BETTER THAN CREATION INTRO: GOD’S CRITIQUE OF CREATION= “GOOD” Gen 1:4 Gen 1:10 Gen 1:12 Gen 1:18 Gen 1:21 Gen 1:25 Gen 1:31 …But, one step above is “Great”. TEXT: JONAH I. A GREAT COMMUNITY 1:2 Jonah 3:2 Jonah 3:3 Gen 10:10-12 Zeph 2:13 Zeph 2:15 Nah 3:7 Matt 12:41 II. A GREAT CONCERN 1:4, 12 John 6:18-19 Acts 2:2 Eph 4:14 Acts 27:13-14 2Pet 2:18 III. A GREAT CREATURE 1:17 Matt 12:40 Gen 1:26 Gen 1:28 Gen 9:2 Ps 8:5-6 Ps 8:8-9 IV. A GREAT CONDITION 3:5 V. GREAT CHARITY 4:11, 2 Luke 15:10 Acts 17:30 2Pet 3:9 Rev 2:21 Rev 16:11 CONCLUSION: 1JOHN 1:9-10 Blaming sin on a handicap, a personality trait, environment, or lack of education will not cleanse you from unrighteousness, only confession of sin gains cleansing.

1. Better than Creation
Intro: God’s critique of Creation= “good”
Gen 1:4
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the
light from the darkness.
Gen 1:10
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together
of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:12
And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after
his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself,
after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:18
And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the
light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:21
And God created great whales, and every living creature that
moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after
their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw
that it was good.

2. Gen 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle
after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth
after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:31
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it
was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth
day.
Good, better, best, never let her rest till your good is better, and
your better is best.
…But, one step above is “Great”.
Text: Jonah
I. A Great Community 1:2
Jonah 1:2
2Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for
their wickedness is come up before me.
 Nineveh was great because she determined to be.
 Nineveh was great because she thought she could get away
with wickedness.

3.  Nineveh was great because God saw her as great. (for a
display of his mercy and grace or a display of his power
and destruction)
Jonah 3:2
Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach
unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
Jonah 3:3
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.
A city turns individuals into a community (things in common).
Gen 10:10-12
10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and
Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11
Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh,
and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, 12 And Resen between
Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city. The Kingdom
of Babel makes Reason “great”.
Zeph 2:13
And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and
destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and
dry like a wilderness.

4. Zeph 2:15
This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in
her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she
become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in!
every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.
Nah 3:7
And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee
shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who
will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
Matt 12:41
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this
generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at
the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is
here. Because the people of Nineveh repented at the
word of a backslidden prophet, they will judge all who
reject the Word of God.
II. A Great Concern 1:4, 12
Jonah 1:4
4But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was
a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be
broken.

5. Jonah 1:12
12And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into
the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for
my sake this great tempest is upon you.
This was God’s alarm bell, a powerful and terrifying wind.
John 6:18-19
18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty
furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing
nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.
Acts 2:2
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a
rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they
were sitting.
An enticing calm wind is the devil’s invitation to destruction.
Eph 4:14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
wait to deceive;

6. Acts 27:13-14
13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that
they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed
close by Crete. 14 But not long after there arose against it
a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
2Pet 2:18
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they
allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much
wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who
live in error.
III. A Great Creature 1:17
Jonah 1:17
17Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up
Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days
and three nights.
Matt 12:40
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the
whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days
and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Gen 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the

7. sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and
over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue
it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth
upon the earth.
Gen 9:2
And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon
every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air,
upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes
of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
Fleeing from the presence of God makes you lose control
over the things that should be with in your control.
Ps 8:5-6
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and
hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6 Thou madest
him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou
hast put all things under his feet:

8. Ps 8:8-9
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and
whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. 9 O
LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
IV. A Great Condition3:5
Jonah 3:5
5So 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.
Notice it was the “people” not the king or rulers that…
 “Believed God” (not Jonah)
 “Proclaimed a fast”
 “Put on sackcloth”
There were no exceptional people “from the greatest… to
the least” all needed to Repent.
The reason for this is because of Jonah’s obedience. He did not
wait to start preaching till he reached the kings palace.
Jonah 3:4
4And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey,
and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown.

9. V. Great Charity 4:11, 2
Jonah 4:11
11And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are
more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern
between their right hand and their left hand; and also much
cattle?
Jonah 4:2
2And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O
LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country?
Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a
gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great
kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
Luke 15:10
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Acts 17:30
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commandeth all men every where to repent:
2Pet 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men
count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not

10. willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance.
Rev 2:21
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she
repented not.
Rev 16:11
And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains
and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Conclusion:1John1:9-10
1John 1:9-10
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us.
Blaming sin on a handicap, a personality trait, environment,
or lack of education will not cleanse you from
unrighteousness, only confession of sin gains cleansing.
BETTER THAN CREATION
INTRO: GOD’S CRITIQUEOFCREATION=“GOOD”
Gen 1:4
Gen 1:10

11. Gen 1:12
Gen 1:18
Gen 1:21
Gen 1:25
Gen 1:31
…But, one step above is “Great”.
TEXT: JONAH
I. A GREAT COMMUNITY 1:2
Jonah 3:2
Jonah 3:3
Gen 10:10-12
Zeph 2:13
Zeph 2:15
Nah 3:7
Matt 12:41
II. A GREAT CONCERN 1:4, 12
John 6:18-19
Acts 2:2
Eph 4:14
Acts 27:13-14
2Pet 2:18
III. A GREAT CREATURE 1:17
Matt 12:40
Gen 1:26
Gen 1:28
Gen 9:2
Ps 8:5-6
Ps 8:8-9
IV. A GREAT CONDITION 3:5
V. GREAT CHARITY 4:11, 2
Luke 15:10
Acts 17:30
2Pet 3:9
Rev 2:21
Rev 16:11
CONCLUSION: 1JOHN 1:9-10
Blaming sin on a handicap, a personality trait,environment, or lack of educationwill not cleanse you
from unrighteousness, only confession of sin gains cleansing.