"Reflecting the Heart of God"

INTRODUCTION

Image ~ “No Mercy”

Good morning. How many kids do we have in the room this morning? If you are between the age of 5-11 stand up for a second, I want to get a good look at you! Good. Remain standing. Do you have a favorite game that you like to play? (Share) Awesome! Thanks, you can have a seat. When I was your age I have these great memories of different games we played in my hometown (Morrill). And most of the adults can probably join me on this walk down memory lane this morning, reflecting back upon some of your favorite childhood games you used to play! When I was a young boy we would play “hide & seek” at the swimming pool, kickball in the street, some game about a green ghost that I don’t remember how to play, and of course a little baseball & a lot of football, oh those were the days! (“Good old days”). You know what’s hard about growing up, getting older, you’re don’t play games in the neighborhood. Maybe that’s not true, how many of you over 25 played “hide & seek” this week? I did play a new form of “dodge ball” with the JV students at AWANA this week—that was a blast! There is a game that we played as a kid that every once in a while we play when we are grow-ups. (Volunteer). How many of you remember the game of “Mercy?” I remember playing mercy with my sister, uncles, and my friends. Let’s give this a shot! Go easy on me! Every once in a while you would cry mercy but the person would keep going, showing no mercy, and it usually ended up with loud cries of “mercy” and lots of tears. Often in the games & sports of life “mercy” is seen as weakness and they compete with the attitude of “No Mercy.” (Karate Kid Clip)

Need

Some people have a hard time showing mercy. I’m not talking about a game anymore, I’m talking about in life. There are some people who live their lives by the motto “No Mercy.” I suspect that most of us in this room don’t live by the motto of “No Mercy” and yet in the right situation all of us could be tempted to embrace an attitude of “No Mercy.” I suspect you can think of one person, because of how they have treated you or treated someone you care about, you don’t think fondly of them and in a specific circumstance you might refuse to show them mercy. It’s likely that all of us are or will wrestle with an “unmerciful attitude” toward someone in our lives. Perhaps there is someone who you don’t think deserves mercy, you want to see them hurt instead of helped, and you would rather see them face severe consequences than be shown mercy. You refuse to “relent” – you would rather they get what they deserve – and yet God desires to address this “No Mercy” mindset that reside in our hearts.

Preview

Take your Bible and turn to the book of Jonah. Today we will finish our series through the book of Jonah. . Jonah Chapter 4:1-11. Jonah Chapter 4:1-11. If you don’t have a Bible today please grab one in the pew rack so you can follow along as we walk through this final chapter together. Our JONAH series is entitled “Pursued by a Relentless God.” Over the last four weeks we’ve walked through this incredible story (Review).

· God’s Call: God graciously called Jonah to serve Him by preaching to the people of Nineveh. Jonah rejected God’s call, when God say “Go” to Nineveh Jonah say “No” and tried to run 2,000 miles in the opposite direction.

· God’s Pursuit: God graciously pursued by using a storm and a group of sailors to put him in a position to draw him back to Himself.

· God’s Rescue: God graciously rescued Jonah from the peril of death by sending a huge fish to rescue him when he cried out to Him for help. During his time in the belly of a fish Jonah rejoiced in God’s salvation and vowed to publicly praise Him.

· God’s Second Chance: God gave Jonah a second chance to be use by Him, calling him once again to preach to the people of Nineveh, and as a result of his message the people of Nineveh repented and God graciously extended mercy to the wicked people instead of destroying them.

