Day 7 - Sabbath - Saturday (Lord's Day - Sunday International KJV Sunday school Lesson - Outline for Teacher's & Student's) - Logos

 May 30

Lesson 13 (KJV)

Preaching to Enemies

Devotional Reading: Jonah 2

Background Scripture: Jonah 3

Jonah 3

1 And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

3 So Jonah arose and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.

4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried and said Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything: lets them not feed, nor drink water:

8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

10 And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Key Verse

God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.—Jonah 3:10

Prophets Faithful to God’s Covenant

Unit 3: Courageous Prophets of Change

Lessons 9–13

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

1. Define “repentance.”

2. List reasons why the Ninevites’ reaction to Jonah’s proclamation was unexpected.

3. Commit to one needed change to obey God more fully.

Lesson Outline

Introduction

A. A Satisfying End

B. Lesson Context

I. The Word of the Lord (Jonah 3:1–4)

A. Repeated (vv. 1–2)

B. Revealed (vv. 3–4)

Whom to Exclude?

II. The People of Nineveh (Jonah 3:5–10)

A. Repenting (vv. 5–8)

Covering the Hate

B. Hoping (v. 9)

C. Spared (v. 10)

Conclusion

A. Grace Without Borders

B. Prayer

C. Thought to Remember

HOW TO SAY IT

Assyria	Uh-sear-ee-uh.
Elohim (Hebrew)	El-o-heem.
Jonah	Jo-nuh.
Nineveh	Nin-uh-vuh.
Ninevites	Nin-uh-vites.
Yahweh (Hebrew)	Yaw-way.

What Do You Think? How should the designation of Nineveh as a “great city” inform our missionary endeavors today, if at all? Why? Digging Deeper What conclusions should we not draw? Why?

What Do You Think? On what occasions should fasting be promoted today, if any? Why do you say that? Digging Deeper Should Acts 13:2–3; 14:23 be foundational for your answer? Why, or why not?

What Do You Think? What are some godly ways to respond after suffering violence at the hands of another? Digging Deeper Categorize your answer in terms of thoughts, words, and actions.

What Do You Think? What’s your main takeaway from today’s lesson regarding modern missionary endeavors? Digging Deeper How will you act on that takeaway for your church?

Conclusion

A. Grace Without Borders

Throughout Scripture, we witness time and time again that God loves mercy (Exodus 33:19). The story of Nineveh extremely illustrates this: the enemies of God’s own people were spared when they turned their hearts toward Him.

God’s intention for all humanity is to encounter His love and remain in it. The apostle Paul cataloged all of the forces incapable of separating God’s people from God’s love (Romans 8:38–39). No outside force can cause that separation. But we can voluntarily cause it ourselves by rejecting His will as we become as the Ninevites had been. When we do so, repentance is the cure, as the Ninevites discovered.

Today, we also should accept the reality that God’s work will not be limited by geopolitical lines. We see Jonah’s attitudes in both individuals and faith communities who fixate over which groups of sinners are too far beyond the reach of God’s love. Meanwhile, we are reminded that we have a Savior who dined with sinners (Luke 7:34) and reserved His fiercest anger for the self-congratulating Pharisees (11:39–52).

Our Lord intends to establish a new people from every tribe and tongue (Revelation 7:9). God’s love will go everywhere. We can experience joy at the prospect, or we can resist this reality. Our attitude does not change what God will do for our enemies, but it will change how we react to His blessing those we would curse.

Think about it: if God was concerned for a petulant prophet and a morally bankrupt city, then His loving commitment to us will remain unshaken. We can celebrate that God is “a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” (Jonah 4:2). And in the face of divine kindness, we, like the citizens and rulers of ancient Nineveh, can repent.

What Do You Think? Which thought in today’s text? Do you have the hardest time coming to grips with? Why is that? Digging Deeper What extra effort will you expend to resolve this uncertainty?

B. Prayer

God, You disregard our borders and share Your love wherever You please. We praise You for this because we are dependent on Your mercy. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

C. Thought to Remember

No human boundaries limit God’s grace.

 Shallenberger, Larry, Laura McKillip Wood, et al. “Preaching to Enemies.” The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2020–2021. Ed. Ronald L. Nickelson, Jane Ann Kenney, and Margaret K. Williams. Vol. 68. Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2021. 335. Print.