Sermon Tone Analysis

Grace is Hard

New Year’s Sermon 2020

Intro –

As we start the new year, we want to spend a few minutes today charting a course that we want to define this year for Broadway and for our own lives.

A year that is focused on those who are far from God.

Those who do not know Jesus.

To be people, and to be a church, that shares our faith and intentionally interacts with the lost.

To be people of grace.

The heart of our nation was turned to New York and White Settlement, TX this week as we endured yet another horrific shooting in settings meant for religious worship.

When something like this happens, there are so many voices that rise up…news correspondents, bloggers, political activists on both sides of the gun rights issue, politicians (especially as we begin an election cycle).

Everyone has opinions and share them around the world.

But the loudest voices tend to come from the friends and family of the victims.

One of the Elders at the West Freeway Church of Christ in TX said this in a prayer this past Monday, “Father, we even grieve the soul of the one who wronged us.”

Much like 2015 in Charleston, SC after a gunman opened fire at the Bible study on a Wednesday night, killing 9 people.

A family member of one of the victims said this: “I forgive you.

You took something very precious away from me.

I will never get to talk to her ever again.

I will never be able to hold her again, but I forgive you, and have mercy on your soul… we would like you to take this opportunity to repent.

Repent.

Confess.

Give your life to the one who matters most: Christ.

So that He can change you and change your ways, so no matter what happens to you, you’ll be okay.”

Grace is beautiful.

Grace is uncommon.

Grace is hard.

review of Jonah’s story - there Jonah stood on the edge of the city, watching 120,000 repent before God.

Not that long before God had called him to go to Nineveh, one of the nastiest, move vile cities in the world.

Jonah does an about face and heads the other direction.

Jonah wants nothing to do with that.

He hops on a boat to Tarshish, exactly opposite of the way to Ninevah.

But God whips up a storm and the boat is going to sink.

The crew wakes Jonah up, the row and row, but it’s not helping.

They figure out Jonah is the one to blame, as Jonah’s God is the one bringing the storm.

So off Jonah goes, into the roaring sea.

But God was gracious and rescued him when a huge fish swallows him.

Might not have been what Jonah was hoping for, might not have been a luxury yacht, but alive is alive.

In that smelly, nasty stomach, Jonah changes his tune.

He sees his disobedience and vows to do what God says.

After 3 days, he gets hurled (literally) onto the beach.

Immediately heads to Ninevah and preaches the message that God’s judgment and wrath are coming upon Ninevah.

And it works.

They repent.

They recognize their sin, their offense toward God and they change their ways.

3:10 - “When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.”

TS - yes!

It worked.

They repented.

Now God can bless, not curse.

Build up, not destroy.

Boy, don’t you imagine Jonah is thrilled.

He’s been greatly used by God.

Job well done.

He’s got to feel accomplished.

Grateful to be used by God.

Been on the front lines of ministry and watched God save thousands of people.

4:1 - “This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.”

Change of plans?

Meaning his plans were that he would preach and watch them arrogantly defy God and then he would get a front row seat to God destroying them.

Justice served.

He much preferred to be an agent of justice than an agent of grace.

And to be honest, it’s much easier to dispense justice than it is to dispense grace.

4:1-3 - “This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.

So he complained to the Lord about it: ‘Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord?

That is why I ran away to Tarshish!

I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

You are eager to turn back from destroying people.

Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.’”

Mild reaction on his part!

I knew you’d do this.

You and your stupid mercy, forgiving people.

What are you thinking?

You WANT to save people.

Ridiculous.

I’d rather be dead than watch them be forgiven.

Let’s talk about this.

Let’s admit that grace is hard.

Hard to give and hard to live with.

Feels unfair, doesn’t it?

It feels like if we show grace then we are condoning their actions, sweeping it away as if it didn’t happen.

Like we are affirming their actions if we don’t point out all their mistakes.

Like we need to take a stand to make sure everyone knows what is ok and what is not ok.

People should get what they deserve.

4:4 - “The Lord replied, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about this?’”

That’s the key question.

Is it right for you to be upset about this?

Really?

Grace is hard.

Jesus told a couple stories to prepare us to handle this.

STORY - Lost son

- “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in.

His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to.

And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.

Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’ His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.

We had to celebrate this happy day.

For your brother was dead and has come back to life!

He was lost, but now he is found!’”

STORY - Workers in the Vineyard

- “When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more.

But they, too, were paid a day’s wage.

When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’