Join us as we unpack the powerful narrative of Jonah and his transformative journey from rebellion to redemption. Dr. McGee eloquently discusses the significance of ‘Salvation is of the Lord,’ demonstrating how Jonah’s vow to God marks a turning point in his life. With insights on personal growth, divine intervention, and the universal need for salvation, this episode underscores the foundational Christian truth that salvation is entirely a divine gift. Listen in for an enriching dialogue that emphasizes faith, repentance, and the unwavering love of God.
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in God.
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Salvation is of the Lord. And that’s the good news that we hear from the Old Testament book of Jonah today. Welcome to Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee. Are you enjoying our time in God’s Word? Is He speaking to your heart through these studies in Jonah? Are you maybe a little surprised by the connections that we’re making between the Old and New Testaments? If so, then you know we’d love to hear from you. Why don’t you drop us a note in the feedback section of our app or email us at biblebus at ttb.org or send it to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. You can also call and leave a message at 1-800-65-BIBLE. Letters like this one from a listener named Mason are so encouraging to all of us. He writes… Thank you for keeping the teachings from Dr. McGee going. I’ve been on the Bible bus for a few years. I’ve read and studied the Bible for 15 years. I’m using the app to read the whole Bible this year. I bought a Schofield Bible, as Dr. McGee suggests, so I can read the notes he refers to a lot. It’s really a joy to read every morning. I have passed out your Bible bus passes to several people. I know they have been blessed by listening and reading. Thank you for all that you’re doing to fling the seed to all nations. Well, thanks for your letter, Mason. It’s great to have you aboard the Bible bus and as a partner in Flinging That Seed. And then here’s a quick note. This is from Makoba, who listens in his native language of Naga Sangtam. That’s in India. He shares this. I would like to thank you for paving the way to understand more of God’s Word in our dialect. Through your ministry, our family has been blessed and gained a better knowledge of Scripture. Words are not enough to express our gratitude to you. May the good Lord continue to work a great miracle among our people through your teaching. Isn’t that encouraging? Let’s echo that prayer together and ask that many more will hear God’s Word and respond in faith in India and through the entire world. Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for your word and our opportunity to hear it and our opportunity to give it out. As it does go out, Lord, please draw to yourself the hearts of all those who are listening. And that includes each one of us. In the wonderful name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Here’s more of our exciting study of Jonah on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
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Now, friends, last time we were looking at Jonah’s prayer here in the second chapter of the book of Jonah. He is telling us, actually, or he evidently wrote this later. I’ve never found anybody yet that contended Jonah wrote this when he was down in the fish. However, that picture given me as a little boy Well, Jonah was sitting at a table and I never could figure whether he was eating or whether he was writing something. But nevertheless, I don’t think he wrote the book of Jonah down there. Now, this is after he had his experience and he’s telling us about it. Now, last time, we believe that he made a statement that makes it absolutely clear that he went down to death. Fact of the matter is, he makes it clear that rigor mortis had already set in in his body, where he tells us in verse 6, yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption. Now, corruption, friends, is death. Peter so used it on the day of Pentecost and said that the Lord Jesus did not see corruption. He didn’t taste it at all. But Jonah did taste it. And therefore, what we have here is, in my judgment, a definite statement that the man is telling us that he died. And that the miracle is resurrection here. And that’s Lot’s greater miracle than for a man to live three days. There have been several, as I gave an account last time, and these statements are reliable, of the fact that men have lived in the fish and that it is possible for a man to live in the fish. That, to me, is getting a sidetrack from the great teaching of the book of Jonah. Now, I want you to notice what else he says here, verse 7. He says, “…when my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.” Now, he says that he fainted in the fish. So that my position would be something like this. I think this would be a normal explanation. I think when this man was swallowed by that fish, he was frightened. And he began immediately to call out to God to deliver him. And then he found himself going down the esophagus of that fish. And he drops kaplunk in the tummy of the fish. And if there’s one of these that had four tummies, I don’t know which one he dropped into. But he dropped into