Jonah 2 - Almost Repentant

In Jonah 2, we find a prophet in the depths — not only of the sea, but of his own sin. From the belly of the fish, Jonah cries out to God, but was he truly repentant… or merely desperate for deliverance? In this message, we’ll examine the marks of true repentance, as outlined by J.C. Ryle, and hold them up against Jonah’s prayer to see what genuine repentance looks like in the life of a believer. Join me as we consider whether Jonah was “almost repentant,” and what that means for our walk with Christ. Let’s dig in and look to Jesus, our true hope!

Transcript

4 - Jonah 2 - Almost Repentant

Intro

• Please take your Bibles and open with me to Jonah 2 and find verse 1.
  • Today we continue in the story of Jonah…
  • The wayward prophet who has found himself in quite the situation…
• That is really putting it mildly, what transpired in chapter one is nothing short of amazing…
  • I say that on several fronts…
    • It is amazing that a prophet of God would find himself trying to flee from doing the very thing that a prophet is to do…
    • It is amazing that God showed compassion on this wayward prophet by preserving his life in the face of his rebellion…
    • It is amazing that God chose to have a fish swallow up this man and spend three days of his existence in the belly of this fish…
  • With all of those amazing things, chapter one has presented us with many challenges, as well as some encouragement…
    • We have been challenged to not be like Jonah…
      • To be obedient to what God has called us, and to not flee from His command…
      • We have been challenged to be sure that we are awake and that we are active…
        • As we were reminded that the world around us is perishing and we all have people who need the Gospel.
    • Then last week our attention shifted from Jonah as we considered how God showed Himself Sovereign and Compassionate towards His Creation…
      • Oh and what a good reminder that is for us today.
      • Nothing happens that does not pass through our God’s Sovereign hands.
      • We are directly impacted by His Glorious Compassion, found foremost in Christ and His Gospel.
    • In our text today we will again shift back to Jonah and as we do we will ask…
  • Are we going to see Jonah as an example of what not to do, or will we finally be able to find something we can imitate in his life?
• With that intro, let’s begin by reading our text and opening in prayer.

Jonah 2:1-10

• As we begin to consider this passage together I want to start off with a question, and it will be this question that drives our time in the Word today.
  • Was Jonah truly repentant or was he not?
    • Let me ask that question again…
  • Was Jonah truly repentant or was he not?
• As I stated this question will drive our time in the Word and our response to the Word today.
  • So how we answer it will be important…
    • Jonah will either be an example for us to follow or, as he has been over the last few weeks, he will be an example of how not to live.
  • Before we try and determine where Jonah was repentant or not let’s first begin by considering…

