Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction: How Can a good God allow people to be evil to each other?

How does God respond towards people who want to be evil to us?

I feel these are the questions that the book of Jonah is trying to answer.

We have rivals

Jonah’s Call to Preach to the Ninevites

Why does he run?

- We get the reason in Chapter 4

Is it because he is racist?

Is it because they are not Jewish?

Is it because he does not care about the great commission?

Likely it is Jonah’s sense of Justice....

Assyria - the Cruelist people of their time.

Jonah’s call is like one of us being called to walk into an ISIS camp and start preaching the Good News of Jesus.

What do you think would happen to you?

These are Jonah’s/Israel’s rivals.

Jonah Runs - Everything he can do to avoid.

- The ironies

We have all kinds of rivals -

Political Rivals

Bullies at School

Simply violent and wicked people - School shootings, North Korea, etc..

Does God have rivals?

God Has Rivals

10 For if, while we* were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, by much more, having been reconciled, we will be saved by his life.

All of humanity in rebellion to him.

- destroying His good creation - Violence

Assyria we could consider to be God’s rivals, and it was time to bring them to justice.

We must remember, that even though Israel was not as cruel as Assyria they were also in rebellion.

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We also in our sin nature have been in rebellion towards God, just as Jonah is by running away from God’s call.

But What is God’s approach to his Rivals....

God’s Mission is to Redeem Rivals

The Sailors - Pagan, possibly Philistines

They are the one’s saved and who Worship God in this Story

Jonah for a while does not seem to care

But God does

He Cares about Jonah - His Prophet, to give him a second chance.

He Cares about His enemies - Assyria - To Warn Them.

Jonah - The Plant of Shade - God’s Message, “Aren’t people more important than this Plant?”

While Scarry - God showed himself to the Sailors, and they were saved.

Palm Sunday Connection - Jesus Clearing the Temple

“My House is to be a House of Prayer to All Nations.

Our Mission is to Serve - People Not Like us.

We often want to run like Jonah

We are to join God in our desire for their salvation.

Our Mission is to Share the Good News - As a warning and for redemption.

Difficult People in the Church.

“Yes,” We must confront bad behavior - Church Discipline

But the Goal is restoration.

Conclusion: Take Palm Branch home and keep it while it withers - As a Reminder of Jonah’s Lesson, People are more important than the Palm Branch, and God does not want them to wither.

https://dskidsermons.com/2016/10/18/november-6th-2016-all-saints-sunday/

Reference the Reformed Confessions: The Reformed Confessions are statements of faith written to clarify the Gospel at times when the Church was in crisis.

Heidelberg Chatechism: Q&A 54 Belgic Confession: Articles 17 Canons of Dort: Head I, Articles 2-4 Belhar Confession: Articles 2-5