If that was the conclusion to the story it would be a very “happy ending!” Jonah had obeyed God, Nineveh experienced revival, and God spared the city from destruction. It’s party time! Jonah should be buying balloons, confetti, and starting a “congo” line to celebrate what has happened in the hearts of the people in Nineveh and God’s deliverance of the city from destruction. But like Paul Harvey would say “Now, the rest of the story.” God’s not done with this wayward prophet quite yet—in Chapter 4 the Lord pursues Jonah one more time to confront and correct the ungodly attitude of His heart—and His desire is to confront and correct the ungodly attitudes of our heart as well. (Read )

I) THE PURSUIT OF A MERCILESS PROPHET

What a shocking conclusion to this incredible story. Are you surprised by Jonah’s response to the revival in Nineveh and God showing them mercy? Anyone shocked? The entire city of Nineveh repented of their evil ways and God turned back from destroying the city—again this seems like a time for a celebration—you’d think Jonah would be celebrating God’s deliverance of this city but instead he’s enraged and complained about how God responded to the wicked people of Nineveh. The final chapter of this story highlights God’s “Pursuit” of His “Merciless” prophet.

Let’s walk through this final chapter and consider one final life-changing truth for our lives as God desires to get a hold of our hearts!

A) The Condition of Jonah’s Heart (4:1-5)

In the final chapter we are confronted with Jonah’s response to God’s merciful response to the wicked people of Nineveh. As we walk through this final chapter we begin with “The Condition of Jonah’s Heart.”

1) Displeasure (4:1)

Jonah was “greatly displeased”—showing the people of Nineveh mercy was “a great evil”—Jonah literally hated that God had shown the people of Nineveh mercy instead of judgment. Nineveh’s “turning from evil (wickedness)” that prompted God to “turn away from bringing evil (destruction) was seen as a “great evil” (bad) in Jonah’s eyes.

2) “Anger” (4:1b-2)

Jonah’s heart also filled with anger at the sight of God’s merciful response to the people of Nineveh. Jonah’s heart literally “burned hot with anger at God’s merciful response to the repentant people of Nineveh. Once Jonah realized that God had relented from judgment the fire of displeasure kindled an intense anger to burn in his heart. The term magnifies the contrast between God’s attitude and Jonah’s attitude—God’s anger “cooled” when the people of Nineveh repented from their evil ways—but Jonah’s anger “kindled” when God did not destroy the people of Nineveh.

· Allen (NIGNT) – “Jonah finds that the time-fuse does not work on the prophetic bomb he planted in Nineveh. Evidently the time limit has expired by now. He considers it intolerable that Israel’s experience should be mirrored in Nineveh; he cannot stomach Yahweh’s cheapening his mercy by offering it to all”

Jonah was not happy that the people of Nineveh were delivered from judgment by the merciful heart of God. Displeasure and angry flooded Jonah’s heart when he discovered that his prophetic message of doom did not come to fruition. Jonah wanted to see the people of Nineveh face the fire of God’s fury & wrath—he wanted to see the city destroyed because they deserved divine judgement—for this unhappy prophet could not tolerate God’s merciful response to the wicked people of Nineveh.

Jonah could not keep his anger bottled up, the anger in his heart eventually came out of his lips (Jesus said “our mouth speaks from what fills our hearts), as he uttered a prayer of complaint to God. Jonah’s prayer of complaint reveals “why” he disobeyed God’s call and ran to Tarshish—“O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity”—Jonah finally confessed “why” he didn’t obey God’s call to go to Nineveh the first time. Jonah’s prayer suggests that he argued with God back at home during his original call to go to Nineveh—“O, Lord, this is what I said when I was still at home?”—and while it’s possible Jonah didn’t include this dialogue in the penning of the book it’s more likely that this expression highlights Jonah’s “inner thoughts” or “unspoken words” in his heart. The phrase “This is what I said” is also translated as “this is what I thought would happen” or “this is what I feared,” or “this is what I knew from the beginning” when I was back home and that’s why I fled to Tarshish. Jonah booked a ticket to Tarshish because he knew God’s character and what would happen if the people turn from their wicked ways. Jonah didn’t want to preach to the people of Nineveh because if they repented he knew God would act in a way consistent with His character.

Gracious (4:2) – Jonah knew God was gracious, that the Lord shows favor and give what someone needs even though they don’t deserve it, and yet he didn’t want to go to Nineveh because it would open the door for God to be gracious to them.

