A New Covenant: God Is Faithful to His Promise

Shared on March 20, 2024

When God makes a promise, you better believe God is faithful to His promise. This week, on our journey to the cross, God speaks to Jeremiah about needing to make a new covenant. Why did God need to make a new covenant? Join Pastor McCrary in this week’s bible study as study Mosaic Covenant and the Davidic Covenant. You will see proof that God is faithful to what He promises.

Introduction

The journey to the cross will now take us hundreds and hundreds of years after the days of Noah and Abraham.  In our study this week, we are going to take a look at pivotal moments during the days of Moses and David.

A New Covenant was Needed

Jeremiah 31:31-40 will serve as our jumping off point in this week’s study.  When we read this passage of scripture, what immediately jumps out to us is the need for a new covenant.  Jeremiah 31:31 says, “Behold, the days are coming, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.”

The new covenant would not be according to the covenant made with those who were brought out of Egypt (Jer. 31:32).  So, this is not a reference to the covenants that God made with Noah and Abraham. This was the covenant between God and the children of Israel at Mount Sinai— we call it the Mosaic Covenant. So, why was a new covenant needed? Was there something wrong with the Mosaic Covenant? 

What happened to the old covenant?

Let’s first consider the covenants God made with Noah and Abraham.  To Noah, God promised that He would not to destroy every living thing due to mankind’s sin.  To Abraham, God promised Him many blessings for himself and for all the families of the world.

What the Noahic and Abrahamic covenants have in common is that they are contingent solely on God.  In His nature, God has proven Himself to be nothing but faithful to mankind.  This is proven each and everyday as the Lord causes His sun to rise and His rain to water the earth (Matt 5:45).  Since those covenants are contingent on God’s faithfulness, they cannot be broken.  

Now, let’s take a look at the covenant God desired to make with the children of Israel at Mount Sinai.  In Exodus 19:3-6, God said to the children of Israel, “IF you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me.”  This is an “if-then” statement— a conditional statement.  This conditional statement was dependent on the children of Israel meeting those conditions. So, the Mosaic covenant is much different from the covenant with Noah and Abraham. 

In Exodus 19:7-8, we see a very pivotal moment on the journey to the cross.  What does this moment consist of?  Moses brought God’s covenant to the children of Israel.  He then shared God’s proposal with the children of Israel to see if they would accept God’s offer.

Now, let’s be very clear about this proposal from the Lord.  The children of Israel were choosing between living in obedienceor not.  The children of Israel were choosing between faithfulness or being unfaithful.  Whenever I speak about this moment, I always point out the magnitude of making a promise with God.  

You see, promises with the Lord ought not ever be taken lightly.  As it’s said in Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, when you make a vow to God, don’t delay to pay it!  Why not?  Because the Lord has no pleasure in fools.  If you are unable to keep a promise to God, it would be better not to make the vow. 

The children of Israel, after hearing the words of God said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.”  So, in this pivotal moment, Israel agreed to keep the covenant with the Lord.  What did this mean for them going forward?  It meant that they need to be faithful to God and live in obedience to His covenant.

Israel broke the Mosaic Covenant almost immediately when they worshiped the calf of gold (Ex. 32:7-10).  Israel’s disobedience was a repeated action.  What this moment proved, again, is that God is faithful to us but it is a struggle for us to be faithful to Him!

A New Unbreakable Covenant Promised

The prophesy of Jeremiah came at a time when the twelve tribes of Israel had divided into two kingdoms.  Ten tribes lived in the north and were called Israel.  Sadly, by this point in history, the northern kingdom had already been conquered by Assyria (2 Kgs. 17:5-6; Jer. 50:17).  Due to its sin, the southern kingdom was headed in the same direction (Is. 11:4-15).

So, yes, the Lord said, “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel.”  The Lord said that He would put His law in their minds, written on their hearts (Jer. 31:33).  The Mosaic Law was engraved on stone tablets which were thrown to the ground and broken into pieces (Ex. 32:19).  The new covenant could not would engraved on hearts (their souls) and could not be broken.

A promise to David

The new covenant spoken of in Jeremiah is the same one that God had shared with David.  David was considered to be a man after God’s heart and was anointed as king of Israel  (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22).  David led Israel to victory over the Philistines, Israel’s great enemy. David also united all the people together as Israel prospered in ways it had not done before him (2 Sam. 5:1-5).

As David dwelt in his nice home, he considered what he could do for the Lord (2 Sam. 7:1-3).  As David considered his plans of building a house for the Lord, God sent word to him through Nathan, the prophet.  The Lord said to David, “[I] will make you house (2 Sam. 7:11).”  This statement begins another pivotal moment in scripture.

The Lord said to David, “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom (2 Sam 7:12).”  This is God making a promise to David, right?  God said what He would do two times in this one verse.  So, right away we should note that these promises aren’tconditional.  

God continued with David, “[Your seed] shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Sam. 7:13).”  God is making a covenant, again, that is contingent on what He would do.  We often think that this scripture is solely focused on Solomon.  You see, Solomon did build the first temple, but there is a reason why we call it the “first” temple— it was destroyed. 

God continued with David, “your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever (2 Sam. 7:16).”  Within these verses, we have seen the  word “forever” three times.  So, this covenant is an everlasting covenant.  Because this covenant was contingent on God’s faithfulness, then its an unbreakable covenant!  

I want to repeat to you, just in case you’ve forgotten, this is the same covenant the Lord spoke of with Jeremiah.  When the Lord spoke with Jeremiah about this covenant, He was adamant that it would not be broken.  To this point, God compared His faithfulness to the covenant with David to how the heavens faithfully obey His ordinances (Jer. 31:35-36).

God is Faithful to His Promise

So far, we have taken a look at four covenants in this series of studies.  Out of four of those covenants, three of the covenants cannot be broken.  Now, the question that someone may ask is whether or not God has kept His promises.  Let’s answer the question whether or not God is faithful to keep what He has promised.  To answer this question, we are only going to look at the covenants with Noah, Abraham, and David.  

So far, we have taken a look at four covenants in this series of studies.  Out of four of those covenants, three of the covenants cannot be broken.  Now, the question that someone may ask is whether or not God has kept His promises.  Let’s answer the question whether or not God is faithful to keep what He has promised.  To answer this question, we are only going to look at the covenants with Noah, Abraham, and David.

The covenant with Noah

The Noahic Covenant:  “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake … nor will I again destroy every living thing.  While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease (Gen. 8:21-22).”

So far as my eye can see, the earth is still spinning on its axis as it orbits the sun.  We still have our seasons along with the day/night cycle.  Now, I imagine that someone may say something about global warming and its effects on our world.  I do believe that we can and do have an effect on the earth.  I do believe that we should do a better job of caring for our environment.

So, I do want to point out that the Lord said in His heart, “while the earth remains.”  This covenant, while unbreakable, is not necessarily an everlasting covenant, right?  Eventually, this world is going to be destroyed but it won’t be because of man being punished for sin.  As with all things in this physical realm, this world is temporary.  Yes, this world and all of creation will one day pass away and a new heaven and new earth will come forth (Rev. 21:1).  

