Jesus was, and that all those things had to be fulfilled. So now go ahead and turn to
Matthew chapter 12, verse 38. And I know in every in every sermon I preach so far, I go to Matthew chapter 12. But it's really relevant because this is
Jesus's main mention of Jonas himself, which is obviously Jonah in transliterated into English in the New Testament. So Matthew chapter 12,
verse 38, the Bible says, Then certain of the scribes of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and
said to them, in evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonas. What
was the sign of the Prophet Jonas? Well, Jesus is about to explain it to us right here. He says, 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 so when Jonas said, in Jonah two, two out of the
belly of hell, cried I, it's it's showing us that picture that Jesus Christ, he said, I'm not going to show you a sign. I'm not a magician that's
performing some kind of a show for you. I'm not an entertainer up here doing magic tricks for you. But you know, since you want to seek after a sign, the
only sign I'm going to show you is that I'm going to die. And then three days and three nights we're going to be in the in the heart of the earth.
And I'm going to rise from the dead. That's the only sign you're going to get to see. And so he's referring to the fact that his soul goes to hell for
three days and three nights. And I know I'm recapping from last week, but I definitely want to recap. So go to Psalm chapter 16, verse 10. Psalm
chapter 16, verse 10. And so this famous Psalm is talked about in Acts 231. Last week, I went to this, a lot of different scriptures about this, but
I'm not going to go to so many at the beginning of this, but I do want to kind of set, try to just recap from last week a little bit. So you kind of
know where we're headed here. So Psalm chapter 16, verse 10, the Bible says, For thou will not leave my soul in hell, this is a Psalm of David, thou
will not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. The Bible in the book of Isaiah calls the Lord Jesus
Christ the Holy One of Israel. And so David here, speaking of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says thou will not leave my soul in hell. But in Acts, it
tells us that this is, David is not talking about himself in this Psalm. Now turn to Acts chapter two. David is not speaking of himself. Because you know
what, David has never, he never spent one second in hell. Anybody that's saved from the Old Testament, and that's died from, you know, that is saved in
Christ, or in the Old Testament, has never spent one second in hell, because Jesus came at the appointed time, and anybody that was saved before is
backdated, you know, from when Christ came. So nobody went to hell. He didn't have to go to hell to rescue people that were already there. That's just a
false teaching. That's not true. Nobody went to hell in the Old Testament. David didn't go to hell. David went to heaven. When the
Transfiguration happened, and Jesus was transfigured on the mount, you know, Elijah and Moses appeared, and they didn't appear from out of hell. They
weren't in hell. They were in heaven. And so people that die, you know, they're in the Lord, in the Old Testament, they went to heaven. They didn't go to
hell. Acts chapter two, verse 31 says, he's seen this before, spake of the resurrection. Talking about David, he spake of the resurrection of who? Of
Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. Talking about Jesus Christ. So Peter's up here preaching this great
sermon, and he's explaining that Jesus's soul was not left in hell. So what does that tell you? You know, if you believe the King James Bible,
and you believe that the Bible is true, that word hell, what does it mean? It means the fiery place of torment where the wicked dead go when they die,
right? So Jesus's soul did go to hell. But here's, people just get so upset about this. It's like, I don't think he's still there. I think that, you
know, to finish off the whole atonement, that Jesus, his soul, you know, if someone that's wicked dies, and they go to hell, then, you know,
wouldn't it make sense that if Jesus paid the penalty for everybody, that he would have to also pay the penalty in hell also? But so what, like I
explained last week, it was as if he spent eternity in hell. But it says it was, you know, so it was like he spent eternity in hell, because
literally, he died for everybody. He died for the worst scumbags that ever lived on the face of the planet. Every pedophile, every homo, every child molester,
every single serial killer. He died for everybody's sins. And so when his soul went to hell, all those sins were upon him. And I read out of Psalm 88 where it says
that he was in the lowest hell. So Jesus' soul went to the lowest hell, the worst place you could possibly be, and it was as if he was there for all
eternity. But because Jesus didn't sin, because he had no sins of his own, he was able to rise from the dead. And the Bible says he rose from the dead,
the Holy Spirit rose him from the dead, God the Father rose him from the dead. And so his flesh did not see corruption either. So his body was laid in a
grave, which was at level ground, because it had to have been at level ground or just barely below the surface, because it was hewn out of rock. And
they rolled a stone across the doorway of where Jesus was buried. Is that the center of the earth? Because this is how people try to explain away,
they'll say, well, it's just being figurative that it was his, his body was three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Well, the heart of the
earth is the center of the earth, isn't it? And that's where lava is. That's where the bottoms of the mountains are, like it's talking about in Jonah
chapter two. So now turn to Isaiah chapter 53. Because, you know, the picture in the Old Testament of the burnt offerings, and the spotless lamb, when
John the Baptist saw Jesus, what did he say? Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world. He's why is he called that? Because he was
innocent. He was without blemish. That's how the Old Testament animals had to be sacrificed as an innocent animal without sins. That's the picture,
right? Now, when God, the Father sent Jesus Christ, the Son, he sent him to be the sacrifice, the sinless sacrifice, that innocent sacrifice in our place.
