Repent/Relent

A midlife crisis.

A fabulous failure.

Fear of where you're headed.

! Fear of where you're headed.

A longing for change.

Whether you're at home right now or you're in the room with me here,

! I know that at least once in your life already,

you have felt the urge to turn your life around.

Change your plans, your school, your jobs, your friendship group.

You break the lease.

You end a relationship.

You upend your routines.

You lock yourself out of your apps on your phone.

Or you sell a guitar.

Sometimes you can.

Sometimes you must.

Or you can't and you wish you could.

Turn your life around.

Have you ever said out loud,

I have to turn my life around?

At our best, we try and live a life that leads down the path that suits our needs,

our joys, our comforts, even suits our loved ones.

But the message of the Bible is that God needs to turn your life around so that you may truly live.

Can God really do that?

Can God turn your life around?

And would it really matter if you did?

My name is Nick.

I'm a discipleship pastor here at St. Paul's.

I'm really glad you're here.

And I'm really glad that today we're in Jonah chapter 3.

Jonah 3 · chapter mention

At the end of chapter 2, we land with Jonah on the beach.

Spat out of a fish.

Stinking of stomach.

Squinting in the sun.

Somehow still alive.

God has relented from destroying him and saved him.

So what should God have done next?

Is he going to scold Jonah like an angry parent?

Is he going to give him a new set of stricter rules to live by?

Or is he going to put a pressure on him with a threat?

That, ah, this is your last chance.

No.

Instead, Michelle just read that God renews his partnership with his prophet.

Jonah got a clean slate as if he'd never run away at all.

The book of Jonah could start chapter 3, verse 1.

Jonah was tumbled in the water, taste tested by a fish, turned back to God and all by grace.

God really can turn a life around in dramatic fashion.

In chapter 3, God reset his expectations of Jonah.

He still had to go to Nineveh and, like God says at the beginning of Jonah, preach against it for their wickedness.

But this time, Jonah obeyed.

What would Nineveh do in response to God's message?

Would they ignore Jonah or would they turn to God and repent?

Repent.

To turn from living life your old way and to turn toward God is called repentance.

Jonah 3 is going to show you Nineveh's response as an example of our need for repentance, the nature of repentance, and the hope of repentance.

All people need to God.

And if you turn to him, he will turn your life around.

There is assurance available.

Assurance for the repentant.

Because God is gracious and merciful to all people.

Now, there was a great need for repentance where Jonah was sent.

I shared three weeks ago when we started the book of Jonah that Nineveh was known for its brutality.

Even their allies were allies because they feared them.

According to historians, there was even more going on here in Nineveh at the time.

More going on than usual.

There had been an ominous solar eclipse.

There had been earthquakes.

There had been political uprisings.

And there was conflict everywhere between those under the thumb of royal rule and those wanting to break that thumb.

Nineveh couldn't stay a superpower unless that changed.

It was as if God had prepared the ground ready for Jonah's message to take root.

Jonah walked for a whole day, as we've read.

Whole day into this vast city.

Still hadn't got to the middle of it.

And he would have seen everywhere a desperate need for change.

So as Jonah spoke, it only took five words in his language.

Eight words in English.

Eight words to convince people that they needed to turn their life around.

Jonah proclaimed in verse 4,

The Ninevites believed God.

News of coming destruction led to belief in the God who had sent that message.

There's no mention here of Jonah's preaching style.

His hairdo.

His teaching technique.

His charisma.

Maybe how he smelt.

Or anything else that can make his message more listenable.

Or more relatable.

Or more fearfully obeyable.

Instead, there's simply a heart response.

A heart response to the word of God that led to belief.

Nineveh's belief was not like belief light.

It was weighty.

It's the same Hebrew word for believed used when Israel saw the Red Sea crash down and drown Pharaoh's army.

Then Israel believed.

Same word.

In God.

On the evidence of God's deliverance.

But this time, just God's few words bring belief.

That word moved from the street into homes.

