Racism - A Learned Behavior

Jonah 4:1–5 NKJV

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2 So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!” 4 Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.

Introduction:

Our series in Jonah brings us to a great theme and a particularly relevant topic - Racism!

In light of this Monday being the day we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. a champion of civil rights for African Americans in this country, who was assassinated on his second floor balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis TN. April 4, 1968 - and not to minimize or diminish the plight of the Black man who was brought to this country in slavery and marginalized throughout the centuries by people who although freed him from his bondage, still treat him as a second class citizen, the problem is still prevalent everywhere today, and not just amongst the African American!

We live in a culture of bigotry and racism, hatred and wickedness toward our fellow man!

But, I will remind you that every person on this planet, whatever skin color, ideology, or belief, walked off his father Noah’s ark and repopulated the world.

Because we can all trace our ancestry back to Shem, Ham, or Japheth!

We are all brothers!

Jonah hated the Ninevites for no good reason!

In fact, none of us can hate for any good reason!

Then why do even Christians hate?

I. The untempered heart.

Here, I find that Jonah is no different than any other person.

We would be wise to take note of this, the next time we put someone on a pedestal!

I mentioned this scripture last week, and I’ll remind you of it again here.

Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV

9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

You see, we all have an untempered heart that needs constant attention.

Do we think that because we Christians belong to Christ that we are now somehow perfect in heart?

Matthew 2:1 NKJV

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

Anyone who thinks that must have had their oatmeal spiked this morning!

We all have a wicked heart that needs to be tempered by the word of God.

I want to ask you three questions:

A. What kind of person denies another mercy?

B. What kind of person seeks ethnic cleansing?

2. What kind of person seeks ethnic cleansing?

C. What kind of person takes satisfaction in another’s demise?

3. What kind of person takes satisfaction in another’s demise?

Look around!

They are everywhere.

The president who

Congress and liberal nutcases that hate the president and anyone who voted for him, and will stop at nothing to remove him.

The president who insults, threats, and denigrates people and can’t seem to act appropriate.

People everywhere that will lie, cheat, and purger themselves to discredit someone else.

Neo Nazi groups that are planning to murder people because of their ideologies and/or skin color.

Antifa, a hypocritical fascist group that incites riots and resorts to violence everywhere they demonstrate.

Good law abiding citizens who are glad that General Soleimani is dead, justifying it because of his committed atrocities.

Really, all we need to do is look in the mirror to find an untempered heart.

I myself, a conservative right-wing, republican, nut job; find myself becoming enraged with what I see happening to my country, when I read too many political headlines.

I myself, a conservative right-wing, republican, nut job; find myself becoming enraged with what I see happening to my country!

And I could easily go off the range and lose it, if it were not for God!

You see, I had a dream a few nights ago!

Our country was in a civil war and I was loading my gun ready to fight!

When I woke up abruptly, I wondered who was going to be at he other end of the barrel?

You say pastor Bob, you’ve got issues!

We all have issues, and they come from an untempered heart.

Which is why we need...

II. The Heart of God.

And there is only one way I know to get it!

A. Using prayer as the refining fire, that makes us pliable for the Word.

B. Using the Word of God as an anvil to mold our heart.

C. Using repentance as a hammer to reshape our hard heart and bring it into conformity to God’s standard.

My brothers and sisters, we cannot continue to live in this present evil system thinking we are impervious to it’s toxicity!

We will be changed by it unless we increase our time in the word of God and prayer!

We must be different than the world!

We must be better than the world!

We must set an example for the world!

II. The unlikely God.

A. What do we know about God that’s different than ourselves?

B. What do we know about ourselves that’s different than God?

C. Wouldn’t we rather be like He?

III. The unsuccessful manipulator.

A. Why would Jonah expect God to change His mind?

B. Does the pouting of the righteous trump the repentance of the wicked?