Pastor Bryan Walmer
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
God’s purpose is to call a people to Himself and shape them into who they were meant to be.
This has been God’s purpose all through the scriptures.
This is to be the purpose of all who follow Jesus.
God’s plan and power to accomplish His purpose
God wants to use us to bring about His purpose in the world.
God is committed to partnering with us despite all our flaws and struggles.
God can overcome our weakness and rebellion to accomplish His purpose through us.
Repentance is a requirement to participate in God’s purpose.
To repent means to turn away from something.
Repentance is getting off the throne of my life and letting Jesus take His rightful place.