Jonah Outline 1

Text: Jonah 4:2

Title: The Compassion of God

Intro:

CPS:

Compassion in God’s anger Vs. 1-3 & 17

Cause of God’s Anger

Instructed to cry against – preach against the wicked ways

Fled from the presence of the Lord! –

He hated Nineveh – despised them – enemy of Israel etc etc

Results of God’s Anger

Vs. 4 God 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.

Tempest - whirlwind hurricane: Violent storm

Like to be Broken – Threatened to Shatter - cause to break suddenly and violently into pieces

Illustration: Tony dropped a coffee mug and I shattered all over the floor, found pieces of it every where.

Vs. 5 Pagan mariners – AFRAID! CALLED OUT TO THERE god’s…… THEIR IDOLS COULDN’T SAVE THEM!

Threw out cargo –

Jonah was hiding on the hull – asleep – call out to your God! So we want perish!

Distress – called out to god’s that didn’t help – CASTING lots to see whose fault it is!

Vs. 8 Begged him

Occupation?

Where do you come from?

What is your country?

What are your people?

WHO IS YOUR GOD AND WHY IS HE SO MAD WITH YOU?

Vs. 9 He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.”

Pagan’s believed in many god’s – each had a purpose – (sun, rain, land, etc etc etc )

THE LIVING GOD, THE ONE TRUE AND ONLY GOD, THE GOD OF ALL CREATION!

Exceedingly afraid – what shall we do to appease this God?

Cast me into the water! It is my fault!

The mariners rowed hard but they could not get to land, the storm was becoming stronger and stronger.

Vs. 14 THEY CRIED TO THE LORD!

Then they called on the LORD and said, “We earnestly pray, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O LORD, have done as You have pleased.”

You want Jonah in the water we will put him there but please don’t hold us guilty for His death!

Compassion in God’s Anger

Vs. 15 The moment they cast Jonah in the storm ceased

They were saved – FEARED God- They Sacrificed to God made vows

God showed compassion upon pagan sailors – survived the storm – became believers

Jonah – cast into the sea where certainly He would die, God’s compassion for the disobedient the fleer was found in a fish that the LORD had prepared to swallow Jonah.

**** Miracle – not that the fish swallowed Jonah but that he was there three days and three nights and was not digested.

Application: What does God desire – obedience!

Jonah’s disobedience brought God’s anger

But even in God’s anger we see his love in action towards His people.

Compassion found in repentance Vs. 2:1-2 & 10

GOD’S PUNISHMENT BROUGHT JONAH TO REPENTENCE

After three days

Prayed unto God out of his distress and the Lord heard Him.

Cried out from the tomb

Vs. 3 Acknowledged God’s punishment – thou cast me into the deep

Before I was afflicted I went astray: But now have I kept thy word. Ps 119:67.

BROUGHT HIM TO THE PLACE OF CONVICTION AND CONFESSION

MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; 6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” Heb 12:5-6

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. 12:11.

Vs. 4 He wanted to flee from the Lord’s presence – He got what He wanted – cast from God’s sight

Punishment was more than he could bear.

He repents of His sin – “I will look again toward thy holy temple”

36 “When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that 1they take them away captive to a land far off or near, 37 if they take thought in the land where they are taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have committed iniquity and have acted wickedly’; 38 if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been taken captive, and pray toward their land which You have given to their fathers and the city which You have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Your name, 39 then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, their prayer and supplications, and maintain their cause and forgive Your people who have sinned against You. 2 Ch 6:36–39.

NB) same principle of 1 John 1: 9

Vs. 6 Acknowledges God’s compassion

I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; The earth with her bars was about me forever: Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. “Saved me from the Jaws of death”

Vs. 9 I will sacrifice unto thee with GRATEFUL PRAISE

REPENTENCE! I will pay what I have vowed! I will do as you instructed.

Double turn

Proclaimed – salvation is of the Lord – turned his heart back towards

Application: God’s punishment brought Jonah to repentance and in his repentance, he experiences God’s compassion (love in action) towards him.

The moment he turned his heart back towards God the fish vomited him onto dry shore.

