Do you need a sign to believe?
Do we always need a sign from God to believe EVERY move we make?
29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
We are called to not lean on our own understanding.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 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. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:38-42)
What does this sign of the prophet of Jonah mean?
Can we believe someone got swallowed by a fish and live?
A man that got swallowed up for 3 days and lived? People would think he would die.
Just like Jesus sharing the analogy when He is in the heart of earth... and they believe He was dead.
But both Jonah AND Jesus were alive coming out!
25 He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher. (2 Kings 24:25)
Jonah was able to restore and take a territory with the king.
But when it was time to go into enemy territory to go to Nineveh when it was inconvenient, he said no.
Nineveh was Assyrian territory.
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. (Jonah 1:1-3)
The people in Nineveh were NOT Jews YET they were people who repented because of the preaching of Jonah.
41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. (Matthew 12:41)
Jesus is sharing this message to Pharisees, who were Jews... and Jesus shares this analogy how someone that is greater than Jonah is here (it's Jesus).
Yet these Pharisees and scribes can't see!
So how do we walk in this obedience to make sure we don't miss God?
11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:11-12)
What does it mean to be the least in the kingdom?
Servant.
Be a servant.
Ministry is service.
There is a difference between being powerful in the kingdom than greater.
Moses was powerful - he split the sea.
Elijah was powerful - he slayed 100's of Baal prophets.
But John the Baptist was highlighted because of his service.
We must have God's favor on our life!
To gain favor we need to be humble, be helpful, & be holy.
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