Message | The God of Second Chances - Jonah Part 2 - Pastor Logan Ketterling

Summary

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Podcast Summary

River Valley Church – “The God of Second Chances: Jonah Part 2”

Speaker: Pastor Logan Ketterling
Date: June 14, 2026

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Episode Theme

This episode continues River Valley Church’s series on the Book of Jonah, focusing on God’s unfailing mercy and His willingness to give second chances. Pastor Logan explores Jonah’s journey from rebellion to repentance, drawing parallels to the transformative power of God’s grace in our lives and encouraging listeners to believe in redemption—for themselves and for others, no matter how far they’ve strayed.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Wrestling with the Jonah Story (00:00–04:16)

• Pastor Logan opens with humor, asking, “If you were in the belly of a fish, what song would you sing? ‘Waymaker’? ‘Don’t Stop Believin’?” (00:24), before shifting to the skepticism some have about Jonah’s story being literal.
• He provides examples of modern "swallowed by a whale" stories, not to prove plausibility but to underscore faith:

  “If you can make it past Genesis 1:1, I think you can make it through the Book of Jonah.” (01:59)

• Two reasons for believing Jonah is historical:
  • Jonah is mentioned as a real historical figure in 2 Kings 14.
  • Jesus affirms Jonah’s story in Matthew 12 and Luke 11, connecting it with His own death and resurrection:

    “‘For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be…’” (03:01)

2. Jonah’s Prayer and the Power of Scripture in Crisis (04:16–06:28)

• Pastor Logan notes Jonah’s prayer (Jonah 2) is filled with references to the Psalms, modeling how to turn to Scripture in moments of distress.

  “In your worst times, pray and sing out the scripture of the Lord. If you have nothing else to say…there’s nothing more powerful we can do than to say the word of the Lord.” (04:18)

• The ancient world believed the journey to the “place of the dead” took three days (05:16). Jonah is “as good as dead” but is preserved by God—a story of someone who “shouldn’t be alive.”

3. Hitting Bottom and Mercy in the Depths (06:28–08:47)

• A motif of “down, down, down” (into sin and distance from God) transforms into “arise” after repentance.
• The fish, rather than being a punishment alone, represents God’s mercy and rescue.

  “When you hit the rock bottom of your life…God is there to scoop you up.” (06:38)

• Like Peter’s restoration (after denying Jesus), Jonah gets a second chance to fulfill God’s call.

4. God’s Character: Mercy Over Judgment (08:47–11:13)

• Emphasizes that failure does not disqualify you; consequences exist, but God’s grace prevails:

  “Our failures may interrupt our purpose…But those consequences and failures do not have the final word. The cross has the final word.” (09:47)

• Rebuts the idea that the Old Testament God is different from the New Testament God; God’s mercy is consistent throughout.

5. Jonah’s Reluctant Obedience and Nineveh’s Repentance (11:13–15:29)

• Nineveh is described as “great”—not morally, but in size and power, known for violence and idolatry.
• Despite excuses and fear, Jonah delivers God’s warning:

  “Yet 40 days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” (13:28)

• Unexpectedly, the people and the king of Nineveh repent in dramatic fashion, even putting sackcloth on animals.

  “That would be like putting your dog in a T-shirt that says ‘sorry.’” (15:08)

6. The Scope of God’s Salvation (15:29–18:18)

• Pastor Logan explores reactions to “easy” repentance (deathbed conversions, etc.)—should inspire rejoicing, not resentment.

  “We should rejoice, we should praise, we should celebrate that those at their very last breath understood and knew…” (16:40)

• God does not “change His mind”—He responds to people’s changed hearts (18:09).

7. The Challenge of Sharing the Gospel (18:18–22:49)

• Christians must not shy away from sharing the difficult truths of God’s judgment as well as His grace, but always do so with “gentleness and respect.”
• The call is for obedience, sharing even when it seems unlikely people will repent.

  “Are we willing to stand up for the truth…Would you if God asked you to?” (20:16–20:42)

• Emphasizes persistence in prayer and sharing:

  “For many of us…there’s somebody that you have been thinking about, you’ve been praying for, and maybe you’ve given up. And I’m here to tell you, do not give up.”