The Marks of True Repentance

• We are going to be working off of a list that Pastor JC Ryle created many years ago regarding true repentance.
  • He identified 5 marks of true repentance that displays the genuineness of a person's repentance.  
  • Meaning that if a person claims to be repentant without displaying these marks their repentance may not be genuine.
• So what we will do is work through these 5 marks and then in turn apply them to Jonah to see if he was truly repentant or simply seeking deliverance.
  • It would be helpful, since we are going to be considering these marks of repentance as written by Pastor Ryle that we would begin with how he defined repentance.
    • He wrote…
    • “...when this heart of ours is changed by the Holy Spirit, when this natural love of sin is cast out, then that change takes place which the Word of God calls “repentance.” The person in whom the change is created is said to “repent.” They may be called, in one word, a repentant person.”
  • He then begins to argue that genuine repentance produces five distinct marks that prove the genuineness of a person's repentant heart.
    • It would also do us well to note here that this is indeed what the Gospel is meant to produce in us…
      • 2 Corinthians 5:17 - “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
    • This change is promised in the Old Testament, in the book of Ezekiel…
      • Ezekiel 36:26-27 - “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” 
    • Those who are found in Christ, are given this new heart, are a part of this new birth, and have changed desires.
      • At the heart of our salvation is this call to continual repentance.
        • Do you recall in Acts 2 when Peter proclaims the hope of the Gospel for the first time?
        • The people, who earlier were mocking them, are now under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and they ask the Apostles…
          • “Brothers, what shall we do?”
        • To that question Peter replied in…
          • Acts 2:38c - “...Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…”
      • Repentance, genuine repentance is foundational to the heart of Christianity.
    • If a person is not truly repentant then they are not saved.
  • I point that out because we need to feel the weight of this, this is not a matter of which church I will attend, this is a matter for which eternity hangs in the balance.
• Considering that, let us turn to the first mark of true repentance…
  • True Repentance Begins with a Knowledge of Sin.
    • This is just recognizing the fact that a person cannot turn from that which he does not know about.
    • We actually talk about this a lot when we talk about the Gospel…
      • For a person to hear the good news, that Jesus died in their place, then they need to have some working knowledge of the bad news.
      • The reality that they have offended a holy God, that they have sinned against him.
    • If a person lacks knowledge of sin then how can they truly repent?
      • Now I do want to point out that this does not neglect the process of sanctification but actually helps us understand that process.
      • The more we learn of God and the more we learn of His Word, the closer we walk with Him, the more we spot our own sin.
      • As we grow in knowledge of our sin then this leads to our repentance.
    • So the first mark of genuine repentance is that a knowledge of sin is necessary.
    • Second…
  • True Repentance Produces Sorrow for Sin.
    • With knowledge of our sin, if we are repentant, then we will see sorrow over that sin.
      • A brokenness because of our actions. 
    • Paul writes of this in 2 Corinthians…
      • In a prior letter he had pointed out sin that the church needed to deal with.
      • They did, they cast out the one who was living in open rebellion, this led to sorrow and worked into true repentance.
      • In 2 Corinthians 7 we see Paul talking about this sorrow or this grief.
    • 2 Corinthians 7:9-10a - “As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation…”
      • True repentance is made possible because of the knowledge of sin…
      • True repentance is fueled by sorrow over that sin…
    • Thind…
  • True Repentance Produces Confession of Sin.
    • That is not necessarily a confession before man but rather a confession before God.
      • Now if your sin is against a fellow man then it is certainly reasonable that you would confess and ask for forgiveness.
      • However, in what we are talking about, true repentance, this is about how we interact with God.
    • You cannot be truly repentant without confessing your sins before the Father.
      • I am not speaking of this as a works based practice, your salvation is not dependent upon you confessing every single sin.
      • However, when it comes to checking the genuineness of our repentance we must consider whether or not we have confessed our sins before the Father.
    • Two scripture passages come to mind when considering this third mark…
      • First is in 1 John 1:9 where John writes very plainly to us on this topic…
        • 1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
          • This verse should give us confidence before the Father in regard to our sinfulness.
        • It is the promise that as we confess our sins that our God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us.
        • This is rooted in the cross and the fact that Jesus took upon Himself the past, present, and future sin of man paying the price in full. 
        • Therefore if you are found in Him you should have confidence that when you sin there is forgiveness in His Name.
      • The second passage that comes to mind on this point is Psalm 51…
        • David has sinned against the Lord by taking the wife of another man and then having that man killed.
          • It is a very unpleasant part of David’s story, but the Bible gives us a very clear picture of man.
          • Often it is a terrible picture, but it is an accurate one.
        • When David is confronted with his sin by Nathan the prophet…
          • He has knowledge of it, he is sorrowful over it, and then he confesses it.
        • Psalm 51 is that prayer of confession, he opens with…
          • Psalm 51:1-2 - “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”
          • The whole Psalm captures the heart of a man who is confessing his sin and recognizing that God alone can cleanse him of his unrighteousness.
      • Again, true repentance produces a confession for sin.
    • Fourth…
  • True Repentance Produces a Breaking Off From Sin.
    • We often say that repentance is a changing of direction, and where that is true maybe this mark captures it in a more accurate way.
      • Romans 6 captures this mark of repentance well.
        • Paul is writing in that chapter about how we have been set free from the bondage of sin.
          • How we are to put to death the old self and life for Christ.
          • He is writing about this new life we are to have by faith in Jesus.
          • He closes out that section by penning these words.  
        • Romans 6:12-13 - “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”
      • This captures the exact point that Pastor Ryle makes with this mark of repentance.
    • Someone who claims to follow Christ but whose life looks no different from the world in which we dwell brings into question the genuineness of their salvation and their repentance.
      • We could again look to 1 John to see how this plays out in the Word…
        • 1 John 1:6-7 - “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
      • There is to be a difference in the life of the believer and that is because the believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit.
      • God has taken up residence in your life, how could you be anything but changed?
    • True repentance, genuine repentance…
      • Comes with knowledge of sin…
      • Is shown with sorrow over sin…
      • Is followed with confession of sin…
      • Which leads to a breaking off from sin…
    • Then, finally…
  • True Repentance Produces a Deep Hatred of Sin.
    • This final mark is most clearly expressed when we recognize the sin of ourselves and grow to hate how we have sinned against the Father.
    • It is a true realization of what is expressed in…
      • Isaiah 64:6a - “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment…”
        • I like this verse because it captures the raw truth about humanity.
        • Even our righteous deeds, the best we have to offer, is unclean before Him…
          • How much more is our sin unclean before Him?
        • Consider how offensive our sin is before this Great God…
      • It is so offensive, so abhorring to Him, that He was willing to spill the blood of His Son to settle the matter. 
    • This abhorrence to sin, this hatred for sin, should also be infused into our lives…
      • True repentance should lead us to hate that which goes against what God desires.
      • Romans 12:9 - “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”
    • The longer we live as Christians the more intolerant we should become to our own sin.
      • Not to say that it will cease to be a struggle but that our affection towards sin will continue to dwindle.
        • Romans 7:15 - “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
      • What Pastor Ryle is making clear in this point is that true repentance brings about a change of affection…
    • We no longer love that which we used to love, now we see sin for what it is and it is abhorrent to us. 
  • These are the five marks of true repentance, and they should be present in the life of the believer, they should be present when we are faced with the knowledge of our own sin.
• Now, let us consider these in light of Jonah 2, and let us read this passage again considering whether we see these marks of repentance playing out in the life of this wayward prophet.
  • Jonah 2:1-9
• Considering those verses let’s consider does…

