Jonah - Part 4

Preached at: Mosaic Christian Church, Feb 2017 Jonah Part 4 of 4 Introduction VIDEO: Overboard Great illustration, but like so many renditions of the story of Jonah, it just isn’t accurate. The last chapter of the book of Jonah reveals the condition of Jonah’s heart. It also teaches us a great lesson about God’s heart. I need 3 volunteers to very dramatically read Jonah 4. Dramatic Reading - Jonah 4:1-11 Jonah 4:1–11 (ESV) — 1 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?” Hand out Worksheets Jonah’s Heart displeased Jonah exceedingly… he was angry The Hebrew term used here to refer to evil or wrong is the same word used in 1:2 and 3:8 to describe the wickedness of the Assyrians. is not this what I said I knew it! You’re too nice! take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live 3X - Once on the ship, once when he’s pouting about Nineveh, and once when the plant died. A wise mentor once taught me something about anger… VIDEO: Yoda - Fear is the path to the dark side... SLIDE: Yoda - Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. Quote: “destructive anger turns into self-destructive despair” Jonah is so consumed by his hatred, anger, pride, etc., that he is self-destructing. God’s Heart you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster Jonah was right and accurately described God. God’s (in)action confirmed it. God appointed After everything, God is still working on Jonah. should not I pity Nineveh God cared for the lost, the people drowning in their own sins. The Right Questions God asks 3 questions to Jonah: • Angry about Nineveh? • Angry about the plant? • Should I not pity Nineveh? Pity = to care about, to have concern for, upset by Jonah’s grief-filled reaction to the loss of the plant reflects how he should have responded to the very idea that the entire population of a city was about to be wiped out by God’s wrath. What questions do we need to ask ourselves? Who do we fear? Who do we hate (or strongly dislike)? How does it affect our spiritual life? God said, I care about Nineveh because there are 120,000 people there who are lost! Let me share a number with you from my work: There are 320 million people in the USA, should God not show concern for them? There are 350 million teenagers in India, should God not show concern for them? Who should be we concerned for? - all people, yes, but what comes to your mind? Conclusion of the Book of Jonah Personal On the personal level, the Book of Jonah forces us to examine our own power struggle with God. What has God called us to be or do that puts us into a contest of wills with Him? What challenges of obedience in our own inner spiritual formation or call to ministry have set us running away? Where are you right now? Are you running towards Tarshish or are you walking through the streets of Nineveh in obedience? Church The Book of Jonah challenges our exclusivism - are we open to people who are different from us? The Book of Jonah challenges our judgmentalism - do we care about the lost, the pagans? The Book of Jonah challenges our patriotism - do we think the only thing that matters is the good ol’ USA? The gospel is not our private possession. Evangelism and mission are not an aspect of a well-rounded congregational program; they are the reason for all we do in worship, education, fellowship, in service. The question is: “Do we love the people of Nineveh?”