Jonah 4

Introduction

If we have not had the pleasure of meeting my name is John Colunga and I have the privilige of serving as lead pastor here at New Day Pasadena

I also have the privilige of bringing this weeks sermon

So if you have your Bibles, please turn to Jonah 1

As you are turning there, I would like to share some exciting things about New Day Pasadena

Set Up/Tension

No one likes bad endings (Endings that leave you disatisfied)

007, Hallmark, and Marvel Avengers: Infinity War

We like to know the ending - We like to be fulfilled - Justice/happiness/warm and fuzzies

Tension

As we go to Jonah 4, if we read it as if Jonah is the main character - we will be left disatisfied and unfulfilled

We need to remember that that in the book of Jonah - Jonah is not the main character

God is the main character

God is the main character in the book of Jonah and in the entirety of the Bible

It is God who wanted to Jonah to call out against Nineveh

It was God who pursued Jonah in a storm

It was God who made sure the lots cast upon Jonah

It was God who prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah

It was God who was still with Jonah in the belly of the fish

It was God who caused the fish to spit out Jonah

It was God who sent Jonah again with a message to Nineveh

It was God who was with Jonah as he preached

And it was God who relented disaster upon Nineveh

And if at this point, Jonah were to die, the story would continue because this book is all about God

And so, as we read Jonah chapter 4, lets read it with God in view as the primary character

At this time, If you are able to stand I ask that you do so for the reading of God’s word. I’ll read it out loud and if you will please follow along

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?” 5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jon 4:1–11.

Anger at the Lord

Can you think of a time when you were beyond mad?

Like you were fuming - red in the face - about to go crazy

Illustration - when have I been mad?

Transition - Have you ever been angry at God?

Maybe something didnt go the way you planned, maybe he said no to a prayer request

And I tell people all the time, whe you are mad at him - tell him - let him know

My boy Jonah let God have it - He let God know that he was angry

Jonah believes that God is doing an injustice - and because of that, this is evil

And this surprises us beause this is the same Jonah that was pursued by God, got swallowed up, repented, obeyed, and now its like he’s going the wrong way again!

He is angry that God spared the people of Nineveh

Jonah knew God

If we were to go back to chapter two, we find that the sailors did not know God

They told Jonah to pray to his God and MAYBE they would be spared

The king of Nineveh tells the people to repent and MAYBE they would be spared

But Jonah, knowing who God is - Knows that there is no maybe

Because he knows God and he knows that God is gracious, and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love

And that God would relent from disaster

And God does relent from disaster

And because Jonah still doesnt agree with God’s mercy - he is angry towards God

And in his anger he states that it is better for him to die than to live

In Jonah’s pitty party he knows God isnt going to let him die but he says it anyway

And so God asks this question “Do you do well to be angry”

And I am going to put a pin that question right there and come back to it because God asks the same question in a different circumstance

Booth

But then we find Jonah goes out of the city - and he makes a VIP Box for himself because he wants to see if Nineveh truly repented

He already knows that God would keep his word so now its a matter of if the Ninevites are going to mess up

And as he is waiting and watching for this, God appoints a plant to rise up and provide shade for him in his VIP Box

His VIP Box just got upgraded to a Luxury Suite

And we find here for the first time, a sentence that has not been used yet in this book

Jonah was exceedingly glad

Jonah was not exceedingly glad when he was told to go to Nineveh

Jonah was not exceedingly glad when he was saved from the storm by the great fish

He wasnt exceedingly glad as he was spat up

He wasnt exceedingly glad as shared God’s message

He wasn’t exceedingly glad that Nineveh was spared

But he is exceedingly glad that he has a plant and he has shade

And so what we find here is that

Jonah Missed the Point

Jonah knows God, but Jonah misses the point of who God is

God’s main objective is not make your life easier

God’s main objective is not to make you comfortable

God’s main objective is not to make you happy

But his main objective IS to bring you salvation!

Jonah says this in his prayer back in Jonah chapter 2

Salvation belongs to the Lord

Jonah knows it, but he is missing it

And so when God sends a worm to eat the plant and for the sun to beat down on Jonah

Again, Jonah grumbles that he would rather die

Illustration: Jonah Veggie Tales movie

Transition

Remember I said that this is a story about God

And up till now we have talked a lot about Jonah because of the way this is written

But here, at the end, it ends all about God

And God asks the same question he asked earlier but he gets specific

Jonah, does it do you well to be angry about the plant?

And Jonah answers yes - he is angry enough to die

And thats when God makes his point

Jonah you pity the plant which was my grace for you

Jonah did not earn the plant, he did not ask for the plant

But God freely appointed it for him

And if Jonah pitys a plant that was freely given to him

How much more should God pity his people

People who are sinful

People who are hurting

People who are in despair

And so we come to my final point

God Does Not Change

Exodus 34:6 “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,”

Numbers 14:18 “‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’”

Nehemiah 9:17b But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.”

Psalm 103:8 “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

Joel 2:13 “and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”

God does not change!

God has compassion for his creation

And I would just like to point out that all of these passages are in the Old Testament

The same Old Testament where God is accused of being vengeful being of more wrath

But the God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament

He is a God of grace and mercy, slow to anger, and abounding in love

And God shows compassion for his people

Here is the difference - God the Father sends God the Son

And God the son is Jesus

And Jesus is fully God and fully man

And Jesus lives a perfect life but is unjustly accused and convicted

He is unjustly sent to die on a cross

But for us, for those who who know God need to know and understand

That all of the vengeance and wrath of God that is seen in the Old Testament

It happens in the New Testament on the Cross

The wrath and vengeance of God was carried out on the cross

That in a single moment in time, Jesus would lovingly, graciously, compassionately,

Take the weight of our sins and the vengeance and wrath of God

But because Jesus is God, he did not stay dead, he arose on the third day and is the conquering/victorious King

That if we would put our faith and trust in him alone for salvation, we would be free from God’s judgement and wrath

That we do not have to fear death - but that when we die, we can have full assurance that we will be in heaven

This is the compassion God has for us, that he would create a plan of salvation through Jesus

Application

And so for the remainder of this time

I want you to put yourself in Jonah’s shoes

Why? Because more often than not, we act just like Jonah

Illustration: Pastor Dillon and I have been talking a lot about the theology of Jonah (Can I just say thank you for Dillon btw, I know yall miss him but we are extremely blessed by him and his family)

But Dillon sent me this text with a quote from Charles Spurgeon about Jonah - “It is strange that such a good man as Jonah should fall into such a foolish state of mind. But God still has a great many unwise children. You can easily easily find one if you look in the place - I mean, in a mirror”

Keeping Psalm 145:8 in mind

Psalm 145:8 “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

This is the proclamation we will find from Jonah today