Isaiah chapter 53, nine says, and he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, neither was any
deceit in his mouth, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief, when he shall make his soul an offering for sin. You see that? What
is done with the Old Testament sacrifices? Did they put them in the fridge? Did they put the offer? Did they kill him and put them in the fridge? No,
they burnt them in a fire, didn't they? Which obviously pictures the what? The fires of hell, doesn't it? Because that's what happens when
someone that dies and is wicked goes to hell. And that pictures, you know, an innocent person going to hell and in atoning for people's sins. That's
what the whole burnt offering picture was for. And it says his soul was made an offering for sin. So it says he shall see a seed, he shall
prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. So was
God satisfied with what Jesus did? Absolutely. By his knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore, will I divide him as portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto
death. And he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. So, you know, even in
Isaiah, the really famous prophecy about Jesus, it talks about how his soul was made an offering for sin. David said that his soul was not left in
hell. And so obviously you have that picture. Now turn to Genesis chapter 22. This is one I didn't have a chance to turn to the other night, last
Thursday night. But here's a picture, and obviously everybody believes that this is a picture of Abraham being God the Father, and Isaac being
Jesus Christ. Nobody really denies this, except for the Jews, of course. But, you know, I digress. But Genesis chapter 22 verse 6, the Bible
says, And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, obviously picturing the cross, and laid it upon Isaac his son. You know, Jesus carried that
cross to his crucifixion place, right? And he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and they both, and they went both of them together. And Isaac
spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father, and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire in the wood, but where is the lamb for
the burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for the burnt offering. So, I mean, if you see the imagery that I've
already been showing you, I mean, he's saying God will provide himself as the lamb for the burnt offering. And Jesus Christ was God manifest in the
flesh, and he is called the Lamb of God, which taketh upon him the sin of the world. So, obviously, God didn't allow Abraham to go through with it, but he
wanted to see, you know, how faithful are you, Abraham? So, and then, in Jonah, so let's go back to Jonah. Jonah chapter 2 verse 10, which is the last
verse in the, in Jonah chapter 10, or 2 verse 10, it says, And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. So, obviously, this
picture is obviously Jesus Christ allowing, you know, he left hell, you know, Jonah makes these prayers to God, and Jesus Christ also prayed to God out of
hell, and God resurrected Jesus out of hell. So, you have this picture of Jonah being, you know, you know, given a second chance here, right? But, of course, the
picture is also the resurrection. So, now, let's get into the sermon, the main part of the sermon. So, that's all, you know, background here. So, verse number
1, in chapter number 3, the Bible says, And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying. So, Jonah's getting a second chance here. And so, point
number 1 of the sermon is that Jonah gets a second chance to preach. And so, God is a God of second chances. So, that's, it's nice to know that, you know, we
don't, when we fail in our lives sometimes, you know, God is willing to give us a second chance when we mess up. And so, even if we make really bad
choices, like, Jonah is like the prophet of God, and he's like, go preach to Nineveh, and he's like, no, I'm going to go book my first, you know, voyage on the
Titanic to go to Spain or wherever, you know, he's going to Tarshish or whatever. So, he defies what the Lord says. In fact, he tries to go as far away as he
can. And so, now Jonah gets his second chance. And I would just say this, that, you know, when God gives us a second chance, we should take him up on it. You
know, don't just because you fail, look, we're all going to fail at sometimes in our lives. And, you know, God has got a second chances, a got a third
chances. And just because we mess up something in our lives, it doesn't mean that God's done with this. If you're still alive and kicking, he still has
something for you to do, right? And so, Jonah gets this second chance to go and preach, and God says, for the second time, to go out and to preach. Now, it
makes me think of another person that God restored, and that's the Apostle Peter. Remember the Apostle Peter, he denied the Lord three times. So, he gets like a
third chance or whatever, but he gets a second chance. And, you know, Jesus said after his resurrection to go and meet him in Galilee and wait for him
there, right? But Peter just goes back to his old job and starts going fishing again. And when the Lord meets them in Galilee, he's not doing what he's
supposed to be doing. Because when the Lord came to the disciples, he basically told them, quit your jobs. This is now your full time job is to be a
minister. And so, Peter went back to his old job, and he's disgraced. He feels like he's worthless, and he's not able to perform the duties that he was
given. And, you know, everybody knows that he denied the Lord three times. We know that he denied the Lord three times. Everybody that's ever read the Bible
knows that Peter denied the Lord three times. And yet, you know, Peter was still a great man of God, wasn't he? And everybody knows that Peter was a great man
of God, but he had his failures in life. As a matter of fact, you know, he says a lot of great things in the Bible, but then he says a lot of stupid things in the
Bible, too. And it just kind of, I think that that's a picture for us to see that, you know, we can do a lot of great things, too, but we also mess up a lot, just
like the Apostle Peter. But let's turn to John chapter 21 and take a look at how the Lord Jesus Christ restores Peter. What I think is really interesting about
Peter, though, is in this restoration, what is Peter's name? What is Peter called in this passage? He's not, you know, he's called Cephas, you know, which
means a little stone, but he's also called something else, and specifically in this passage, Jesus refers to him by a specific name. Look what it says in verse
15. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter. Simon, son of what? Jonas. You know, and Jonas is the name of the prophet that we're studying right
now. And, you know, sometimes I think, like, God does this kind of stuff on purpose. Like, he, like, intertwines stories and things like that to see, you know,
he's given Jonah a second chance, but, like, you know, and then all these years later, Simon, the son of Jonas, I mean, I'm not saying that he's the son of
Jonah, okay, the literal prophet, but I just think it's interesting that that's what he calls him here. Loveless thou more than these? He saith unto
him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time. And didn't, in Jonah chapter three,
verse one, it says, Where the Lord came unto Jonah the second time. Like, those types of things, when it says it just like that, I'm like, how could that be
coincidence? I don't know. Maybe I'm just over studying or something, but it says, He saith unto him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas,
lovelest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time,
Simon, son of Jonas, lovelest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, lovelest thou me? Obviously in connection with the fact
that he denied him three times. And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him,
Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkest whither thou wouldest. But when thou
shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shalt gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he signifying what death he
should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. So here he is. He's giving Peter, he says, the third time to him to kind of
remind him, hey, you denied me three times, but here I'm going to restore you, Peter. But what I'm saying to you, here's how you're going to die.
It's not going to be, he doesn't really tell exactly how he's going to die, but he's basically saying someone's going to take you, and they're going to take you
where you don't want to go. And it's probably, you know, he's kind of implying here it's not going to be a good death. It's not going to be pretty.
But he still says, follow me anyway. And then what do we see in the book of Acts, right after this, pretty much, is that Peter stands up boldly and preaches that
sermon in Acts chapter 2. Three thousand people end up getting saved that day. And he kind of launches, you know, basically this great preaching campaign in the
New Testament when the day of Pentecost comes. So, you know, Peter was restored and did great things. So, you know, a lot of people say, well, and Christians will say,
well, if you deny the Lord, you're not even saved. Is that true, though? That's not true. Peter wasn't unsaved because he said that. He's just, he was weak.
He was afraid. He was scared. You know, Jesus is getting beaten and punched in the face and bloodied up, and he's by himself, and he's afraid. He's afraid of
what they're going to, you know, really, he's afraid of what they're saying to him. You know, they're just, little girls are mocking him, and he's afraid.
You know, but sometimes you get put in situations like that, and you might be afraid, too. But, you know, just because we fail in areas of our life like that
sometimes, it doesn't mean God is done using you. And even though Peter was disgraced, and he has to bear that for the rest of his life in the Bible,
it's written about him like he can't take it out. It's kind of like David with the thing about Bathsheba. It's like, that's in there. It's a mark on him
for the rest of his life, and everybody knows about it. That's like, so that's kind of one of the things is like, be careful what you do as a Christian,
because you don't want those marks on you to where people say, well, yeah, he was pretty good, except for the thing he did here. You know what I mean?