8. Being a Messenger of Mercy (22:49–25:29)

• Pastor Logan encourages Christians to be “someone’s fish of mercy”—the presence, friend, or invitation that draws others toward God.
• Shares a personal story of praying for friends and seeing one come to faith after seven years:

  “Seven years ago I put your name down…and I’ve been praying for you. And I want you to know…what you’ve said yes to…is something I’ve been believing would happen for years.” (24:24)

9. God’s Patience and Urgency of Response (25:29–26:59)

• References 2 Peter 3:9:

  “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise…not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (25:44)

• Stresses the fleeting nature of life—respond to God’s offer of mercy now.

10. The “Sign of Jonah” and the Greater Gift of Christ (26:59–29:09)

• Jesus is the “something greater than Jonah”; His resurrection is the ultimate sign for all generations.

  “As Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” (27:05) “Jesus says, I’m right here and I’m here to save you…I’m here to give you new life if you turn from your wicked ways.” (28:15)

• Pastor Logan closes in prayer, urging listeners to receive God’s mercy and to share hope with others.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you can make it past Genesis 1:1, I think you can make it through the Book of Jonah.” (01:59)
• “When you hit the rock bottom of your life…God is there to scoop you up.” (06:38)
• “Our failures may interrupt our purpose…But those consequences and failures do not have the final word. The cross has the final word.” (09:47)
• “That would be like putting your dog in a T-shirt that says ‘sorry.’” (15:08)
• “We should rejoice, we should praise, we should celebrate that those at their very last breath understood and knew…” (16:40)
• “Do not give up. Continue to pray, continue to invite, continue to share the message of the gospel, continue to live out your faith…” (22:49)
• “Jesus says, I’m right here and I’m here to save you…I’m here to call you from the depths of Sheol…to give you new life if you turn from your wicked ways and follow after me.” (28:15)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–01:59 — Opener; addressing skepticism about Jonah
• 02:57–03:18 — Jesus affirms Jonah’s story (Matthew 12)
• 04:16–06:28 — Jonah’s prayer in the fish; power of Scripture
• 06:28–09:47 — “Downward spiral” and restoration; God’s mercy
• 11:13–15:08 — Jonah’s call to Nineveh and their repentance
• 16:40–18:09 — Rejoicing at quick (even last-minute) repentance; God’s openness to forgive
• 20:16–21:32 — Challenge to proclaim the gospel boldly—“I’m not ashamed”
• 22:49–24:24 — The importance of persistent prayer; testimony of a friend’s salvation
• 25:44–26:59 — 2 Peter 3:9 and the urgency to repent
• 27:05–28:41 — The “sign of Jonah”; Jesus as a greater savior

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Conclusion

Pastor Logan’s message is one of hope, challenge, and encouragement—no one is too far gone for God’s mercy, and as followers of Christ, we are called to faithfully share this message. Whether praying for a wayward loved one or wrestling with feelings of spiritual disqualification, listeners are reminded of God’s heart for redemption and the power that comes from obedience and persistent faith.

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Transcript

[A]

It is a joy to be preaching here and at all of our campuses. This weekend, I'm very excited to be continuing our Jonah series. Now, before I dive into Scripture. All right, you didn't get that one. Maybe the other campuses did. I'll stop. Before my wife boos me off the stage. Before I dive in, I want you

[B]

to think to yourself, if you were in the belly of a fish, what song would you sing? Would you sing Waymaker? Would you sing Don't Stop Believin'?

[A]

Or maybe you'd sing Is it Too Late now to say sorry?

[B]

Now, some of you, you struggle with

[A]

the Book of Jonah. And last week, Pastor Rob talked in chapter one about Jonah rebelling against God, running away to Tarshish. And, of course, we ended the chapter with Jonah being swallowed.

[B]

Now, some people struggle with this story because they think there's no way. There's no way that that actually happened. There's no way that Jonah was swallowed

[A]

by a fish or a whale or whatever it is. I cannot believe that this is true. Now, there's actually several stories about people who've been accidentally swallowed by whales. A man in Chile just last year was swallowed in his kayak for a few seconds. In 2021, in Massachusetts, a man was swallowed for about 30 to 40 seconds. And there was a debated story in the 1890s of a man that was swallowed by a whale and survived 15 hours after his crew then caught and gutted the whale, opened it up, and he was still alive. Now, you may not believe that story, and I'm not really here to convince

[B]

you that under normal circumstances, a human

[A]

could survive in the belly of a fish for three days, but can I remind you, as a Christian, we.

