{"id":971,"date":"2018-01-21T15:17:11","date_gmt":"2018-01-21T23:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=971"},"modified":"2018-01-21T15:49:56","modified_gmt":"2018-01-21T23:49:56","slug":"proclaim-the-message-i-gave-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/21\/proclaim-the-message-i-gave-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Proclaim the Message I Gave You!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><font color='black' size='2' face='arial'><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>  <w:WordDocument>   <w:View>Normal<\/w:View>   <w:Zoom>0<\/w:Zoom>   <w:TrackMoves\/>   <w:TrackFormatting\/>   <w:PunctuationKerning\/>   <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas\/>   <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false<\/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>   <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false<\/w:IgnoreMixedContent>   <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false<\/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>   <w:DoNotPromoteQF\/>   <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US<\/w:LidThemeOther>   <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE<\/w:LidThemeAsian>   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\tmso-fareast-font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; \tmso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; \tmso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; \tmso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; \tmso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; \tmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} <\/style>\n\n <![endif]--><\/p>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;color:#212121\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-971-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Epiphany-3-01-21-18.mp3?_=1\" \/><source type=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/FILELINK?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Epiphany-3-01-21-18.mp3\">http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Epiphany-3-01-21-18.mp3<\/a><\/audio>&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">The Third Sunday after Epiphany<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">January 21, 2018<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Jonah 3:1-5, 10<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Proclaim the Message I Gave You!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;tab-stops:13.5pt .5in 2.5in 238.5pt 337.5pt\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt\">Then the word of the L<\/span>ORD<span style=\"font-size:12.0pt\"> came to Jonah a second time:<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jonah obeyed the word of the L<\/span>ORD<span style=\"font-size:12.0pt\"> and went to Nineveh.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Now Nineveh was a very important city\u2014a visit required three days.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>On the first day, Jonah started into the city.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>He proclaimed:<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>\u201cForty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.\u201d<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The Ninevites believed God.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>(NIV1984)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">What do Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Nikki Haley, Stephane Dujarric and Antonio Guterres all have in common?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>They are all spokespersons!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the spokesperson for the White House.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Nikki Haley is the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Stephane Dujarric is the spokesman for the Secretary General of the United Nations and Antonio Guterres is the UN Secretary General, who according to the UN home page is \u201cspokesman for the interests of the world\u2019s people, in particular the poor and vulnerable among them.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Now, can you imagine what might happen if any one of these spokespersons went \u201coff script\u201d and instead of conveying the official message they were given they decided to simply use their position to espouse their own views and voice their own opinions?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It probably would not take long for someone to call them into their office and say something along the lines of, \u201cWhat are you doing?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Proclaim the message I gave you!\u201d <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Our sermon text for today reminds both you and me that as Christians we have been placed into a position that is parallel to an official spokesperson being sent out with a message to proclaim.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>This morning, my friends, let\u2019s use this relatively familiar portion of Scripture to see that when the God of heaven sends His representatives out into this world He says to them:<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span><b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">Proclaim the Message I Gave You!<\/i><\/b><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>We\u2019ll focus on two things this morning.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>First, we\u2019ll focus on the message God wants proclaimed.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Second, we\u2019ll focus on the messengers whom God sends out to proclaim His message.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Look at the opening verse of our text.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>We\u2019re told, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cThen the word of the L<\/i><\/span><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"layout-grid-mode:line\">ORD<\/span><\/i><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\"> came to Jonah a <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">second<\/b> time:<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>\u2018Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>This was the <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">second<\/b> time God had come to Jonah and said, <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">Proclaim the message I gave you!<\/i><\/b><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>What happened the first time the word of the L<\/span><span style=\"layout-grid-mode:line\">ORD <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">came to Jonah?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Almost everyone knows how Jonah refused to go to Nineveh and proclaim the message God had given to him.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>In fact, Jonah tried to run away from proclaiming that message, didn\u2019t he!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jonah got on a ship and tried to run to Tarshish\u2014 which was about as far away from Nineveh as Jonah could get!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>But, of course, God got Jonah\u2019s attention, didn\u2019t He.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>God sent a storm which resulted in the sailors tossing Jonah into the raging sea.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Then God sent a big fish which resulted in Jonah spending three days and three nights in its belly.