NOT TOO HARD

1. In recent days attention has been focused on foreigners seeking entry into the United States.

2. Non-citizens who enter this country through airports are being fingerprinted.

3. When Jonah went to Nineveh he was also a foreigner.

4. He marched on alien soil and began to preach the message found in Jon. 3:4.

5. While we are not told all that he said, there is enough information to say his message was like this:

6. “In 40 days, you and your city are not going to be here. My God will destroy you.”

THE SHORT DESCRIPTION WE HAVE OF JONAH’S MESSAGE REFUTES ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ERRORS OF OUR DAY AND TIME.

a) Many commonly allege that the Bible is a book that cannot really be understood.

b) There can be no real agreement on what the scriptures mean.

c) Each person comes up with his or her own interpretation of the Bible.

2) When we look at the book of Jonah, especially the third chapter, what do we find?

3) First, we have a prophet who had no apparent ties to the people of Ninevah or Assyria.

4) Based upon what is said, Jonah and the Ninevites were complete strangers.

5) Second, Jonah did not want anything to do with his hearers. He wanted God to destroy them.

6) Third, the people of Nineveh were wicked; they were living ungodly lives.

7) Based upon the material in God’s word can say they were not good Bible students.

8) Fourth, the city of Nineveh had a large population. Verse 2 says it was a “great” city.

9) In verse 3 Ninevah is described as “exceedingly great.”

10) Fifth, when Jonah preached, his message was not studied for a lengthy period of time.

11) It didn’t take weeks or months for people to debate what he said or meant.

12) Point 6 is found in verse 5: the least to the greatest understood and applied Jonah’s preaching.

13) These six facts are very strange when compared to today.

14) Let’s combine the six points just given.

15) A stranger comes to town, and begins to teach people he really doesn’t like.

16) The number of people he is trying to reach is in the thousands (Jon. 4:11).

17) Great masses of people need to hear, understand, and apply what is being said.

18) The thousands who listen all come to the same conclusion.

19) This uniform understanding is achieved in a very short period of time.

20) This what was Jonah did, and no Bible believing person disputes these facts.

21) Let’s take this information and go a step further.

22) The book of Hebrews says the New Testament is a “better covenant.”

23) Was the Hebrew writer correct?

24) In the Old Testament thousands of foreigners could hear and quickly agree on the message.

25) If the New Testament means something different to everyone who hears it, is it better?

26) Common sense would say that the New Testament is a worse covenant

27) If many people in Nineveh could easily and quickly comprehend and do God’s will,

28) But a dozen people cannot easily and quickly understand the New Testament, NT is not better.

THE NEW TESTAMENT IS A BETTER COVENANT, AND CONTRARY TO WHAT IS OFTEN CLAIMED, EVERYONE CAN UNDERSTAND IT IN THE SAME WAY.

1) Contrary the modern claims, the New Testament is a document that is very straightforward.

2) Some, even within the church have said the New Testament is “simple.”

3) God’s word has sometimes been portrayed in terms such as “hard” and “easy.”

4) I am not convinced that either of these words is suitable for describing the New Testament.

5) Here is why I say that.

a) There was once a preacher who was taking an overseas trip.

b) His seatmate happened to be an astronomer.

c) The two men struck up a conversation by asking what each other did.

6) The preacher said he preached and proceeded to ask the astronomer about his spiritual life.

7) The astronomer said he used to go to services, but he no longer attended.

8) He didn’t see the need because Christianity is really very simple.

9) “Getting along with neighbors and staying out of trouble” is all there is to it.

10) The preacher said, “I know what you mean.

11) I learned all about astronomy in kindergarten with “twinkle, twinkle, little star.”

12) We can use astronomy to illustrate Christianity.

a) Is astronomy easy or hard? This is a poorly worded question.

b) It does not take too long to learn some basic facts about stars.

c) A lot of folks can quickly pick out a few well known constellations.

d) On one level, astronomy is simple and basic enough for the smallest child.

e) Little children can look up and point to the stars. They know what and where they are.

13) A similar thing is true concerning God and Christianity.

14) There is what might be called the basic, introductory, and elementary spiritual knowledge.

15) Peter described this as “milk” in 1 Pet. 2:2.

16) This information is the saving knowledge of the gospel.