[B]

We believe that the God of the universe is in control over everything, and he created everything we see out of nothing. So if you can make it past

[A]

Genesis 1:1, I think you can make it through the Book of Jonah.

[B]

Now, in a moment, I'm gonna share

[A]

why I believe this is a historical account. But even if it wasn't, there are

[B]

themes that we see here that are

[A]

true, that clearly God is trying to tell us. After all, the parable of the prodigal son wasn't necessarily a real story about a specific person, but. But an analogy to show us the heart of God. But here's two reasons why I believe it's not just an incredible story, but actually a historical one. First, in the book of two kings, chapter 14, the prophet Jonah is mentioned to have lived in the 8th century BC around 140 to 170 years before Nineveh had been conquered by the Babylonians. So the timing actually checks out that Nineveh was still here in modern day Mosul, Iraq. But more importantly, in Luke and in Matthew, Jesus affirms this story. He says, in Matthew 12, some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying,

[B]

teacher, we wish to see a sign from you. But he answered them, an evil and

[A]

adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was in three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Now, he wasn't talking hyperbole about himself.

[B]

So when he affirms Jonah's significance, he

[A]

affirms who he was. He affirms that he was in the belly of a fish. We should not dismiss this story. So remember back to when I ask

[B]

you, what song would you sing if you were in the belly of a fish? Well, that's exactly what Jonah did.

[A]

He gets swallowed by a fish and

[B]

then he prays, he sings this song. You thought it was just veggie tales

[A]

that brought the music into it, but Jonah actually sings this prayer out in Jonah Chapter two as we pick up the story. Then, Jonah prayed to the Lord, his God from the belly of the fish, saying, I called out to the Lord out of my distress. He answered. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. The first part of this is actually quoting Psalm 3:4. I called out to the Lord and he answered me. Another translation where that song I Trust in God, I sought the Lord, he, he heard and he answered. Many times when we sing worship songs, we're just singing scripture out. That's what we should do. And that's what Jonah was doing. The second part of this verse is Psalm 16:10.

[B]

You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead.

[A]

He goes on verse after verse after verse to be singing and praying out the Psalms. Can I tell you, in your worst times, pray and sing out the scripture of the Lord. If you have nothing else to say, if you're in your worst moments, there's nothing more powerful we can do than to say the word of the Lord. Now my brother and I, we used to love the show on Animal Planet, I shouldn't be alive. I don't know if you remember that show. It's pretty self explanatory what it's about. I shouldn't be alive. I'm just taking a moment to remember the nostalgia of the mid 2000s. Animal Planet, I mean, Steve Irwin, incredible stuff, right? Just taking a moment of pause, watching the tube TV at grandma's house.

[B]

Let me tell you, before YouTube, before

[A]

TikTok, we had animal Planet, okay? So we love this show. And in the time of Jonah, there's a popular notion that the journey to

[B]

Sheol, the place of the dead, took

[A]

three days, three nights.

[B]

That's what your soul would take to

[A]

travel to the place of the dead.

[B]

So when we hear this language, you

[A]

might hear that phrase, and it also would be what we would say, maybe six feet under the ground, right?

[B]

It's as good as dead.

[A]

Some think that Jonah actually died. Others, myself, I might say he was right on the brink is what the language seems to say.

[B]

But really, what Jonah is saying is, I shouldn't be alive. This is the tale of somebody who

[A]

lived through the belly of a fish. In the next several verses, Jonah quotes these psalms. He cries out to the Lord, acknowledging the significance of. Of the predicament that he is in. And he acknowledges the Lord. He finishes this song, this psalm, this prayer, with this verse seven, when my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you what I avowed, I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Last week, we saw Jonah running from God.

[B]

And the Lord sent this fish of mercy to get Jonah back on track.

[A]

The first part of Jonah was Jonah going down, going down, going down from Joppa, down to the ship, down into

[B]

the sea, down into the belly of Sheol. But the God that Jonah ran from is the very God who restores him from death. And I'm here to tell someone today, when you hit the rock bottom of your life, when you've gone down as far as you think you can go, God is there to scoop you up. God took Jonah, who he thought was in his prison, and he thought this fish would lead him to his death. And instead, it became his lifeboat for God's mercy. God can turn everything around for good. The thing the enemy went for evil. Romans says God can use it for. For good. Why? Because the very thing that they nailed Jesus to was the thing that Paul said in Colossians, disarmed the powers and the authorities. He made a public spectacle of them

[A]

triumphing over them by the cross.

