Introduction:

1. 1. As I read this chapter I am so impressed by the truth of the power of repentance.
2. Repentance is something you can do that will have a powerful impact in heaven, in this world and in your life.
3. Repentance turns night into day, it turns darkness into light.
4. Sinners can impact heaven by repenting.

Proposition: Repentance moves the Hand of God.
How?
In Jonah 3 we find two ways that repentance moves the Hand of God.

I. TO RESTORE THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY: verses 1-4

A. The Calling - verse 1-2

1. After Jonah's deep sea experience, he probably was given some time for physical recuperation and also reflection on the spiritual lessons to be learned from his experiences.
2. JNH 3:1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
3. The second time refers to the grace of God.
4. We should ask ourselves why the second call came to Jonah. The answer seems to be the sovereignty of God, which is one of the main themes of the book. It is demonstrated not only in God's control of nature but also of His prophet. In another setting God may have used someone else. (EBC)
5. It would be very rash and foolish for any believer to presume, basing himself on Jonah, that his disobedience will be overlooked.
6. God hates sin, and expects us to be faithful, obedient servants.
7. I know men of God who because of sin have lost their ministry, their marriages and their families.
8. Sin is a terrible thief, and will rob you of all the blessings of God if you follow after it.
9. Sin is a slave driver and will bring you into destruction, and devastation if you yield to it.
10. In the PAOC, if a minister falls into sin, he is immediately taken out of his ministry position by the district and put into a restoration program.
11. According to our constitution if a minister is involved with minors sexually, he will never be allowed back into the ministry.
12. If a minister falls into homosexuality, he will be removed from the ministry for 4 years restoration program if he is repentant.
13. If he falls into adultery or pornography, he will be removed from the ministry for 2 years restoration program if he is repentant.
14. If a minister falls twice, he is not allowed back into the PAOC ministry.
15. The best is not to yield to sin, but to stand strong in the Lord your God and walk in holiness all the days of your life.
16. After Jonah's disobedience, and God's chastisement, God's Word came to him a second time. This is truly the grace of the Lord.
17. Repentance restored the Prophet's ministry.

B. The Message - verse 3-4

1. Jonah was not necessarily proclaiming God's message as soon as he went into the city. But sometime "on the first day," Jonah started to proclaim His message.
2. Some commentators feel there may have been something about Jonah, his bearing, his dress, or something else, as he strode toward the center of the city, looking neither to the right nor to the left, that drew many after him.
3. I wonder what he looked like after spending three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish.
4. When I was in Bible College I remember a preacher saying he may have been affected by the acids in the fish's stomach. He suggested Jonah may have been bleached snow white.
5. However, when he finally stood and shouted, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed," the news spread like wildfire.
6. God must have supernaturally empowered his preaching to have such an overwhelming impact.
7. We are not told whether Jonah repeated his message--he probably did--or whether he was interrogated by those who heard him, and, if so, what he told them. But the word of the Lord worked the miracle, not Jonah or his commentary. (EBC)
8. The Message of Jonah was simple - "Judgment is coming."
9. Repentance moves the hand of God to Restore the Prophetic Ministry and secondly:

II. TO RESCUE THE PAGAN POPULATION: verse 5-10

A. Called a Fast - verse 5-9

1. Behind all polytheism with its many gods and many lords, there was always the concept of one God who could enforce His will on the others, if He chose.
2. The Ninevites recognized the voice of the supreme God, whatever name they may have given Him, and repented.
3. Sackcloth, the coarsest of cloth, often made of goat's hair, was the normal dress of the poor, prisoners, and slaves; it was worn by those who mourned (Ezek 7:18). Prophets wore it (2 Kings 1:8; Zech 13:4; Mark 1:6), partly to associate themselves with the poor, partly perhaps as a sign of mourning for the sins of the people. When used in mourning, it covered no more of the body than was demanded by decency. When used by the Ninevites, it expressed their complete inability to contend with the divine decree and that they were the slaves of the supreme God. (EBC)
4. The king not only came down from his throne and sat on the ground--a feature of mourning rites--dressed in sackcloth like the meanest slave, but he sat in the dust, presumably, in the open air, where he could be seen by his subjects.
5. Members of the Methodist Church in Wilsall, Montana, say they got quite a shock when they opened an old coffin found in a shed behind the church building. Inside, they found a skeleton that the county coroner determined was a realistic, wired together copy of the real thing. The skeleton, it seems, belongs to the local Odd Fellows chapter, who used the model in their initiation ceremonies.
6. There would be a lot more surprises in our churches if all the hidden skeletons of past moral failure came to light! But for those who confess and forsake their sins there is pardon, full and free. No one needs to be haunted by the memory of past sins after claiming by faith God's forgiveness through the Blood of Christ.
7. Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.
8. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
9. I remember when I was a pagan and how the Lord saved me and forgave me all my sins.

B. Calamity Averted - verse 10

1. When the Ninevites repented, the Bible says God relented and did not destroy the city. Here God's change was due to the change in the Ninevites.
2. In Christ we see the unchangeable character of God in all its loving compassion.
3. 2 Cor 5:18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
4. True faith must be bound up with true repentance.
5. The pagans are rescued when they exercise true repentance. This is being truly sorry for your sins and seeking the forgiveness of the Lord.

Conclusion:

Conclusion: 1. Repentance moves the hand of God. Two Ways:

a) To Restore The Prophetic Ministry
b) To Rescues The Pagan's Population

2. There was a very capable evangelist whom God used in a significant way in the British Isles. But he lost his interest in spiritual things and drifted into a life of sin, for a number of months. Some of his sin was done in secret but ultimately, it became public knowledge and even made the headlines. At first, all he could think of was that he had been ruined for life, but, finally, he realized what a fool he had been, and he came back to God like the prodigal from the pigpen. He found exactly the same thing the prodigal did. The Lord welcomed him with open arms and began to strengthen him and bless him. Finally, after a period of waiting, he felt pressed back into a public ministry for the Lord. He was afraid that his sin would be found out and brought up all over again, but after he felt sure it was hidden and tucked away in the past, he went back to preaching, rejoicing in the forgiveness of God. One night, when he was in Aberdeen, he was given a sealed letter. Just before the service began, he read the unsigned letter. It described a shameful series of events he had been engaged in. His stomach churned as he read it. The letter said, "If you have the gall to preach tonight, I'll stand and expose you." He took that letter and went to his knees. A few minutes later, he was in the pulpit. He began his message by reading the letter, from start to finish. Then he said, "I want to make it clear that this letter is perfectly true. I'm ashamed of what I've read, and what I've done. I come tonight, not as one who is perfect, but as one who is forgiven." God used that letter and the rest of his ministry as a magnet to draw people to Jesus Christ. -- Gary Inrig, Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay.
3. Repentance moves the hand of God.
4. Are you in need of repentance? - He will forgive.