Do you think God has been faithful to His covenant with Noah?  I would say that God has definitely been faithful to this covenant.  Sure, we may do everything we can to destroy the world but the world keeps on turning.

The covenant with Abraham

The Abrahamic Covenant consists of three promises that God said He would do.  God said to Abraham, “I will show you a land, and give it to you and your descendants (Gen. 12:1; 17:8).”  God said to Abraham, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great (Gen. 12:2).”  Lastly, God promised Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Gen. 12:3).”  Has God been faithful to His covenant with Abraham?

As it stands today, I would say that two out of the three promises have been fulfilled.  Which of the two promises have been fulfilled?  A great nation did come from Abraham.  As I mentioned earlier, Israel prospered greatly under the reigns of David and Solomon.  Over time most of the tribes were lost, but what remains today is one of the oldest nations to exist.

The second fulfilled promise is that the world has been blessed through Abraham.  As I said in last week’s lesson, this promise was fulfilled through the giving of Christ.  Christ came through the seed of David, who came through the seed of Judah, the son of Jacob, who was the grandson of Abraham.  When Christ was crucified on the cross, He reconciled all things to Himself in heaven and on earth (Col. 1:19-22).  Through Christ, there can be harmony and fellowship with the Lord.

As far as the first promise goes about the land, I’d say that promise has yet to be completely fulfilled.  Israel has certainly been in the land of Canaan but they never have really possessed the land.  Going all the way back to the days after Joshua, Israel never truly took possession of the land (Judg. 1:27-36).

Now, there was a condition on Israel inheriting the land which we don’t see in the promise to Abraham.  In Deuteronomy 6:10-25; 28:15-63 the children of Israel were warned against disobeying God in the land.  So long as they lived in obedience, the land would be theirs but if they disobeyed, it would be lost.  To this day there is fighting over people trying to possess that land, but this promise will not truly be fulfilled until the return of Christ.

Do you believe God has been faithful in His covenant with Abraham?  I believe God has been faithful.  God is faithful to His promise, but the Mosaic covenant shows man’s faithlessness.

The covenant with David

As we have studied today, the Lord promised David that his kingdom would be everlasting.  There would be a seed that came through David who would be an eternal house for the Lord.  Did God keep His promise with David?

As I pointed out with the third part of the Abrahamic covenant, God’s covenant with David is fulfilled through Christ.  It may have taken several generations to get to Christ, but He was born in our world.  To the Jews, Jesus said, “It is My Father who honors Me, of who you say that He is your God (John 8:54).”

When Pilate asked Jesus if He was a king, Jesus responded, “You say rightly that I am a king (John 18:37).”  Jesus said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here (John 18:36).”

Jesus established Himself as the king of all people.  In John 10:16, Jesus said that He would be the shepherd over one flock made up of both Jews and Gentiles.  All who believe in Christ will not perish but have everlasting life in His kingdom which Jesus has prepared for us (John 3:16; 14:2-3).  God has been faithful to His promise with David but we see that there is a condition on us to be able to enter God’s promise.

All three of these covenants point to God’s desire as well.  What is God’s desire?  We know that the Lord desires to dwell with mankind for everlasting life.  So, all three of these covenants point to Jesus and to the cross.  These covenants have to point to Jesus because we need Jesus in order to dwell with the Lord.

Introduction

Today’s study will be the second study in our study series – The Six Great Warnings.  Over the next few weeks, we are going to be taking a look at each of these warnings to see what they warn against so that we can take the proper precaution.  Our study last week took a look at the warning of neglecting salvation and drifting into condemnation.  Essentially, if we had to sum up these warnings into one, it would all be about not missing out on the kingdom of heaven.

So, in our study today, we will focus on scripture about hardening your heart.  There is, of course, a very great danger that one faces if they choose to harden their heart against the Lord.  Let’s keep in mind that though this epistle was directed to Jews who had not heeded the gospel of Christ, this warning serves as a warning for all people today and not just one group of people.

Learning From Israel’s Past

When I think of someone hardening their hearts, in scripture, it would be hard for me not to think of Pharaoh.  Pharaoh hardened his heart in the day that Egypt faced the plagues of God.  To harden:  to confirm in disposition, feelings, or action; to become firm, stable, or settled.  Rather than giving in to God’s desires, plague after plague, the revelation of the fact that he was a mere man, made Pharaoh even more stubborn in his heart.

Pharaoh is an easy example of the danger of hardening your heart against the Lord. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews chose to use a different example for the danger of hardening your heart against God.  Our study scripture opens Hebrews 3:7 by stating, “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:  ‘Today, if you will hear His voice.”  

Let’s notice that the writer is speaking in a manner where we are reminded that the writer is trying to urge the people to earnestly heed the word of God as we saw in Hebrews 2:1.  The suggestion that we see here with the use of “today” would be that the Jews did not heed God’s word the day before, right?  As we recall from our study last week, there were Jews who disregarded the gospel preached by Christ and then taught by the apostles afterwards.

The divided kingdom years  

We will see the writer then warn in Hebrews 3:8-9, “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years.”

Now, while there were Jews disregarding the word of God during that present time, the writer points to Israel’s past as an example for not heeding God’s word yesterday.  So, for both the Jews and for all of us today, the writer is going to use Israel hardening their hearts as an example for one not to follow when it comes to the word of God.  

I do want to point out that the writer is quoting scripture directly from Psalm 95:7-11. Just to briefly touch on Psalm 95, I often use the opening verses of Psalm 95 for my call to worship scripture.  If you look at the opening verses of that psalm, you will see that David was calling for Israel to worship and praise the Lord because God “is the great God, and the great King above all gods (Ps. 95:3-6).”

David urged for Israel, since they were the people of God’s pasture, the sheep of His hand, to hear God’s voice (Ps. 95:7-8).  Sadly, the urging of David was not heeded.  After the death of David and Solomon, Israel ended up becoming a divided kingdom to the north and south.  Both kingdoms ended up forsaking God’s instructions even after the Lord repeatedly sent prophets to the people to call on them to repent from their wicked ways.

Ultimately the northern kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians and was essentially lost.  The blood of the tribes of the northern kingdom ended up intermingled with Gentiles which led to a rather rocky relationship between the Jews and Samaritans (John 4:7-9).  The southern kingdom was conquered by the Babylonians and after returning to Judea, the southern kingdom never truly prospered as in the days of David and Solomon.  Does it sound like it’s a good thing to harden your heart against the word of God?

The rebellion and trial in the wilderness

The Jews that lived after the Babylonian exile should have definitely learned from the sins of their fathers that had hardened their hearts to God’s message delivered to them by the prophets.  To be fair, some certainly did learn from the past as they chose to follow Christ.  Yet, there were those who professed to believe but were still clinging to the traditions of old. Then there were several others that completely chose to disregard His word.