one. And he lived for several minutes there. And he said that his soul fainted within him. And you can well understand that. It must have been at least five minutes before he lapsed into unconsciousness. And before he did, he said, I remembered the Lord. This is when he prayed his prayer. Don’t try to tell me that he prayed his prayer on the third day after he’d spent three days in there under conviction and soul searching. His soul got wet, he said. And that now his soul fainted within him. That means that he lost consciousness inside of the fish. So he had to pray this prayer. And he says, my prayer came in unto thee, unto thine holy temple. He says, before I lapsed into unconsciousness. That was the next step. And then death came to him. Then this man had already prayed his prayer. Now he makes this observation here. And it’s one of the many maxims that you find in the Word of God. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. I have tried to get a good explanation of that verse. And so far, here’s another verse that I’m unable to get a satisfactory explanation. So I have to give you mine. And I think you’ll probably find it very unsatisfactory. I think this is another one of the great principles. Vanities is emptiness. To observe that which is empty, that which is veined. That which is just a dream that’s not going to come to pass. And then a lying emptiness. They forsake the only mercy they can receive. Now, this man Jonah said at this time, I called out to the living and true God. I no longer was playing the pouting prophet, rushing off to Tarshish because I don’t like Ninevites. Because I actually hate Ninevites and I don’t want them saved. And so I’m rushing off in the opposite direction. He says, now I’m dealing with reality. I’m getting right down to the nitty gritty. And friends, there was a whole lot of nitty gritty inside that fish. And this man says, I’m getting right down to business with God. And I appeal to him, to his mercy. And I found out he was merciful to me. And he cried out to God. Now, he then shows his gratitude by saying this, verse 9. He says, “…but I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving.” And friends, I don’t suppose that you and I could possibly conceive of the thanksgiving there was in that man’s heart and life when the fish vomited him out on the dry land. And he was a mess at that time. But I tell you, he lifted his voice in thanksgiving to God for having delivered him and raised him from the dead. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that I have vowed. Do you know what his vow was? Can’t you imagine what it was? He said, I’ll go to Nineveh. Before he said, I won’t go to Nineveh. He’s changed his mind. God has changed it for him. And he now makes a vow. He said, Lord, I’ll go to Nineveh. And you know, the Lord has to deal with many of us like that. He never did put me through a fish. But he gave me cancer. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not blaming him for it. He judged me. And then he’s chastised me since then because I thought I’d learned all the lessons that an old man ought to learn. But I found out I hadn’t learned them. And I am prepared to say the same thing. I can be thankful to him for what he’s permitted to come to me and then to deliver me from it. And I’ve made vows to God. I promised him that I’d give the rest of my life to just giving out the word of God. And that’s the reason I do it the way that I do, is because that’s what I’m called to do. Someone suggested to me many things. to put into the program certain gimmicks, to put into the program music, to do it differently. No, I made a vow to God, and I’m going to keep it, that I’d give out the Word of God the best I know how. Now, I understand a great many people that find fault and don’t like the way I do it, and I’m not entirely satisfied. I wish I could do it better. But friends, that’s the vow, and I know the vow this man made. He said, I’m going to Nineveh, Lord, and I’m going to do what you want me to do. Now, will you notice the statement that I’ve already called attention to? Salvation is of the Lord. Now, that’s the latter part of verse 9 here. Now, again, in my judgment, in my book, I would say that this is the most important statement that you find in the book of Jonah. And that is something, again, that I think is very, very important. Now, will you notice here, I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. That’s deliverance. Now, there’s several things about this that we need to know. Salvation, friends, is God’s work for us. Salvation is never man’s work for God. You see, God cannot save us by our works because the only thing that we can present to him is imperfection. And God just does not accept imperfection. He won’t do that. You have to present to him perfection. And that’s the only thing that God will accept. Now, you and I are unable to present it. Therefore, if it depended on us or our works, we could never be saved if it depended on us doing something. To begin with, we’re lost sinners, dead in trespasses and sins. And if deliverance is to come, it’ll have to come to us just like it came to Jonah, dead and hopeless in that fish. If he’s to live, if he’s to be used of God, and he is going to be, it’s because salvation is of the Lord. And if you ever get