So, when God gives us a second chance, we need to recognize that, and follow him in whatever capacity we can. So, just because you're not qualified to be a pastor anymore
doesn't mean you can't preach. It doesn't mean you can't go out and go soul-wanting. It doesn't mean you can't serve God to the best of your ability.
Some people just act like if they can't be some high position, or some kind of place of authority, that they're just, God can't use them. That's just not true.
God can use you in a lot of different capacities, and it doesn't have to be leadership. So, and actually not being in leadership is a lot easier sometimes, trust me.
Now, number two tonight, as preachers, we should preach what God wants us to preach. As preachers, we should preach what God wants us to preach.
Look at Jonah chapter three, verse two. So, he said, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
So, is Jonah supposed to go preach whatever he wants? No. Jonah's supposed to go preach whatever God tells him to preach.
And so, this is the problem that we have today in this country and around the world, is that preachers are afraid to preach what God says to preach,
and they've quit preaching the Bible, and they're too afraid of their own shadow to preach what the Bible says.
And they're afraid that, you know, they're going to get persecuted, or they're afraid that it's not something that's popular in the times that we live in,
and, you know, that's not what you see in the Bible. When you read the prophets, you know, Jeremiah gets up, and he rips face in front of everybody in the temple,
and everybody wants to kill him at the same time. But you know what? God didn't allow that to happen.
Because God told him from the very beginning, I'm not going to let anybody hurt you like that. I'm not going to let you get killed.
And even though Jeremiah went through a lot, you know, he did get thrown in the miry clay, which I think might have been an outhouse,
and, you know, he'd get thrown in the dungeon, but in the end, God did take care of Jeremiah. He didn't allow him to get killed.
And, you know, he chose him to be that prophet to the nations in that time when he was one man standing up against the evils of his own nation,
and he was also a prophet to all the other nations of the whole world.
And so, in the New Testament, God still wants men of God to get up and preach what the Bible says.
You know, I'm not getting any special revelation. God's not putting words in my mouth like he did in the prophets of the old times.
But everything, this is a closed book. From Genesis to Revelation, there's no more new revelation coming,
so everything in this book, I get to preach. And everything in this book, I should preach.
And I shouldn't skip over the hairy verses in the Bible that people are afraid to touch on.
Because you know what's going to happen when you go to most churches today?
They're going to preach you a Tony Robbins sermon, a self-help sermon, to teach you how good you should feel when you walk out the door
and that you're so good, and God's so happy with you, and you're just perfect, smile.
You know, here's a little poem to make you feel better, and let's listen to this rock concert for 45 minutes.
And then, go on your way. Don't forget to tithe on the way out the door.
You know, and they're never going to tell you what's wrong with you.
They're never going to get up and read the passages in the Bible that tell you what's wrong with you.
They're never going to read the two-thirds of the negative passages that are in this book.
You know, one-third of this book is positive, and about two-thirds of it is negative.
And so that's why the Bible says to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Look at 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 2.
Now, Paul is writing this letter to Timothy, who's a young pastor,
and he's trying to get him to understand what God wants from him as a pastor.
Now, pastors have lots of different duties and lots of different things.
It's not just preaching, but when it comes to preaching, they're supposed to preach a specific way,
and they're supposed to preach specifically everything in the Bible,
and not skip out on the things that are rough.
Look what it says.
Preach the word. Verse 2.
Preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season.
Well, what does that mean?
It means when it's popular and when it's not popular.
And right now, it's not popular to preach against transgenderism.
It's not popular to preach against, you know, the politics of the day.
You know, it's not popular to preach against the Republican Party.
It's not popular to preach against the Jews, who are doing all this wickedness in our world today.
It's not popular to preach against the homos.
It's not, you know, popular to preach that the death penalty should still be enforced.
It's not popular to preach that men should dress like men and women should dress like women.
not popular to get up and say the King James is the right version of the Bible
that we should be reading out of and all the other ones are trashed that are in
English that's not popular and really anything in this book is really in
modern-day America it's just not popular anymore you can get I could get up here
and just close my eyes and open up a passage and whatever I say in here is
gonna be controversial unless I just read some flower and heart verse that
everybody loves you know charity some charity verse and look I'm all for
charity charity means love we are supposed to love but you know what else
you know if you don't if you don't if you don't hate something you don't love
anything and that's the truth and so we do have to hate certain things God says
there's a time to love and a time to hate and I'm not saying we should be all
hate or 99% hate and 1% love I'm not saying that I'm just saying that when
people said people act like hate is a bad word now or something but hate is
in the just do a study on hate in the Bible and you're gonna find a lot of
things God does hate and sometimes he does hate people it's not just I hate
the sin and not the sinner sometimes he does hate the sinner sometimes you know
when God when does he actually hate the sinner do you think he hates them when
he throws them into hell don't tell me that God loves someone that he throws
into hell that's just not true once once they enter into the the realm of
hell that's when he stopped loving them there's no way that you could tell you
know if you had a child you're like here baby I'm gonna throw you in the oven are
you gonna say that you love that kid you're wrong that's just not true nobody
would ever do that and say they love their child that's just and and look if
so if God throws somebody in in the fire they're not his child contrary to
popular belief that the Mormons teach we're not all God's children we're all
made in God's image obviously but we're not all God's children we're his
offspring in the fact that God created man his own man image and then he
created the women right but we're not all God's children to be one of God's
children you have to believe on Christ and if you haven't believed on Christ
you're not one of his children so the Bible says preach the word the instant
in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort you see how that is laid out
there reprove means to tell someone they're wrong rebuke means to tell
someone they're wrong in a really negative fashion like yelling or
screaming or you know making it really plain and exhort means to encourage
someone to do something that's right with all long-suffering doctrine so you
see how you know so most sermons should have a negative aspect to it because if
you're not giving someone something to work on and then how are you gonna build
somebody up you kind of have to tear some things down before you can build it
back up so that's how Paul told Timothy to preach now obviously we want to do
with long-suffering and we want to use doctrine you don't want to just get up
and you know make fun of the way people look or something that's not what we're
supposed to be preaching we're supposed to be preaching what the word of it says
preach the word okay and this is what's lacking this is why our country is in
the in the in the problems that we're in right now is because there's been some
generations that fell down on the job and they're still falling down they
can't get up they're like that commercial you know I fall and I can't
get up that's what the preachers are like these days really I'm not kidding
so it says for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but
after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears
that means the people just want to have their ears tickled and be told what they
