The Alternative

Dr. Tony Evans: The bad news is, it’s gettin’ ready to hurt. The good news is, you got the opportunity to reverse it. Repentance is giving God the opportunity to reverse His judgment.

Guest (Male): This is the Alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans.

The phrase, “you can run but you can’t hide,” is never truer than when you’re describing somebody who is running from God. Let’s join Dr. Evans as he talks about a man who tried, and what we can learn from his miraculous turnaround.

Dr. Tony Evans: Today, I want to talk about Jonah, the rebel God used. But Jonah is a prophet of God, and the word came to him. Verse two of chapter one, “Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. We’re looking at a rebel here, a man who didn’t like what God told him to do.

God has asked Jonah to do something incredible. Now you have to understand why Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. When you get a chance, read another minor prophet called Nahum because the book of Nahum is God’s judgment against Nineveh.

The Ninevites were a very violent people who showed no mercy to their enemies. They would kill you and then put your dead body on display to show their might and their bloodthirstiness. So, Jonah is being real practical here. You want me to go to Nineveh? They kill people in Nineveh.

He says twice in verse three that Jonah fled to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Nineveh, where he was told to go, is 550 miles by land. We’re told he’s not going to Nineveh. He’s going to Tarshish. Tarshish is 2,500 miles in the other direction by sea. He would rather be 2,500 miles out of God’s will than 550 miles in it.

There are probably some people here today who are running from the presence of God. In other words, God has given you a word. Maybe it came through a sermon, maybe it came directly from the Bible, maybe it came from some spiritual influencer in your life, and He’s told you this is what I want you to do, but you don’t like it.

It’s not your preferred course of action. You’ve got logical reasons why God does not know what He’s talking about, and there’s too much risk in doing it God’s way. Therefore, you run from the presence of the Lord. You run from His will.

So he goes down and he pays the fare in order to run from God. Running from God costs you. It costs you time, it can cost you money, it can cost you health, it can cost you peace, it can cost you joy, it can cost you a sense of well-being, it can cost you progress, it can cost you unity, it can cost you harmony, it can cost you mental stability. Running from God causes you a tab that you must yourself pay.

Verse four tells us the Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Jonah made his decision, then God made His. Jonah said, "God, I’m going in the other direction." God says, "Gonna find you." God hurls a great wind targeted toward Jonah. One of God’s great proofs is that when you rebel, He will not leave you alone.

He will create a storm with your name on it. This was a Jonah storm, because the storm only came because Jonah was rebelling. It says the ship is about to break up. The sailors become afraid. These are professional sailors. Their job is to take cargo from Joppa to Tarshish and take cargo from Tarshish back to Joppa. This was their living, and their living is getting ready to go underwater because verse five says they threw their cargo off.

That means they lose money, they can’t take care of their family. Why? Because when you’re in rebellion, you affect people associated with you. The sailors were in trouble because the rebel was on board. The Bible has great illustrations throughout it of people being in a negative situation because the rebel is on board.

So they’re all panicky, wondering why is this storm killing us. But look at Jonah at the end of verse five. Jonah had gone below in the hold of the ship, laid down, and fallen asleep. You can get so far out of the will of God when you can sleep through a storm that’s designed to discipline you.

So the captain, verse six, comes to Jonah and he has a little basic simple question. "How is it that you are sleeping? I don’t understand this. Get up! Pray! Do something!" So they cast lots in verse seven to find out who’s the cause of this. These men were wise. They understood that maybe we’re in a storm because of a spiritual problem and not just because of meteorological changes in the atmosphere.

Hear the sinners say, "Maybe God got something to do with this. So let’s call on God." So they go to Jonah and they say, "Who are you?" He tells them in verse nine, "I’m a Hebrew." Oh, now he’s spiritual. "I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land."

He said he was running from the presence of the Lord. He told them, "I was running from the presence of the Lord. The reason you’re in this storm is God is tracking me down." Verse 12, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. I’d rather die in the sea than go to Nineveh. I so not like what God asked me to do, kill me!"

