Jonah is a book about a man with bad theology. His theology can be summed up as: “You get what you deserve”. But there’s good news here in Jonah 3. More than anything else, it teaches us about a God whose mercy exceeds your wildest imaginations. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

EVANGELISM SERIES
TEXT: Jonah 3:1-10
PREACHER: Guest Pastor Kyle Houlton
BIG IDEA: Your church exists for more than your Sunday gathering.

POINTS:
I. Go Into Your City
II. Speak To Your City
III. Behold God’s Mercy To Your City

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”In chapter 3, Jonah has confrontations with pagans, just like he did on the ship to Tarshish. And in both instances … he looks worse than the pagans. Both instances show that he doesn't know how to talk to/relate to the unbelievers God’s put into his path.”

“You have to understand. Jonah was a devout Jew. He was a commissioned prophet of God. When he was around his people, he probably lit up. If he lived in modern times, he would be the Sunday preacher, blog for the Gospel Coalition, and had been an even better small group leader than Scott Mcleod. But put him into a context with a bunch of wicked pagans, a bunch of unbelievers, and he was worse than me at a networking event.”

“Friends. If you live in Tucson, you’re here because God has you here. In the city of Tucson. God has purposefully put you in your city. And you might love your church. You’re fine being called to your city because you love your church. But if Jonah is symbolic of us, the local church, then Jonah 3 tells us that your church exists for more than your Sunday gathering.” 

“The rhythms of church life are a tremendous means of grace. Small groups. Fellowship with believing friends. Sunday gatherings. All GOOD things. But sinners have the remarkable ability to twist good things. In other words, we can use fellowship with believers like it’s a ship to Tarshish. As a way to hide from God’s call to the city He’s called us to.”

“But there’s good news here in Jonah 3. More than anything else, it teaches us about a God whose mercy exceeds your wildest imaginations. A God merciful enough to save your neighbors despite your leanings toward Tarshish. And a God merciful enough to use you even if you’ve begun to exist for Sunday mornings alone.” 

“…know what’s happening in the city, attend community events. Volunteer at local nonprofits. Know the needs and meet the needs. Don’t stand on the border. Consider this question: are you standing on the border in Tucson?”

“…when we are actually pouring ourselves out - our time, our money our love, into the lives of the suffering and the poor - oddly enough, that's when they SEE the Gospel embodied. You don't believe like they do, yet they see you pouring yourself for them, using the resources of your faith to help their estate; You're impoverishing yourself in order that they be brought up ... that's when they see the love of Christ!” 

“The sermon he preaches in 3:4 is this, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown!” That’s it. A sermon which in the original Hebrew, is only 5 words. Jonah preached short and Jonah preached judgment. Why Jonah said so few words – it’s not explained. All we know is that Jonah didn’t say much … BUT he spoke. That’s the point. In our cities, God has called us to proclaim His message. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. The point isn’t how good you are at speaking it. The point is that you speak.”

“Now, nothing wrong, as we’ve established, with getting out into our cities and getting our hands dirty. But there is everything wrong with the suggestion that we’ve filled the tank of Gospel proclamation to capacity. If we cease to proclaim the Gospel within and outside of our church, we cease to be the church at all.”

“He was a prophet. He should have known that when God’s judgment is proclaimed, it is invariably followed by His mercy. In fact, in the book of Hosea, God names the daughter of Hosea’s unfaithful wife “No Mercy”, symbolically warning Israel, God’s unfaithful bride, that if they continue in their unfaithfulness, the result will be no mercy … judgment. But that warning is not an announcement of a foregone conclusion. But in itself a stroke of mercy. A severe mercy if you will. Intended to prick their conscience and lead them to repentance.”

“let’s be entirely honest with ourselves. How much do we expect that God will show our neighbors mercy? That’s one of the primary questions the Holy Spirit is asking of us through the book of Jonah. But you say, “yea, but I’ve never seen God move a whole city to repentance. How do I know that this wasn’t just one instance where God just decided to be merciful?” The cross of Christ assures us that being merciful is not just what God does, it’s who He is.” 

QUOTES:
Tim Keller - “When the world only sees us evangelizing those outside the church, they don't see it as the greatest act of love we could possibly do. They just see us being selfish, trying to increase the size of our congregations, and budgets and influence.”

Tim Keller - “Am I saying that loving your neighbor in other ways than evangelism is more important than evangelism? No. But it is an inseparable, though lesser responsibility of the church.”

Colin Smith - “Don’t confuse providence with permission.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Corinthians 8:9
Hosea 2:23
2 Peter 3:9
Romans 9:15
Ephesians 2:4

APPLICATION:

• If your calendar is full of the church calendar, don’t confuse that with permission to retreat from your city; from the messiness of your neighbors

• If you don’t have any unbelieving friends, don’t confuse that with God giving you permission not to move toward the lost with mercy and compassion in your city

• If you live outside far from the neighborhood of the church, don’t confuse that with God giving you permission not to go into your city and extend the love of Christ to those neighbors!

Not calling you to relieve all the suffering in your city. To befriend all your unbelievers. Just go. Just start. When you leave this service today. Determine what it would look like to GO into your city. 

What I am asking you to do is to cast yourself on God’s mercy. Jonah only went into the city to speak to the city once he had experienced God’s unexpected, undeserved mercy. … and then be compelled by that mercy to have a courageous conversation with that unbelieving neighbor. If you don’t know how to interact with your unbelieving neighbors, your merciful God is with you.