The Power of God’s Word
By Dean Collins
In a sermon I preached not long ago, I was making a point that while there are many good churches, there are no perfect churches. I referenced having preached in more than a hundred churches over the years and have preached hundreds of sermons through the years. Some of those sermons were well received and others probably just tolerated. Many pastors will tell you that they had sermons they thought were well written and delivered with clarity and seemed to fall flat. And there were other sermons the pastor preached where he didn’t think he had his best work and may have even had a flat delivery but then had a strong response.
Fortunately, the Holy Spirit can and does move the hearts and minds of the listener. When Jonah cleaned himself up after being spit out of the great fish in chapter two, he headed to Nineveh, which was God’s assignment before his rebellion. Nineveh was big enough that it would take three days of travel to make it from one side to the other. And it seems that while Jonah was now obeying God, his heart wasn’t fully in the assignment.
Jonah went just a third of the way into the city and then preached an 8-word sermon (just five words in Hebrew). Here is the message: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” I don’t know about your church, but while some might be glad to get out of church early, I tried that message. Most might think it was either a gimmick or that I simply didn’t want to be invited to preach again. But that day in Nineveh, the message hit hard.
All the people of Nineveh believed God. They fasted. They grieved over their sin, including the king. He removed his royal robe, got off his throne, covered himself in sackcloth, and sat in ashes. He then issued a proclamation for a city-wide fast for the citizens and their livestock. And when God saw how they realized their sin and turned away from their evil way, he showed them his mercy and grace and spared them from the promised destruction.
Jonah’s effort seemed weak. Based on his attitude before and after his sermon, it doesn’t appear that his heart was really in it. But God’s word was presented and everyone turned away from their sin and back to God.
We can draw several conclusions from this chapter of Jonah:
God is a God of second chances.
God is full of mercy, wanting no one to live outside his love.
God’s word is alive and has the power to change lives.
But maybe I will leave you with this thought. The next time you sit to listen to a sermon, take less time thinking about the one speaking and more time focused on what message from God’s word is being preached. The pastor can’t change your heart or fix the brokenness you might feel inside. But a receptive heart and mind to the living and active word of God might just change everything in your life.
Father, thank you for your amazing grace and your love. Thank you for giving us your word where we can hear from you. Open our minds to receive your truth today and every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Jonah 3:1-10 ESV
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