Peter Barnes | Matthew 12:38-41
SERMON NOTES
THE SIGN OF JONAH
Jonah 1:1-17; Matthew 12:38-41
– signs do not change hard hearts.
1. We have no right to seek signs from Christ.
– 12:38-39; see Ex.7:9; 1 Cor.1:22.
– Matt.16:1-4. John Wimber was into ‘power evangelism’, and said that the gospel needs to be accompanied by miracles for it to be effective. That is hardly what Jesus is saying here.
2. Jonah is a sign of Christ’s death and resurrection.
– 12:39b-40; the Jews counted part of a day as a full day.
– Jonah feared that unless he died, the people on the ship would perish (Jonah 1:11-16). In effect, Jonah ‘died’ for these pagan sailors.
– But ‘resurrection’ followed – Jonah 1:17; 2:10; the sign of Jonah is like the sign of Isaac (Heb.11:17-19).
3. Disadvantaged Gentiles are saved when privileged Jews are not.
– 12:41; Jonah 3:5-10
– The Ninevites had few advantages; the Israelites had many. But John 1:11; Luke 16:27-31; the great sign is the resurrection.