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Then God commanded the fish to spit Jonah onto dry land which resulted in Jonah\u2019s willingness to listen to the Lord when the Lord came to him a <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">second<\/b> time and said, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Before we move on to the message God gave to Jonah to proclaim, I\u2019d like to take a moment to address the question\u2014 Why?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Why didn\u2019t Jonah want to go to Nineveh and proclaim God\u2019s message to them?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>First let\u2019s consider Jonah\u2019s circumstances.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jonah lived and worked in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>He had been called by God to proclaim God\u2019s Word to God\u2019s wayward people to try and bring them back into the fold.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Nineveh, on the other hand, was the capital of the Assyrian Empire\u2014 the sworn enemies of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>In Isaiah chapter 10 and Nahum chapter 3 the Assyrian Empire is described as an incredibly arrogant empire which inflicted the worst kinds of cruelty imaginable upon the peoples they conquered.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Was Jonah perhaps afraid to go to Nineveh and proclaim the message God had given to him?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Not at all!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The reason Jonah didn\u2019t want to go to Nineveh is found in the opening verses of Jonah chapter four.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>After God had spared Nineveh we\u2019re told, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cBut Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>He prayed to the L<\/i><\/span><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"layout-grid-mode:line\">ORD<\/span><\/i><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">, \u2018O L<\/span><span style=\"layout-grid-mode:line\">ORD<\/span><\/i><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">, is this not what I said when I was still at home?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>This is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh and proclaim the message God had given to him because Jonah did not want the people of Nineveh to be saved!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>As far as Jonah was concerned they didn\u2019t <u>deserve<\/u> to even hear about God\u2019s grace much less experience God\u2019s grace!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>In other words, Jonah was harboring hatred and prejudice in his heart!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>That hatred and that prejudice prevented Jonah from gladly and willingly going to Nineveh and proclaiming the message God had given to him.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Now let\u2019s turn to the message itself.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>What exactly was the message that God had given to Jonah to proclaim?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Look at verse four of our text, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cForty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>This was a very powerful message of Law, wasn\u2019t it?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jonah was sent to the capital of the Assyrian Empire to proclaim to them that their wickedness had become such a stench in God\u2019s nostrils, that their evil had become so pervasive, that their cruelty had gotten so out of control that God Himself was going to step in and put an end to it all\u2014 literally!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>While the God of heaven is indeed long-suffering, while the God of heaven is indeed patient, the God of heaven will only put up with sin for so long and then He unleashes His justice.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Think of the Flood (Genesis 6).<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Think of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19).<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cForty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The power of those words spoken by a prophet of the Almighty God resonates with the severity of God\u2019s Law.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">At the same time, however, the message which God gave to Jonah to proclaim was also infused with the glorious message of the Gospel, wasn\u2019t it?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>God could have simply rained fire and brimstone down on the city of Nineveh and destroyed them without warning\u2014 like He did with Sodom and Gomorrah.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>But He didn\u2019t!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>God graciously gave the people of Nineveh forty days to repent of their sin and to change their evil ways\u2014 which is exactly what happened.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Look at verse ten, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cWhen God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>That\u2019s the Gospel, my friends! That\u2019s the amazing grace of God in action!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>When we look at the message that God Himself gave to Jonah to proclaim it seems pretty clear to me that it was indeed a message of both Law and Gospel.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jonah was told to point out the people\u2019s sin.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jonah was told to tell the people of Nineveh that the way they were living their lives was <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">wrong<\/i><\/b> and that if they continued to live that way there would be serious consequences to pay!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>At the same time Jonah was told to proclaim to the people of Nineveh that God was giving them a chance to be saved\u2014 both physically as well as spiritually.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>God was graciously giving them forty days\u2014 forty days to see the seriousness of their sin, forty days to turn away from their sin, forty days to seek God\u2019s forgiveness for their sins.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>That\u2019s a message of <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">both<\/b> Law <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">and<\/b> Gospel.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>While the destination may be different, God\u2019s message has not changed one iota down through the centuries.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>God\u2019s message to the world today is still a message of both Law and Gospel.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>God\u2019s Law very clearly proclaims that sin is not a weakness.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Sin is not a shortcoming.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Each and every sin is an act of rebellion against the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth and He will deal with it accordingly.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>At the same time, the message of God\u2019s Gospel has not changed one iota.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Scripture still proclaims, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cThe Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance\u201d<\/i> (2 Peter 3:9).<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cFor God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life\u201d<\/i> (John 3:16).<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>When God comes to someone today and says, <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">Proclaim the message I gave you!