Well, the men didn’t want to commit murder, so they rowed desperately, verse 13, to try to get to land. But they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. What this means is if you’re a Christian in rebellion to God, I don’t care what sinners you have contact with, who you know in the bank, who you know downtown, who your runnin' buddy is, who your friend is, who your influence is. All God's gonna do is make it stormier.

But where it gets interesting is in verse 14. They call on the Lord and say, "We earnestly pray, oh Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us, for You, oh Lord, have done as You have pleased." So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, because things kept getting worse, and the sea stopped its raging.

In other words, when they got rid of the sinner, or the sinning prophet, the storm changed. So the men feared the Lord greatly and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. They prayed to the only true God. In other words, the sailors get saved. Jonah led the men to Christ and don’t even know it. Even in our rebellion, God can still do His work.

Well, verse 17, "And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights." Then Jonah prayed. And in chapter two is Jonah’s prayer of repentance. It is his prayer of repentance. He says in verse seven, "When I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord and my prayer came to You in Your holy temple."

God trapped him. Sent a whalegram after him and trapped him. Put him in a place that drove him to call on the name of the Lord. God will create a storm, put you in a compartment you can’t break out of until you decide to look up and stop going down, down, down, down, down. He forced him upwards. It was at his lowest point that he cried unto the Lord.

After he cried to the Lord, verse 10, somebody say then. See, we got a lot of thens here. Then the Lord commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah up on dry land. There’s only one piece of dry land we’ve run into. That’s Joppa. Joppa was where he got on the boat and paid. I’m going somewhere.

Joppa is where he got on the boat, paid the fare, to run from the will of God, right? So if the fish is taking him back to dry land, but the Bible’s going to say then he still had to go to Nineveh, guess where the fish is taking him back to? His point of disobedience. Takes him back to his point of departure to say, "Which way you going today, Jonah? You going buy another ticket to Tarshish, or have we reconsidered our position here?"

He vomits him up on dry land, and the only dry land has been Joppa, and he still gotta decide if he’s going to Nineveh. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time. Oh, that’s good news, and the good news is God will repeat Himself. Jonah, in case you missed Me the first time, let Me say it again. "Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you."

In other words, I’m not going to give you the rest of the information until I see which way you going to go. See, a lot of us say, "Lord, give me the details and then I’ll let You know whether I’m going to go." God is saying, "Go, then I’ll give you the details." Why? Because God is trying to teach us to walk by faith, not by sight.

So Jonah went to Nineveh, a great city. It took him three days to walk the city, and cried out, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed." The bad news is Nineveh’s going to be destroyed. The good news is you got 40 days to reverse it. You know, that’s what repentance is. Repentance is giving God the opportunity to reverse His judgment. If you’re in rebellion against God right now and nothing has happened yet, that means time has not yet run out.

Guest (Male): Dr. Evans will talk about how Jonah’s life changed once he traded rebellion for repentance when he continues our message in just a moment. Stay with us.

Sunlit beaches, calm blue waters, and a week set aside just to breathe again. That’s what’s waiting for you on an unforgettable Caribbean cruise with Dr. Tony Evans. From February 28th through March 7th, you’ll set sail on a seven-day Caribbean journey, visiting Nassau, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, and relax away Half Moon Cay, a private island known for its peaceful beauty and white sandy shores.

This time of year, the Caribbean offers the perfect escape: warm weather, gentle breezes, and a setting that invites you to slow down and truly rest. And while the destinations are incredible, what makes this cruise truly special is what happens on board. You’ll experience powerful Bible teaching, meaningful worship, and authentic connection with friends and family of the Urban Alternative. It’s a chance to step out of the routine and step into renewal. Come be refreshed, encouraged, and renewed. Find out more today at tonyevans.org. That’s tonyevans.org.

And while you’re on the website, be sure to check out Tony’s popular book that complements our current series. It’s called *Kingdom Heroes*. In it, Tony takes you inside the Bible’s Faith Hall of Fame, showing how ordinary people accomplished extraordinary things simply by trusting God at His word. It’s a powerful reminder that your past doesn’t disqualify you from God’s blessings, and your future isn’t limited by your failures.