Compassionate (4:2) – Jonah knew that Yahweh was “compassionate,” He was a God of tender mercy but he did not want to go to Nineveh because it would open the door for God to show them His compassion (mercy).

Slow to Anger (4:2) – Jonah knew that Yahweh was slow to anger, literally “long of nostrils,” it takes a long time for Yahweh’s nostrils to flare up (human language). God does not have a short-fuse – He is not quick to become angry. Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh because it would open the door for Yahweh to be “slow to anger” with them instead of pouring out His anger upon them in judgment.

Abounding in love (4:2) – Jonah knew that Yahweh was “abounding in love,” His loving-kindness was great, but he didn’t want to go to Nineveh because it would open the door to Yahweh showing them the vast measure of His love. .

A God who relents from calamity (4:2) – Jonah knew that Yahweh was a God who would “turn away” from bring wrath and judgment but he didn’t want to go to Nineveh because it would open the door for Yahweh to “relent” from brining judgment upon them.

Jonah is so upset—the prophet’s having a “temper tantrum” like a toddler—He’s stomping his feet in disgust, face is flushed, and crying out in complaint to God. “I knew this would happen if I obeyed your call!” “I knew would be gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, and merciful.” Jonah was “mad” that God acted in a way consistent with His character in His response to the wicked people of Nineveh. The prophet who prayerfully thanked God for His gracious mercy in his own life (Chapter 2), is the same prophet who is now prayerfully complaining to God about His gracious mercy extended to the people of Nineveh (Chapter 3). Jonah rejoiced in these wonderful attributes of God in his own life but he didn’t want them shown to his enemies. Jonah didn’t want to preach to the people of Nineveh because he didn’t want them to be recipients of God’s grace, compassion, patience, and love! Jonah wanted God to deal justly with the people of Nineveh and destroy them. Yahweh’s display of grace, mercy, slowness to anger, love, and relenting from judgment was wonderful for him and His people but not for the wicked people of Nineveh.

3) Despair (4:3-4)

Jonah’s heart was filled with “Despair.” Jonah’s prayer of compliant concludes with a specific request/petition (4:3)-- Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live”—Jonah’s heart was overwhelmed with utter despair at the thought of God being gracious, merciful, patient, and loving towards the people of Nineveh. Jonah asked the Lord to take his life! Not that long ago while drowning at sea, Jonah cried out to God to save him from death, and now Jonah was crying out to God to kill him. Once again Jonah revealed that he would rather “die” than see the people of Nineveh “live.” Jonah’s displeasure and anger was matched by his utter disgust and depression at the thought of God not destroying the people of Nineveh. He can’t stand to live in a world where God is merciful to wicked people like them. God’s grace & mercy is good for him and his people but not for others! Jonah didn’t want to live in a world where his God “turned away” from judging wicked people like the Ninevites! Jonah no longer wanted to live in a world where God’s grace, mercy, patience, and love prompt him to turn away from judgment of wicked people like the Ninevites.

God responded to Jonah with a probing question—“Have you any right to be angry?”—is your “anger” at what I’ve done justified? Is this the “right” response to my response to the people of Nineveh? The question was designed to get Jonah to pause and reflect upon the condition of his heart. God wanted Jonah to consider if it was good (right) for his heart to burn with anger because He treated the people of Nineveh in a way that was consistent with His character. Was it right for Jonah to be angry at the actions of a gracious, compassionate, patient, and loving God? Is it right to be angry at God because He is gracious, compassionate, patient, and loving to all people and not just Israel? Jonah gave no replay to Yahweh’s question.

3) Vengeance (4:5)

Jonah’s response to God’s probing question reveals the vengeance residing in Jonah’s unchanged heart. Jonah did not respond to God’s question (“Do you have any right to be angry?”) but rather “went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade, and waited to see what would happen to the city” (4:5)—yet another rebellious response from this troubled prophet that revealed his unchanged heart. Jonah’s response is a bit confusing at first glance. Why go campout to see what’s going to happen to the city when he already knew that God had relented and His judgment would not be poured out on this city? Some of the bible commentators see this as a “flashback” of events that happened before the end of the 40 days and his knowledge of God’s renting from judgment. It’s better to see Jonah’s actions as a “pity-party” response to God’s question and further evidence of his unchanged vengeful heart.

