Greatest miraculous
sign!
The Creator God is a God of miraculous power. When He came to
live on this earth as Jesus Christ 1*. His love and power touched and changed many
lives - the lives of those who had faith in Him. 2*.
Others came to Jesus just to see Him do miracles! Jesus said, "This
is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none
will be given it except the sign of Jonah." 3*.
What was "the sign of Jonah"? Jonah had been a preacher for God who
had lived many years earlier. God had asked him to go and warn the
wicked city of Nineveh that God was very angry against it and was
soon going to punish it. Jonah did not want to give Nineveh the
chance to repent and seek God's forgiveness, so he refused to obey
God! Instead he took a boat going in the opposite direction!
But God stopped Jonah from running away by sending a great storm at
sea. Just as Jonah was about to drown in the sea he was
miraculously swallowed by a great fish! During the three terrible
days he spent inside that fish he changed his mind about wanting to
disobey God! Then "the Lord commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah
on to dry land."
Jonah then went to Nineveh and the people listened carefully to
this preacher who had had such a miraculous "sign" happen to him -
a three day encounter with death. They needed no further proof that
God's warning to them was genuine! They quickly repented of their
wickedness and turned to God for mercy. So God saved that city from
the punishment they had deserved. 4*.
The people listening to Jesus talk about "the sign of Jonah" would
have no excuse for not believing Jesus' message. Jesus was
much greater than Jonah! God had done many wonderful miracles in
and through Jesus; yet the people still wanted other signs or
proofs before they would take His message seriously! 5*.
Jesus told them "as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so
will the Son of man be to this generation." 6*. "For as Jonah was three days and three
nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth." 7*.
This "greatest miraculous sign" has
since happened! So your only Hope and Saviour must become
the One who was dead but was raised up by God after three day in
the grave. He alone is able to turn you from your wickedness,
and save you from the wrath and judgement of a Holy God.
8*.
Jesus then reminded His listeners of the Queen of Sheba's search
for truth. "She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom
of Solomon," He said, "and behold, something greater than Solomon
is here." 9*.
In Luke chapter 11, verses 29-32 you can read about Jesus being the
One you must be careful to hear and obey because He is greater than
Jonah or Solomon. Remember, it will be the words that Jesus has
spoken that will be you judge on the last day. 10*.
Bye for now,
John Nixon, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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Bible quotations from N.I.V.