[B]

So I'm here to tell you today that you can make a public spectacle of the thing that held you back. The testimonies that we're sharing across the campuses this weekend of here's who I was and here's who God has made me to. That is the testimony of God's goodness in our life. Come on.

[A]

Here in every campus, can we give praise to the Lord? After this prayer from Jonah, Chapter two ends and three starts. Chapter two ends. It says, the Lord spoke to the fish. He has control. God's in control. You. You're wondering in the darks, in the depth, is he in control? He's in control. He spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon dry land. And in chapter three, then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, arise, go to Nineveh, that great city. Call out against it the message that I tell you. So Jonah rose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Notice this, how the first part of Jonah is down, down, down. And after Jonah's heart turns towards God, God tells him to arise. That's what he's telling maybe some of us that are listening this weekend, that you feel like you've been down, down, down. And then you realize the word of the Lord. You have a relationship with him, and

[B]

he's not just telling you to sulk in your old life.

[A]

Instead, he's telling you to arise and grab ahold of the call that he has given you. The same man who fled from God's presence is now carrying God's word. Think of Peter after he denied Jesus three times.

[B]

Jesus, after his resurrection, goes and restores him and asks him three times, do you love me?

[A]

Of course I love you. Feed my sheep.

[B]

Do you love me? He does this three times to restore him from the three times that he denied him.

[A]

Then Peter goes on to build the church and preach the gospel around the world.

[B]

Many of us think that we have

[A]

been disqualified from the things that we did wrong.

[B]

But Jonah, oh, although he fails time

[A]

and time again, and even at the end, as Pastor Rob will talk next week, has an attitude with God. When we fail over and over, God is there to rescue us.

[B]

And he still wants to use us

[A]

in spite of our failures. And so maybe there's someone today that needs to hear that message, that what you've done and what you've gone through

[B]

does not disqualify you, not because of

[A]

ourself, but because of the mercy of God. It truly reveals something profound about God's character. Our failures may interrupt our purpose. They do There are consequences. Jonah got swallowed. Some of us have consequences that Pastor Rob talked about. Sometimes there are things bad that happen in our life that are consequences for our sin and our mistakes. But those consequences and failures do not have the final word. The cross has the final word. God's the God of second chances. He's got a third chances. He's got a fourth chances, far more than we deserve. And that's what we see in the book of Jonah. Next week, we'll talk about how sometimes people miss the mercy of God in the Old Testament. Right? We miss it and we think, oh,

[B]

God's all about judgment.

[A]

But really, Jonah's not about judgment. It's actually about God's mercy. They're not different gods in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

[B]

You say, I like the New Testament

[A]

God more than the Old Testament. No, they're the same. They're the same God.

[B]

We often miss it, though, because people continue to disobey and disobey.

[A]

And there is consequences for our sin. In verse three of chapter three, Nineveh was an exceedingly great city. Three days journey in breadth. It's interesting, the word great.

[B]

It doesn't mean awesome and incredible. It doesn't mean one who fears.

[A]

The Lord means great in size, great in army, great in appearance.

[B]

But the Ninevites were wicked people.

[A]

Maybe you've heard about them before, but they were not great in their worship of God. They were great in their bloodthirsty violence, their idol worship.

[B]

These were wicked people.

[A]

It's what made Jonah fear. I don't want to go there. There's no way that I could go.

[B]

There's no way that I could preach to them. They might kill me.

[A]

Maybe, he said,

[B]

they might not listen. They might mock your name, as they probably are doing right now. But oftentimes we make excuses with God and we tell him all the reasons why we shouldn't obey him, when really we're just here to obey.

[A]

What does he say?

[B]

He says, I'm the potter, you're the clay.

[A]

Who are you to question me?

[B]

I think sometimes when we read those

[A]

verses in Job and in Isaiah, we read those passages and maybe you have this idea that God is beating his chest and he's saying, I am God

[B]

and you are man.

[A]

You are so below me.

[B]

And there's some of that true because he is all powerful. He is almighty. He is the fear and awe of the Lord.