From the lowly to the rich.

From the peasant to the palace and all the way to the king.

The king had riches.

He had his reputation.

And the protection of his army.

But those same eight words broke his trust in his kingdom's strength.

And he, too, believed.

Nineveh had armies that annihilated entire peoples.

Like whole cities off the face of the earth.

They could have easily imagined how something like that would happen to them if there was a greater army out there.

But here they fear something greater.

They fear a God.

Look at verse 8.

Let everyone call urgently on God.

Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.

When the king believed, he believed because he saw they, the whole nation and him, had a moral debt to God for their evil and their violence.

And that debt had brought upon them a spiritual consequence.

That of judgment.

God's word hit bullseye in their heart.

Did any of you hear Michelle read that passage this morning?

Or have you ever read Jonah before and heard about Nineveh's belief?

And think, what Jonah said, those eight words, why does that?

How is that enough?

How is that enough?

Surely Jonah then went on a preaching tour and was on TV on the morning show and got to speak in the universities to all the intellectuals.

No, just five words in Hebrew.

How is that enough?

How isn't it like Pharaoh, when Moses spoke to him,

talked about God's coming judgment upon Egypt,

unless they let God's people go?

Pharaoh said no, over and over and over and over again.

The answer is that it takes the power of God

for our need of repentance to seem reasonable,

beyond logic and circumstance.

An early church leader called Paul talked about it like this.

Opponents must be gently instructed

in the hope that God will grant them repentance,

leading them to a knowledge of the truth.

Notice that God initiates repentance

before we know we need it.

Through his word,

God powerfully leads us to a gift.

A gift is seeing our need

to return to him.

Nineveh's believing king

commanded

that his people turn away

from the Assyrian way of life,

their evil ways

and their violence

is his summary of that.

They are turning

from their sin.

Sin is anything done

against God's will

and order.

God revealed to Nineveh

through his word to them

that their evil hearts

and violent hands

were sinful.

Nineveh surrendered

because God revealed

their sin against him

and that their judgment day

was a month away.

The nature of repentance

is demonstrated here

in what the king

then led his people

to do about their sin.

First,

he joined in

with his people.

Verse 6,

when Jonah's warning

reached the king of Nineveh,

he rose from his throne,

took off his royal robes,

covered himself

with sackcloth

and sat down

in the dust.

The kings of Nineveh

were often given

these extra kingly titles.

You think king

might be the top

but then there's

king of the universe

or king of the four corners

of the world.

But here,

Nineveh's king

stood down

from his throne,

removed all signs

of his royalty

and joined his nation

mourning in the dust

in awfully itchy sackcloth.

It's such a humanizing moment.

Imagine seeing that throne room

empty,

all the fancy clothes

thrown on the floor

and then going outside

and seeing all the people

together in the street.

There was nobody

in Nineveh

more or less

in need

of repentance

and no difference

in the nature

of their repentance.

All people

must repent

the same

by turning to the grace

and mercy

of God.

Once the king

had joined his people

in the dust,

he said,

by the decree

of the kings

and nobles,

do not let animals,

herds or flocks

taste anything.

Do not let them

eat or drink

but let people

and animals

be covered in sackcloth.

Let everyone

call urgently on God.

Let them give up

their evil ways

and their violence.

The three things

that they did,

they're refusing

food and water,

they're mourning

outwardly

and their

calling out

to God

reveal

the nature

of repentance.

Their fasting

created

inner hunger

and thirst.

They replaced

their inner

evil

with inner

pains,

refusing to

fuel that

evil within.

Fasting

shows their

desire to

turn away

from their

sinfulness.

Their mourning

in sackcloth

and dust

shows that

they had

surrendered

their outward

actions

and comforts.

They chose

to cause

external pains

to themselves,

bowing down

their violent

hands.

And this

shows their

desire to

turn away

from their

sinful ways.

repentance.

And then

the king

commanded

prayer

to direct

their

repentance.