want to hear and sometimes God's people just want to be pop you know they just
want to be in a church where everything's just positive and there's
nothing that's ever negative there's never any fights that are going on you
know why would God say that we're in his army if there's never a battle like
what are we fighting against them you know we're supposed to earnestly contend
for the faith what does contend mean it means the fight there were no battle
folks it's good against evil it's right against wrong it's God against the
devil it's God's people against the armies of Satan so and it says and they
shall turn their ears away from the truth and shall be turned onto fables
there's gonna come a day and you know what it kind of seems like that's how it
is today doesn't it you know people want to hear lies more they want to hear
truth they want to hear about the Nephilim look Nephilim just means giant
okay quit trying to you know bring 450 foot tall Giants into the conversation
because that's you're never gonna find a skeleton like that all right Giants in
the Bible are like 8 to 10 foot maybe 11 feet tall they weren't 450 foot tall
this ain't Jack and the beanstalk okay that's just not true all right anyway
that's what a fable is so now Jeremiah I don't have time to get there but
Jeremiah just study the book of Jeremiah the next time you read Jeremiah read the
woes of Jeremiah and you're gonna see that he he had a really hard ministry
but you know God just said if you preach the way I tell you to preach I'm gonna
be like a defense city unto you I'm gonna be like brazen walls I'm gonna be
like an iron pillar and I'm not gonna let anybody hurt you and you know the
you know the princes I'll just read Jeremiah 1 8 for you really 118 wrote
really quick for you it says for behold I have made thee this day defense city
an iron pillar and brazen walls against the whole land against the kings of Judah
against the princes thereof against the priests thereof and against the people
of the land that's pretty much everybody right and they shall fight
against thee but they shall not prevail against thee for I am with thee saith
the Lord to deliver thee and I believe that if a pastor or a preacher gets up
and preaches what the Bible says that God will be that same way with that man
but woe unto the preacher that gets up and trims the message and you know says
I don't know if I should read that I don't know if I should preach that
because I don't want people to leave I don't want people to be upset with me
you know the Bible says what it says and God's Word says what it says and we
shouldn't be afraid to get up and God's people shouldn't be offended by the
things that are in this book you know you know great peace have they which
love thy law and nothing shall offend them that's what the Bible actually says
we shouldn't be offended by the things in the Bible so now soul winners need to
preach the gospel and not their own version of the gospel or their own words
so what's he telling Jonah to go preach he's saying go and preach the preaching
that I bid thee and so his preaching is a preaching of judgment Nineveh is
going to be overthrown in 40 days is what he preaches and so obviously I'm
sure that's not the only thing he said but it just cap it captures that portion
of it but whatever he told them that's what he preached but you know today as
New Testament believers we're supposed to preach the gospel and the gospel
means the good news or glad tidings you know glad we're supposed to the good
news is that Jesus came he died for us he was buried he rose again the third
day and if people put their faith in him then they'll go to heaven forever it's
called everlasting life it's eternal security and it's easy to go to heaven
it's a free gift we don't have to do anything to earn it we can't do anything
we don't have to do anything to keep it we don't have to do all a bunch of works
or anything like that and the Apostle Paul made it pretty clear that you know
if we if we preach and if we believe what the gospel that he preached unto us
that he died and he was buried and he rose again according to the scriptures
that that's the same thing that we should be preaching on to other people
at the door now it's not just something that we preach in our own words and
here's where people fail as soul winners they try to make up some gimmick that
isn't what God said to do now are there other ways to get people say besides
going door to door yes there are but what did God say to do he said to go he
didn't say to invite someone to church and let the pastor preach a salvation
message every single Sunday morning and you know everybody else in the church
can get the gospel glaze and you guys can just pray that someone comes down
here and kneels down before me and get saved or something that's that's what
like all all the churches do pretty much and you know after a while people are
like okay we're all saved now can you preach something different can you
preach something that's gonna help us and but they don't they never get the
clue it's like they might preach it you know they might preach something else
but eventually it gets to the point where it's it's a salvation message for
any visitors that come and it's just like it got it gets old like who's been
to churches like that it's just like oh man just preach something else please so
but as as as we go out so winning we're not supposed to preach something
different than what God said we we preach the death burial and resurrection
of Christ we teach us eternal security of the believer and the people must
call upon the name of the Lord and belief to be saved okay real simple
explanation there and we use the Bible to do it we don't just go in our own
words and say what we want to say we use the Bible when we go out we use the
Bible to show people what to say so we don't just preach the preaching that we
want to preach we preach what God bids us to preach which is the gospel and we
should do it decently in an order the way God told us to do it number three
tonight as preachers we should go where God tells us to preach we should go
where God tells us to preach because Jonah wasn't just sent to Jerusalem
that's probably where he wanted to go but the Bible teaches that we're
supposed to now in the New Testament were supposed to go to all nations right
but Jonah was told to go to a specific place that he obviously did not want to
go to and it was a Gentile nation it was the Assyrian city of Nineveh look at
Jonah 3 3 it says 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 so I
don't think it's talking about a three days journey as to where he got spit up
at I think it's talking about that's how big the city was and I kind of just
looked into this a little bit I didn't like do like a huge dive in to do it but
from what I saw people said that the city was about 60 miles in diameter at
this time which is pretty big for a city at this time and that it had about
120,000 people in it that's verified in the Bible and chapter number four and
that I was just kind of you know thinking about how far a person could
walk if someone's pretty fit they could probably walk about 20 miles on a day so
I mean most people don't do that now but you know you could you know if you're
used to walking everywhere you go I mean you're probably gonna be able to walk at
15 20 miles a day but you're gonna be hurting but probably in good shape but
so I mean I just think that this is obviously proof that God's sending them
here it's proof that the heathen nations God wanted them to be saved even in the
Old Testament so people get this idea that only Israel was supposed to be
saved back then but why did God why did Jesus curse the fig tree because it was
it had no fruit there was supposed to be fruit on that tree at that time and it
didn't have any fruit so he cursed it forever and that fig tree represented
Israel and Israel is supposed to be bringing fruit toward you know it's
supposed to be proselytizing and bringing fruit unto God but it wasn't
doing that as a matter of fact they turned pretty racist they had turned to
the point where they're preaching basically a works based salvation and
Jesus even said that they're making people twofold more the child of hell
than they are themselves so not only are they not saved that they're going and
preaching you know they're they're proselytizing encompassing land and sea
to make one proselyte and making them twofold more the child of hell than they
are themselves so you know I mean they're just not doing what's right but
it's clear from Jonah that God does want these people to be saved and that they
could be saved at that time and they did get saved at that time because in the
