Title: The Sign of Jonah
Contents
Bible Text: Luke 11:29-32
Jonah's sign
The word “sign” is translated as “sign” in the new translation of the Bible. The ‘miraculous sign’ means that supernatural powers have been revealed. It is a mysterious thing that cannot happen only with human strength.
“Jesus performed these first signs in Cana of Galilee, revealing his glory, and the disciples believed in him” (John 2:11).
Jesus didn't like people asking for signs. He said, “This generation is an evil generation, and it asks for a sign” (verse 29), but He said, “As Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be in this generation” (verse 30). Just as Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, Jesus will also be a sign to people of this generation.
How was Jonah's sign fulfilled?
Speculative Jonah
Jonah was thrown into the raging sea. Speculation (投棄) here means "throwing away". Jonah disobeyed God's command to go to Nineveh and went to the port of Joppa to escape to Spain and boarded a boat. There is a typhoon in the sea, almost destroying the ship. Jonah was sleeping on the bottom of the boat while the people were afraid, calling on the name of the god they believed in, and throwing objects into the sea to lighten the boat.
When the captain saw Jonah, he said, “Why are you sleeping? Rise up and cry out to your god. Even if your god saves you, you might not die and live, right?”
The people decided to cast lots for who caused the disaster, but Jonah was cast. People ask Jonah. Please tell me why this catastrophe happened. I am a servant of God. “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm. I know that the typhoon happened because of me.” People struggled to get the boats ashore, but the storm only got worse.
Jonah was thrown into the stormy sea. I fell in the center of a terrifying and terrifying typhoon.
Without typhoons, the sea would rot. A typhoon turns the sea rotting from the bottom upside down. Typhoon purifies the sea.
The name Jonah means “dove,” and he is stubborn. He doesn't give up on his assertion in the slightest. Perseverance only accumulates the wrath of God (Romans 2:5). The height of the raging waves was the height of God's wrath.
The potter throws away the pottery he doesn't like. If it doesn't break even after throwing it, hit it with a hammer to break it. And make a new one. God threw Jonah into the stormy sea. A stubborn man can be crushed, but he cannot be obedient.
It's called Beef Chicken House. It refers to a person who is stubborn. If you go by road, you go to the mountains. Jonah is going to Niwe, but he is going to Tarshish. As Jonah said, a typhoon came because of Jonah.
In God's anger, there is a heart to subdue Jonah and use him as an evangelist. To save Nineveh through him. I want to see the target through him. Jonah was thrown into the sea, and a fish swallowed him. The sea of typhoons was the mother that made him an obedient evangelist.
There was a moment when Jesus was also abandoned. Even the disciples abandoned Jesus. On the cross alone, “Eli Eli Ramasabachthani” My God, my God Why hast thou forsaken me? He cried out and died (Mark 15:34,37). Because there was a lonely death, there was a resurrection morning.
Jonah praying
There is a saying that suffering teaches prayer. Jonah stayed in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Jonah prays there.
“I called to the LORD because of my affliction, and you answered me, and I cried out from the belly of Sheol, and you heard my voice” (Jon 2:2).
I cried out for help, and the Lord heard my plea. People threw themselves into the sea, but the Lord threw me into the sea. The Lord saved my life. I pray that my prayers have reached the Lord. Jonah vows to see the temple of God there. I sang a song of thanks, made sacrifices to the Lord, and vowed to keep whatever I vowed.
Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus fell on his face and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; but not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).
Jesus' prayer was a prayer that made a sign. A target that died and came back to life. Jesus prays again. “He went out again a second time and prayed, saying, “My father, if this cup cannot pass from me except I drink it, it may be done as you will.”
After the prayer of determination, Jesus said to his disciples, "Behold, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is sold into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go together.
The process of making a sign was a prayer of sorrow and mourning for being abandoned.
“While Jesus was in the flesh, he offered up supplications and supplications with intense weeping and tears to the One who would rescue him from death” (Hebrews 6:7).
While Jesus was being tried, Peter heard from a servant girl, “You were also with Jesus the Galilean,” and denied it, saying, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” The rooster crowed when he denied knowing Jesus up to two or three times. Then Peter remembered that he would deny me three times before the rooster crows, so he went outside and wept bitterly (Matthew 26-75). After intense weeping, he became an apostle to bring people back to the Lord.
Admiral Yi Sun-sin had to face Japan, which had 133 ships, with only 12 ships during the Japanese Invasion of Korea.
“I’m not alone on the moonlit night of Hansan Island
In a car that was deeply anguished with a long sword next to me
Where does Il Seong-ho cut off someone else’s child?”
This is a poem from the diary. What is “deep sorrow”? It's a deep worry and worry. Anxiety and worry that get caught in the heart and do not fall off. The sign that Admiral Yi Sun-sin showed was a great victory after a lot of hardship. “Jesus prayed earnestly and labored, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 224).
Jonah the Evangelist
God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah to dry land (Jonah 2:10). And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and declare to them what I have commanded you” (Jonah 3:2). ” (Jon 1:2) The first words that came were disobedient. So it was thrown into the sea. Now, after spending three days in the belly of a fish, the second word that came to me is a repetition of the first word. The first word he received ended up running away, but this time he immediately obeyed.
“Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, just as the LORD had said. Nineveh was a great city in the sight of God, enough to walk for three days.
The results are terrific. The people of Nineveh believed in God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth. Even the king who heard the news took off his robe and put on sackcloth. The king issued a decree, saying that neither man nor beast should eat or drink, but cry out to God and turn from the evil way.
“Rescue those who are being led away to death, and save those who are being slaughtered” (Proverbs 24:11).
Evangelism must be done with salesmanship. 48% of salespeople who sell products make one recommendation to a customer. If you don't like it, just turn around. 25% recommend one more time and 15% recommend up to three times. 12% of the people who do not finish the third time and recommend one more time, they sold more than 80% of the total sales. There are times when you want to quit doing something. I am tired and tired. Not everyone does “one more time” when they are about to give up.
Jesus came to seek the lost. He said he came to preach. He also commanded his disciples to evangelize. A great church carries out a great command. Evangelism is God's great command. A great church comes out when we carry out that command.
The Roman army in the Age of Roman Empire absolutely obeyed the commander's orders. An army commanded to “go forward!” does not stop in front of a cliff. Keep moving forward until the command "Stand in place!" Seeing the army, the enemy commander surrendered in advance. You can't fight such an army.
“There are three types of great men,” says Sexpeare. There are people who were born great, people who worked hard to become great, and there are people who were forced to become great people.” The sign that Jonah was recognized as Jesus was not because he was a great man from birth or because of his efforts, but because he was forced by God. The same is true of the apostle Paul. He said that the love of Christ compels us.
If you listen carefully to your teacher, you become an honor student, if you listen to your parents, you become a filial son, and if you listen to your wife, you become a public servant, but if you obey the word of God, signs will appear.
Jonah was thrown into the sea. This is what happened when I was stubborn. There he prayed and turned. I am determined to obey. I went and told it, and it worked. All the people of Nineveh repented and returned. I hope that 5,000 people will gather for a festival of thanks through your zeal.