saved, it’s because salvation is of the Lord. Now, salvation is such a wonderful thing that actually you can put it into three tenses. That’s the thing that I have done, and I believe that that’s the thing that is very important. May I put it like this? I have been saved. Past tense. I am being saved. Present tense. I shall be saved. Future tense. So salvation is God’s work from beginning to end. Let me look at that for just a moment scripturally. I have been saved. The Lord Jesus Christ says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on me hath everlasting life. The moment you trust Christ, you have everlasting life. That is something that took place in the past. As far as those of you that are listening to me today that are Christians, sometime in the past, you trusted Christ. That was all his work. You trusted what he did. He that believeth on the Son hath life. You receive life when you trusted Christ and did nothing, nothing whatsoever. He offered it to you as a gift. The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. And we can say, I have been saved. How was I saved? By trusting Christ, his work. And it was not by works of righteousness which we’ve done, but it was according to his mercy. He saved us by the washing of regeneration, renewing of the Holy Spirit. Now, God’s not through with us at that time. He intends to work in our lives. And we’re told to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it’s God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Now, you can’t work it out until somebody’s worked it in. You have to have it before you can work it out. And you and I are to work out our salvation. So Paul could say, by grace are ye saved through faith. That not of yourselves, it’s the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Well, that’s great. But he didn’t stop there, you see. He kept talking. And the thing that he said was this. He says, for we are his workmanship. His workmanship, yes, created in Christ Jesus, given a new life, born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible of the word of God that liveth and abideth forever, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. So that now, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the child of God is to produce fruit. In fact, he says, I want you to bring forth much fruit. What is the fruit of the Spirit? Well, the fruit of the Spirit, Paul says in Galatians, is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, etc., etc. All of those marvelous, wonderful graces are his work, but he wants to work them in you today. And you and I ought to be growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. So I am being saved. I ought to be a better Christian today than I was last year. I get a little discouraged in that field because sometimes I think I’m like the proverbial cat that climbed up three feet on a pole in the daytime and then swept back five at night. I feel like that I don’t get very far. But nevertheless, I trust there has been some growth. Now, salvation is to the Lord. I will be saved. There is coming a day when I will be saved. You remember that Paul said to that young preacher, Timothy, that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. Then he kept talking about that wonderful fact of the Word of God, that it’s able to make you wise unto salvation. Well, what did he mean that it’s able to make you wise unto salvation? Well, when Timothy was already saved from our viewpoint, it would enable him to grow. It would enable him to live for God. as we’ve indicated. But you see, even when we come to the end of life, we are not complete. Even Dwight L. Moody, that great evangelist, you remember, he said, when I was a boy, I heard Henry Varley, an unknown preacher at that time, and he was sitting in the balcony. He heard him say, God has yet to see what God can do with a man that is fully yielded to him. And Dwight L. Moody, a young fellow at that time, he says, by the grace of God, I’ll be that man. And when Dwight L. Moody was dying, he said, when I was a boy, I heard Henry Varley say that God has yet to see what God can do with a man that’s fully yielded to him. He said, I wanted to be that man. But it’s still true that The world has yet to see what God can do with a man that’s fully yielded to him. And I’m of the opinion that when you and I get to the end of life, it’ll still be true of you and me, that it can still be said the world is yet to see one completely yielded to God. So don’t be discouraged with me if you are. And I guess some of you are. And I won’t be discouraged with you because, beloved, It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. We’re going to see him someday, and then we’re going to be like him. Until then, I’ll probably be very unlike him. Maybe you will make it. I don’t think I will. But in that day, I’ll be like him. And at that time, you’re going to be delighted with me, friends. You’re really going to love me. And that’s one of the things that’s going to make heaven so wonderful. You know what it is? It’s not that I’m going to love everybody. And I think that’s true. But everybody’s going to love me. Not going to be wonderful when you get to heaven because you’re going to be that kind of person. I say this is a wonderful statement. Salvation is of the Lord. That’s