Jonah was emotionally “hot” (burning with anger) at the sight of God extending mercy to the people of Nineveh, and Jonah was also physically “hot” form the heat of the Assyrian sun. Therefore Jonah built himself a temporary “shelter” to shade himself from the heat while he waited in hope for God to destroy the city. The temporary “shelter” is translated from the Hebrew word “sukkah” meaning “booth, hut, tabernacle, or tent.” Jonah had likely built a “hut” like this before because the people of Israel celebrated a festival called “The Feast of Tabernacles,” “The Feast of Booths,” or “The Feast of Ingathering” which was an annual celebration & remembrance of God’s deliverance from Egypt and provision for them during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness (, , , & ). The feast prompted them to look back at Yahweh’s deliverance in the past (Egypt & the Wilderness) and look forward to a future celebration of deliverance. The prophet Zechariah also spoke of a future “Feast of Booths on the day when God gathers all the nations together to worship Him. Here’s the irony, Jonah’s built a “shelter” that the nation of Israel used to celebrate God’s deliverance while he’s waiting to celebrate God’s destruction of a city. I can’t imagine this irony was lost on this prophet. Jonah’s actions highlight his desire to be justified in his anger, he’s watching to see if the people of Nineveh will return to their wicked ways before the end of the forty days, in the hope that God would yet bring judgment upon them. In that moment he could tell God “See I was right. See! I am justified in my anger. See! My anger is good and you should destroy them.” Jonah has set up outside the city as a spectator awaiting to view a big event, he’s got “popcorn” in hand ready to watch God relent once again and rain down the fire of judgement upon the city! Jonah’s heart remained unchanged—full anger and vengeance.

B) The Correction of Jonah’s Heart (4:6-11)

In we clearly see “The Condition of Jonah’s Heart”—it’s not in good condition—it’s filled with displeasure, anger, despair, and vengeance at the sight of God’s merciful response to the people of Nineveh. Instead of celebrating the deliverance of the city, Jonah’s enraged and complaining that God was true to His character, and he still desires to see His wrath poured out on the people. In a final display of His relentless grace, the Lord pursued Jonah once again to correct the heart of this merciless prophet. “The Correction of Jonah’s Heart” comes through an “Object Lesson”

1) A Powerful Object Lesson (4:6-8)

While Jonah waited in hope of Nineveh’s destruction, Yahweh pursued the prophet once again, the Lord sought to expose Jonah’s sinful heart through an instructive object lesson. God pursued Jonah through an object lesson to show this prophet that his heart is not in alignment with His. God did not condemn Jonah but corrected Jonah by using an object lesson to gently correct his sinful heart.

While Jonah was seeking shade under his shelter hoping for God’s destruction of the city—“The Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine”—just as Yahweh had “hurled” (provided or appointed) a wind to form the storm on the sea and provided (appointed) “a great fish” to save Jonah from drowning, He provided (appointed) a “vine” to grow up over Jonah to give him additional shade from the scorching heat. The Hebrew text doesn’t reveal the type of plant but most likely it was either a “castor vine” (Picture) or a “gourd” plant (Picture), both have large enough leaves to provide adequate shade for Jonah while he was enduring high temps in Mesopotamia that could rise to 110 degrees. God provided this plant to literally “ease his discomfort” or “deliver him” from the “discomfort” (trouble, wickedness, or calamity) of the hot sun. Notice the subtle play on words, while Jonah’s waiting for God to destroy Nineveh because of their wickedness, the Lord provided a plant to “deliver” the prophet from his own peril. Once the plant appeared Jonah was very happy about being delivered from the intense heat of the sun. Notice the contrast again - He’s happy about being delivered from shade but angry about God delivering the people of Nineveh of their sin. Jonah’s happy about God’s gracious deliverance for him but not for his gracious deliverance of his enemies! Jonah is willing to bask in the blessing of God’s grace but doesn’t want it extended to others!

