The Rest of the Story

1) Jeremy Stephens…..4-3-07…..Expository Preaching 2) Sun PM…..5-7-07…..CBC / Greene, IA 3) Sun AM…..7-1-07…..Lakeville, MN 4) Sun PM…..12-9-07…SBC

“The Rest of the Story”

Introduction:

Ø Most of us are familiar with the story of Jonah and have heard it over and over for years.

Ø To some who may not be so familiar let me bring you up to speed with a quick summary of the first three chapters.

1- Jonah is called to take God’s message of repentance to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, Israel’s greatest enemy (1:1)

2- Jonah chose to disobey God and he got on a ship going away from where God had told him to go (1:2-3)

3- God put that ship in the midst of a violent storm because of Jonah’s disobedience (1:4-5)

4- The sailors didn’t know what to do so they decided to cast lots to find out who was at fault for their lives being in danger (1:7-8)

5- Jonah told the sailors that he was fleeing from God’s directions for him and told them in order to make the storm calm down they must throw him overboard into the sea (1:10-16)

6- God was not going to let Jonah off that easy by committing suicide so he appointed a great fish (whale is ok translation) to swallow Jonah and keep him alive inside the fish for 3 days (1:17)

7- God gave Jonah a second chance to go to Nineveh and preach that God’s called them to repent from their wicked lifestyles (3:1-3)

8- This time he went and the revival that God said would happen did, the people of Nineveh believed in God (3:5-10)

Ø For many this is where the story ends

Ø At best we see Jonah as some kind of hero and at worst we see him as the disobedient servant that God used in a large revival.

Ø Sometimes we forget that there is a whole other side of Jonah’s attitude which is found in chapter 4

Transition: By the end of Chapter 4 it should be clear to us that…

Proposition: We must have God’s perspective and not Jonah’s disposition on evangelism.

Transition: Let’s begin this journey by looking first at Jonah’s disposition

#1) Jonah’s Disposition (attitude, nature, character, temperament)

A- Jonah first response to the revival in Nineveh is one of displeasure and anger

1- Displeasure from the verb “to be evil”

(from the idea of raging, being tumultuous, which is referred to an evil disposition;)[1]

a- he is not just disappointed with the results as we might be disappointed that the elected officials we voted for are did not win the election

b- Jonah literally hated what God had done.[2]

c- What pleased God displeased Jonah.[3]

2- Jonah was displeased so much that the got to the point of anger

a- חָרָה be(come) hot: — his nose became hot = his anger broke out; become indignant.[4]

b- we might say it like this: “He was steaming mad.”

c- the picture is of someone whose face is all ready and veins popping out on their forehead in anger Illus.) Donald Duck and his face turning red when angry

Many have speculated as to why Jonah could have been so mad at God’s salvation in Nineveh and some say that it was due to Jonah not wanting to see one of Israel’s enemies come to believe in God – this is possible but we are not told specifically in the text

B- He was angry that God did what he said he would do v2

1- this prayer was quite unlike Jonah’s prayer in 2:1.[5]

2- In this prayer we find a reversion to the “old Jonah” who ran away from God’s stated wish.[6]

3- He presumptuously felt that the Lord should have shaped his course according to his (Jonah’s) mind.[7]

4- Jonah audaciously stated, in essence, “I told you so.” Then he acted as though this was sufficient to excuse his running to Tarshish.[8]

C- He showed more concern for the loss of the plant then he did for those that believed in God v5-9

1- In this text God attempted to show Jonah the absurdity of his attitude, yet in a tender fashion. Jonah’s values were topsy-turvy, evidenced by his greater concern for personal physical comfort afforded by a vine than for the spiritual well-being of an entire city.[9]

2- The lesson for Jonah is, “Jonah, you’re happy when a plant grows and not happy when a city repents?”

Application

1- We maybe thinking to ourselves, “How can a nation like Israel and its prophets, who experienced the greatness of God, not have a heart for the lost?”

2- But what about us, what kind of heart do we have for the lost? Are we satisfied that we give to missions and let others reach the lost? Are we passionate and motivated to share the gospel so others can be saved?

Transition: Jonah is not seeing eye to eye with God at this point. He doesn’t appear to be the God-fearer he claimed to be back in 1:9. He wasn’t seeing eye to eye with God because he didn’t have…

#2) God’s Heart

A- Jonah should’ve had a different response to Nineveh’s repentance because Jonah knew what God’s heart

was like v2

1- Jonah himself said, “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”

2- Jonah did not want God to do what was right and proper according to his merciful nature. Instead of bestowing upon Nineveh the kind of grace God had granted to Israel, Jonah wished the Ninevites’ destruction without any chance to repent.[10]

3- God’s heart toward the lost is one of grace and compassion

a- Gracious: pertaining to being merciful to the needy and repentant[11]

b- Compassionate: pertaining to showing favor, and not punishment as is often deserved[12]

4- He [Jonah] had proper doctrine, but he did not share God’s love for the lost. While he had been forgiven, he did not want to accept the fact that non-Israelites would be forgiven too.[13]

5- Jonah’s problem was a problem of passion. He didn’t have a passion for the right things

6- He didn’t have the heart of God for the lost

Application:

1- Jonah teaches us what a true bearer of God’s news should not be.

2- He was prejudice, selfish and disobedient, and yet this book has so much to teach us about how we should feel towards the unbelieving community around us.

3- We have seen in such an obvious contrast that Jonah’s disposition or attitude was not the same attitude as that of God’s attitude toward the people of Nineveh

4- I wonder if we might also have the same attitude and demeanor toward unsaved people today

a- Are we reluctant and unconcerned about obeying God’s call to make disciples?

b- What are your personal efforts to reach the lost that God has commanded us to reach

c- Do wish God’s judgment on certain groups of sinners today?

1. What about the evolutionists or Muslim that deny your God?

2. What about the Jehovah’s Witness or Mormon that shows up at your door, do you have God’s heart towards them?

3. What about the homosexual that lives in open rebellion to God’s standard, does God call us to be gracious and compassionate towards them too?

4. Is it possible that we might think about some of these groups the way that Jonah thought about Nineveh?

5- What are your priorities?

6- Are they same as God’s, or area you allowing self-interests to interfere with reaching the lost?

7- God can use people who do the right things for the wrong motives, the point of Jonah is that this is not the way things are to be done

8- But if we can cultivate a heart like God’s heart then we can find that our hearts will pity and love the lost more than we ever have before.

Do you have God’s perspective or Jonah’s disposition toward the lost?

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[1]Gesenius, Wilhelm ; Tregelles, Samuel Prideaux: Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures. Bellingham, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc, 2003, S. 775

[2]Smith, Billy K. ; Page, Franklin S.: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 19B), S. 271

[3]Smith, Billy K. ; Page, Franklin S.: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 19B), S. 271

[4]Holladay, William Lee ; Köhler, Ludwig ; Köhler, Ludwig: A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Leiden : Brill, 1971, S. 116

[5]Smith, Billy K. ; Page, Franklin S.: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 19B), S. 273

[6]Smith, Billy K. ; Page, Franklin S.: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 19B), S. 273

[7]Smith, Billy K. ; Page, Franklin S.: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 19B), S. 274

[8]Smith, Billy K. ; Page, Franklin S.: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 19B), S. 274

[9]Smith, Billy K. ; Page, Franklin S.: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 19B), S. 280

[10]Smith, Billy K. ; Page, Franklin S.: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 19B), S. 274

[11]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 2843

[12]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 8157

[13]Hughes, Robert B. ; Laney, J. Carl: Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2001 (The Tyndale Reference Library), S. 347