<\/i><\/b> He does indeed mean, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cProclaim <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">both<\/b> My message of Law <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">and<\/b> My message of Gospel!\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>God spoke those words to Jonah approximately 2,800 years ago.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>To whom does He speak those words today?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The most obvious answer to that question is\u2014 me!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>As the person who has been called to serve as God\u2019s public representative here in our congregation, God Himself <u>expects<\/u> that I will faithfully proclaim the message He has given to me.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>(See Hebrews 13:17; James 3:1)<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>I do not have the right or the authority to change the message as God Himself reveals it here in His holy Word.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>In fact, I have the responsibility to preach God\u2019s Law in all of its severity and then proclaim God\u2019s Gospel in all of its clarity.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>I strive to fulfill this God-given responsibility by pointing you to the cross as often as I can.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>If you <u>ever<\/u> begin to think that your sin is not all that serious, if you <u>ever<\/u> begin to get \u201ccomfortable\u201d with having a particular sin in your heart or in your life\u2014 look to the cross.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The cross reminds you of just how serious sin is!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The cross reminds you that God is serious when He says, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cThe wages of sin = death\u201d<\/i> (Romans 6:23a).<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>At the same time, the cross proclaims to you that the God of heaven loves you so very deeply that He was willing to send His own Son into this world to die on the cross in your place so that your entire debt of sin could be paid for\u2014 in full!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>I am absolutely convinced, my friends, that if you want to see both the severity of God\u2019s Law and the clarity of God\u2019s Gospel all you need to do is lift up your eyes to the cross of Calvary\u2019s hill.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>While God spoke those words directly to Jonah and while God speaks those words indirectly to me, those are words which the God of heaven also speaks to you, my friends.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Yes, you are ambassadors, spokespersons, of the Living God.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>You are God\u2019s public representatives in your own little corner of God\u2019s world.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>We live at a time when so many churches and so many preachers are so willing to change the message God has recorded here in His holy Word.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>We live at a time when many people don\u2019t want to hear the message that God has given to you to share with them.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>We live at a time when people want <u>you<\/u> to change what <u>you<\/u> believe and how <u>you<\/u> live your life so that <u>you<\/u> agree with them instead of Him!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>(Pointing to the cross)<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>For example, it\u2019s not \u201cpolitically correct\u201d to say that the Triune God of Scripture is the <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">only<\/b> true God, that faith in what Jesus has done for you is the <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">only<\/b> way to eternal life in heaven and that the <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">only<\/b> thing waiting for anyone who rejects those truths is an eternity of suffering in hell.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>In short, it is not \u201cpolitically correct\u201d to proclaim the message the God Himself has given to you here in His holy Word.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Don\u2019t be like Jonah, my friends.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Don\u2019t run away from proclaiming the message God has given to you because you are afraid of how someone might react.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Don\u2019t run away from proclaiming the message God has given to you because for one reason or another you don\u2019t think someone \u201cdeserves\u201d to hear about what God has done for them (pointing to the cross).<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>You don\u2019t know if God has given someone forty more days or forty more months or forty more years to hear God\u2019s message of both Law and Gospel.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>What you do know is that when their life here on this earth comes to an end they will instantly be summoned before God\u2019s judgment throne and be required to give an account to Him.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>(See Matthew 12:36-37; Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">It is not difficult to see people today whose job is to serve as a spokesperson.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It is also not difficult to understand that the job of a spokesperson is actually quite simple:<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>proclaim the message you are given.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Do not change it.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Do not adapt it as you see fit.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Do not contradict it.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Just proclaim it.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Likewise, it is not difficult to understand that the good Lord has sent us, His children, out into this world to serve as His spokespersons.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It is also not difficult to understand that God Himself expects us to proclaim the message He has given to us.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Do not change it.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Do not adapt it as you see fit.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Do not contradict it.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Just proclaim it.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">\u201cGo to (<u>you fill in the blank<\/u>) and proclaim to them the message I give you.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>May God grant that those words will always ring out loud and clear in our ears and in our hearts and in our lives today.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">To God be the glory!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Amen<\/span><\/div>\n<p> <\/font><\/p>\n<div class=\"postie-attachments\">Download sermon audio ::  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Epiphany-3-01-21-18.mp3\">Epiphany-3-01-21-18.MP3<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The Third Sunday after Epiphany January 21, 2018 Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Proclaim the Message I Gave You! &nbsp; &nbsp; Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:&nbsp; \u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d&nbsp; Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/971\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}