And yet, God’s not done with Jonah, he literally turned the heat up to expose his sinful heart. Jonah’s happiness quickly turned to hardship--At dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint”—the Sovereign Lord who demonstrates His power over creation (nature) appointed a worm to destroy the plant. Farmers and gardeners know all too well the destructive power of a pest that can eat away at a crop. God appointed a worm that chewed its way through the plant, causing it to wither (droop down and shrivel up), and taking away Jonah’s deliverance from the sun. When the sun rose God once again demonstrated sovereign power over nature by “appointing” (providing) a scorching east wind (a scorcher) that chafed Jonah’s skin, all the while the sun blazed down on Jonah’s head (beads of sweat) and he became faint. Jonah was literally “wrapped up in weakness” due to the extreme temperatures caused by the wind and the sun.

Jonah came to his breaking point. The combination of the scorching wind and the blazing sun caused Jonah to suffer heatstroke, he could faint from such exhaustion, and in that moment of despair Jonah “wanted to die”—he cried out in his distress declaring “it would be better for me to die than live.” The Hebrew phrase literally means “He asked his life to die.” Jonah’s on an emotional rollercoaster—He was angry and wanted to die when God didn’t destroy the wicked people of Nineveh, then he was happy because God delivered him from the heat of the sun, but once the plant died and he suffered heatstroke he wanted to die. Jonah believed he would be better off dead. At this point the Lord probed his heart once again with a familiar question—“Do you have any right to be angry at the vine?”—when the Lord had asked Jonah if he had any right to be angry about His merciful response to the people of Nineveh there was no response but when asked if he had any right to be angry about the vine Jonah declared “I am angry enough to die.” God’s questioning the justification for Jonah’s anger once again and this time he admitted he was “inflamed” by the destruction of the plant that delivered him from the discomfort (ra’ah) the sun. God’s exposing Jonah’s heart. Jonah was “angry” because the Ninevite’s were not destroyed and he’s angry that the plant was destroyed—Jonah wants to die after seeing the people of Nineveh live and he wants to die after seeing the plant die—so Jonah’s anger reveals that he would rather see a plant live and the people of Nineveh die.

2) A Final Rebuke (4:9-11)

And if there was any doubt that Jonah’s response reveals that his heart is out of alignment with Yahweh’s we find His final declaration—" You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight”—the Lord rightly revealed that Jonah’s heart was not reflecting the heart of God. Jonah was “upset” or “troubled” by the death of a plant that brought him shade, even though he was not the gardener of the vine, he had not planted it or tended it, for it had sprung up overnight and died the next day. In contrast to Jonah’s concern for the plant, the Lord defended His own concern for the people of Nineveh—“But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”—the Lord rebuked Jonah for having any “right” (justification) to be angry at God’s merciful response to the people of Nineveh. The Lord proclaimed His loving concern for all of His creation—human beings and four legged beast—His concern is for the people and the cattle in Nineveh. The Lord declared that He was “right” to be merciful to the people (men and women) of Nineveh – if you have concern for a plant should I not be concerned for the 120,000 people in the city, should I not even more so “show pity” and spare them of judgment? The Lord defended His concern for the people of Nineveh, for they were people who “cannot tell their right hand from their left,” this is a figurative expression that reveals they didn’t know right from wrong. The people of Nineveh were “morally and ethically naïve, though not morally innocent. In contrast to the people of Israel, however, they were in a kindergarten stage of religious knowledge” (NAC). Yahweh was concerned for every single sinner in the city of Nineveh. The Lord pursued these people because He created them and was concerned about their lost condition. The object lesson reveals that Jonah was not “right” to be angry at God’s merciful response, for it was “right” for Him to have pity on the sinful people of Nineveh who didn’t know right from wrong, sparing them from destruction in light of their repentance.