[A]

But I think sometimes God is saying that in a way that says, if only you understood, if only you could

[B]

see just the tiniest Pin needle into the great plan that I have and the significance of your obedience to me. Of course, those who know the end of the story of what I'm about to get to is that Nineveh repents and turns towards the Lord. If only you knew what your obedience would accomplish. If only you knew that it wasn't about your own strength or about your own words. What does Moses say? He says, I have a stutter. I don't think I can be the one to speak on behalf of you. He says, I'll go with you. It's my presence that's going with you. You think it's you who saves? You think it's you that leads people to the Lord? No, we're vessels for God to use.

[A]

It is him who saves. But Jonah eventually makes up his mind after he is swallowed by this fish, after he sings this song, after he realizes God's goodness and his favor, encourages himself in the Lord, and he goes. In verse four, Jonah began to the city, going a day's journey. He called out yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. Didn't say much or we don't have a glimpse of the rest of what he said. And it says, and the people of Nineveh believe God.

[B]

How quick is that? Just tell people 40 days you're gonna be overthrown and then they believe you.

[A]

Say, wouldn't that be nice? If that's all I had to share with my co worker. If that's all I had to share with my friend. If that's all I had to share with my family.

[B]

Can I tell you? This is the power of when God

[A]

softens hearts, we don't have the glimpse of everything that Jonah said. Probably he said more again, he didn't yet introduce himself.

[B]

They say, where do you come from?

[A]

And why do you smell like fish guts? We don't know the full story, but what we do know is that God softened their hearts to repent. People of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth. From the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh. And he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

[B]

And he issued a proclamation published through

[A]

Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles. Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock taste anything. Let them not feed or or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. And let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands, who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger so that we may not perish. Now, you may not catch this, but this is where the Bible can be funny. Readers would have understood this. The King of Nineveh repents. And he says, we're going to wear sackcloth. We're going to fast forward. A sign of mourning, lament, repentance. But he says, not just us, even the animals are gonna fast and wear sackcloth and repent.

[B]

That would be like putting your dog in a T shirt that says this. I'm sorry, even the animals are gonna fast. You don't get your food, you gotta put on the sackcloth. The animals are mourning too. The king says, who knows, maybe God

[A]

may turn and even relent.

[B]

So in the passage that Jonah, the

[A]

message that Jonah shares, he says, you're gonna be destroyed.

[B]

We don't see evidence that he says, but if you repent, then you won't.

[A]

Maybe he said this, but the king

[B]

says, maybe even whether it's a thought to himself or it's a thought that Jonah shared that we don't have, he understands that maybe this God, if I change my ways, he, maybe he would repent.

[A]

Maybe in my repentance he would relent from his destruction. Maybe he would relent from destroying us. Sometimes we get frustrated when we don't see all the stories.

[B]

Sometimes we get frustrated that this happened.

[A]

And that's what next week's all about.

[B]

We say, are you kidding me? That easy?

[A]

But when it's your friend that you're praying for, when it's your family member that you're praying for, some have asked,

[B]

well, those at the end of their life who just say yes to Jesus, they get in too.

[A]

What word there is to shame? Just that they just said yes to Jesus at the end of their life.

[B]

No, we should rejoice, we should praise, we should celebrate that those at their very last breath understood and knew we

[A]

should have the heart of our God. The only details we have is he used the number 40, which is associated with testing, and he says the city would be overthrown. But we must not miss the significance of what we don't have. For what we do have is that the King of Nineveh, an evil, horrible,

[B]

wicked God hating people, acknowledge the Lord and calls for his people to repent.

[A]

He calls for them to turn from their wickedness and turn toward God.

[B]

Can you imagine with me if Governor Walz or President Trump called for a primetime address and shared that a prophet of the Lord from the true God

[A]

in heaven had spoken to us about

[B]

the sins of our state and our

[A]

nation, our lack of value for human life, the vitriol, hatred towards each other, our idolatry, pride and greed is sinful. And on behalf of myself as a leader in our state or in our nation, I wanted to show an example of repentance. And I'm calling on every Minnesotan, I'm calling on every American to repent before

[B]

the holy God and turn from their sins. And. And if we do this, maybe he would spare the nation from the judgment he deserves. It was that times a thousand. You say there's no way that would happen. There's no way that would happen in our time.

[A]

Oh, really?

[B]

Then what is this story about? What did God do to nineveh in verse 10? When God saw what they did, how

[A]

they turned from their evil way, God

[B]

relented of the disaster. And he said that he said he

[A]

would do to them, and he did not do it.

[B]

Some people say, well, did God change his mind?

[A]

No, God didn't change his mind here.