He commanded

they pray

urgently to

God,

that they

call out

to him

with emotion

and put

into words

what their

fasting and

mourning

signified,

their commitment

to turn

from their

sin

and to

plead with

God for

mercy that

he might

relent.

For,

verse 9,

who knows?

God may

yet relent

and with

compassion

turn from

his fierce

anger so

we will

not perish.

Nineveh's

need

for repentance

came from

a new

belief in

God

and in

his right

judgment of

them through

his word.

And the

nature of

their repentance

was the same

for all.

It was a

turning to

God

from their

own way

of life

inwardly

and outwardly

expressed in

prayer that

was urgent,

honest,

exhaustive,

pleading for

mercy for

their sin.

Those eight

words from

Jonah had

no hope.

But the

king had

found hope

in them

that God

might

relent.

But it's

only a hope

as strong

as,

who knows?

But it

was a

hope in

a merciful

God.

For here's

how God

received their

repentance

in verse

10.

When God

saw what

they did

and how

they had

turned from

their evil

ways,

he relented

and did not

bring on

them the

destruction

that he had

threatened.

God

heard their

cries,

he saw

them turn

and he

relented.

God

reveals his

nature

here.

He is

merciful.

Nothing

Nineveh had

done had

paid for

their sin.

When

Nineveh

turned to

God,

God

turned

toward

them.

The hope

of repentance

the king

had found

was in

God's

nature,

not in

the nature

of his

people's

repentance.

Let me

explain that.

None of

the quality

of their

mourning,

not the

volume of

their prayers,

not how

many days

they'd

fasted or

what they'd

fasted from,

none of

that gave

the king

hope.

He already

had it.

The hope

that the

king has

is described

as compassion.

Compassion,

hope in

the compassion

of a

God,

even if it

was just

who knows

kind of

hope,

because the

king discovered

hope in

God's

compassion

because he

warned

them.

The word

came.

Receiving

the word

in the

first

place,

declared

hope in

the nature

of the

God who

spoke this

word,

that he

is merciful

and

compassionate.

But God

is also

a just

God.

God can

do anything,

but being

just,

he will

see

justice

done

always.

So,

how

was

justice

done

in

Jonah

3?

How

was

Nineveh's

sin

paid

for?

If

God

is

just,

judgment

must

come.

So how

is it

right and

just for

God to

relent

in

verse

10?

What

took

his

anger

away?

There is

a mystery

in

God's

mercy.

Nineveh

received

it

without

justice

for

judgment.

Not

seeing that

justice

done

was

Jonah's

main

problem.

And

without

spoilers,

I'm

going to

tell you,

Jonah's

response

was what

left

God.

Jonah

was

angry.

Come

next

week to

hear about

what

happens

next.

Jonah's

problem

with

God

should

be

our

problem.

We

should

want,

long

for

someone

to show

up who's

going to

reveal how

God's

judgment in

verse 10

of chapter

3 is

just.

You

should be

hoping for

a person

who can

show you

how to

turn and

repent of

your sin

and

who can

give you

assurance

that your

sin is

truly

dealt

with.

Without

that person,

you have a

problem,

I have a

problem,

and Jonah's

got a

legitimate

problem.

Otherwise,

hope in

God is

at best.

Who

knows?

It's a

mystery.

Well, I

have good

news for

you and

for

Jonah.

Crafted

into

Jonah 3,

in the

way that

it's

structured

for us,

is a

longing

for this

person.

There's a

clue that

unlocks the

mystery.

This chapter

is bookended

with God's

judgment

and his

verdict,

God's

word and

his

relenting.

Both are

gracious.

And we're

meant to

notice those

two verses

pull us into

the center and

look at what

happens in the

middle, which

is the center

verse in

verse 6.

Jonah's

first readers

were meant

to yearn

for someone

yet to

come, a

king who

would also

come down

from his

throne, but

give assurance

to his

repentant

people.

That person

is the

answer to

the king

of Nineveh's

who knows.

Philippians

2, 6

to 8,

we hear

that Jesus

was in

very nature

God.