17) There are certain facts so basic and simple that all should be able to know, accept, and repeat them.

a) Jesus lived, died, and was raised from the dead.

b) He promised to build something called the “church,” and He promised to create just one.

c) He returned to heaven and will one day return.

d) A judgment day will come, and all will be examined.

e) After the examination a final resting place will be assigned to every person.

f) One place is peaceful; the other is a place of continued punishment.

g) Until that day comes the people of God are to engage in prescribed activities.

h) God has told us how to live and worship.

18) The information in these areas is about as simple as it gets.

19) In fact, this simplicity is spoken of in the New Testament.

a) Acts 2 describes a crowd that gathered. There was some teaching and then people obeyed.

b) They didn’t need to come back the next day.

c) Acts 8 (the latter verses) tell of a man who was riding in a chariot reading the scriptures.

d) He needed a little help with his Bible reading.

e) A second man joined him and it didn’t take long to understand what was being described.

f) As the two were together the two passed by some water and unsaved man became a Christian.

g) Acts 8 shows that some people may need a little guidance in putting things together.

h) This doesn’t mean the information is hard, but it does mean that assistance might be necessary.

20) Such is even the case with constellations.

21) I have been with people who wanted to see a certain star formation.

22) Some can look into the sky and find desired clusters on their own.

23) Others can be pointed in the general direction and they got it.

24) A third kind of person might need someone to take their arm and start drawing it.

25) The guy in Acts 8 needed a little help to grasp the truth.

26) While many parts of the Bible are not difficult, there are some hard parts.

27) Books like Romans and Hebrews have sections which are a like advanced astronomy.

28) When we study these sections, our knowledge and understanding grows. It betters us.

29) Even if someone never studies or really grasps the hard sections, the fundamentals are what matter.

30) I may never read an advanced textbook about stars, but I can find the big dipper.

31) Half of all who are saved may never get a good grasp of books such as Revelation and Ezekiel.

32) But they know what to do to be saved and what others must do.

33) This is all the knowledge we need to be saved and save others.

IF THIS IS CORRECT, WHY IS THERE SO MUCH DISAGREEMENT OVER THE BIBLE, EVEN IN THE SIMPLE AREAS?

a) There may be many reasons, but I will list ones that seem to be especially common in the world.

b) Several years ago a man by the name of James Sire wrote a book entitled “Scripture Twisting.”

c) From long ago there have been attempts to twist the basic facts of God’s word.

2) Jesus said in Jn. 6:63 that His words “are life.”

3) If this is true, and it is also true that the basics in the Bible are simple, the devil knows he is in trouble.

4) Because Satan is in the business of spiritual death, he has two problems.

5) First, he has to deal with the issue of simplicity. He has to make that information hard or confusing.

6) On this count he has done an excellent job.

7) He has helped create an image in the world where God’s word is viewed as hard.

8) Satan’s second problem has also been addressed pretty well by the forces of hell.

9) Jesus said His “words are life.”

10) If we want life, we must use, stay with, and not go beyond the Word of God.

11) Satan has subtly convinced many that God’s word is good, but it does not need to be our only standard.

12) We can judge and live by how we think, feel, and want to believe.

13) Even the majority opinion can be a good standard.

14) Satan has created the lie that simplicity comes from ourselves.

15) Because it comes from our selves it will naturally be diverse.

16) Another reason for disagreement on what the Bible teaches is people will not study for themselves.

17) The word of someone else is taken, and since that word is wrong, a false belief persists.

18) Reason four is pride.

19) If something is cheap, many believe it is not good.

20) If something is simple, something more complicated or elaborate is surely a lot better.

21) God has made the best information easy enough so small children can grasp it.

22) 2 Cor. 11:3 refers to the “simplicity” of “Christ.”

23) Paul believed the basic facts of Christianity are simple. Was he right?

24) He was, but too many are not satisfied with that kind of faith.

25) In the world there is an on-going desire to please men.

26) There are those who believe certain Biblical practices will not be accepted in our culture.

27) Because certain commands are not well suited for society, they are thrust aside for something else.

28) Many have tried to change the basic facts of the gospel, but God’s word has not changed.

29) The scriptures give us life if we follow them and nothing else.

30) Have we found them and therefore found eternal life?

31) Have we become a Christian as the Bible describes?