So, to speak to his people about hardening their hearts against the word of God, the writer mentioned “the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness.”  Now, the Jews would have instantly knew what the writer was referencing but do you?  What is this rebellion that is being spoken of?  What is this day of trial in the wilderness?

Hebrews 3:9 makes it clear with the mention of the consequences of Israel hardening their hearts being them seeing God’s works forty years.  Do you know what the rebellion is in reference to now?

For those of you who may not know what is being referenced, let’s turn over to the book of Numbers.  In Numbers 13, we find the children of Israel on the point of their journey where they were camping in the Wilderness of Paran (Num. 12:16).  It was at that point on their journey that the Lord told Moses to send men to spy out the land of Canaan (Num. 13:1-2); they were sent to confirm the truth about the land.

The land of Canaan was the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) by the Lord (Gen. 17:7-8).  Today, that piece of land is the land of Palestine which we see being heavily fought over; it’s been a contested land going back to the days of and especially after Joshua.  Now, I’m not going to dive much more into discussing the contesting of the land since it really has nothing to do with our study.

I’m also going to skip over Numbers 13:3-20, though if you wish to know the names of the twelve men that were sent from Paran into the land of Canaan, you can see the names there.  After going into the land of Canaan to confirm the land, the twelve men returned to Moses and the congregation of Israel after forty days.  

The men reported that the land truly was a land  that flowed with milk and honey, which was to say that the land was a good land (Num. 13:27).  However, after that, ten of the men began to speak against the land. Speaking against the land was speaking against God, His promise, and His blessing; the men spoke about how the inhabitants of the land were strong, the cities were large and fortified, and how there were even giants in the land (Num. 13:28, 31).  

The spies then spoke about how they did not believe that Israel would be capable of defeating the people and taking the land (Num. 13:31).  I want you to understanding that they were not simply doubting the people but they were also doubting what God was able to do as well. Now Caleb, one of the twelve, spoke against the ten spies as he called for the congregation to go up at once and take possession of the land; he believed Israel would be able to overcome the people of the land (Num. 13:30).

So, Israel had a choice to make:  heed the report of the ten spies that spoke against taking the land or believe as Caleb believed?  This, I want you to understand, is the “trial in the wilderness” where Israel tested the Lord. When we turn over to Numbers 14, we will see that matters only got worse in this trial.

In Numbers 14:2, you will see that the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron.  The people then questioned God in Numbers 14:3, when they said, “Why has the Lord brought us to the land to fall by the sword?”  Now, there is nothing wrong with asking God questions, but something is terribly wrong when you question God in a manner of doubting Him.

Joshua, the second of the twelve men to speak against the ten, pleading with the congregation that if God delighted in them, which He did, then God would give them the land.  Joshua warned the people not to rebel against the Lord nor to fear the people (Num. 14:6-9).  So, the choice in the trial in the wildenress was very clear for the people. Sadly, the people’s hearts were hardened against moving in faith as scripture tells us they called for the stoning of Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb (Num. 14:10).

How do you suppose the Lord felt about this rebellion?  God said to Moses, “How long will these people reject Me (Num. 14:11)?”  God was ready to strike them with pestilence and disinherit them from the promise (Num. 14:12).  As we see it said in Hebrews 3:10, God was angry with that generation of Israel as they would always go astray in their heart.

The tragic part about that generation of Israel was that they witnessed what God had done in Egypt with all of the plagues.  That generation of Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry ground but still could not move in faith; they let the word of ten persuade them away from God!  Because of their hearts, that generation of Israel wandered the wilderness for forty years and did not inherit the Promised Land; the blessing was given to their children.

A Very Important Warning

When the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews called for the Jews to hear God’s voice, we have to consider the call came at a time not too long after Christ walked the earth, relatively speaking. So, the warning of Hebrews 3:12-13 shows great concern for what was likely taking place during the time of writing.  The writer stated, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

Don’t miss out on God’s promise

So, what was it taking place at that time?  Again, there were Jews living at that time that professed to believe in Christ but they still clung to the traditions of old.  There were other Jews who would not turn to the way of Christ because they also lived according to the traditions of old. The law in no way is bad, but we, mankind, fail the law simply because we are sinful creatures in our nature. Therefore, as I said in my Christmas bible study – Why Jesus Was Given to the World – we need Him badly if we desire to be holy and righteous!

Because nobody is able to fulfill the law, God gave the world His only begotten Son who was able to fulfill the law in the flesh.  Through Christ, we have atonement of our sins.  Through Christ, we have a more excellent way we can now follow in order to become holy and righteous; this is the point the writer was conveying to the Jews at that point in time.

Again, you will see the writer state, “For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end (Heb. 3:14).”  It should not be lost on us the parallel that the writer has cleverly drawn out to the Jews.  Do you know what has been promised to those that are partakers of Christ?

In 1 Peter 4:13, Peter wrote, “rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”  To Nicodemus, Jesus said, “whoever believes in Him (God’s only begotten Son) will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).”

The parallel that has been drawn is that God has promised a land today to all, and that land is not the land of Canaan.  The land of promise that I am now speaking of is the land of God’s heavenly kingdom.  We live in a world today where Jesus, like the twelve spies, came to us, mankind, and gave us a report of our promised land.  Sadly, some spoke against Christ report back then and many still speak against His report today; many were led astray back then and many are still being led astray today.

The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews did not desire for them to be led astray by those that would give a bad report of Jesus and what Jesus promised.  Their fathers weren’t allowed to enter the Promised Land of Canaan when they rebelled, and those that rebelled at that time against Jesus and His promise would not be allowed to receive the promise.  So, the warning to the Jews was one of great importance which essentially said:  don’t harden your hearts and miss out on God’s promise, again.

Fear the Lord

As I said in last week’s study, though this epistle was directed to the Hebrews, this warning also serves as a warning to all of those who are not of sincere faith.

Jesus promised that “whoever” believes in Him should not perish— “whoever” speaks to all people and not to just one nation.  We must remember that the kingdom of heaven is open to all people.  Jesus made it clear in John 10:16 when He said, “other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” 

Jesus was speaking of the Gentiles joining the fold of the Jews to become one flock.  I want you to understand that all people today are standing on the precipice of the kingdom of heaven just as the children of Israel did with the trial in the wilderness and the land of Canaan.

Don’t rebel today

The problem we face today is that God’s servants, like Joshua and Caleb, are trying to encourage the world that if God delights in us, He will surely bring us into the land He has promised but others speak against the promise.  No, I haven’t seen heaven with my eyes but I do believe the report of Christ who came from heaven with a good report.  

Those that rebel against God and speak against the promised land of heaven today suggest that the land isn’t real, or that there is another way to get to heaven and that you don’t have to listen to God’s servants.  There are several others that will even suggest that heaven can be found elsewhere, like in this world!  Do not be like the children of Israel and harden your hearts against the word of God for the deceitfulness of sin.

At such rebellion, the Lord will respond in a similar fashion as He did when Israel rejected the Promised Land.  The promise of the heavenly kingdom is the greatest reward one can receive from God!  So, rejecting heaven – God’s great blessing – will not be taken lightly.  