For a limited time, we’re packaging *Kingdom Heroes* together with all eight full-length messages from Tony’s current series, *It’s Not Too Late*. It’s our way of saying thanks for your support of this ministry. Just visit us at tonyevans.org where you’ll find the details on how to receive this exclusive offer right on the homepage. Or call us at 1-800-800-3222, where our resource team members are available to assist you any time of the day or night. Well, let's return now to Dr. Evans in Jonah chapter three.

Dr. Tony Evans: So, he goes out and preaches, in 40 days Nineveh will be destroyed. Now watch this. Verse five. The people of Nineveh believed in God, they called a fast and put sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on ashes.

He issued a proclamation and said in Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, "Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth and let men call on God earnestly, let each man turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hand. Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so we will not perish."

Unbelievable. This is the only time in the Bible, and the only time to my knowledge in human history, where a whole city gets saved at the same time. The people repent, the king repent, he tells the nobles to repent, and then he tells them all, "Make your animals repent." He said, "I want the dog on its knees. I want the cow on its knees. I want the bull on its knees. I want the animals to repent. Put the animals in sackcloth now. We want to let God know we serious."

Who would have thought that a simple gospel message—40 days and Nineveh will be destroyed—would turn a whole city around? Guess what Jonah was running from. He was running from leading the greatest evangelistic movement in the history of mankind because he didn’t like what God said do.

Guess what you and I might be missing on. You and I, in rebelling against God, may be missing out on one of the greatest moves of God our lives have ever had, that we don’t get to see because we insist on Tarshish rather than Nineveh because we don’t like what God says. When God tells you to do something you don’t like, it’s going to be worth the trip because He’s going to pick up the tab.

Well, he wants God to take his life. And God raises a great psychological question in verse four. "Do you have good reason to be angry?" Just because you mad don’t make it right. Is it legitimate anger or illegitimate anger? Because every time you get mad doesn't mean you're right.

Well, Jonah’s ticked off now. He goes to the east of the city, he makes a shelter for himself, he gets under some shade to see what’s going to come down in the city. Well, watch this now. Verse six. The Lord appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be his shade. Verse seven. But God appointed a worm when the dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant.

Verse eight. When the sun came up, God appointed a scorching wind and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all of his soul, guess what, to die. "Death is better to me than life." Why God keep messing with Jonah? He keep messing with the man until he grows up spiritually.

And God’s going to mess with you and me until we grow up spiritually. When we get mad at the wrong stuff rather than the right stuff. When we get upset about things that don’t matter and don’t get upset about things that do. Spiritual immaturity. So God has to teach him a lesson.

Guess how God teaches him a lesson? Watch this now. By appointment. He appoints a great fish. In verse six, he appoints a plant. In verse seven, he appoints a worm to kill the plant. In verse eight, he appoints a scorching wind to beat down on Jonah’s head. There’s a lot of appointments going on.

Maybe the things that happen to you are God’s appointments, not just a bad day, not just an irritating coworker, not just a negative situation. Have you ever asked God, "Is this appointment? Are You appointing this to me because You’re trying to grow me up spiritually and all I’m doing is getting mad? I’m not seeing the appointment. I’m not seeing what You’re up to."

Then God drives it home in the last two verses. He says, "Now you see that, Jonah? You were happy when the thing grew over you and there was a shade. Then you were sad when the worm came and ate it and so it died, now you were in the heat again. So you liked it when I came through for you and provided something for you."

Then he comes and he says, "Aren’t there 120,000 children in Nineveh? They don’t know their right hand from their left hand, but you don’t care whether they go to hell, you don’t care whether they destroyed. All you care about is take care of me, myself, and I. And as long as I’m taken care of you, you happy. Soon as I want to take care of somebody else, you want them dead. You do not have My heart."

And many of us don’t have God’s heart. As long as God is doing something for us, we fine. When God wants to use us to do stuff for somebody else, we ticked off. "Don’t inconvenience me, I’m tired. Don’t mess over me, I’m watching my TV program. Don’t mess with me, just take care of me." Listen, you cannot be a recipient of God’s grace and not a dispenser of it. If you’re not willing to dispense it, you’re going to kill your reception of it.