Jonah Bear the Marks of True Repentance

• To do this we will need to consider the story before and the story after, thankfully we are familiar with how this short story plays out…
• Let us begin with the first of five questions…
  • Did Jonah possess knowledge of his sin?
    • This first question should be fairly simple for us to consider, because as the story unfolds we find that he does indeed know that he has sinned against God.
      • We find that he tells the mariners of his sin and they feared because they knew that he was fleeing from God.
    • Without a doubt this prophet knew what he had done, he knew his sins, but I remind you…
      • Just because a person knows of their wrongdoing does not make them repentant.
      • This is simply the first box to be checked considering whether or not Jonah really repented of his sin.
    • However, we can confidently say that Jonah had knowledge of his sin, so let’s move on to the next question…
  • Did Jonah possess sorrow over his sin?
    • This question is difficult to answer in the affirmative…
      • He knew of his sin, but did it prick him to his heart?
    • To be fair we could record some of this prayer as desperation which could be a reflection of his sorrow of his wrongdoing.
      • However, the question is…
        • If Jonah is really sorrowful is it because of his sin or because of his situation?
      • Now we could simply say that his sorrow just is not recorded and where that is certainly possible it is worth noting that we do see a sorrow later on in this book.
    • Turn over to Jonah 4 and find verse 1…
      • Jonah 4:1
        • Though the word “sorrow” is not used it is worth noting that this same Hebrew word used that is translated as “displeased” is rendered elsewhere as “sad” and “grieved”.
      • Why is Jonah sad you ask?
        • It is because his preaching was effective and the people repented and the Lord relented of his wrath.
    • Not a good look for Jonah…
      • The point is that we see Jonah expressing strong emotion in two chapters over the grace of God toward the Ninevites and because of a plant that was no more.
      • Yet here, when he should be broken over his sin, sorrowful over his rebellion, we find an absence of emotion.
    • Though we cannot say he was not sorrowful we can certainly say that scripture does not tell us if he was.
      • However, as we continue through these questions I think we will see greater clarity on whether or not Jonah was truly repentant.  
      • Turn back with me to Jonah 2 as we step into the…
    • Third question…
  • Did Jonah confess his sin?
    • We have 8 verses of a prayer that Jonah prays…
      • He mentions God’s salvation, how Jonah cried out to him and he saved him by the fish.
      • We might argue that in his crying out to God that it included a confession of his sin.
    • However, as you survey these 8 verses you will not find any confession of sin.  
      • Though he is thankful for God’s salvation, and though he expresses that he will now fulfill his vow we do not see him admitting wrongdoing.
      • Actually, we see a bit of the opposite…
        • Go back to verse 8…
          • Vs. 8
        • In this verse we see Jonah mentioning those who “...pay regard to vain idols…”
      • He is turning his attention to criticizing those who worship idols, all the while seeming to ignore the fact that his disobedience has landed him in the belly of a fish.
    • I cannot help by reading this prayer and thinking about the parable of Jesus of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18…
      • Remember, the tax collector and how he prayed?
        • He would not even look up to heaven but simply prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”.
      • That stood in sharp contrast to the Pharisee who prayed in this way…
        • “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.”
      • Now I ask you, which category did Jonah find himself in?
        • Do we see a man who has been humbled and broken because of his sin or do we find one who is still seeking to justify himself?
    • I will leave that question unanswered as we move on to the next mark of repentance…
  • Did Jonah show a “breaking off” from sin?
    • This one seems simple on the surface, because what follows this chapter is this prophet obeying what God has commanded.
      • He does go and preach to the Ninevities and calls them to repentance.
        • Does this mean the root sin was dealt with?
          • Where it certainly can mean that it also is not guaranteed to mean that.
        • It is entirely possible for someone to be rebelliously obedient.
      • Obeying in practice but have a heart that is far removed from being right before God.
    • Again we could look to a parable spoken by our Lord…
      • In Luke 15 we find the story of the Prodigal Son.
        • Though often the Prodigal is the focus we need not forget about the other son.
      • Do you remember him?
        • He stayed with the Father, he was obedient and worked diligently, all that the Father possessed belonged to him.
        • Yet I ask, did he have an obedient heart?
          • Of course not!
      • He was as rebellious as the younger son and the sad part of that parable is that it ended with his rebellion.
    • Well, we know how Jonah ended, did this book end with Jonah obedience or did it end with his rebellion?
      • It ended with him pouting like a child who did not get his way…
        • Angry that God’s judgment did not destroy a people.
      • What a shameful thing…
    • Though we may know at this point let us consider the final question for Jonah…
  • Did Jonah show a deep hatred for his sin?
    • What conclusion can we draw except to say that this wayward prophet did not understand the depths of his depravity.
      • He did not show a hatred for sin, but he did show a hatred toward sinners.
    • Again, a question we cannot answer in the affirmative leading us to conclude….
  • Though Jonah prayed, it was not a prayer of repentance…
    • Though Jonah cried out, it was more out of desperation than sorrow over sin.
    • Unfortunately we are again confronted with something else we should seek to do differently than this wayward prophet. 
• If we have any doubt of that we need only look to the final verse of this chapter as we see…