Those who reject to inherit heaven will never have the opportunity to inherit heaven, just as that generation of Israel that rejected the Promised Land could not inherit it.  Those that rebel against the promise of heaven will be cast away from God and His kingdom for eternity (Rev. 20:11-15).

Soften your hearts to God

In the closing scripture of our study this week, we will see in Hebrews 4:1, that the writer speaks to the promise of “entering His rest” still remains.  God has not forbidden everyone within this generation – the generation after Christ – from entering His promise.

As the writer states in Hebrews 4:2 that the gospel and promise has been preached to us.  Because it has been preached to us, all who believe, we shall receive what has been promised as our inheritance.  So, rather than hardening our hearts to the messengers, as Israel once did with Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb, we must soften our hearts and receive God’s gospel. 

You and I should not make light of what happened to those of the generation of Israel that was not allowed to inherit the Promised Land.  In other words, we should fear hardening our hearts and not receiving the promise of eternal salvation, joy, and peace.  So, with this in mind, I encourage you not to harden your hearts against the word of God and the promise made through Christ.  Open up your heart to God’s word and be attentive to its call so that you will receive the great reward of the Lord.

Introduction

In our study this week, we will take a look at the church in Thyatira. In last week’s study, we saw the church in Pergamos beginning to compromise in their faith, but this week, we see a church that had fully corrupted itself. There is a message that Jesus shares with this church that should resonate with all of us today as we have to be on watch so as not to be seduced and corrupted in our hearts.

Coming Unto Judgment

Our study opens up with Jesus having John write a message to the angel of the church in Thyatira.  The opening verse makes it very clear that the Son of God is the one behind this message.  Even more, we see Jesus describe Himself as the one who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass – He rules over and all things come under His judgment (v.18).

This is a verse that should call to mind what Paul spoke of to the Corinthians in his first letter when he spoke about our works coming unto judgment. To be clear what I am speaking about, Paul reiterated to the Philippians what Isaiah prophesied about when he wrote that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess (Phil. 2:10-11).

In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he wrote, “for we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10).” What is it that Jesus is going to judge of all of those that go before the judgment seat of Christ?

Firstly, all of those that go before the judgment seat of Christ will only be the genuine believer. At the judgment seat of Christ, Jesus will judge our works. Paul wrote of this in his first letter when He said to them, “each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is (1 Cor. 3:13).”

Do you see the correlation between the fire Paul spoke of and the fact that Jesus described His eyes to those of the church in Thyatira as eyes like a flame? Paul wrote, “If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Cor. 3:14-15).”

Now, to be clear, when you are a child of God, whether your labor for Him is good or bad, you will not lose your salvation.  Salvation is guaranteed!  However, there are rewards that the believer can receive because of their labor for the Lord.  So, let’s keep in mind that in all of our recent studies, Jesus has encouraged faith through actions so that one’s works aren’t “burned up” by His judgment.

Jesus Commends the Church in Thyatira

Again, in our study this week, we’ll see where Jesus tells those of another church that He was aware of their labor.  As with the three churches we have studied about so far, we’ll see that Jesus commends for their works, love, service, faith, and patience (v.19).  Now, let’s note that of their works, Jesus said, “for your works, the last are more than the first.”  What do you think Jesus meant by this statement?

This is actually very high praise from Christ.  You see, the works of those in this church had not waned (diminished) but kept growing.  Honestly, this is a commendation that all believers should desire to receive from Christ.  I say this because it can be very easy for our enthusiasm to do the works of God to wane especially when you consider how much we go through on a daily basis.

We saw where love had diminished in our study of the church of Ephesus, where those of that church were no longer moving with compassion. To those who were of Galatia, you will remember that Paul wrote, “let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. 6:9).” So, if you feel you may be waning in doing the first works, just as those of the Church of Ephesus, repent; turn to the Lord and ask Him to uplift your heart and keep you encouraged.

Jesus’ Rebuke for the Church in Thyatira

Now, within the commending of this church, we’ll see a very concerning commendation from Christ.  In the key verse of this study, we’ll see that Jesus said to those of this church, “Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants (v.20).”  Now, let’s really dive into this commendation from Jesus to this church so that we can understand why this commendation was so concerning.

Allowing Jezebel within the church

Now, what’s so odd about this commendation from Christ is the fact that this church had been praised for its works, its faith, and ministry (service).  So, it wasn’t like those of this church were terrible, but sadly, they were letting something really bad happen within their church.  

Since I just mentioned the church of Ephesus, I want to mention here how this church was essentially the opposite of the church of Ephesus when it came to dealing with false teachers. Let us remember, those who were of the church of Ephesus had no patience for those who were evil (sinful) and those that said they were apostle but were found to be liars (Rev. 2:2).

Now, you will remember that I said that the lesson we should learn from Jesus’ rebuke of those that were of the church of Ephesus was that of compassion.  You see, someone may be sinful but may not be fully convicted of living a sinful life.  So, in our compassion (our understanding) we must not move to condemn, but rather, we should offer rebuke (correction) to uplift others from sin.  Those who were of the church of Ephesus did not bother to offer a rebuke as they simply condemned sinful people.

Now, for those of the church of Thyatira, they did not bother to offer a rebuke or condemn this certain woman who came into their church with her false doctrines.  I would suggest to you that those who were of this church were too patient; they were even more patient than those in the church in Pergamos; those of that church, you should remember, came to a compromise with those that spread false doctrine in their church.

Who was Jezebel?

So, for those of you that may be wondering, let’s talk about Jezebel for a moment so that we can all understand who that was. Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, a king of the northern kingdom during the divided kingdom years of Israel. Jezebel was a gentile woman, the daughter of the king of the Sidonians (1 Kgs. 16:31).

Sidon was notable for its worship of Baal, which has also been confirmed through research and excavations. Religion played a major role in Jezebel’s life and she brought her religion into her marriage with Ahab. After marrying Jezebel, the king served Baal and worshiped him. Scripture tells us that Ahab set up an altar to Baal in a temple that he built in Samaria; he also made a wooden image in his worship of Baal which provoked God to anger (1 Kgs. 16:32-33).

It wasn’t enough that her husband served and worshiped Baal, Jezebel desired for all of Israel, the northern kingdom, to worship Baal as well. How badly did Jezebel desire this? Scripture tells us that Jezebel was responsible for the massacre of several prophets of the Lord (1 Kgs. 18:4). You see, Jezebel didn’t want the word of God to be spread as she desired for the people to worship Baal.

Jezebel had gathered together over 450 prophets to Baal and then another 400 prophets of Asherah, an idol that was often worshiped alongside of Baal. When Elijah challenged the 450 prophets on Mount Carmel and had them slain after the showdown, Jezebel desired to kill another prophet of God (1 Kgs. 19:2).