next chapter you know or in this chapter actually we see the conversion
of basically a whole city here of a lot of people so it says in verse 4 and Jonah
began to enter into the city a day's journey and he cried and said yet 40
days and Nineveh shall be overthrown now he's not weeping again modern vernacular
cried we think tears but he's crying with a loud voice and that's how God's
people are supposed to preach so if you get upset that I yell or whatever when
I'm preaching that's how the that's how the prophets preached last night I
preached in Seattle and Jesus is crying out and you know he's preaching at this
at the Feast of Tabernacles in front of everybody and it says in Jesus cried
with a loud voice he's not weeping he's yelling really loud in Isaiah 58 it
says cry aloud spare not lift up your voice like a trumpet okay trumpets are
loud and so this whole you know milk toast preaching style that you see and
that is portrayed in movies and and that you see on these these television
evangelist type shows except you know obviously Kenneth Copeland is like
really weird and crazy but he's like a demon or something he literally is like
a devil dev he's a devil I mean I watched him like squeeze blood into a
into a cup last night somebody showed me this video and like he mixed it with
some other person's blood and then he drank and he said he has the blood of
Jesus inside of him or something I was like wow I mean I thought his kovat 19
videos were weird but that one he's a nut so yeah and I mean and most of these
people are some of the worst scumbags on the face of the planet they pretend to
be one thing when they're on television and they're just completely different on
you know outside or nothing like what they portray themselves to be so and
they don't pretty you know they preach week and that's not how the prophets in
the Old Testament preach they just didn't so so this is the the message
that God tells Jonah that's a message of hey if you don't you know if you don't
get right if you don't if you don't get saved if you don't if you don't get
saved and stop doing all this violence and murder that you're doing then this
city is gonna get overthrown it's gonna get overthrown in 40 days and so what he
remembered God said you're gonna preach what I tell you to preach and why did he
tell him to do that because he knew it was gonna work and it does work and in
Jude 1 22 I'm not gonna tell I'm not gonna have you turn there but in Jude 1
22 it says and if some have compassion making a difference and of others saved
with fear pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment spotted by the
flesh see some people disapprove of of God's way of telling him what to preach
and they the oh this fire and brimstone preaching doesn't work well that is not
what he would God told Jonah to do that's like fire and brimstone hey
you're gonna get torched in 40 days if you don't get right that's that's saving
with fear and sometimes when you're out soul wanting you know obviously we're
supposed to be gentle with people and we're supposed to lovingly show them the
gospel but sometimes you might have to you know the Bible says to save with
fear because sometimes if people fear going to hell you have to show them that
hell is a real place if they don't believe that they're gonna die and go to
hell you have to show them that and and I'm not saying be mean about it but
there's no real nice way to say hey you're gonna go to hell you know there
it's just it is what it is and especially people that are older like
sometimes you just have to people that are older and that might be the last
time that person's door ever gets knocked you know maybe take an extra
couple of moments to say hey you know I hope you know how how important this is
you know obviously if they're just really rude and shut the door in your
face you just don't keep trying okay but if you have a chance to just kind of say
one last thing to that person you might want to just warn them about the fact
that you know they're gonna go to hell if they die without Christ so you know
the Bible says to save a fear pulling them out of the fire hating even the
garment spotted by the flesh it doesn't say saving them with politics saving
them with voting for President Trump doesn't say you know saving them with
protesting saving them with feeding the homeless saving them with watching
conservative news or listening to conservative talk radio it doesn't say
you know praying that God wipes it you know the Hamas off the face of the
planet it doesn't say going to the school boards to try to get the school
boards to change it doesn't say any of that does it it says to save with fear
it says to have compassion and make a difference and how you know what what
what are the church is supposed to be doing we're supposed to be going out and
preaching the gospel and having compassion on people and and and you
know if they never come to our church who cares at least they're saved you
know but people like oh well you know you get yeah you got him saved but you
just let your baby die in the dumpster or whatever and you did they never came
to church you didn't take care of your little baby your new baby in Christ or
whatever it's like well at least they're saved at least they're good they're a
baby now you know I mean we don't we don't control what people do after they
get saved I mean we try to invite them to church we tell them to come get
baptized but like the signs of the times right now basically are people are
pretty unspiritual and the fact that they get saved at all is a miracle it
seems like but you know the gospel still saves there's still power in the gospel
there's the gospel hasn't lost its power we just kind of live in a society that's
pretty apathetic and has everything it needs even poor people now kind of get
everything that they need and why do they need Christ then when they got a
phone that can do everything that wants for them or whatever it's pretty much
become everybody's God so but you know we need to stop as Christians in this
nation we need to stop being so focused on getting the next president elected to
the White House and we need to start focusing on getting our rear ends back
into the church house and start making things happen in church and in people's
lives by being sent out by a local church and doing the Great Commission
which is what God told us to do turn to Matthew chapter 28 verse 19 Matthew
chapter 28 verse 19 Jesus didn't say you know go ye therefore and vote for Donald
Trump and make sure he gets to be the president how did that work out last
time I mean what exactly did he do in the last part of his presidency that was
so helpful to us what he made sure that we had the vaccination is that what he
did whoo thanks he just let the Democrats steamroll all over the top of
everybody's rights at the very end he did nothing it's funny to watch him
tease liberals I think it's funny too but like really what did he do for us
what has he I mean why are people so just enamored by Trump and how great he
of a president he was what was so great about him like really we're like well
look at look at who we have now a shell I know it's probably Obama like moving
his mouth or something I know not saying he's better you know obviously things
are worse now but at least the gas prices are but it's just well it's two
wings of the same bird folks like quit falling for this trap it's just you know
how political was Jesus what he called what he called what he called his king a
fox you know he was a Fox News Baptist or whatever he said Aaron's a fox you
tell that Fox what I you know pilot he's like you have no power except for it
came from it came from God he didn't even care he's just like oh why'd you
open your mouth about the taxes Peter why'd you have to say something he's
like go throw you know a rod in the go throw a fish and pull in and catch this
fish and pull the coin out of his mouth and go pay our taxes now since you
wanted to be such a big mouth about it I mean that's that's how politically was
it wasn't running campaigns for anybody you know it's the kingdom of God is a
different kingdom our kingdom is not of this world so why are we so enamored by
everything in this world why is it such a big deal to everybody you know it
because we're fed these things every day when you open up your phone if that's
the first app on your phone you're gonna click on it like a rat hitting a feeder
pellet for the new information every single day Fox News Fox News Newsmax
Newsmax Facebook Twitter Facebook Twitter like we're controlled and we
don't even you know sometimes we don't realize it everybody is YouTube YouTube
