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My fellow redeemed in Christ,

Our text might give the impression that Jonah was eager to tell others about the one true living God as we read, "So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord". But there's a little hint in our text that there was more to the story as we read, "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time". A second time. Why a second time? Because Jonah didn't obey the word of God the first time. He didn't want to tell the people of Nineveh about the one true living God. And he felt so strongly about this that he tried to run away from God. He took a ship all the way from the land of Israel to a place near the rock of Gibraltar in Spain. And here no doubt you remember the rest of the story: he was thrown overboard into the water and a great fish swallowed him. And it was only then, that he had second thoughts about what God told him to do. And by the time it was all over Jonah had learned some important lessons about telling others of God's love. So let's see what we can learn about, "Telling others of God's love in Jesus Christ."

I. The only way we can tell others about Jesus Christ is because of God's love?for us and for others. That's what Jonah learned.

a. After all was said and done, Jonah was not very loving or compassionate. He didn't want to go to Nineveh because he didn't like the people of Nineveh. And from a human standpoint we can understand why. Nineveh was located in what today is central Iraq. But in Jonah's day it was known as Assyria?.and they were a long standing enemy to the people of Israel?..and their cruelty was legendary. And so from a human standpoint we can understand why Jonah wanted the Assyrian's to be destroyed. How could God offer them his love and forgiveness? Obviously because God was more loving and compassionate than Jonah. And yet God was loving, compassionate, and patient with Jonah. God did not reject or desert him.

b. Perhaps there are times in our lives that we, like Jonah, are reluctant to tell others about our Lord Jesus. There might be a variety of reasons for this. And one could certainly be that we are not nearly as loving and compassionate as our God is. Like Jonah it is easy for us to fall into self-righteousness, thinking that we are better than other people. There might be people around us that we see as "Ninevites", people not nearly as nice and good as we are. But of course, when we think this way we are not rejoicing in the goodness and love of God, but in our own goodness and love of self. But if we rejoice in our own goodness we probably will have little desire to tell such people about Jesus. But think about your sins. Think about how many times you have failed to be what God wants you to be. Isn't it amazing that God has not rejected you? Isn't it amazing that God accepts you? And we know this love and compassion in Jesus Christ who said from the cross, "And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23: 34, ESV). And Jesus didn't die for us because we are good people. He died for sinners who were God's enemies as Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans: "?when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son?" (5: 15, NIV). We are reminded of the love and compassion of our God every time we kneel at the Lord's supper and receive the forgiveness of our sins through the very body and blood that won that forgiveness for us. Just as Jonah had to be reminded of the great love and compassion of God before he went to Nineveh we too will tell others about Jesus only as we are reminded just how much love and compassion God has for us.

II. But Jonah learned another important lesson: when God told him to go to Nineveh it was not a suggestion or up for a vote. And we need to remember this too.

a. Jonah didn't understand how serious God was until he was swallowed by a great fish. Only then did Jonah understand that God was not making a suggestion, but a command. And so in our Gospel lesson Jesus tells the disciples that they would be fishers of men. That's it. No discussion. No vote. They will be fishers of men. They will tell other people about him. Now I hope that this is obvious for pastors. When I step into this pulpit I have no choice but to tell you about God's great compassion and love for you in Jesus Christ. But of course it is tempting for lay people to think that only the pastor has been given this command. But God is a lot smarter than that. Why would God want only one person in the congregation telling others about his love in Jesus Christ? Obviously more people can hear about Jesus Christ if all of God's people are telling them so, the apostle peter writing to lay people says in his first letter: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (2: 9, ESV).

b. Is it possible that many Christians do not tell others about Jesus because they think they don't have to? Yes that's possible. Does this describe you? But who else can speak about Jesus Christ except those who already believe in him? This does not mean that you have to join an evangelism committee or go knocking on doors. Although if you have that gift let me know! But it does mean that you are always aware that you are representative of Jesus Christ. It does mean that in every circumstance of life you are aware of people around you??..do they have faith in Jesus? Is there an "open door", an opportunity, to talk about Jesus in a natural manner? So peter says in his first letter: "but in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (3:15, NIV). These opportunities could be at work, at school, in your neighborhood, with family or friends, co-workers or yes, even at Starbucks. What do you say? Well, if you want to tell someone about Jesus you simply say what you know?.who Jesus is and why he is so important to you. And you don't have to have an answer for everything. It's ok to say "I don't know". But make sure you tell them what you do know. And don't forget to tell them about the adult information class and the wonderful website we have for messiah. There is so much on our church website for you to direct people to. Take advantage of it when you tell people about Jesus.

III. Which brings me to my last point: there's no pressure. God does not expect us to convince the person or convert the person. That's his job.

a. In Jonah's case, God didn't ask him to do anything other than proclaim his word. God simply told him what to say and Jonah was to faithfully say it. But God did not hold Jonah accountable for how the people of Nineveh responded. So Jonah did what God told him to do. And what was the result? "And the people of nineveh believed God". It was through the preaching of God's word that God himself converted the people of Nineveh. God's word is powerful. God's word can change the hearts and minds of people as he says through the prophet Isaiah: "So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it" (55:11, ESV). And because the Ninevites repented of their sins and believed in the one true living God, God did not destroy them but had compassion on them: "When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it" (v. 10, ESV).

b. And so it is with us. God never asks us to convince or convert people. We don't have the ability or power to bring anyone to faith in Jesus Christ. And this is why we Lutherans are a little uncomfortable talking about bringing people to Christ. We don't bring anyone to Christ. Instead of bringing people to Christ, we bring Christ to people. And we do that as we tell others about Jesus Christ. And in this way we become, as Jesus says in our gospel lesson, fishers of men. But it is God who gives them faith as the apostle peter says in his first letter: "You have been born again?through the living and enduring word of God" (1: 23, NIV). Since the results are in God's hands the pressure is off of us to produce results. Which means that we can simply joyously tell others about Jesus Christ whenever and where ever we can without worrying about the results.

Conclusion: So then what can we learn from this story about Jonah and being better witnesses to God's love? We learn that God himself will make us a better witness to his son as we give up the idea that we are better than other people. It is only by understanding God's love and compassion for us that we will want to share his great love and compassion for others. We also become better witnesses to Jesus Christ as we realize that this is not an option for us. It is God's will for each one of us to tell other people about Jesus Christ. And finally, we will be better witnesses to Jesus Christ as the pressure of results is removed. The results are in God's hands. This morning we have been reminded what God could do through such a reluctant witness as Jonah?..let's watch and see what God will do through each one of us. Amen.