Now, prior to all of this, Israel already had a history in trying to serve Baal that the prophets of God preached against. Yet, Jezebel was truly responsible for getting the northern kingdom to indulge in the worship of the false god which eventually led to the downfall of the northern kingdom. Jezebel was incredibly wicked as she even had innocent people, like Naboth, killed all because the man would not give Ahab his vineyard (1 Kgs. 21:1-15).

Jezebel corrupts the church in Thyatira

So, the woman that was in the church in Thyatira was being likened to a woman of true wickedness.  This so-called prophetess, since she was called Jezebel by Christ, was someone who was moving with wicked intent.  She seduced the servants of Christ that were in this church to commit sexual immorality and to sin by eating things that were sacrificed to idols (v.20).

Now, you will notice that what she was doing was, again, very similar to what was happening in the church in Pergamos. There were those in that church, who the believers came to a compromise with, that taught within that church to indulge in sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols (Rev. 2:14).

As we know, fornication and adultery is forbidden in the law given by God to Israel and also within the age of the church as well. We also know that it is forbidden to eat things that are sacrificed to idols. Paul often encouraged people to abstain from eating things offered to idols and to also abstain from sexual immorality (Acts 15:28-29).

To the Corinthians, Paul wrote that evil company corrupts good habits (1 Cor. 15:33). So, what do you suppose that means for us when it comes to keeping company with those that are evil (fully convicted of living in disobedience)? As scripture often encourages, we should flee from wickedness. If we permit wickedness to always be in our presence, it can corrupt our soul.

So, for those in the church of Thyatira, it was downright awful for them to permit this Jezebel to spread such sinful doctrine in their church; she would corrupt all of those around her just as the real Jezebel had done in the northern kingdom.  How do you suppose Christ would deal with such a corrupt church?  How do you suppose Christ would deal with those who have a corrupt soul that indulges in sin?

Jesus’ Judgment of Corruption

Now, we will see within this scripture that Jesus actually showed mercy to this Jezebel. You will see Him say, “I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent (Rev. 2:21).” This is the same offer of mercy that Jesus has offered to the world.

Something that I have really tried to drive home recently is just how good God’s grace is and how we should not take his grace for granted.  You see, God shows every single person walking in this world His grace through His mercy.  Mercy, we should remember, is having another chance to improve and correct oneself.  Without mercy, all of us would be lost in sin due to our transgressions against the Lord.

So, because the Lord has shown us mercy, we should do everything we can to get right in His eyes.  How does one go about getting right in the eyes of God?  By repentance; acknowledge the error of our ways – our disobedience to God’s instructions – and correcting those errors by being obedient to the instructions of God.

When Jesus states that He gave this so-called prophetess time to repent, but she chose not to repent, that tells us that she was fully convicted of living in disobedience to God’s instructions.  Sadly, there are many people who choose to disregard the Lord’s mercy as they have a full desire to live against His instructions and the Lord will permit them to do so (Rom. 1:28-32).  What do you suppose the Lord will do about such disobedience?

For the Jezebel of the church in Thyatira, Jesus said that she would be cast (thrown) into a sickbed and for those that committed adultery with her, they would be cast into great tribulation (Rev. 2:22). Now, to be clear, the adultery that is in mind within this statement is speaking about spiritual adultery. Now, I do believe that this woman did practice what she preached in that she was likely sexually immoral, and she most definitely ate things sacrificed to idols.

So, there is a warning to those that corrupt themselves, and this warning speaks to the Lord’s final judgment against sin. Now, this final judgment is shown to us in Revelation 20:11-15 where those that chose to indulge in sin will face the Lord’s judgment at the Great White Throne. The tribulation that those who stand before the Great White Throne will face will be them being cast away from God for everlasting life.

This, again, is made clear to us as Jesus said that He will kill her children – those born from her doctrine – with death (Rev. 2:23). The death that Jesus spoke of was not the physical death, but rather, the second death – the spiritual death. This fact is also confirmed to us when Jesus stated, “I will give to each one of you according to your works.” As I referenced at the start of this study, “every knee shall bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Hold Fast to Faith

Our study comes to a close with Jesus encouraging those who don’t hold to the false doctrine of the Jezebel of Thyatira to hold fast until the coming of Christ (Rev. 2:24-25). This is a call for those who are of faith to remain faithful rather than become corrupt in our hearts by giving in to the temptation of Jezebel.

So, how does one hold fast and remain faithful when Jezebel – Satan – tempts us? Just look back to how Jesus dealt with Satan tempting Him to sin (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). What did Jesus do to overcome Satan’s temptations? He remembered the word of God and held to it. When sin tempts us, we must remember the Lord, His word, and be guided by the Holy Spirit who leads us in the divine truth (John 16:13).

If we try to tackle temptation without depending on the Lord, we will fall into temptation. So, in order to hold fast to faith, one must simply be obedient. When we are obedient in heeding God’s instructions we will continuously overcome sin. As Paul encouraged, “do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts … For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace (Rom. 6:12,14).

You see, we have a heavenly reward promised to us if we continue in our faith. To those of the church in Thyatira, Christ said that He would give to them, those that remain faithful, “power over the nations” (Rev. 2:26). This speaks of the Millennial Kingdom where Christ speaks of how His followers will have rule. To the 11 disciples that remained with Him, Jesus told them that they would sit on twelve throne, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28).

To those of the church age, Paul asked, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters (1 Cor. 6:2)?” This, again, was Paul speaking to the role of the Church during the Millennial Kingdom where we will, at that time, be the bride of Christ.

To all of this, Jesus gave hope to those of the church in Thyatira by saying that He would also give them the “morning star”. You may wonder, what does this mean? The “morning stars” are heavenly beings who are believed to make up the heavenly choir (Job 38:7).

Is Jesus saying that He would give those that remain steadfast in faith a position in the heavenly choir? I do believe that we will be singing and rejoicing in the heavenly kingdom, but that’s not what Jesus was speaking of here. When we turn over to Revelation 22:16, we will see Jesus say of Himself, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

So, we will close out the study on this note: when you are steadfast in faith and overcome corruption – sin – Jesus says that He will give Himself to you. Again, all of us who are of sincere faith will become the bride of Christ. Jesus told them to hold fast until He comes, which speaks of the Rapture – when Jesus comes to retrieve His bride. Again, for all of us, though we may be surrounded by corruption, let us remain faithful because we will be rewarded with Christ should we not heed the doctrine of Jezebel.

Introduction

In our study this week, I want to take a look at two separate conversations that two people had individually with Jesus.  Our goal in this study from one standpoint is to see what we can learn from Jesus in His approach of ministering to people in a one on one setting.  From another standpoint, I want to show you what we gain by going to have a conversation with Jesus.

Having a Conversation With Jesus

The way that we, as believers, have a conversation with Jesus is through prayer.  In this season of our studies, we have focused a great deal on faith and being diligent in our prayer life is of the utmost importance when it comes to our faith.  We are encouraged throughout scripture to be diligent in our prayers so that we can be comforted, encouraged, strengthened, and lift up others as well.

