THE K I NG ' S B U S I N E S S (2 ) Jonah had a second chance, bu t many Christians will never have. (3 ) One man can move a mountain if God moves him. (4 ) You are commanded to testify. Dumb Jips may bring dumbness. (5 ) God provides a self-proving mes sage. (6 ) Don’t plume yourself on your privileges; they may be removed. (7 ) We need more “ go” in the giving of th e Gospel. (8 ) Jonah had to be sh u t up, before he would show up. (9 ) Jon ah had a second chance, but he had a close call. (10 ) A su it of sackcloth and ashes would be becoming to most of us. (11) The splendor and power of N ine veh did not save it from impend ing judgm ent; n eith er will th a t of America. (12) A pathetic picture: A city under the curse of a common gu ilt; a regenerated, resu rrected m an; a God-given word of w arning; a convicted city; a sentence sus pended. M Mk Up To D ate Repentance. “ I got off a freigh t tra in a t th e Penn sylvania depot, a tram p, and for one year I lived in th is city as other tram ps now live. I approached a man stan d ing on Penn. Ave. LESSON and touched him on ILLUSTRATIONS the shoulder and W. H . P ik e said, “Mister, please give me a dime.” As soon as I saw his face I recognized my old father. I wished th e ground would swallow me up b u t could not help saying, “F ath e r, don’t you know m e?” Throw ing his arm s around me he cried, “ I have found you, I have found you, all I have is yours.” “ Have I broken m o ther’s heart? Is she liv ing ?” I said. “My la st prom ise to h er,” he answered, “was th a t as soon as I found you I would lead you to th e a lta r
466 doesn’t spend more each week for candy and gum th a n the average C hristian gives for th e spread of th e Gospel! It is going to be easy enough for us to flay poor Jonah as we teach th is lesson and say it serves him ju st rig h t; he should have done w hat he was told to do; b u t away down deep in every be liever th e re is a troubled conscience th a t will no t go to sleep. God’s method of arousing the con science is th rough words of w arning, or some tria l or disaster. Jonah went down into th e hold of th e ship; then down into the sea; th en down into th e th ro a t of th e fish, and possibly down in Hades, before he learned th e lesson. Repentance is a change of mind. Jon ah su re changed his m ind, and “ he arose and w ent,” and in doing th a t he had more sense th an many a b attered , defeated Christian has. Don’t w ait un til th e loving Lord chastises you before you yield your will to Him. The most foolish th ing in th e world is fight ing again st God. Throw up your hands, Sunday School teacher, and su rrend er to God! Jonah changed his a ttitu d e tow ard God, and Nineveh changed h er a ttitu d e tow ard God, and th en God changed His a ttitu d e tow ard Nineveh. Jo n a h ’s repentance was m anifested by his works. So was th a t of Nineveh. Actions speak louder th a n words. The best possible confession of sin for the sinner, or th e believer, is a confession m anifested by a loving obedience to God’s will. The call of God to every believer is direct, and the instructions definite and distinct. It may not be very pleasan t to sound the note of w arning. ~ W ,e would ra th e r ta lk about th e mercy, and love and grace of God, b u t our Lord had to pu t on all the stops in His message to th e Jews and th e world. (Matt. 23 :13 -36 ). Read it. PRACTICAL POINTS (1 ) The church needs a Jonah experi ence to b ring it to its sense.
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter