The 4 Second Sermon.
Is it possible to preach a 4 second sermon? Jonah proved that it is not only possible but can also very effective. Brian explains.
Jonah’s Sermon
I am reading from Jonah, chapter 3:
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.’ So, Jonah … called out, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
Jonah 3:1-5
The Greatest Conversion Story in History
The greatest mass conversion in history. At least 120,000. Imagine an evangelist coming to your area, preaching for 4 seconds, and seeing the entire population converted. What could be a greater conversion miracle than that? Well … how about your conversion? Aren’t you sometimes completely amazed that God saved you?
You have probably talked to other Christians who seem amazed by salvation almost every time they talk about it. They still can’t get over it. I hope you and I never “get over” the greatness of God.
God Used Jonah
God used Jonah, God chose Jonah – do you think he can use you? But you say,
“I don’t have the ‘gift of the gab; I can hardly string together a 5-minute devotional.”
Well, how about 1 minute? How about ½ a minute? How about 1 word?
“Jesus”.
Say the name of “Jesus”.
A Short Message
“Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”
Can God do anything with a short message? Eve only had a Bible of 25 words:
“Of every tree in the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat.”
But if she had used it properly, she could have held off Lucifer, the most brilliant angel God ever created.
The Samaritan Woman
The Samaritan woman said,
“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”
(John 4:29)
Her message was short, simple, and focused on Christ. But you know what else — it was not perfect! She exaggerated. Jesus could not have told her everything she ever did. But look at the response to what she said:
“Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.”
And the best short message:
“Jesus”.
A man was walking by a building holding a Gospel meeting when he heard just that word: “Jesus!” It stopped him in his tracks. He entered the meeting and learned how the Lord Jesus could save him.
Thirty Seconds of Your Time
There was a man Mr. Genor. He would come up to people in the street and ask, “May I have just thirty seconds of your time? You know there are 2 roads in life. One leads to heaven and happiness forever. The other leads to hell and everlasting sadness. It makes all the difference in the world which road you are on. It’s something worth thinking about wouldn’t you say? Ta Ta for now.”
Thirty seconds. It is estimated that he spoke to approximately 146,000 people individually about Jesus and his witness led to the salvation of tens of thousands.
What a Strategy!
Jonah’s 4-second sermon: What a strategy for reaching people for God. There have been powerful evangelism strategies: Evangelism Explosion, Campus for Christ, Christianity Explored, Every Home for Christ, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Evangelists like Luther, Wesley, Whitfield, Moody, Hudson Taylor, William Carey. What was God’s strategy? — Jonah! With a 4-second message!! The remaining verses in chapter 3 describe the outcome of that message:
“Forty more days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”
“Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes … saying … let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.”
Jonah 3:6, 8-10
Do you remember a time when you cried out to God? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Brian Stapley
Brian Stapley is the husband of Margaret and “Christian-proud” father of Tabitha, Ben, Jeremy and Joel. He has been director of the Boys JIM Club of America since 1981 and a “JIM Clubber” since 1958, the year he became a Christian. The mission statement of the JIM Club is, “Discipling boys to love Jesus deeply and express him vividly.”
He has been an educator since 1970, primarily as a high school English Teacher. (Don’t dangle your participles.) He has been in fellowship at Scottlea Gospel Chapel, St. Catharines, since 1976 and travels to preach about three dozen times a year, in Ontario and New York State. He is a ventriloquist, in company with Casey, Theodore, Dodo, Grumpa, and a menagerie of others. Also, a bit of a magician.
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