YouTube I gotta admit I I'm the same way sometimes I I I am but there's just a
lot of focus on stuff that doesn't matter you know and this country be a
lot better off if we would focus on the things that God says the focus on
instead of focus on things that don't matter now you chapter 28 verse 19 says
go ye therefore and run a Republican campaign so what it says go ye therefore
and vote Republican go ye therefore and storm the Capitol building how that
worked out for everybody they're doing years in prison for that don't get
caught up in that crap go ye therefore and teach all nations isn't that what it
says baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Ghost
that's our mission that's the Commission that's what he's having us do as
soldiers for the Lord and look I realize that what I'm saying is not popular
right now but I'm not trying to win a popularity contest trying to tell you
what the Bible says teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you and lo I'm with you always even unto the end of the world
amen and amen because that's what matters all this other garbage doesn't
really matter and yeah I'm not saying don't have a life don't have interest
don't have hobbies I'm not saying that I'm just saying that you know when we
start just putting all our energy into things that don't matter then the stuff
of the the Lord is asking us to do falls by the wayside and becomes not as
important and we become just locked into politics and and money and microchips
and what you know just whatever it's just a it's just a smokescreen the devil
can can confuse us just like he confuses other people he just he just keeps us
busy with sports and television and movies and in video games and whatever
else blogging podcasts you know everybody has to be like a what do they
call it like a create creative content person or something we're listening to
people that who cares what you think buddy really I don't care what you think
about I don't care what your opinion is I mean some people are interesting but
like it's like now everybody is a creative content person it's like let me
tell you what I think like who are you I have no idea who you are like and nor
do I care fix your hair anyway but Jesus told the apostles to go and what did
they do they stayed and then what happened well then he allowed them to be
persecuted and they had no choice but to go then the Apostle Paul you know
turned good and got saved and he went forth and preached to the Gentiles in a
mighty way see this is how God wants the world to be reached he doesn't want to
just reach this area here he wants us to go to the whole world and so Jonah just
was was single-minded and he didn't care about these people he just cared about
Israel Jerusalem you know whatever because he was a prophet of Israel he
didn't want to help people he didn't want to save people but he did do what
he was told finally but in reality in the next chapter we're gonna see just
where his heart actually is now let's go to the I think it's my last point yeah
repentance unto salvation and repenting of sins correctly defined and this is
really the most important part of the sermon because there's a lot of false
teaching about salvation out there there's a lot of false teaching about
repentance out there there's a lot of false take it just a lot of false
teaching about repentance and salvation out there so look at Jonah chapter 3
verse 5 Jonah chapter 3 verse 5 the Bible says so the people of Nineveh
what to say there so Jonah preached the people of Nineveh what what to say
there believe God and this is very important they believe God and then what
what happened they proclaimed a fast put on sackcloth from the greatest of them
even to the least of them so the Jonas preaching work it did and so you know
when we get saved when we believe that's when our works actually start counting
so if they were to start doing all this stuff and then believed none of those
works would really mean anything because they're called dead works
according to the book of Hebrews so but when we get saved that's when we're
supposed to you know that's that's when we're supposed to start to clean up our
life so to speak but because clean up your life before you believe before you
get saved means nothing it adds nothing to your salvation it's not salvation at
all but you have this false teaching called repenting of your sins to be
saved and repenting of your sins to be saved is a false doctrine it's not true
but it's preached from pulpits all over the planet it's preached all over the
world it's even preaching other religions Buddhists believe if you
repent of your sins that that's part of salvation did you know that you know did
you know the Muslims believe that too and I believe that the repenting of your
sins doctrine of salvation is straight out of hell it's straight from the devil
because how could it be in all these different religions it's like amend your
ways and you'll be saved that's stop drinking and you'll be saved that's what
the self-help groups say right that's how they get you in their programs and
they're like well you know if you're not working the program you know you're
gonna lose your salvation that's literally what they tell people so
that's not true though now is it good to do good works absolutely is it good to
repent of your sins yes but it has nothing to do with salvation and I
believe that the people in Nineveh did get saved but you know how you get saved
you get saved by believing on God first in this time they didn't know the name
of Jesus so it says the people of Nineveh believed God did it say they
believed in Jonah no they believe the preaching of Jonah was from God
therefore they believed God they believed what he said what was gonna
happen they're gonna get destroyed they believed the Word of God they and then
they took action to amend their ways so yes then they started repenting of their
sins but you know obviously as a Christian we should clean up our lives
after we get saved too we shouldn't just continue to live how we were living
before we should do good works we should repent of sins that we used to do
we have the Holy Spirit now and we should you know be consecrated and holy
and start to try to get sin out of our lives but you're never gonna get all sin
out of your life and tell Jesus comes back and gives you a glorified body but
the Bible teaches that salvation is by faith alone without the deeds of the law
without doing good works it's by faith alone it always has been in the Old
Testament and in the New Testament and that verse right there is just proof was
that in the Old Testament yes it was what they do they believe God what did
Abraham do he believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness Genesis
chapter 12 Genesis chapter 16 Genesis chapter 17 Abraham believed God it was
counted to him for righteousness James chapter 2 verse 23 it was counted to him
for righteousness it's all over the Bible Abraham's the father of the
faithful is what he's called because you know and then in in Galatians it talks
about how the promise of Abraham was fulfilled in Christ because he is the
seed of Abraham it's not the Jews it's Christ it's not of seeds which are many
but seed which is Christ that's what the Bible says now I'm gonna have you turn
to John 3 and John 3 is like one of the most clearest chapters on salvation in
the whole Bible and as a matter of fact it has some of the most famous verses in
South on salvation in the whole Bible I'm gonna rattle through these really
quickly and I'm gonna just rattle off a bunch of verses because I just want it
to be very clear in that you know not just the New Testament but the Old
Testament is the same way but the New Testament very specifically says how
we're saved John 3 15 that whosoever that means anyone believeth in him
should not perish but have eternal life how do you get eternal life well you
believe in Jesus right it says in verse 16 the most famous verse in the whole
Bible for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that
whosoever again anyone that believes in him believeth in him should not perish
but have everlasting life means the same thing is eternal doesn't it a life that
never ends you can't lose it once you get it right and all you have to do is
what it says whosoever believeth does it say whosoever repenteth does it say
whosoever does good things no it says whosoever believeth and it says in
verse 18 he that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is
condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God why do people go to hell because they don't believe isn't that
what it says he that believeth on him is not condemned pretty simple stuff verse