[B]

The people changed their hearts.

[A]

And what he did is.

[B]

He does. What he always does is when people turn their hearts towards him, he welcomes them in.

[A]

As we know the heart of our God, as followers of Christ, we must also be willing to share the hard truths. Sometimes as Christians, we're afraid to share about God's wrath and about his judgment because we don't want to push people away from listening. But sometimes our fear that people won't listen to us causes many to forgo us sharing the message of the gospel.

[B]

Well, I don't want to be that

[A]

Christian that only talks about their faith.

[B]

Well, I don't want to be that Christian that pushes people away with the beliefs. That's something we can just really try to. Jesus is the only way. Yeah. Yes. But like, I just don't want to make other people feel bad.

[A]

Now, of course, scripture talks about how we should do this with gentleness and respect. We shouldn't try to degrade others or call them stupid names or make them feel bad about themselves because we're trying to be superior. Instead, we should show. I'm trying to humble myself.

[B]

I'm trying to show you that I also am bad.

[A]

I also am in sin. But.

[B]

But it's because of Jesus. It's not because of my words. It's not because of what I can do. But sometimes in that fear, we just

[A]

don't share the hard truths. That's why Jonah ran. He didn't Wanna share the hard truths

[B]

with the wicked people.

[A]

But some of us, God is calling

[B]

to share the hard truths. Many of us, he's calling to share this. All of us are called to share the good news of the gospel. But sometimes the gospel is met with resistance because people don't wanna change.

[A]

And I'm glad that we serve a God that brings us in with all

[B]

of our flaws and all of our

[A]

failures, but also a God that leads us to change.

[B]

He says, we don't want you to stay exactly where you are in your sin that leads to death.

[A]

We want you to come so that

[B]

you can be given new life, eternal life, living with a greater joy, living

[A]

with a greater purpose than you ever could before. Are we willing to stand up for the truth? I'm not necessarily asking you to share the gospel with every Costco worker every time you go.

[B]

But would you if God asked you to? I'm not necessarily asking you to wear a T shirt or a button to

[A]

work or school that says I'm a child of God every single day.

[B]

But would you, if he asked you to?

[A]

Romans 1:16. Been my favorite verse since I was a kid. I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it's the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. First the Jew, then to the Gentile.

[B]

I'm not ashamed of the gospel. This isn't a social club. This isn't an insider group that I don't want to tell people about. This is something that we want to share with the entire world. The reason why we want our church to grow, the reason why we want more testimony. The reason why we want to launch new campuses, locations and send mission is because we want the world to know. We want them to know about the hope of Jesus. The hope that we have received. It's not a secret.

[A]

It's a proclamation to the world.

[B]

I'm not ashamed.

[A]

Why?

[B]

Because it's the power of God that brings salvation.

[A]

It's not me who saves. God's working. He's softening the hearts of his people. But still some of us think, not them. Not the worst of the worst. There's no way that that friend could be saved. You say you don't know my aunt or my uncle, you don't know. There's no way that they would repent. There's no way that they would listen. If you haven't figured it out already, what this story is telling you is

[B]

that the worst of the worst can be saved. Those who are the farthest out are not too far from God's. Reach. And so we should be praying for them. We should be calling out to the Lord. Maybe you're in this place, maybe you're at one of our campuses and you say, that's me. At the end of this service, you're gonna have an opportunity to say yes to Jesus. But for many of us in this room who follow Jesus, there's somebody that you have been thinking about, you've been praying for, and maybe you've given up. And I'm here to tell you, do not give up. Continue to pray, continue to invite, continue to share the message of the gospel, continue to live out your faith so that maybe your love for one another, your devotion to God can be an examp to them.

[A]

Thankfully, the salvation of others is not determined by how much faith you have in their ability to be saved. God saves. Maybe you need to be swallowed by a fish. Or maybe instead you could be someone's fish of mercy. Maybe you could be that person in their life that brings them in. Maybe you could be the inviting friend that said, hey, come sit next to me, that I'll come pick you up, that I'm gonna bring you a meal when you're down, that I'm gonna share the hope that I have found.

[B]

Do you really think your testimony is just for you? Do you really think that God saved you so that you could just be quiet? Scripture says no, of course not. Why would you put a bowl over a light? You should proclaim it to the world. You should tell people your testimony. The trials, the calamity, the heartache.

[A]

It's not meaningless, but it's also not selfish.

