Sermon Prepared by James McCullen
Email Preach Him with Dr. Jim

THE TALE OF FOUR CITIES
JONAH 1:1-3; 3:1-3, and 2 Kings 14:25

INTRODUCTION:
Yesterday I cleaned in the garage. I found some old license plates from different states in which we lived. Each plate reminded me of an event. If they could talk they would have a tale to tell.
What we know about Jonah centers in four cities. Each city can represent a point of spiritual development. These four cities tell a tale.

GATH-HEPHER; THE CITY OF THE CALL

JOPPA; THE CITY OF THE CHOICE.

TARSHISH; THE CITY OF THE CONTRADICTION.

NINEVEH; THE CITY OF THE COMMITMENT
 
 

JON 1:1 The word of the \Lord\ came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying,
A. The . . Place Of God's Call.

1. I judge from 2 Kings; Jonah heard the call in Gath-hepher

2. He did have a place where God called him.

B. The . . Preeminence of God's Call.

1. This call changed Jonah's life.

2. God's call always changes ones life.

ILLUSTRATION:
My friend Rich White recommended me to this church. He gave my resume to the pastor search committee after Dr. Wood resigned. So humanly speaking he is responsible for me being pastor here at Mountain View.
Rich served as Basketball coach at Missouri Baptist Cllege. He heard the call of God in St. Louis. It changed his career. He has been a pastor for 20 years now all because God called.
 

APPLICATION:

Has God called You. The nominating committee may be His agent.
 
 

A. The . . Place of Choice "went down to Joppa".
1. Planned to go to Tarshish.
a. The choice must be finalized.
b. Go with God; or Go with Satan

B. The . . Possibilities of the Choice.
1. Go with God; or Go with Satan
a. God's way is Nineveh. The way of the Spirit.
b. Satan's way is Tarsish. The way of the flesh.

ILLUSTRATION:
My oldest daughter held the position of Nursery coordinator in their church in Colorado. A young family came for the first time to Sunday school. Their little girl pitched such a fit going into the pre-school her mother took her with them to the Young Adult class. In the worship hour the girl caused such a disturbance the family got up and left.
On the next Sunday my daughter saw this couple in the worship service but did not see the little girl. She welcomed the couple and ask about their little girl. The couple had acquired a baby sitter in order to come to church. My daughter told them she could get the little girl accustomed to the pre-school even to the point she would enjoy it.
The lady looked skeptically but my daughter continued to persuade and the family came back with the little girl and placed her in the pre-school. They just left her with the promise they would be back. My daughter got the little girl to sit on her lap and read her some stories then she got down and played. Never again did the little girl object to going to church. In fact many times she fussed because she had to leave.
This couple moved away after several months. On the first Sunday Mom and Dad where going to sleep in but the little girl woke up and came bouncing into the room asking is this the day we find our new church.
 

APPLICATION:

My daughter answered the call of God to serve as Preschool Coordinator. She helped a little child who in turn helped a family.
A little child just might make you realize you are at your place of choice. Where is your place of Choice? Is it this particular place?
 
 

JON 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the \Lord.\ So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the \Lord.\

A. The . . Place of Contradicting God's Will. "Tarsish"
1. Tarshish a Remote City, as far away as he could go

B. The . . Price of Contradicting God's will.
1. Notice the phrase; ". . . paid the fare, and went down". . .
a. A Fare Monetarily.
b. A Fare Ministerially.
1) A prophet fleeing from God, rejecting his
office of prophet.
2) Only record of a prophet charged with a message concealing it.

ILLUSTRATION:
"The Wall Street Journal" once projected a striking paradox of our time when it reported: "The elms in South Park, Pittsburgh must come down because they are obstructing the monument to Joyce Kilmer. They have lifted their leafy arms so high that passersby can no longer read the inscription which begins: `I think that I shall never see/A poem lovely as a tree.'"

In a world where people surrender their rights to preserve themselves, where cities are bombed to protect people, where nations wage war to preserve peace, where spending determines economy, it is tragically appropriate that trees should be sacrificed for a poem about trees.

Isn't it even more ironic that a single Christ would have to die so that we could find forgiveness of our sins?

APPLICATION:

Do you think Joyce Kilmer would agree with cutting down those trees. Some times our actions contradict our supposed commitment.
 
 

JON 3:1-3 Now the word of the \Lord\ came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you."
3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the \Lord.\ Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk.
 
 

A. The . . Place of Commitment to God's Will. 3:1-3
1. Nineveh.
a. The only account of a Prophet being sent to the heathen.
b. God selects the field of labor for his ministers.

B. The . . Peace of commitment to God's Will. 3:3
1. Jonah did not have peace until he went to Nineveh.

ILLUSTRATION:
Jim Elliot, a young missionary who was martyred for his faith, encouraged others to serve when he said: "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

APPLICATION:

I think quite often of the words of a black minister describing the Doctor of Philosophy Degree. He said the PHD stands for papers handed in daily. Commitment does the daily requirements of the task.
 

CONCLUSION:
 

GATH-HEPHER; THE CITY OF THE CALL
 

JOPPA; THE CITY OF THE CHOICE.
 

TARSHISH; THE CITY OF THE CONTRADICTION.
 

NINEVEH; THE CITY OF THE COMMITMENT

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