THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S wicked people lived was a very larg e city,’ and you older boys and girls can remember th e name, Nineveh. God had been seeing all th e w ickedness of th e thousands of people living in Nineveh, and so He w anted some one to go to th a t city of Nineveh and tell th e people th ere would be a g reat punishm ent come upon them if they kep t on sinning. Then God though t of a preacher by th e name of Jonah, and He told him about Nineveh and asked Jonah to go to th a t city and w arn them of the g reat pun ishm ent and sorrow th a t was soon to come to them if they did no t repent, th a t is give up th e ir sinful ways and obey God. Now Jonah did no t w ant to go to these people for they had treated his people very mean, and he felt th ey ought to be punished, so Jon ah ran away from God and took a boat going to ano th er place, b u t you see Jonah forgot th a t we cannot get ou t of doing w hat God asks us to do. He was like some boys and girls who disobey fath e r and m other and get punished and then they have to do ju st as fath e r and m other asked them to do in the first place and because they did no t do it a t first get th e punishm ent throw n in extra. Jonah had not been on th e boat very long when God le t an aw ful storm come on th e sea and th e men runn ing th e boat became greatly frightened for they w ere afraid th e boat was going to sink. Then Jonah told them he was to blame for he was runn ing away from doing w hat God had asked him to do. You see when we do wrong we always know it by our feelings. Then th e men rowed h ard and tried to get the bo at to land, b u t the big waves were too strong for them . Then Jonah told them to throw him over board in the sea as it was his fau lt, and he did not w an t them all to drown because of his w rong doing. As soon as Jonah was throw n into the sea, th e storm ceased^ God made a big fish which swallowed Jonah so he would not be drowned. Jonah did some p retty h ard th ink ing down
470 The R esu lt of Repentance.
Jon ah repented and went fo rth to do th e will of God and as a resu lt of his preaching from the least to the g reatest in th a t g reat city believed God and repented. P eter preached rep en t ance unto th e rem ission of sins (Acts 2:37, 38) and added “ and ye shall receive th e g ift of th e Holy Sp irit.” Remission of sins points backward, th e g ift of th e Holy Spirit points forward. God, th e Son, washed away our sins on Calvary’s cross; God, th e Holy Spirit dwells in and directs th e new man teaching him and keeping him from falling back into th e old way. This, and no t th e rem ission of sins, is th e g rea ter resu lt of repentance. W ithout th e gift of th e Holy Spirit, th e gift of pardon would be of little account. Have you received th is most blessed of all gifts? Are you w illing to be used when and where and how God w ants to use you th a t your service for Him may bear fru it in souls? God is always ready to forgive., Jonah 3:1-10. (Read whole book.) Memory Verse: “ Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven.” Psa. 32:1. Approach: This morning we are going to have ano th er story about a boat bu t it was no t like th e Ark, bu t ju st an ordinary boat th a t was made to go t h r o u g h BEGINNERS th e w ater by men AND PRIMARY rowing w ith oars. Mabel B. M errill W h o r e members th e story of the A rk boat? (Review .) This story today is about a wicked city full of people, and some of you I know have heard thi.s sto ry before. I t is ju st as in teresting as can be, and you know all these stories help us for we know if we do wrong we will have to be punished, for th e Bible is God’s word and w hat ever it says is going to happen. P rayer. Besson S tory: This city where these
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