[B]

God's mercy in your life is a sign to the world.

[A]

I remember making a note on my phone in high school. I actually just checked. And it was in October of 2013. In a youth group, we were asked to write down five names of friends from our school that we were praying for. And I remember writing them down and I remember praying and I prayed and I prayed and I prayed and I continue to go back to that note and continue to pray for those friends. And of the five, there's four that to my knowledge, I don't know that they walk with the Lord to this

[B]

day, but I remember seven years after writing that note, I remember getting news that one of my friends, Jacob, said yes to Jesus. And I remember talking to him and I remember sending him that screen. I said, seven years ago, I put your name down in my phone and I've been praying for you. And I want you to know that this what You've said yes to this family that you've been a part of is something that I've been praying for and I've been believing would happen for years. And we had the moment to celebrate, and we were able to hug and talk about this. And he's like, no way you've been praying for me. Can I tell you? God saves. It wasn't me that led him to the Lord. But maybe my prayers had a small part in God's big plan.

[A]

Maybe your prayer, maybe your invitation, maybe your message from the Lord, maybe your presence in their worst of times, maybe you can be the messenger. Maybe you're listening today, and maybe you need your faith to be revived. Maybe you've given up on your friends, on your workplace.

[B]

Maybe you've given up on the city of Minneapolis. You say there's no way.

[A]

What does the Word of God say? 2nd Peter 3, 9 says, the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient

[B]

toward you, not wishing that anyone should perish. God does not wish that anyone should

[A]

perish, but that all should reach repentance. God wants us all to turn away from our disobedience, to turn away from our sin. The verse goes on to say that the Lord comes like a thief in the night. And in a sense, Jonah's message is for every one of us. None of us know how many days we have left. None of us know how much time remains. Scripture reminds us life is a vapor in the wind, that we can't boast about tomorrow. We don't control tomorrow. Just this week, I was in Alabama at a funeral for a good friend who passed away at 30 from a heart condition. We don't know. But can I tell you? I'm so grateful that my friend Dylan knew Jesus. I'm so grateful that we'll see him again. We know those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved and they will give eternal life in Christ. And I end this where I started. Where Jesus talks about this sign of Jonah, we read in Matthew, this account.

[B]

But look at what Jesus says in

[A]

the book of Luke. Same account, different perspective.

[B]

For as Jonah became a sign to

[A]

the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

[B]

The Queen of the south will rise

[A]

up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

[B]

And behold something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up

[A]

at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

[B]

What he's saying is, the evil people of Nineveh that God saved from Jonah's obedience are nothing compared to the amount of people and the greatness of what Jesus will save people from. The Queen of the south was in awe of Solomon's wisdom. But Jesus says, I tell you something greater than Solomon is here. If you're looking for earthly wisdom, Jesus says, I am so much greater. If you're looking for great stories of repentance and saving, if you're looking for testimonies of those who were dead in their sin, who've been made alive in Christ, Jesus says, I'm right here and I'm here to save you. I'm here to call you from the depths of Sheol. I'm here to call you from the brink of death, and I'm here to give you new life if you turn

[A]

from your wicked ways and you follow after me. Jesus says, I'm calling. He says, I'm knocking. He says, I'm right here. He says, through the power of the cross, the story of Jonah, three days

[B]

in the belly of the fish to save a people. Jesus story so much greater. Three days in the belly of the earth, rising again so that all who call upon his name would be.

[A]

You see, that's the power of this story, and that's the power of our God in heaven, the power of Jesus Christ, who's calling us home, who saves the wicked people, who saves all who call upon his name. So, Jesus, I pray right now, here and at every campus, for all those that need to call upon your name. God, I pray that they would respond. They turn away from their things of this world and they turn towards you.

[B]

God, I pray for all those who

[A]

are thinking about people, their neighborhood, their city, their workplace, that friend, that family member. God, I pray that you would give

[B]

us a heart to continue to share the message of hope, to continue to be obedient with what you've asked us to do.

[A]

God, would we respond?

[B]

Would we acknowledge who you are, your

[A]

goodness, your faithfulness, your. Your mercy, your grace, your love. Would we receive it? And would we live differently and live for you and proclaim this message to the world? Lord, give us the strength to do that. Give us the courage, give us the faith to see our friends, our family, our neighbors and our nation come to you. Pray this all in Jesus name. Amen. And amen.