21 May 2023 - 10:30am St. Johns

Please be seated.

I thought you were here for the first time. A very warm. Welcome to you. My name is Sam play. Beyond this evening is the heat at

Well, it'll be a really great idea to pull out your bottles. I open them to pay 753. We got to continue to look at the Book of Jonah. One of the great things about doing a series on China, is that you finally probably by the 4th we know where China is. If you've been here eight weeks, I paid 753 and have a look for the last few weeks that you have missed a story. It's a story of God's recalcitrant Prophet. God comes to the prophet Jonah and says go to Nineveh and China completely the opposite direction. God sends a big storm and the sailors. They're all trying to get different gods to the silos United song is, because of me. Just write me over the edge. I'm not stopping. I'm not going back, we're not doing that. But they try everything eventually though they say to God, please forgive us. So they're praying to God. China still hasn't please. Forgive us for throwing me over the edge and they probably won't even see you guys completely And the sailors old, praise and worship God, they all become followers of God, repent. And then they'll be leaving for God. Now and eventually he's in a position where he's definitely, he's, he's going to die. And finally gotten a messy, sends the famous fish and swallows him and Johnny, Praise In the Belly of the fish and eventually after 3 days. The fish formatting out onto the shore. And so you admit he's had to spray. We get to start again and God says C2.

and this time, Turn it does. Last week, you guys sending the city, the capital of Assyria evil horrible place and he goes in there and he says 40 days rolling to be wiped out. You going to be up and around.

And actually that happens, the whole city repents we finish last week with a complete success of China's mission to Nineveh and turns to God exclamation and none of its responses. So exactly what God wanted that chapter 3 ends with this free, sorry boost 10 when God's or what they did. They turn from the evil way God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them and he did not do it.

You might expect after that, that joining would be ecstatically. Happy? He's engaged single-handedly in a Citywide, Evangelistic Crusade, and repented, and given a boil, and why is it limes or amended, where's the crime, right? Before was off the scale. You can walk the streets without fear of getting mugged. Now, people obtain a good place to bring up the kids.

As we begin.

We discovered that Joyner is the opposite. He is outraged. He is out front. But technically this one but this was very displeasing to join. I and he became angry actually in the stronger than that, it says but this was very wrong with your neighbor was bad evil.

Because, and he became very angry. Why was he angry?

Because the new device. Didn't get whatever said they deserved. God had done something bad or evil until his eyes by letting people off. Who should have been punished. Jonah was angry because God was gracious and merciful. It sounds kind of like when it is kind of good.

And yet. Are we so different vagina?

My guess is there's hardly a person in this room had, it has not filled it at some stage in their life before I can see it is a mirror. I can see my ugly face looking back at me as I look at a pool. I wonder what you've been in this situation where you're funny things hard. And you looking at other people, they don't even seem to follow God, all that. Well, if at all, you can see your life is good, and it seems to be going well, and there's something in your heart that says why that's wrong. I got to church every single wake. I live the supermodel, life learning things. Huh?

Hey, Jonah thinks it's good for God to have mercy on him. But he's not consistent busy. Thanks a lot for getting me out of this sticky situation, where I was about to drown.

but,

For me. But then I'm proud of your people. I've been worshipping you my whole life. So that's exactly. That's exactly what you should do. God, what you should do? I'm your people, you're my God. You bless me. My life is good. That's the way religions went to work. Is not No.

I've been wishing you my whole life.

You're welcome. I was glad to give you a message to the ninevites. That was my favorite part of this whole episode. Because I got to say, I went into that City and it was so full of seeing that awful. Things happen that are against your word and I hated it 40 days. That's the way it was meant to be. That was the most fun I've had as a prophet. It's all right. It's all good.

And then you just let them off the hook. Yeah, that's not fair, that's not fair. What you've done and letting them off is evil. We discover in past the most important book at MIT most important person. The whole book 4:2. The whole reason that the gods outrageous nycha. He prayed to the Lord and said, I had when I was still in my own country that is why I flipped at the beginning, steadfast love and ready to relent from punishing.