36 he that believeth on the Son hath that means has everlasting life and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him
so what happens if you don't believe the wrath of God if you believe you're saved
right is that what it says John 5 24 fairly verily I say unto you he that
heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and
shall not come into condemnation but has passed from death unto life John 6
47 really clear scripture verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me
hath everlasting life that's pretty simple isn't it
John 11 25 Jesus saith unto her I am the resurrection in the life he that
believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live John 11 26 and whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die believeth thou this John 20 verse
30 the purpose of the book of John is given to us in John 20 verse 30 it says
and many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of the disciples of his
disciples excuse me which are not written in this book but these are
written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and
that believing you might have life through his name what's the purpose of
the book you know why does it keep saying believe so much because I think
it wants to get the point through to us that the way that you get saved is by
believing and the word repenting is not in the book of John one time and I know
that repenting can mean there can't you know repentance on the salvation is a
thing but I really think it's interesting how God doesn't put that
word in the book because they probably knew in 2023 that there's gonna be a
bunch of heretics that we're gonna be saying that you have to repent of your
sins to be saved but with the same lips they'll say well you know it's not of
works unless any man should boast but you do have to repent of your sins like
what what are you talking about there's a church called Amazing Grace Baptist
Church in this town that's their theme verse written on the side of their bus
for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the
gift of God not of works lest any man should boast repent of your sins what
that's what they believe how's that possible it's just like spiritual
retardation it is acts 1043 to him give all the prophets witness that through
his name whosoever believeth in him should receive remission of sins acts
1630 and brought them out and said sirs what must I do to be saved and they said
repent really hard of all your sins and thou shalt be saved is that what it
says no it says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and
thy house I mean the Bible is so clear about this and what happened with the
people of Nineveh and the people of Nineveh believed God isn't that what it
says so did they believe in God so did they get saved isn't that what the Bible
says you have to do to believe is believe when you believe on the Lord
you're saved now Jonah chapter 3 verse 6 so I just want to establish that really
quickly before I get to the rest of this so Jonah 3 6 says now I'm just gonna
give you the rest of it because now they're repenting of their sins right
here for the word came unto the king of Nineveh and he arose from his throne a
latest wrote from him and covered him with sackcloth and sat in ashes so you
know this is such a big thing that the actual King he he gets right with God he
lays aside his kingly I mean this is a big deal he takes his robe off you know
and then he puts sackcloth on and then he makes this big proclamation in verse
7 and says he causes it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the
decree of the king and his noble saying let neither man nor beast not heard nor
flock taste anything let them not feed nor drink water I mean even the animals
are having to go through it here so they're repenting they don't even know
what's going on and it says but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth I
mean they're making little clothes for the animals and everything right and cry
mightily unto God and let them turn everyone from his evil way and from the
violence that is in his hands so obviously they're trying to get right so
they don't get destroyed but they did believe first remember that and who can
tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from his fierce anger that we
perish not now notice it didn't say that the people of Nineveh repented in that
verse right what does it say the people of Nineveh believed God and then in
verse 9 this I love the way God works you know it says and in verse 9 who will
who that who can tell if God will turn and repent now it specifically uses that
word and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not and the reason
why I want to point that out is because repent doesn't always mean of your sins
but yet people put in their mind after that word because they've heard it heard
it so many times in sermons or heard pastors say it so many times they
automatically put of your sins at the end of it they can't help it it's their
brain defile they're brainwashed into thinking that but can God sin so when
the Bible says that God repents then what does that mean God because God
doesn't have sinned to repent of so it must mean something different right so
it specifically says turn away from his fierce anger so he's not going to be
angry anymore so what does that mean he's gonna change his mind that's what
you know the word repent actually means to change your mind that's what it
actually means so like when you get saved it means to change your mind
whatever was taking you to hell whatever you believed your higher power or your
other deities or your your just your charms your which whatever it was that
you believed in whatever your worldview was that you thought you have to change
about that and you have to believe in Christ that's repent that's biblical
repentance okay unto salvation so that's changing your mind about whatever is
taking you to hell and believing in Christ okay when God repents he's
changing his mind and not doing something that he was going to do before
you changed his mind he's decided not to do it right this is what happens right
here in this in this text it says and turn away from his fierce anger that we
perish not now look when it says in verse 10 is really important because
what works is is defined in this verse and God saw their works that they turn
from their evil way so what are works turning from your evil way right and God
repented of the evil that he said he would do unto them and he did it not but
isn't what they did repenting also they did turn from their evil way both of
them hurt you know but God's not you know in the in the Bible sometimes work
they're not gonna the King James translators didn't redundantly you know
say repent repent repent to repent they would say things this way because it's
funny in Matthew chapter 12 when the same topic is brought up he uses the
word repent as to what the people of then if it did so but it says God saw
works that they turned from their evil way and God repented the evil so he said
he was going to destroy them he didn't do it so part of them not being
destroyed is that they did they quit doing what they were doing before but
they also believed in God before they did that correct am I right okay so but
if a Christian gets saved and they never do anything good they live just like
they live like the devil but they're still saved God's gonna punish you with
many stripes he's gonna beat you like a redheaded stepchild and he you know
sometimes he does kill people and take them home early like Saul like Samson
and other people in the Bible that you've seen Ananias and Sapphira so you
know if they would have continued on the way that they were going that God still
would have allowed that city to be destroyed but he didn't because their
works that they did afterwards now let's turn to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 I
already quoted the verse let's turn over there really quickly I'm gonna try to
finish this up really quickly I'm sorry but this is important so Ephesians
chapter 2 verse 8 the Bible says so remember what was the definition of
works in Jonah 3 10 that God saw their works and they turned from their evil
way now the Bible's I already showed you all the verses that said about belief
and that wasn't even all the verses I could have went to way more but
Ephesians 2 8 says for by grace are you saved through faith so grace means we
don't deserve to be saved God does it anyway you're saved through faith faith
is believing faith is trusting right and that not of yourselves we can't get
there on our own we can't do any amount of good works or repent of enough bad
works to be saved it is the gift of God so it means it's free right and then
