Matthew 16.13-18 and Jonah 3.1-10
We continue following Tim Keller in our sermon series on the Book of Jonah, and today we come to chapter 3, in which Jonah goes, as commanded by God, to the great city of Nineveh. There he preaches the message given him by God, and the people of the city repent in mass, including the king himself! It is an amazing story of how just one man, sent by God, brings profound change throughout an entire society, and in this story, we see the larger picture of the kingdom of God at work in this world. It is advanced, not by the power of the sword, but by the power of God in the lives of his people. This is the story of the church. Through weak frail people such as Peter, Jesus says, “I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.” This is the story of the Kingdom of God that is like a seed of mustard, the smallest of seeds, which becomes a tree in which the nations perch. It is like yeast that penetrates the dough, and transforms the world. This is of great comfort and challenge to us all … to be about the work of the Kingdom of God, and the work of the church. It is in these callings that we find meaning and fulfillment through the giving of ourselves to something far greater than ourselves!