They need to see here. That John is not complimenting.

And we don't really understand Christianity until we understand the outrageousness. August. That God is a Grace is gone and he's merciful slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relenting from punishment. cuz if you really sit and ponder it, And I'll just take those words, just kind of feel good fat. That's incredibly confronting.

Does that make sense? That God will act in. Why is opposite to you at times? When you think it will be more, attacked your way and not his

What do I mean by that? God has Mercy when we've done.

And we don't think we should with every fiber of my being cries out for justice.

God is slow to anger while we flamed with a righteous ride. Go to bounce in love. Even when we feel we have every justification to height.

I'm going to Lanes from judgment, even while we are yelling in our hearts and Minds, that is not fair.

See, Johnny couldn't wait to see the ninevites. Punished.

Johnny went out of the city until he should see what would become of the city. He couldn't believe that God would follow through on his love, would be somehow ranges in his compassion. It's actually a huge problem, isn't it? How can God let bad people off?

How can you let you in aisle?

It was simply a matter of God saying, well, I love you. Forget about it. As though, all the killing and all the torture, know the violence know the grade and all the things that I've led to pain and suffering in the world, do not matter, he doesn't care. I love you doesn't matter.

The grey that sucks. Draw the results of the pool, the ravishing of a planet. This blindfold was the hateful actions. How can go just past the motive?

Doesn't he love enough to do something about it?

See if it's simply a matter of brushing it all aside lightly that actually the model places to stand with China. The wrong place. This, the end is with a Joanna and save that is wrong. And that is unfair.

How can God let bad people off? Have they let you? How can I call? and still be good and moral and upright and just

the Reason God could have such an outrageous compassion. Without being himself. Tomorrow can be found outside the world of another city. Hundreds of years later. and 33 IDI another Prophet who who is also praised and also a cane And they was gone himself in human flesh. Jesus. Died on the cross, taking the Judgment that the ninevites.

Vagina went outside the city wall to see God's judgment when Jesus went outside. The city will to take God's judgment gun range. And the greatest act of love. That he would suffer and die so that his enemies sins might be forgiven that the Judgment my full on full on us. Finally, as we take refuge in Jesus Christ, And so the old self is judged and dealt with. All that is evil and bad. It does matter and it will be dealt with to its fullest extent.

And you and I and the MB could be a new creation and a new people and they have a new chance.

China anything about this. He knows what guys like. And delivery couldn't work it out. Probably should have trusted. He's God's Prophet have to roll. God you'll ride

How do you say? I'm surprised?

He's out, right? That is compassion.

But of course, China is not very consistent. Easy. Where was John is moral outrage when he receive guns,

You disobey, I don't twist face, he running completely the opposite direction. He refused to speak to God and have none until he had no other choice. Until he was in the very jaws of death, he had gone. At Mercy on him and he received God's compassion himself but he had none.

He still haven't got my bring judgment on them that we guys down some of the city sits down to see what happens.

Well, God continues.

He hasn't finished with his Erin prophet. And so as the most patient of fathers, with the most willful of his fans, he does not have to bring a mirror to Jonah and show him what he can't say that.

Say John is sitting out there burning in anger, but it was burning in the sun. He wasn't feeling very good, it was very uncomfortable. He he was really it just wasn't a very pleasant place to be. And so God grows up his mind to Shady. In what not? It in the morning. Its 8 in the weigh-in at the withers. He knows God's destroyed the plant and say what is, he's angry? He's angry again, with gone.

This isn't a sign that this is actually, one of the things that God. What are the things he does? Quite often, I think especially here in Australia where it is. Such a big thing for us. It is the big thing. We want to live a comfortable life, Above All Else. And so we surround ourselves with Comforts and those Comforts tend to be out Idols, Idols or anything that we value more than God. Answer a quiet Sunday morning, Leonardo way if there's a regular pattern we choose today.

