THE SIGN OF JONAH; THE CALL FOR REPENTANCE FROM SIN AND COMPLETE SALVATION IN CHRIST JESUS CRUCIFIED ALONE:
"Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came up to Jesus, and they asked Him to show them a sign (spectacular miracle) from heaven [attesting His divine authority].

2 He replied to them, When it is evening you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,

3 And in the morning, It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and has a gloomy and threatening look. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

4 A wicked and morally unfaithful generation craves a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Then He left them and went away." (Matthew 16:1-4 ampc)


The sign of Jonah is the death of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary for the atonement of human sin, His burial in the belly of the earth for 3-days just like Jonah stayed inside the belly of the fish for 3-days and Jesus resurrection from the dead after 3-days just as Jonah was vomited out of the belly of the fish after 3-days then he preached the word of God that brought the whole of Ninevah to repentance from their sin and reconciliation with God hence it is *only* by *a direct personal experience with the effects of Jesus death on the Cross and His Resurrection* which takes away *the old-nature/flesh* in any human being and releases the New Creation Life of Jesus can such a person *be capable of living a consistent and progressive lifestyle of holiness and righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ Crucified under the manipulations/control/power of the Holy Spirit which is acceptable to God and can cause genuine repentance from sin in the lives of other human beings as well as the birth of the New Creation Life of Jesus Christ Crucified within their mortal bodies effortlessly, consistently and progressively*


This sign makes us to conform to Jesus death in our mortal bodies *fresh every second of our earthly existence* so that the Power of His Resurrection will be manifesting *fresh every second* according to the good pleasures of the GOD-HEAD(Father, Son and the Holy Spirit) not just for *our human selfish ego or religious titles*
thus
"Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered, so that the [[a]resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies.

11 For we who live are constantly [experiencing] being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced through our flesh which is liable to death.

12 Thus death is actively at work in us, but [it is in order that our] life [may be actively at work] in you." (2 Corinthians 4:10-12 ampc)

AND

"[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and *that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers],* and that *I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death*, [in the hope]

11 That if possible *I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead* [even while in the body]."
(Phil. 3:10-11 ampc)

AND

"[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight." (Philippians 2:13 ampc)

This is why Jesus stated that it is *by carrying our cross daily that we become His genuine disciples* thus "And He said to all, *If any person wills to come after Me*, *let him deny himself* [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me* [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also]." (Luke 9:23 ampc)

The Cross of Jesus is NOT our *personal problems, lacks, marrying a stubborn-spouse, having to deal with an intimidating boss in the office or academic supervisor or government officials that awards/with-holds contracts or bad governance in a country/state, not having enough funds to pay your bills, not having a suitor, not having a job or being denied promotions in the place of work*. All these listed above and more are temptations of living on earth which both unbelievers and believers must face daily from the devil who is the tempter even as He tempted Jesus while He was in the human body. For the believers; Jesus confirmed that we shall have more of these challenges and temptations because we carry His New Creation Life within our mortal-bodies in John 16:33 ("I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]" ) in order to discourage us from continuing in our faith-walk with GOD.


The Cross is the STRATEGY/TOOL/METHOD/WISDOM of the GOD-HEAD(Father, Son and the Holy Spirit) which was designed before the foundation of the world for the redemption of mankind back to the GLORY of God which they failed-short-of in Adam's disobedience and this strategy was a hidden and secret mystery that God kept to HIMSELF which no other being knew even the devil until God decided to reveal its reality and gave us(believers) the priviledge that flows from His mercy, grace and unconditional love for mankind (His image and likeness) in order to comprehend and *personal experience this revelation of His reality for our complete deliverance from sin, the flesh, the devil, the world and eternal-death(hell-fire)* through the Power of His Holy Spirit thus
"Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding), *we do impart a [higher] wisdom (the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden);* but it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away.

7 But rather *what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God*—[that wisdom] which *God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence].*

8 *None of the rulers(devil/principalities/powers/demons) of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this,* for if they had, *they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.*

9 But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed].

10 *Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit,* for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny]."
(1 Corinthians 2: 6-10 ampc)


The Cross of Jesus Christ does 2 functions in any human being
1. to remove the old-man/the flesh(not our skin/mortal-body) we inherited from Adam's disobedience and replace it with the NEW CREATION LIFE IF JESUS CHRIST just as He was on earth as God and Man at the same time thus
"For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us!" (2 Corinthians 5:21 TLB)

Anybody who has not personally experienced this *removal and replacement of the flesh* does not have God as His Father but His Creator, however such a person can repent and surrender to this encounter with Jesus death on the Cross and His resurrection at anytime by faith. Those who have not encountered this exchange are still carrying the flesh hence they can never please God no matter their religious titles and activities among believers thus
"That’s why those who are still under the control of their old sinful selves, bent on following their old evil desires, *can never please God.*" (Romans 8:8 ampc)

2. to make our mortal-bodies(free-will, mind, emotions, thoughts, imaginations, parts-of-our-bodies, and whole-body) to *submit daily to the New Life of Jesus such that He uses every aspect of our mortal bodies as His own while He was on this earth in the human body* as we saw paul expressing in 2 Corinthians 4:10-12 already cited above and these following scriptures
"Any human being who wants to be my follower must love me far more than he does his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters—yes, more than his own life—otherwise he cannot be my disciple. 27 And *no human being can be my disciple who does not carry his own cross and follow me*. " (Luke 14:26-27 TLB)

"Any human being who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did." (1 John 2:6 TLB)

Great Grace Brethren!!!