The closing rebuke reveals that contrast between Yahweh’s heart and Jonah’s heart—Jonah was more concerned about a shade plant than the sinful people of Nineveh—and yet the Lord was more concerned for the sinful people of Nineveh whom He created than a shade plant—thus His merciful response to their repentance. God went after Jonah’s heart, exposing His lack of compassion for the people of Nineveh, and revealing that this prophet’s heart did not reflect the heart of God!

II) THE LASTING IMPACT OF THIS INCREDIBLE STORY

Jonah is an amazing story – it’s undoubtedly one of the most familiar stories of the OT – and while many think this is a story about a man being swallowed by “a great fish” my prayer is that our time in this book has taught us more about our “great God” and drawn us closer to Him. Today we want to consider “The Lasting Impact of this Incredible Story” in our lives

Jonah reveals God’s relentless pursuit of sinners—Jonah, the sailors, wicked people of Nineveh, you, and me—and His relentless pursuit of sinners in this city and around the world continues. We have gleaned several truths from the story Jonah.

· God cares for the vilest of sinners and commissions us to share the message of salvation with those who are far from Him

· God relentlessly pursues us when we run from Him

· God relentlessly pursues us to save us & God saves us to change us

· God pursues us to draw us back to Himself and display His mercy

Today we consider one final truth from the conclusion of this incredible story. Many stories have “happy endings,” while others end on a sad note (every week “This is Us”), and yet other stories end with what is known as a “cliffhanger.” A “cliffhanger” is the conclusion of a story that leaves us in “suspense” and the end is uncertain. Jonah concludes abruptly leaving us with a “cliffhanger felling” - it’s a bit open-ended isn’t it? – what impression, thoughts, or feelings are stirred up in you by the way this story ends? (Share) We don’t really know how Jonah responded to the Lord’s correction of his heart. There is the hope that Jonah learned his lesson and his heart was realigned with the heart of God. We hope that Jonah’s heart became gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. We hope Jonah’s heart is more concerned for people far from God than plants. We hope Jonah become more concerned the souls of people than the shade of a plant. And yet this abrupt ending is an intentional – it’s deliberately left open-ended for all who read it – pushing each of us to consider the condition and correction of our own hearts! Today we consider one final life-changing truth for our lives gleaned from the conclusion of this incredible story.

God pursues us to correct our ungodly attitude so we will reflect His character

God is pursuing us to correct the ungodly attitudes that reside in our own hearts so that we will reflect the heart of God. I’ve said from the very beginning of this story that God is pursuing us to change our hearts so they will be like His. Today God wants to confront and correct our hearts—heart work is never easy—but it’s vital because God desires that our hearts be aligned with His. Let’s break down the truth into two parts as God does some “heart surgery” on us this morning as the Great Physician.

A) The Correction of our Ungodly Attitude

God pursues us to correct our ungodly attitudes. We saw the ungodly condition of Jonah’s heat this morning—a heart filled with displeasure, anger, despair, and vengeance in response to God’s merciful deliverance of Nineveh from His divine judgment—and while it would be very easy keep the focus on the condition of Jonah’s heart, pointing the finger at him in an attempt to deflect the focus off the ungodly attitudes that reside in our own hearts this morning. God wants to expose and correct our hearts today. We have ungodly attitudes residing in our own hearts. God cares about the condition of our hearts! God is going after our hearts! How’s your heart this morning? Where does God need to correct the ungodly attitudes residing in your heart?

· Displeasure - Perhaps you’re displeased because God has shown mercy to someone you think deserves His judgment?

· Unrighteous Anger - Perhaps your heart is full of anger because God hasn’t poured out His wrath on someone you think deserves it?

· Despair - Perhaps your heart is in despair at the thought of someone you hate being the recipient of God’s grace, compassion, patience, mercy, and love?

· Vengeance - Perhaps your heart is full of vengeance – you want God to rain down His fire on their heads and take them out! No disciple/follower of Jesus would ever have that kind of vengeance fill their heart, right? () A heart of vengeance brings a stern rebuke from our Master!