Jesus

stepped

down from

his throne

in heaven

and took

on the

nature of

the lowliest

servant.

He took

off his

robes and

became a

creature like

us.

He did

not do

this to

join in

with our

repentance

like Nineveh's

king did,

but to

lead his

people to

belief in

him.

Find

assurance

in

himself.

He is

the king

who picks

people up

from the

dust,

out of the

dirt of

their fears

and failures

and their

longings to

turn their

lives around.

And he

does not

say,

follow me

and who

knows,

God might

relent.

No.

Jesus is

the king

who says,

follow me

and I

will bear

your

judgment

for you.

That is

the kind of

king I

am.

Listen to

my words

and believe

in me.

I will

die

your death

that is

promised

and bear

your sin

and judgment

so you

may live.

Jesus'

death

on the

cross

on behalf

of those

who repent

and believe

in God's

word

was the

moment

the wrath

and fierce

anger of

God

were poured

out on

the sinless

king

of

sinners.

Their sin

was once

for all

paid

for

at the

cross.

Nineveh's

trust in

God's

nature

and belief

in God

meant that

800 years

later

Jesus

died

bearing

Nineveh's

judgment.

God is

just.

God can

forgive

because

Jesus

drank

down

the

cup

of

judgment

even

for

the

most

lost

and

far

off

sinner.

Jesus

suffered

to declare

assurance

to the

repentant

and as he

hung

on our

cross

Jesus

received

his own

extra

kingly

title

which

was far

greater

than the

Nineveh

kings

of old.

A sign

was nailed

above

Jesus'

head

written

in all

the

common

languages

of the

time

the

local

language

the

old

language

of the

empire

and the

new

language

of Rome

for all

people to

read

this is

Jesus

king

of the

Jews

Jews

was

the

name

for the

people

of

God

but

it's

not

just

for

Israel

it's

the

name

for

anyone

who

follows

him

Jesus

is

the

king

who

brings

assurance

to

all

sinners

he

is

the

king

of

God's

people

and

the

king

of

kings

do

you

see

your

sin

but

have

never

turned

to

God

you

need

to

repent

do

it

urgently

wholeheartedly

!

truthfully

crying out

to God

for mercy

assured

that

because

of your

king

Jesus

there

is

forgiveness

that God

longs

to offer

to you

God

really

can

turn

your

life

around

do

you

follow

Jesus

but

you

haven't

turned

your

whole

life

toward

him

part

of you

has

turned

away

reflect

is

that

you

reflect

on what

that might

be

and then

repent

do it

urgently

wholeheartedly

honestly

crying out

to God

for mercy

assured

that

because of

your

king

Jesus

you

have

forgiveness

already

and a

relationship

with God

that is

safe

ask God

to help

turn your

life

around

to your

king

all of

it

and find

your sin

already

gone

and rejoice

God

can really

turn

every

life

around

God

turned

Jonah's

life

around

on a

beach

and sent

him to

Nineveh

our

prophet

King

Jesus

offers

to turn

your

life

around

and this

is the

king

King

Jesus

message

from the

first

church

to today

that we

carry into

the city

of Chatswood

that you

carry into

your

workplace

your

school

your

home

I have

declared

to both

Jews

and Greeks

that they

must turn

to God

in repentance

and have

faith

in our

Lord

Jesus

all

people

who know

God

or don't

yet know

him

must turn

and repent

and have

faith

in our

king

Jesus

Christ

your

king

calls you

to repent

so turn

pray

and find

him

willing

to lift

you

from

the

dust

and join

in

with the

mission

of your

king

he will

stand

with you

strengthening

you

with hands

that still

bear the

scars

from enduring

your judgment

for your

sin

and with

all God's

people

globally

who make

his message

their story

take it

with you

into your

city

every day

declare

the words

of your

king

that are

words

of life

that there

is hope

hope

with

assurance

that God

can turn

your life

around

and

you

see you

in

the

way