Beloved radio friends, we greet you again in the precious and the worthy name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We welcome you to the study of God's precious word again, and our meditation upon the prophecy of Jonah. We are now in chapter three, and already within this chapter, we have alluded to the fact that we find in chapter three that Jonah is a successful prophet. He is speaking for God and proclaiming the message of coming judgment, declaring to the city of Nineveh and all of its inhabitants, yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. Now from verse five and down to the end of chapter three, We have recorded for runs the repentance of the city of Nineveh. Shall we read verse five? So the people of Nineveh believed God and proclaimed the fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the least of them. Now let us focus our thoughts thoroughly on this record in the Word of God. It is one of the most impressive results of any preaching by any preacher. Do you remember that the Lord Jesus said when he was upon the earth that Jonah was a sign, meaning a miracle, to the Ninevites, meaning that what had happened to the prophet is miraculous preservation within the great fish was in itself a sign from God. And the events in chapter one and chapter two, which are recorded, must have reached the years of the people of Nineveh before Jonah arrived in the capital. So did when he came, they would say, Why, this is the man who was miraculously delivered from the depths of the sea. This is that prophet who ran away from his guard. And we have heard what happened to him. by the prophets' experience, they would realize very readily that if God punished and chastened Jonah for his sin and yet spared him, perhaps God would spare them. Now we have only five words of Jonah's message which he preached. Just five words covering his message in the original Hebrew text. Now that was a short message. Translated we have more words in English. But in the Hebrew text, five words only cover the greatest message that Jonah preached. And where can you and where can I find any one message that accomplished such great and effective results? Yes, we know that Peter preached one sermon on the day of Pentecost, and three thousand were saved. But you look with me at the record here in the Book of Jonah, when he preached in Nineveh. He obtained one hundred percent results. Look at verse five, please. So the people believe God. So the people of Nineveh believed God. The whole city of Nineveh believed God's message. Now, can you name any time in human history of revivals when such a thing took place? Jonah was a prophet, yes. Jonah was assigned to the people of Nineveh. But when Jonah preached this brief but pointed message, The people of Nineveh were not taken up with Jonah. Neither were they concerned about talking about his miraculous preservation. But they were concerned about God. After all, a preacher's message is to be more important than the preacher himself. But often today we may find the preacher in the minds of many people is himself more important. than the message he may be proclaiming. All let us get the facts straight. God's message, regardless who the instrument is, God's message is more important. We are not dealing with the preacher. We have to do with God. That is how the people of Nineveh felt. And it is therefore recorded, so the people believe God. When people believe God, then God will honor their faith. Everyone in Nineveh, both old and younger like, without any exception, they turn to God. They perhaps properly reason amongst themselves. Why should God send a prophet to warn us? If God wanted to destroy us, he could have done it outright. and he would have left us without a warning. Why does he give us forty days? Oh, my unsaved sinner, I wonder if you realize that God may be speaking to you right now. He may be calling upon you to come to Christ before the day of judgment and before his wrath overtakes you. It is his mercy being extended to you when he warns you Before we read in the Word of God, that He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and live. My beloved radio listener, I'm saying, God wants you to avail yourself of His willingness as well as His readiness to forgive you your sins. Are you willing to believe what God's Word says? It is written in Acts chapter seventeen and verse thirty-one, God hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world. The writer of the Hebrew epistle wrote in chapter nine and verse twenty-seven, and as it is appointed unto men, wants to die, but after this the judgment. My radio friend, if you ever realize, you have two divine appointments waiting for you. Within the verse of Hebrews nine twenty-seven, you must and you will keep them. Now let me ask, how do you think you could ever avoid these two appointments? Figure it out if you can. How could you dodge these appointments? Please note. The first appointment is with death. It is appointed under men once to die. Now has anyone been able to escape death? Has any human being evaded it? It is appointed under men once to die. My radio listener may I ask the question. Have you ever known anyone or can you yourself know? What will be the date of your coming death? You do not know whether it even may be today. Do you know if it will be tomorrow? Have you any conception when God will call you to keep this appointment? For let me assure you of one conclusive fact. You will keep it. Then why not get ready for it? God gave Nineveh forty days. I cannot assure you, my unsafe friend, that you have that time. But then, according to Hebrews nine twenty-seven, after death you have another appointment. You say, how? Won't death be the end? Oh no, not on your life. Death is not the end, for the word of God says, after death, the judgment. Now I ask, are you ready to face the judgment, the time when you must stand before the judgment bar of God? Again, let me repeat, you do not know whether you have forty days, as did Nineveh, to repent. But this is God's message to the unsaved. You have divine appointments, the appointment of death, and following death, the appointment of judgment. Now let us raise the question, do you wish God to show His mercy to you now? This is the proper time. Why wait until it would be forever too late? Our text in the third chapter of Jonah in verse five declared, The people of Nineveh believe God. They did not wait, not even for the forty days to elapse. But when the message was heard, and received. The people of Nineveh believed God. They took him at his word and repented. Now God in the gospel of his love and grace, preaching salvation through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is telling you, my unsaved friend, believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. For as we well know that familiar verse, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. If the heathen Ninevites believe God, my radio friend, you can too, if you will, they made no delay, neither should you, my beloved radio friend, Today you should say, in the words of the hymn writer, the blessed truth that he penned, when confessing, I do believe, I now believe, that Jesus died for me, that on the cross he shed his blood from sin to set me free. Please let me repeat again. God gave Nineveh forty days. and judgment he promised at the end of that period. But when the message was received, they immediately believed God. Would to God that within the range of this message, every unsaved person would believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died upon the cross of Calvary to save them from their sins and to deliver them from the just penalty and judgment of an eternal hell. Oh, my beloved, you can do no more than this, but it will be enough. Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Father, we pray that in the power of the Holy Spirit, thy word will accomplish salvation for many souls in Jesus' name. Amen.