July 19, 2026 - You Can’t Afford Not to Go

Scripture Reading — Jonah 4:1–3 (KJV)

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

2 And 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.

3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

Sermon Summary

A Responsibility We Can't Ignore

Rev. Johnson opened by reminding us that being a child of God carries a responsibility that runs deeper than we often imagine. He pointed to the woman at the well, who after her encounter with Jesus didn't keep the good news to herself. She went straight back into the city and told everybody about the man who had told her all about herself — she had a revival on her own. The point was simple: there are still people outside these doors who want to know how we made it. If we never go back to reach them, teach them, or simply talk to them, we risk giving the impression that we're up on a high horse, as if this gospel is something only a few can have.

The Hard Walk Back Through the Door

He spoke tenderly about how difficult it is for someone to return to church after years away. It takes prayer from the congregation and real courage from the person walking in. The devil plants a thought in their spirit that everyone is watching, wondering why they came and whether they came for the right reason — to the point that they can't even enjoy the Word. But we serve a God who deals with the brokenhearted, and our job is to make that person feel they belong.

When You Understand but Won't Go

Turning to the text, Rev. Johnson reminded us that God told Jonah to go to Nineveh — a city that had long been an enemy of God's people, with a history of doing wrong. When God gives that kind of assignment, all you can do is pack your bags and go. The real problem, he said, is understanding exactly what God wants and still refusing to do it. That's not confusion; that's defiance. He tied this to forgiveness: when we operate out of a spirit of pain and won't let go, we're standing against God's own Word. Loving those who have hurt us is one of the hardest things a believer is asked to do, but God specializes in taking out the stony, cold heart and putting in a heart of gold — one connected back to Jesus, who even on the cross prayed, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Witnessing Through the Pain

To show what that kind of forgiveness looks like, he shared the story of a man whose only child was murdered. That father went to the prison and told the young man who did it, “I forgive you.” It wasn't easy, and he didn't pretend it was. But through his anger and grief he came to understand the price that had been paid for his own soul — that God could recreate in him a clean heart and give him the power to love, even there. That, Rev. Johnson said, is our duty and our responsibility.

Just Tell Them Your Story

So what do we actually say to people? Just tell them the story. Too many folks believe we're somehow different or stronger than they are. We may be a little stronger because we made the right decision, but it wasn't long ago that we walked in the very same shoes. He painted a vivid picture from his school days — the old fights behind the gym, the stick balanced on the shoulder, the line drawn in the dirt — and how, once the fight was over, there was a sense of morality: you shook hands and it was done. Young people need to hear that we were once hardheaded too, that we did wrong, and that we learned the hard way there was something bigger than us.

One Day in Nineveh

He then walked us through Jonah's whole journey — running to Tarshish, the three miserable days in the belly of the fish with weeds wrapped around his neck (nothing like the tidy cartoon), his prayer, and his release. Given the message a second time, Jonah made a three-day journey in a single day, and 120,000 souls were snatched from the gates of hell — one of the greatest evangelists in the Bible, even though his heart wasn't fully in it. Afterward Jonah sat pouting on the east side of the city. God grew a gourd to shade him, then sent a worm to kill it, and when Jonah got angry over the plant, God asked the question that lands on all of us: you had pity for a gourd that came up overnight — shouldn't I have pity for 120,000 souls?

Re-Evaluating Our Contract With God

Rev. Johnson closed by urging us to take inventory. God saves people to save people, and a believer's number one job is to win souls for Christ. Remember where God brought you from — you could have been in a cold grave, but God made the death angel behave. Someone out there needs to hear that you were once down and out too. So save them a seat, welcome them at the door, and tell them what your God can do. The price is high. We cannot afford not to go.

Key Takeaways

•  God saves people to save people. A believer's number one job is to win souls — and staying quiet about what God has done for us isn't an option.

•  Understanding God's assignment and refusing it isn't confusion; it's defiance. That includes refusing to forgive those who have hurt us.

•  Real witnessing often comes through pain. Like the father who forgave his child's killer, God can give us a clean heart and the power to love our enemies.

•  The most powerful thing you can offer someone is your own story: “I was once just like you.”

•  Like Jonah's single day in Nineveh, God can do far more through a willing — even reluctant — servant than we imagine. Welcome people in and tell them what God can do.