The biggest hang up that many people have about prayer is that they never hear anything back from the Lord and because of this, prayer does not work.  The truth of the matter is that prayer does work.  As James said in his prayer, the fervent prayer of the righteous avails much (Jas. 5:16).  The Lord does talk to us, but you must be of faith and the same spirit in order to hear Him and perceive what He is saying to you.  

Of course it was different from those that were physically in the presence of Christ and were able to have one on one conversations.  Yet, though we are not physically in His presence, the Lord still answers us in a like manner.  So, for this study, we are going to take a look at the conversations that a Samaritan woman had with Jesus and also the conversation that Nicodemus had with Jesus.

The Samaritan woman and Nicodemus are both representative of two different types of people.  The Samaritan woman represents the person that is not religious at all and lives in a manner that would not please the Lord.  Nicodemus, on the other hand, was a very religious man.  However, Nicodemus represents the person that “knows everything” but at the same time, knows very little.

I want you to pay very close attention to how Jesus treats and speaks to both individuals.  I also want you to pay very close attention to the questions they ask, and of course, we are going to go over Jesus’ responses and statements as well.

Jesus and Nicodemus

In John 3, we will see one of the most well known conversations with Jesus mostly because of John 3:16 – the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus. 

Something very interesting about this conversation with Jesus is that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night (John 3:2).  The Samaritan woman’s conversation with Jesus, scripture plainly tells us, happened at the “sixth hour” or about noon (John 4:6).  I point this out because it has always fascinated me that the religious man essentially had to ‘sneak’ to have a conversation with Jesus.

Why did Nicodemus wait until it was night time to go speak with Jesus?  Nicodemus, a Pharisee, was a part of a group of people that hated Jesus and desired to not only move against Him but to also have Him put to death.  Though this was the case, Nicodemus observed that there was something unique to Jesus’ teachings and rather than kill Him, he desired to learn from him.

Note:  Nicodemus sought Jesus out because he wanted clarity and more understanding.   Though he sought Jesus out under the cover of darkness, Jesus did say that when we pray to Him, we should do so in a place to where we cannot be disturbed (Matt. 6:6).  If Nicodemus felt he would have been antagonized or bothered while trying to seek out Jesus during the day, we should not hold it against him that he sought Jesus out “in secret”.

Jesus will know what you desire

Nicodemus’ approach to Jesus was with much honor and respect; he called Jesus Rabbi (John 3:2). A Rabbi was seen as a scholar of great intellect.  Frankly, the  other religious leaders would not and did not approach Jesus or the other disciples in this manner.  Many of the religious leaders viewed where the disciples and Jesus came from, Galilee and Nazareth, as a detriment to their level of intellect.  So Nicodemus’ approach with honor was truly proper, and it is the same kind of honor that we should approach Jesus with as well.

Jesus knew what Nicodemus had come to Him for which, again, speaks to how the Lord knows what we come to Him for in our prayers.  When He taught the disciples how to pray, Jesus said to them that they did not have to use vain repetitions because the Father knows the things they and we have need of before we ask (Matt. 6:7-8).  

Though the Lord knows our needs, that does not mean we should not still go to Him.  Some people have this idea that they do not have to pray to the Lord because He already knows our needs.  No, we pray to the Lord because our seeking Him out stands as a testament to our faith being true.

Note:  You will notice that Nicodemus did not even ask a question but that Jesus immediately began to feed him what he desired.  Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).”  Nicodemus desired to know about the kingdom of heaven and how to get there.

Oftentimes when we have a conversation with Jesus, we will not immediately understand what He has to say to us, this was the case for Nicodemus.  Jesus, you will see, began to speak about being born again.  Though Nicodemus knew the law well, this was a topic that he was not ready for – it confused him.  So, Nicodemus responded, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born (John 3:4)?”

Note:  Nicodemus asked God a question, and I want you to understand that there wasn’t necessarily anything wrong with him doing this.  We often think that it is wrong to ask the Lord questions, but that is not true.  It is not a good thing to question the Lord’s motivations and actions, but the Lord desires for you to come to Him with questions when you lack understanding.

The Lord will clear up any confusion  

Jesus, in giving clarity to Nicodemus, is firm and direct in His response.  For a second time, we will see Jesus lead a response by saying, “Most assuredly (certainly)” to Nicodemus.  Jesus actually uses this phrase of certainty three times while speaking to Nicodemus (John 3:3,5,11).

Note:  Jesus was speaking divine truth and was not guessing about anything.  So, Jesus was speaking with great confidence so that Nicodemus would be left no more questions.  We have to remember that Nicodemus was a well educated man on the law, and had Jesus spoken with a lack of confidence, it would have made Nicodemus question Him.  The Lord is often more direct with us, especially us who know better, because God is not going to create confusion; He is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33).

Something else I want to point out about this conversation is the humor that somewhat comes out.  Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things (John 3:10)?”  I can see where some will think that this was harsh but, to me, I can see a bit of sarcasm and humor shine through that statement.  Maybe I am reading it that way because I am a sarcastic person myself when I am teaching.

Note:  The reason why Nicodemus could not understand what Jesus was saying was because of what he had already learned and believed.  What he believed he knew was correct, in his mind, and this was preventing him from learning anything new.  When we speak to the Lord, we have to be ready for Him to point out to us that we think we know may not be right.

Jesus would go on to further teach Nicodemus about heaven and who will inherit the kingdom of God (John 3:11-18).  Nicodemus’ questions were answered and along the way, he became a follower of Christ.  Nicodemus was there to take the crucified body of Christ and anoint his body in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (John 19:38-39).

Note:  How was Jesus’ approach with Nicodemus?  It was firm and direct in the truth.  There are certain people that we have to be firm and more direct with when it comes to ministering to them; most likely those that know better.

Note:  Always go to Jesus when you desire more clarity.  There is nothing wrong with seeking out the Lord and praying to Him as He truly does desire to hear from us and give us understanding.  You do not have to be afraid to seek Him.  So, be sure you go to a place where you can communicate with the Lord and understand His response.

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

Now, let’s take a look at Jesus at Jacob’s well with the Samaritan woman which is recorded in John 4:1-42.  I want you to pay very close attention to what she and Jesus talk about at the well and, again, keep in mind that this woman is not the religious type.  I want you to also pay very close attention to Jesus’ approach when speaking to her. 

Jesus’ gentle approach

So, when the Samaritan woman approached Jacob’s well, she would have noticed a man sitting there at the well; there would have been nothing noticeably special about the man’s appearance.  The man sitting at the well was Jesus; He was sitting there because He was tired from the journey and the disciples had gone into the Sychar for food (John 4:1-8).

As she approached the well, the Samaritan woman heard Jesus say to her, “Give me a drink.”  Again, keep in mind that to her, this was just another man.  Scripture shows us that she recognized Jesus to be a Jew but that was all that stood out to her (John 4:9).  She was bewildered and responded sarcastically, maybe even somewhat rudely, “How is that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me?”  (Jews and Samaritans did not get along.)