back in the Old Testament. It’s in the book of Jonah. And you know where a man learned that? He learned that when he was swallowed by a fish. And then when he was vomited out, why he could make this statement. Now, will you notice verse 10? And the Lord spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. And friends, I can’t resist making this corny statement. It just proves that you can’t keep a good man down. Even the fish couldn’t. And someone else has put it like this, that even a fish couldn’t digest Jonah, a backsliding prophet. But he’s a different man. Now, he’s made some vows to God. And one of them is he’s going to Nineveh. His ticket is to Nineveh. Now, that brings us to the third chapter of this very marvelous book. And I’m just going to get my foot in the door here. But let’s go back and take a look at our timetable. And remember, a timetable, three things are important. The destination of the plane or train, you better get on the right one. And then the time it leaves and the time it arrives. Well, chapter 1, his destination is Nineveh. He leaves Israel, arrives in the fish. Chapter 2 that we’ve looked at, his destination is still Nineveh. He leaves the fish, he arrives on the dry land. Now we’ve come to chapter 3, his destination, still Nineveh. He leaves the dry land and he’s going to arrive in Nineveh. And this brings us now to this third chapter. Verse 1, and I’m reading, And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. Now, I have time for only one thing to mention, and next time we’re going to come back to this verse here. And that is, the important thing is, the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the The second time. I was teaching the book of Jonah many years ago at a summer conference. And there was a school teacher there attending it. And she’s a lovely person. But she always, after every session, would come down with a question. And school teachers could always ask me questions that I couldn’t answer. And she came down one day with this one. She said, suppose that Jonah, after he got out of the fish, went back to Joppa and bought another ticket to go to Parshish. What would have happened? Well, you know, I’d never heard it from that viewpoint before. And I said to the teacher, the best thing I could say, and I don’t think I’ve changed my mind since then, I think there’d been a second fish waiting for him out there. But it wasn’t necessary. Because he’s already learned his lesson. He’s going to Nineveh, friends. No question about that. That’s where he’s headed now. And the ticket he buys, he buys a train ticket or a plane ticket or some kind of ticket. He’s going to Nineveh and he’s headed in that direction. The same as the prodigal son. Suppose that boy had said the next year to his dad, Dad, state me again. I’m going to the far country. Do you think the father would have staked him? I think he would have. But the interesting thing is, boy didn’t go to the far country. Why? Because he’s a son of the father. And he didn’t want to get in a pig pen again. God’s children may get into sin, but they’re sure not going to live in sin. And if they’re going to live in sin, it’s just like pigs. Pigs live in pig pens. Sons live in the father’s house. And it’s just that simple, friend, and just that important. Now, the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time. And that teacher asked me that question about what would have happened if he’d have headed for Tarshish on a second trip. Well, all I can say is there’d been another fish out there because this man’s going to go to Nineveh. But he’s already learned his lesson. And maybe that school teacher was having trouble with her pupils not learning. But God’s pupils, his children, will learn the lessons. Now we’re going to see the meaning of that word the second time, that phrase, the second time. And that has become to some people that have listened to the book of Jonah, has become the most meaningful statement there is in the scripture. And I hope it may be that to you next time, because many folk need this today. So until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
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www.ttb.org With this one download, you’re going to have access to all of Dr. McGee’s notes and outlines for our entire five-year journey. Or if you’d prefer to get them just for Jonah, you can do that as well. Just select one book at a time. Or call us and we’ll send you an abridged print copy of Briefing the Bible by Mail when you request it at 1-800-65-BIBLE. And while you got us on the phone, why don’t you be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter. Every issue is really packed full of great ministry information, including more teaching from Dr. McGee, as well as news from the Bible Bus, and then prompts that will help you go deeper as you journey through God’s Word yourself. Again, that number is 1-800-65-BIBLE or visit ttb.org to sign up online. Our travels through God’s Word continues. I’m Steve Schwetz, and as always, I’ll be here saving a seat just for you.
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Jesus gave it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left the crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.
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