On the first week of our study we asked the question “Who is your Nineveh?” - Is there someone you want God to destroy instead of delivering them from judgment out of the depths of His mercy?

· Enemy – terrorist

· LGBT –

· Politician you can’t stand

· Ex – painful divorce

· Family member – painful rift that has produced ungodly attitudes toward them

None of us deserve His grace, compassion, patience, and steadfast love. If He loves us in the depths of our sin, and saved us while we were sinners, do we have any right to question “why” He would save someone we don’t think is worthy? God wants to confront and correct our ungodly attitudes that reside in our heart because they don’t reflect His heart. God wants us to know our ungodly attitudes are not “right” – we’re not justified in our displeasure, anger, despair, and desire for vengeance – stop defending yourself, stop justifying yourself (disparaging comment in a conversation or on social media), stop pretending like these ungodly attitudes are okay. May the Holy Spirit convict all of us of the ungodly attitudes that reside in our hearts that don’t align with the heart of God. Your sinful attitudes must be confessed and changed so your heart will be aligned with the heart of God. (Silence) God is pursuing us this morning to correct our ungodly attitudes that reside in our hearts – and He’s gracious with us even as we confess our sinful attitudes to Him.

B) The Reflection of God’s Character (Heart)

Secondly, God’s correction (transformation) of the ungodly attitudes residing in our hearts for a specific purpose. Jonah’s heart did not reflect the heart of God – he was not reflecting His grace, compassion, patience, and steadfast love to the world around him – so God pursued the prophet to correct the ungodly attitudes residing in his heart so Jonah’s heart would reflect His heart.

God pursues us to correct the ungodly attitudes in our hearts so we will reflect His heart to the world. We have been created “in the image of God” () – we were created to be like Him – to reflect His character as we live in this world. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, sin entered the world marring our ability to be His image bearers in the world, and yet through His saving work in Jesus our hearts can be transformed to reflect the heart of God. We can “reflect” His character as followers of Jesus Christ.

God pursues you to correct your ungodly attitudes so you will “reflect” His character as His child. We see this bound up in the created order as children are “like” their parents in physical appearance, mannerism, speech, and actions.

· Parent/child resemblance - I’m sure many of you have been told “You look just like your dad!” or “The way you walk reminds me of your mom.” (My dad & my boys).

In the same way God the Father wants His children to be “like Him.” God’s at work in us so that we will reflect His character and attributes as His children. We are called to mirror God’s image—reflecting the heart of God to a broken world—having our ungodly atittudes transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. God is pursuing you to correct your heart so it will reflect his heart in this broken world!

· Reflect God’s heart by being gracious – who do you need to show grace today?

Reflect God’s heart by being merciful – who needs to be the recipient of your mercy?Reflect God’s heart by being slow to anger – a situation will come up to reflect His heart! Reflect God’s heart by abounding in steadfast love (compassion) – who needs it?

Let’s be a church that is “reflecting” the heart of God to our city! Let’s be gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love! Let’s repent of our ungodly attitudes and reflect the character of God in our city!

CONCLUSION

When I was a young kid we played a lot of games in the neighborhood—kickball, hide and seek, tag, green ghost, baseball, football, and “Mercy” – and more times than not when someone cried out for “mercy” it was not given as they kept bending back someone’s fingers. When we have ungodly attitudes of “No Mercy” towards others residing in our hearts—it’s not a game—it’s s a serious issue that keeps us from reflecting the heart of God in this world.

God pursues us to correct our ungodly attitude so we will reflect His character

God is pursuing us to correct our hearts so they will reflect His character. What an amazing journey through the incredible story of Jonah. Jonah has pointed us to Jesus – the greater prophet from Galilee in whom we have deliverance from the peril of death – and in Him and through Him we are the recipients of divine grace, mercy, compassion, and love. JONAH has brought us closer to the “great God” who pursues us in our own rebellion. May we never get over the truth of His Word – the reality of being relentlessly pursued by the God – so that we will know Him and be transformed to be like Him so the world will experience His deliverance as well.

Pray