Note:  You never know who you are interacting with, so all of us must be careful about how we treat people (Matt. 25:31-46; Heb. 13:2).  The Lord reaches out to all people, but He especially reaches out to those who are not in fellowship with Him or have gone astray.  The Samaritan woman is the example of God reaching out to mankind.

Rather than responding rudely or as direct as He was with Nicodemus, Jesus responds back to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water (John 4:10).”  He, I would say, was being gentle and trying to pique her curiosity.  

The woman looked at Jesus, noticed that He did not have anything to draw water from the well with, and sarcastically remarked, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water (John 4:11)?”  So, her thoughts were more worldly focused as she thought the living water that Jesus spoke of was literally down in the well.  Those whose mindset is worldly focused are blinded to the spiritual and often miss what is spiritual.

Note:  The living water that Jesus spoke of was not water that is of this world.  Jesus was talking about spiritual water which He, the Lord, provides and from that water comes life that is spiritual.  Psalm 1:1-3 and Jeremiah 17:8 speaks of this water and a few chapters later in John’s gospel, scripture records Jesus saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

After her sarcastic remark, we see that Jesus had piqued her curiosity.  She asked Jesus, “Are You greater than our father Jacob (John 4:12)?”  

(For those that may be wondering, the Samaritans were indeed descendants of Jacob.  The Samaritans came through the blood of the tribes that made up the northern kingdom that intermarried with the Assyrians after Assyria conquered the northern kingdom.  This is also the reason why the Jews frowned at and looked down on the Assyrians.)

Now, let’s focus on the question, “Are You greater than our father Jacob?”  The woman went way back into their history to speak of the great thing that Jacob had done.  She did this, I believe, trying to gauge and figure out who exactly was she speaking to.  This is something many do who are of little to no faith – they try to get God to prove Himself to them.

Jesus will open your eyes

God does not have to prove Himself to anybody.  No, what the Lord will respond with is the truth.  So, Jesus said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:13-14).”

Note:  Some may say that Jesus spoke in riddles here, but He gave her the truth in a manner for her to attempt to understand.  Yes, He was being gentle in His approach but He was being truthful.  Understand that when you have a conversation with Jesus, He is not going to hide the truth from you; He will give you the truth and invite you with the truth.  The onus will be on you as to whether or not you heed the truth.

To further reveal Himself to the woman, Jesus shows that He is Lord by showing His omniscience.  Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here (John 4:17).”  This subject change caused the woman to admit that she did not have a husband to Jesus which was a truth that Jesus already knew.  Jesus responded, “You have well said,” because the woman had been married five times and was currently with a six man that was not her husband (John 4:18).

This bit of information about her marriage life was not information that she had given to Jesus.  She was trying to gauge Jesus but Jesus was now gauging her by revealing who He was to her.  When you pray to the Lord for the first time and your prayer is genuine, the Lord will move for you immediately – He will open your eyes.

Jesus will seek the truth

So, why did Jesus lead her to this confession about her marriage life?  First:  it certainly shows that Jesus was not just another man sitting at the well, right?  However, we have to stop and consider what the woman had just said about the living water.  She had just said to Jesus that she desired to drink the living water from Christ  – she desired the truth and everlasting life.

Think about this, in order for us to have everlasting life, what must we do?  You will answer, ‘we must believe’.  In order for us to truly have faith in the Lord, we must repent.  Repentance is the admission and confession of one’s sins, and then committing to walking in the way of obedience to the Lord.  Do you realize that Jesus was essentially seeing if this woman would acknowledge and confess?  

Note:  When you have a conversation with Jesus, He will desire that you come with Him in truth.  Jesus wants you to dwell with Him eternally and He is going to offer you living water so that you are cleansed from your sins.  In order to reap the benefits from the living water, we have to acknowledge who we are – we have to acknowledge the truth.

To her, Jesus had gone from just being another man at the well to being a prophet (John 4:19).  Jesus said to her, “the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:21-24).”

These truths touched the woman’s soul to the point where she admits she knows that the Messiah is coming and that she knows He will tell (reveal) all things (John 4:25).  This was a woman who I know for certain was not anywhere close to being as religious as Nicodemus was, but suddenly this woman is opening up with knowledge that was seemingly buried deep!  

I believe that when you have a conversation with Jesus, you can be the most non-religious person there is, but if your heart is open to Him, He will lead you to the truth!  Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matt. 7:7).”  

When you have a conversation with Jesus, He is going to tell you the truth!  He said to the Samaritan woman, “I who speak to you am He.”  Do you know what this conversation did for the Samaritan woman?  Her soul was filled with so much joy that as the disciples returned, she dropped her water pots there at the well and ran to get others!  When she came into the city, she said to the people, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ (John 4:28-29)?”

Scripture tells us that there were many Samaritans that came to Jesus that day and believed (John 4:39-42).  Yes, there were many Samaritans that believed that Jesus was/is the Messiah (Christ) as He remained with them another two days.

Note:  Jesus said it best, the truth will make you free (John 8:31-32).  You can be one of little faith and a conversation with Jesus can make you strong in the faith.  You can be one filled with all sorts of doubts about Christ, but a conversation with Jesus will erase those doubts.  

Moving as Jesus and listening for Him

So, in our study this week, we have seen two different approaches to ministering and in how Jesus speaks with us. In ministering to others, we should not be afraid to be firm and direct when the conversation calls for it. In other times, we have seen that we can be gentle in how we minister the word to others. In all cases, when we minister, we must minister the truth – the gospel of Christ.

When we hear from the Lord, His answer may be firm and direct or it may be gentle. Either way, when we hear from the Lord, we won’t have to guess about anything because He is going to give us the truth. If we have questions about an answer from the Lord, we should not be afraid to respond back with a question so that we can gain clarity.

To talk to Jesus today, all you need to do is genuinely pray to Him without any doubt in your heart and He will most certainly respond and guide you  to the truth.  Your heart be open to receiving the truth from Christ.  A conversation with Jesus will make everything alright.

Introduction

I was preparing a sermon to preach about love being needed in a time of crisis for this past Sunday.  I was going to take a look at Jonah, but the more I looked at my sermon, the more I began to want to take a deeper dive into studying him.  Typically, when most of us think of Jonah, the very first thing we think about is how he was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17).  However there is a lot more to his story, so let’s take a dive into learning his story.

The prophet Jonah

Jonah was a prophet of God.  God delivered messages to Jonah and Jonah was then tasked to deliver that message to the people.  We don’t often think of him as being a prophet like how we do Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.  The very first two verses of the book of Jonah show us that he was indeed a prophet.  

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it (Jonah 1:1-2).”  Jonah is mentioned only a couple of other times in scripture.  The first time his name is mentioned in scripture happens in 2 Kin. 14:25:  “which He (God) had spoken through His (God) servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.”  Jesus also spoke of Jonah when He said (Matt. 12:39), “no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was 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.”

So, Jonah was certainly a real person and the events that are recorded in the book of Jonah are also real.  I say this because it is hard for some folks to believe Jonah’s story – His story is not something that was fabricated.  In Jonah we have a very special man recorded in scripture. He was a prophet that received a message from God and chose that he would not deliver the Lord’s message.  The question is, why?