God’s Continued Displeasure of this Prophet

• Please read it again with me…
  • Jonah 2:10
• This is not a good image for us.
  • The language used in this verse, presents us with this idea that God is still very much displeased with Jonah.
    • We do see this language used some throughout the Old Testament, and it is used in a negative sense.
    • For example, consider…
      • Leviticus 20:22 - “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.”
    • This is not a positive thing, right?
      • The Israelites were indeed vomited out of the land because of their sin.
      • They were cast into exile and scattered among the nations.
      • This word captures the displease that God had with his people and it used to describe how Jonah is expelled from the fish.
    • Knowing that, and knowing what we have seen today, let me ask…
      • Do you think that God is pleased with this prophet?
    • I do not, this verse seems to be the nail in the coffin of whether or not God is pleased with this man.
• Let us though at this time shift away from considering Jonah and consider ourselves.
  • There is one other place in scripture that uses this type of language that is worth our consideration.
    • As we prepare to close today please turn with me to Revelation 3 and find verse 15.
  • As we step into Revelation we step into short letters written to the seven churches in Asia.
    • Unlike other letters these are written by John however spoken by Jesus Himself.
    • Some of the churches he is pleased with, others he is very critical of, in our case today we are stepping into his most critical letter.
  • In that though we find very similar language to what we see used in Jonah 2:10.
    • Let’s begin reading in verse 15 as Jesus speaks to this wayward church.
      • Revelation 3:15-16
    • There is not any question on whether or not the Lord was pleased with this church.
  • You know what else is not in question, a proper response…
    • Jump down to verse 19 and we will see what our Lord calls them to.
      • Revelation 3:19
• Clearly our Lord desires true repentance…
  • Surely this also was God’s desire for Jonah, and can I say that it is His desire for us as well.

Closing 

• As we close here today, I want you to consider yourself and ask yourself…
  • Have you truly repented and do you live a life of repentance?
    • I am assuming that you already know…
    • The Spirit is able to bring to mind that which needs to be corrected in our lives…
  • The question is will you yield to the Spirit, will you give yourself to repentance, or will you be as Jonah was, just obedient enough to still be in rebellion?
• Let us pray.