what's it say there in verse 9 not of works right so think about that in
relation to Jonah 3 10 when people say that you have to repent of your sins to
be saved doesn't that fly in the face of what that verse teaches Ephesians
chapter 2 verse 8 9 it's not of works so it's not of turning from your
evil ways so do you have to turn from your evil ways to be saved spiritually
no now maybe to be saved in physical ways yes because we can get spanked and
chastened and hurt by God and given diseases and taken out of this life
early physically because God does chasing his children on earth but we'll
never set foot in hell for any reason but the point is is that God says it's
not of works in Jonah 3 10 he saw their works any that they turn from their
evil way so they weren't saved spiritually because they turned they
were saved physically because the city is not destroyed does that make sense so
there's a difference between spiritual salvation and physical salvation and so
we're seeing both they got both they got spiritual salvation and they got
physical salvation so but the point is is that you're not saved by turning from
your wicked ways and turning from your evil ways because it says lest any man
should boast nobody's gonna be able to stand before God and say I did it
because you know I'm here because I was such a great person I turn from all my
wicked ways no one's ever gonna be able to say that even Abraham Abraham is
never gonna be able to say that says for we're his workmanship creating
Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them so God does want us to do good works but if we don't do them are we
still saved yes we are because we're not saved by works Romans 4 turn to Romans
4 I'm almost done sorry Romans 4 look at verse look at verse 2 says and if
Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory but not before God for
what saith the scripture Abraham believed God and it was counted unto
him for righteousness now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of
grace but of debt but to him that worketh not but believeth on him that
justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness even as David
also describe it the blessedness of the man unto whom God impudeth righteousness
what's it say there without works so you are saved completely without works so
even if you never did any good works in your whole life and you believed in
Christ you are saved and maybe you're just not gonna be the most blessed but
you're still blessed because it says in verse 7 saying blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven whose sins let me read that again saying blessed are
they whose iniquities are forgiven it's not until you sin and then you have to
repent again it's are forgiven when you're saved your sins are forgiven it
says whose sins are covered these people that believe that you know
there's a lot of people to believe this that well if I repent then I would still
be saved it's just like well what happens if you sin right before you die
well I don't know what do you mean your sins are covered that doesn't make sense
blessed to bless is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin and you know
what if you're saved he will not impute sin I'm just gonna read Matthew chapter
12 again really fast because this is really important too it says the men of
Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation how they gonna rise because
they're gonna be they're saved that's why and shall condemn it because they
repented at the preaching of Jonas and it's like but it did it say that in
Jonah that they repented but they did repent what yeah they repented because
repenting doesn't always mean what you what people think it means it doesn't
always mean of your sins so it's it's based upon the context and people just
always think it means of your sins and it doesn't always mean that it means
that they got saved because they're rising from the dead if it was just a
physical salvation then they just saved the city and they saved themselves in
that generation and they wouldn't rise in judgment does that make sense so now
let's uh I'll skip through all this rest of this stuff but I do want to make this
final point so turn to Matthew chapter 3 verse 1 I got two more places to go and
we're done so again the the context means everything because people will say
well John the Baptist you know people always say you know when I preach
sermons like this people always say stuff in the comments when I preach
against Billy Graham because of his whack salvation they always say you know
well what about this verse what about this verse and they always point to
verses that say repent but they don't say repent of sins because there's no
verse in the King James Bible that says repent of your sins there's not one time
where it says that you might be able to find it one of these modern perversions
of the Bible but you're not going to find it in the King James now people
say well John the Baptist and Jesus preached repentance okay but look at
Matthew 3 1 it says in those days came John the Baptist preaching in the
wilderness of Judea and saying repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand so
they'll say see he preached repentance he preached repented of your sins is
that what it says though does it say repent ye of your sins turn turn turn
from your wicked ways and you'll be saved is that what it says no and
actually this is funny because this verse is specifically explained in Acts
chapter 19 Acts chapter 19 explains this go ahead and turn there and I'll be the
last place we turn and then we'll be done I know I'm sorry it's been a long
sermon but I had to get this all I had to puke this all out here so Acts 19
verse 3 the Bible says in Acts 19 3 it says and he said unto them this is a
group that Paul ran into right says and he said unto them unto what then were
you baptized and they said unto John's baptism so we're talking about John the
Baptist the guy that just said repent right and then said Paul John verily
baptized with the baptism of repentance saying unto the people what did he say
that they should believe on him which should come after him that is on Christ
Jesus well let's go back to all the verses that I just showed you what was
John preaching what was the baptism of repentance he wasn't preaching turn or
burn he wasn't preaching repent of all your sins he wasn't teaching amend your
ways and you'll be saved he was preaching that you should believe on him
which should come after him that is on Christ Jesus I mean if that doesn't just
seal the whole deal then you know if you're lost and stuff I was saying you
know just go back and you know listen to it in slow motion or something but I
think it's pretty clear the Bible says we're saved by faith by believing in
Christ it's not of works Jonah you know Jonah you know it's funny how God just
uses the word repent in different ways and then uses it in the New Testament
to say that the people repented at the preaching of Jonas but they believed him
first and then they did the works right so they got saved then they did the
works they'll rise up so God you know he masterfully works this stuff out and I
think the reason why he does things in the way that he does is so that when
people try to preach this weird stuff and this trash that you have to get
because like that just flies in the face of all the scriptures you can't work
your way to heaven how can you say it's not of works and then say you have to
repent of your sins that's working that's what repenting of your sins is
and look yes repent of your sins do it but wait till you're safe first because
otherwise it means nothing right God wants us to be holy he wants us to live
holy I'm not saying don't be a good person be a good person but don't try to
be a good person to be saved because you're gonna split hell wide open when
you die if that's the case so the people of Nineveh repented they
believed God they had spiritual salvation they also turned from their
evil ways and were spared the destruction that God said he was going
to do and he did it not and had they just believed only they would have got
overthrown in 40 days no doubt so that is Jonah chapter 3 let's pray Lord we
thank you so much for the scriptures and how clear they are about salvation about
what works are about what they aren't and Lord it's so gracious of you Lord to
save us by faith and to make it so easy for us to be saved that you did all the
work for us all we have to do is believe it and have faith and Lord that you did
all the heavy lifting for us and Lord we thank you for it pray that you just
bless us as we go our separate ways and take us home safely in Jesus name we
pray amen