Oh, I don't can also be things from which we do other things, which we take comfort from sorry, $40,000 in the bank is it is a good A bit of comfort. The standard of living you enjoy. The University's holidays, you can go on your health. Another day is things that bad enough in themselves, of course, but the test of whether they are is how you feel when they're taken away. Feel when they taken away. Angry, are you angry with God? Maybe you're angry with God right now. My fiance.

Are you angry? Maybe you had some things taken away recently. What kind of dinosaur. Was perhaps his nationalism that he was a Hebrew and his Nation with guns, special nation, and that God was pull them, and therefore against the enemies by when that's taken away from him, he is angry. This three. He doesn't take my life from me to live. He's really angry.

Hey, this is almost exactly the same thing when the vine Withers. So you said that about when God had Grace, he says the only two exactly the same thing when they find with us. He'd been living for his taken away. He has nothing left to live for.

Did you notice that he was saying that to God's face? To take this away. I'll talk to you. I'm actually in conversation with the Lord of Heaven and Earth. The one who is the creator of all the things? I've actually seen nothing to live for. Nothing to lose.

Well, may God ask. Do you do well to be angry?

Was going to take him one of your Idols away.

And are you angry with me? He's got asking you this morning. Do you do well to be angry?

I've got to take you away cuz his comfort. He is he with his Divine. If he's not doing it maliciously, you need to see that he loves China. He's not getting back into an affair with his Disobedience and petulance. He's teaching. He wants to turn it to know himself and John is are in the inconsistencies bringing Doctor squish him about to draw him back to himself.

Vistana.

and the Lord said, You pity the plan, but you did not lay van, or did you make a cry? Which came into being in the Night in Paris tonight and should not high grade City in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from a left and also, you know, I love this.

Do you say? You have compassion.

Yet you let compassion on people and yes even animals who I created. I laid it on fashioning, the personality in life of every single one of those people, I have him to the new Grand. Am I know every heartbeat, I know every hair on their heads.

I've lost their moral compass. I didn't know they left from their right. They do not know what that what you do. And I love.

You have compassion for a plant. Should not have compassion on them.

What's the question that the whole book End Zone? And it's never on. So we're left with China sitting in the dirt. And we left with Nina, never repented and had compassion and is really ends. With the question that the whole story is a hoe has been has been asking, should be seeing a back, right city looked at other nations and considered.

That was going to be his friend. Why should you concern himself about other people?

With the foreign silence. The Pagan city of Nineveh, the Book of Genesis of all the world and do other things. When I tell her anything at all, and it's all good for the Christians to have their gone and the other stuff that we worship the, God of all the world, but every people,

He was the god of the farm silence. With the Pagan city of Nineveh, not peed in the NFL that great City. Is the god who is Johnston, right? And Harley, and he forgives and loves and pulls out his grace upon any human. Okay, without measure.

Should I not pity? Never that cried City?

We could ask ourselves the same question. Should we not be concerned for this great city of Melbourne? Another 120,000 people about 5.1 million people. The vast majority of which

They don't know. God, people who need to know that God's judgment is coming. But that God is gracious. God and merciful slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, unrelenting from disaster. Do you have family members or friends? Or we're colleagues that a like that?

Particularly that is you don't block. Is God sending you to them?

Should he not have concern for this disk write City?

Said he had no concern for you.

Let's pray.

Let me find out you a gracious. God in your message when you're slow to anger, and abounding and steadfast love and roll Lansing from disaster. And so we, thank and praise you for your lesson, not just for us. But for the way in which you have mercy and Grace upon people everywhere, heavenly father, if we're angry with you, help us to see us so truly

What do you what do you take away a anger and help us to see your your mess in your grace for us. And Heavenly Father, help us to see the great need of all of those around us. This whole city of Melbourne, this and we pray that you would come to them. That you would send people, hopefully more obedient even than China. To go and speak your word. that you'll miss see my flow up on this place and Upon This City Hi, Lourdes. Would you work in our hearts such that we might know your grace so fully that it is. So, unmerited is not because we go to church. You live for you is simply because of your love. And help us to stay that. That love is for others as well. Lord help us to walk in it to the glory of your name. I meant.