Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Beginnings and Endings
• It is interesting to make a comparison between the beginning and the end of the book [of Jonah]
• 1:1-2 - reading for the first time you may have assumed this is a city so vile that God will judge it
• Jonah's message was just that: after 40 days God will destroy that city
• An assumption that judgement was coming
• Reading on we know this judgement was a warning and that God was wanting the wicked people to repent
• The people did repent (all the people and the King)
• The end of the book:
• God had mercy upon 120'000 people
• Can you think of anywhere else in the bible where God has mercy on so many people?
• What about Jonah?
• You may have thought there was great promise in this man
• The living God is speaking to a man in the Northern Kingdom at a time when the people of God were far from Him
• One of the first and only missionary excursions outside of Israel
• What a privilege!
• 'It is right to be angry even unto death' - nothing else is heard from Jonah
• 'Are you really more concerned about your shade than a lost city?'
• We have reason to believe that Jonah did come to his senses
• Huge Contrast
• A contrast between the gracious sovereign will of God and the stubborn prideful will of man

The gracious sovereign will of God

The sovereign goodness of God

• The Ninevites were a terrible and awful people
• Their wickedness had gone up to the heavens
• God abhors sin and must punish sinners
• Yet God would send His Son into the world to pay for the sins of all people (New and Old Testament people)
• Because the repented and cried out to God their sins were forgiven and wiped out
• God's goodness
• Ps 52:1b
• Ps 33:9 [33:5b]
• Ps 119:68
• Part of God's goodness is that He has found a way to free people from their sins
• If not we would be punished eternally for our sins
• God knows our hearts and thoughts
• God has chosen to save sinners like you and me
• Nineveh was a city also known for perverseness, cruelty, corruption and idolatry
• You may say they deserved to be left in their sin
• God is a good God and had a different plan
• Think of cities around the world: Rio, Amstersdam, London, New-York, Cardiff
• God sends His servants into such places to preach the message of compassion
• God is full in mercy and slow to anger
• We are often quick to anger
• Often our own anger is sinful
• God is not like us
• God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" [2 Peter 3:9]
• An example of another city - Jericho
• God saves a Canaanite prostitute
• There are some wonderful surprises in Scripture
• The Samaritan woman with 6 husbands
• The apostle Paul (before he was a Christian)
• God is a gracious God
• Never despise the goodness of God
• If you are not a Christian do not despise the goodness of God because it leads you to repentance

The gracious will of God towards the Ninevites

• What do we learn about these people?
• They could not "discern between their right hand and their left" (4:11)
• Is this talking about children?
• Is this talking about unintelligent/ignorant adults?
• We go to the Bible to get our interpretation
• Ecc 10:2 - a difference between wisdom and foolishness
• The Ninivites could not tell right from wrong
• All people have God's moral law written on our conscience
• Their conscience had become so hardened to sin that they started to call evil good and good evil
• There was no restraint or discernment
• We can feel like this about people in our society today
• Jonah is sent to such a people
• God has set His love upon the Ninevites
• Why this city?
• Why not other Assyrian cities?
• It was God's electing love
• God had chosen that city for salvation

The gracious will of God towards Jonah

• Jonah was to be an instrument in a mighty revival
• Sadly we don't often think of Jonah as a great evangelist as we know what his heart was like
• God was gracious to him and didn't give up on him
• God could have easily chosen another prophet to replace Jonah
• God didn't allow Jonah to drown when we was thrown into the sea
• God did remarkable things through the disobedience of Jonah
• The mariners were saved
• God controlled the power of nature on Jonah's behalf
• Behold the goodness and severity of God
• 1:4 - God hurled a great wind
• God prepared a great fish
• God speaks to the fish and vomits Jonah onto dry land
• (This is historical/fact: consider the book of Kings)
• A vehement east wind but providing shade in a plant
• Sending a worm so the plant might die
• God controls nature
• Multiple examples
• Do you believe in a supernatural God?
• God's graciousness to speak to Jonah a second time
• Why should God use us in any shape of form?
• Because of His grace and mercy
• When He sends storms into our life it is to refine us
• 4:6 from his misery - meaning from his evil way
• The same word as in 3:10 when the Ninevites turned from the evil way
• A plant to deliver Jonah from the evil of his physical and his spiritual evil
• To deliver Jonah from the evil of his own heart
• Jonah was sometimes a microcosm for Judah
• Jonah was a picture of what Judah needed to hear
• You are meant to be a light to the nations
• You are not to be concerned with yourself
• What about the church today?
• Are we concerned about ourselves or do we have compassion for the Nations?
• How much time and money do we spend on missions?
• How much time is given to our own comforts?
• How much time is given to witness to the world?
• God had not given up on Jonah
• Right to the end of the book he was reasoning with Jonah
• How kind God is

The stubborn and prideful will of man

• If God speaks to us in His word, do we obey it?
• In personal bible reading or bible study
• 'Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath' - do we hide this in our heart?
• 'Pure and undefiled religion' - are we fulfilling this?
• Are we keeping ourselves 'unspotted from the world'?
• Do we obey God's word?
• We may not be called to go to Nineveh
• Are we obeying other commands?
• How judgmental are we?
• Do we have a critical of fault finding spirit?
• Do we obey God's word?
• Jonah was a proud man and not afraid to challenge God
• He needed to be broken
• He had no desire for people to be saved
• How concerned are we with our 'rights' versus the privileges and responsibility that God has given us?
• Are we more concerned with ourselves?
• We need to think more about our privileges and responsibilities before God
• Jonah's interpretation:
• 4:1 the word for displeased is the same word as in 4:6 and 3:10
• Jonah was saying that God had done evil
• We often feel sorry for Jonah
• But we would be repulsed by him
• He is taken up in himself and wants God to be like him!
• He is not accepting whom God is in Himself
• We must accept what God says about Himself, even if we do not understand it
• E.g. the doctrine of election
• Example of Romanian man
• He did not believe in the goodness of God
• Foolish thinking - this man on his deathbed did come to know the Lord
• Do you accept God for who He is?
• Ps 145:8-9 - remember these verses in a hard trial
• Remember David wrote these words

Closing Remarks

• May it be that we never charge God with anything but say 'Your will be done'
• May we always remember that mercy triumphs over judgment