Compassion found in Belief Vs. 1-5 & 10

Arise from where you are and go to Nineveh I preach I what I tell you to peach.

Jonah went – obedience

Nineveh – capital of Assyrian empire

Large 7.7 miles in circumference – 3 days to cross it.

Non - Hebrew – worshipped…… Ishtar goddess of love and war

exceedingly evil - Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage; Her prey never departs. 2 The noise of the whip, The noise of the rattling of the wheel, Galloping horses And bounding chariots! 3 Horsemen charging, Swords flashing, spears gleaming, Many slain, a mass of corpses, And countless dead bodies— They stumble over the dead bodies! 4 All because of the many harlotries of the harlot, The charming one, the mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations by her harlotries And families by her sorceries. Na 3:1–4.

WHAT DID HE PREACH – your sin has searched you out. God will no longer stand by and watch your exceedingly evil ways! Judgment is pending, God will over throw you!

Belief! Vs.5 From the greatest to the least believed God!

They dressed in sackcloth and proclaimed a fast, they cried mightily unto God!

Mightily – earnestly – Sharpley

NB) vs. 9 They did this not knowing if God would relent!

Compassion! Nineveh experienced God’s love in action – He relented from His judgment because of their belief and repentance.

Application: Do you want to experience God’s compassion in your life? God’s compassion is found in belief.

Compassion is found in the goodness of God Vs 1-4 & 10

Jonah’s anger

Displeased ……. very angry

He would have rather seen Nineveh destroyed than see them repent of their sin and believe in God by faith.

Mad because he went through this experience knowing God was going to relent. “I could have stayed home”

He knew God’s nature

Vs. 2 Gracious God, Merciful God, Slow to anger, and of great Kindness.

HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” Romans 10:15.

No one can repent and come to faith without being told the word of God.

So mad He begged God to take His life.

What does God say? Do you do well to be angry – DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ANGRY ABOUT.

Then He sets up a hut in the shadow and waited to see what would come of the city! Like he is waiting for 4th of July fireworks.

Ready to see fire and sulfur pour down upon them.

Then God shows grace to Jonah by causing a large plant to grow to give him shade.

That brought Him great joy. Saved souls made him mad but shade made him happy

Self-absorbed – we are self-absorbed rather find entertainment than see lost people saved.

Then the next day God caused the plant to die and sent a violent east wind and the sun and wind beamed down on Jonah and His anger arises again over the death of the plant.

Then God chastises Jonah saying “you had compassion for the plant that you did not plant nor make grow. That you only knew for 1 day!

Yet shall I not show compassion to these 120,000 people are ignorant in the ways of my righteousness.

Application: God is the Compassionate God.

It is His sovereign right to show compassion to whomever He wishes!

Exodus 33:19 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion. Ex 33:19.

Thank God He is a gracious God because if not we would all be condemned to suffer his wrath.

God’s compassion has not nothing to do with the goodness of mankind – it has to do ONLY WITH THE GOODNESS OF GOD!

We see compassion shown to Pagan Sailors -idolaters

A disobedient profit

An exceedingly evil city who in 722 B.C. would take Israel into captivity

We see God’s love in action displayed upon Hebrews and Gentiles

NB) We see God’s compassion (love in action) displayed towards His enemy and the enemy of His chosen people Israel.

This short book is a call to compassion

To understand that God created all and wishes for none to perish – His compassion is available to anyone who would repent and believe the gospel.

This is a call for us to show compassion as God shows it.

Show compassion to those like us and to those not like us.

To those we like and to those we dislike.

To show compassion to even our enemies.

Illustration: Osama Bin Laden

Display God’s love for a lost and dying world by being obedient and proclaiming to the lost judgment is coming repent of your sin and believe the Gospel.

The power of God unto salvation.

God is exceddingly compassionate, we can find compassion in His anger and chastisement.

We find it when we repent and believe.

We find that His compassion displayed has nothing to do with our goodness but is found only because of His goodness.

Who are we to judge who God shows compassion to? It is not up to us It is God’s Sovereign right to Show compassion to whoever He wishes!