In chapter 12 of Matthew in closing, we see these words. Matthew chapter 12, verse 38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "We want to see a sign from You." But He said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here."

First of all, this proves that Jonah is a real story in the Bible because Jesus said it was. So if Jonah’s not a real story, Jesus is a liar. If Jesus is a liar, He’s not the Son of God. If He’s not the Son of God, we don’t have a Savior. If we don’t have a Savior, we’re going to die in our sins. The reason that Jonah is true is Jesus said it’s true.

But then He makes another closing point, and here’s what He says. He says, "You want a sign? And I just did a miracle." He just opened a man’s eyes and helped a man who couldn’t talk to talk. But they said that ain’t enough, do something else. He said, "Look, you just evil. Y'all not looking for a sign, you just want another reason to reject Me. But I’m going to give you one more sign."

Just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish, I’m going to be in the belly of the earth. And when Jonah came out, he brought about repentance in Nineveh. In other words, things changed when Jonah came out of the fish. When I come out of the earth, a greater than Jonah is here.

Now here’s the good news for you and me. If a rebel preacher named Jonah could change a whole city by preaching the word of God, how much change can Jesus Christ bring about when there is no rebel? He is the perfect Son of God, the perfect Savior who’s risen from the dead.

Jonah didn’t even die. He was just in the belly of the fish. Jesus Christ died, was buried, arose. If a rebel preacher can turn a Nineveh around, then shownuff Jesus Christ can turn you around. If a rebel preacher can take evil Nineveh and make it better, shownuff one who died and rose from the dead can take evil you and me and make us better. Jesus Christ can change you because Jonah could change Nineveh. And guess what? A greater than Jonah is here. Jesus Christ is here to reverse the circumstances in your life.

Guest (Male): If you're ready for that kind of change in your life, here's Dr. Evans to talk about how it happens, and doesn't happen.

Dr. Tony Evans: You’re not a Christian because you’re religious or because you go to church or even because you believe in God. You’re a Christian because you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your personal sin bearer. Being religious, doing good works, that’s nice, but it’s not sufficient when God demands perfection.

Second Corinthians 5:21 says, "He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." So what God has said is He placed your sin on the cross on the Christ and then judged Christ for your sin. If you will go to Christ, He will take Christ's righteousness, which is perfect, and He will credit it to your account.

So you will stand before God as though you’ve never sinned. Not because you’re sinless, but because you’ve got a sinless credit on your account. If you will receive Jesus Christ right now, if you will invite Him into your life believing that He died for you and rose for you personally, He will credit your account with perfection because He’s already credited your sin onto Jesus Christ. So go to Christ right now and get this free gift of salvation that He’s offering to all who come to Him for it.

Guest (Male): We have more about how that process works on our website. Just visit tonyevans.org and click on the link at the top of the homepage that says "Jesus." Dr. Evans will lead you in a prayer, and he has some free downloadable resources there to help you get started in your brand-new life in Christ.

Now, the message you heard today is part of Tony's sermon series called *It's Not Too Late*, a look at why a problematic past doesn't need to result in an unfavorable future. As I mentioned earlier, if you help us out with a contribution to keep this program coming your way, we'll say thanks by sending you all eight messages in this series on CD, USB flash drive, or downloadable MP3s, along with his popular book, *Kingdom Heroes*. Together, these resources will help you see how faith in God can turn even difficult chapters into meaningful new beginnings.

You can make your donation online and get information on these and any of our other resources just by visiting tonyevans.org. That's tonyevans.org. Or call 1-800-800-3222, where team members are standing by to help with your request day and night. That’s 1-800-800-3222.

And one final note: outside the pulpit, you can hear Dr. Evans bringing biblical insight into conversations with special guests on his *Unbound* podcast. You can listen anytime on his YouTube channel or on your favorite podcast platform. Have you ever done something so out of character that you wound up wondering if it was even you? Tomorrow, Dr. Evans will talk about a biblical character who did the unthinkable and about his journey from regret to restoration. Be sure to join us.