Jonah’s anger and hatred

Why would Jonah refuse the task that God had given to him?  Preachers will often use Jonah as an example of “running away” from a God-given commission.  Yes, he did choose to do otherwise but he had his reasons. Let’s now dive into Jonah’s anger.  Most of my study will center around this question that God asked Jonah (Jonah 4:4), “Is it right for you to be angry?”

We must go back to the start of this whole thing to understand why it was that Jonah was angry.  The importance of this study is that I want to look at the sort of anger that can plague a genuine believer.  Things like anger, resentment, and hatred can keep the genuine believer from truly being a servant of the Lord.  James taught that we should be slow to wrath.  He said, “for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:19-20).”

The Ninevites

So, why did Jonah choose not to do the task that God had given to him?  Well, let’s look at the task. He is tasked to go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach God’s judgment against the city.  At first glance, nothing seems out of the ordinary with this task, right? In ancient times, this is exactly what prophets would do.  So, what was going on here?

The answer is Nineveh.  Nineveh was an Assyrian city; it is said to be the “most-populous” city of the Assyrian empire.  This may not mean much to you but I want you to understand that who lived in that city meant a great deal to Jonah.  You see, the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel.

Jonah lived during the time of when Israel was divided into two kingdoms.  The tribe of Judah (the Jews) and the tribe of Benjamin mostly lived to the south and in and around Jerusalem.  The other ten tribes went to the north and made Shechem their capital city (1 Kings 12:1).  

It was during the days of the prophets like Isaiah and Elijah that Israel (the northern kingdom) turned away from in their apostasy.  Due to this, the Assyrian army was raised up to conquer the northern kingdom. This information is important because Jonah’s home – Gath Hepher was in the northern kingdom.  The Assyrians were not kind people in their conquering and it is likely that Jonah was a witness to the horrors of it. (You can see a full map of Israel during that time by clicking here.)

An anger motivated prophet

Because of these things, Jonah wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Assyrian people – those living in Nineveh.  Have you ever been so upset at a group of people (or person) that you wanted nothing to do with them? This is where Jonah was in his mind when God had tasked him with going to Nineveh.

The servants of God are called to love others, including those that hate them or persecute (mistreat) them.  Is this not what Jesus taught us? Jesus said (Matt. 5:44-45), “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven.”

That is a tough thing for many believers to wrap our heads around, right?  There are folks who can hate you for absolutely no reason other than the color of your skin, the way you talk, or the way you walk.  Yet, the genuine believer is taught that we should love those types of people.  

Jonah, in this commissioned task, was called to love those who likely destroyed his home and maybe even killed some of his loved ones.  He was angry at the idea of going to those people and then talking to them! Some would say fear may have played a role in Jonah’s anger, but I don’t believe he was afraid to go to Nineveh.  Jonah knew exactly what it meant to preach a warning message to people on behalf of God.

The displeasure of Jonah awakens again

After refusing the task and staying three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, Jonah goes to Nineveh (Jonah 3:3-4).  We see that he preaches about God’s judgment on the city of Nineveh (Jonah 3:4) and then something happens. The people of Nineveh, the Assyrians, began to believe God and tried to correct their behavior so as not to perish (Jonah 3:5-9).

This sort of spiritual victory is the type of victory that most servants of God rejoice in to this day.  When I can open eyes to God, His salvation, and His glory, it is a great day. Jonah, however, felt differently.  When we get into Jonah 4, the very first thing we read is that “it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.”

Again, what is going on here?  Jonah is a prophet of God and yet he is not rejoicing that these people have chosen to believe?  Let’s continue on in our study by looking at this prayer that came from Jonah because it is eye opening.

Jonah’s angry and sad prayer

² So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. ³ Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”

Jonah 4:2-3 NKJV

Pay very close attention to this prayer that Jonah actually prays to God.  In this prayer, we get an inside look into what was going on inside of Jonah’s head this whole time.  Inside of this prayer is the valuable lesson that we as believers need to take away.

First:  notice that Jonah admits He knew what it meant for God to send him to Nineveh.  Jonah says to God, “was not this what I said when I was still in my country?”  What is the “this” that Jonah is referring to?  Well, to answer that question I want you to simply take a look at how Jonah describes God.  He says that he knows God is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness.”  When Jonah says he knows that God relents from doing harm, we should understand that Jonah knew he was going to the people he hated to deliver a saving message.

Second:  this is most important – Jonah hated those folks so much that He did not want God to save them but that harm would come upon them.  My goodness! This is the most dangerous kind of anger to have stored up inside of you – it is bitterness and wrath.  You see, Jonah had not come close to being able to forgive the Ninevites and so that anger had been sitting inside of him the whole time.

Rotten to the bones

Bitterness and wrath are the worst kinds of anger that a person can have, especially someone proclaiming to be a child of God.  In Proverbs, you will come across the proverb that says, “A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.”  Envy is bitterness and wrath.

Paul said (Eph. 4:31), “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”  The reason why we are to remove such from within us is because those things can destroy our souls.  Anger, hate, bitterness, and wrath are all corrupting agents of that which God gave to every last one of us when He breathed the breath of life into mankind’s nostrils.  Bitterness is what got to Cain and caused him to kill his own brother.

We are living in a time now where the world is boiling over in hatred.  There is a refusal to help one another because of anger and hatred. How in the world can we ever overcome the obstacles that we face when we’re too busy tearing at each other’s throats?  Even the believer of today is refusing to deliver a saving message because of our resentment towards those that hate us. This is very troubling.

God’s pity 

God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry?”  Of course it was not. There are times when we, the child of God, should be angry and upset.  I actually preached about this once before in this sermon – The Angry Christian.  You see, when we see others being harmed and mistreated (persecuted), we ought to be angry about that because all people should receive love.

In Jonah’s heart, the Assyrian people were not worth his love or God’s love.  The problem here is: who was he to determine who it is that God loves or saves?  Jonah had made up in his mind that those folks should not be saved but he was not the judge or the jury when it came to making that judgment.  Neither are we, the genuine believers, the judge or the jury as to who God will save!

God is capable of saving any and everybody at the time of His choosing.  The Lord uses an example with a tree as Jonah was looking on to see what became of Nineveh outside of the city (read rest of Jonah 4).  In the end, you will see that God explains to Jonah just how valuable we, mankind, are to Him. Even the Assyrians who were known for very vicious people, were worthy of God’s pity.  The Lord says (Jonah 4:11), “And should I not pity Nineveh, the great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousands persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left?”

That is how the book of Jonah ends.  It ends with a lesson on the prophet Jonah having to learn how to forgive and let go or else his anger would probably destroy him.  We, God’s children, if we are still holding on to any sort of resentment must work towards letting such go. We never know how God intends to use and who we will be a testimony too.  The last thing any of us should want to do is take away an opportunity at salvation from somebody because of our resentment towards them.