Text: Jonah 4:1-11
Title: HAVE YOU ANY RIGHT TO BE ANGRY?
Introduction
Today we are finishing up our series LIVING WITHOUT REGRETS based on the book of Jonah. As we look today at Cchapter 4 we are going to see a side of Jonah that’s very un-Jonah like.
• Jonah’s name means DOVE
However we find out today that Jonah is not very dove-like.We find out today that Jonah is a very angry man. Now there is nothing wrong with being angry provided you are angry for the right reasons. The Bible says be angry…but sin not (Eph.4:26)
Be angry but be angry about the right things. Be angry about the things God is angry about. Be angry about all the spiritual and physical suffering going on in the world. "Let those who love the Lord hate evil.(Psalm 98:10)
The Lord says to Jonah twice in chapter 4 “Have you any right to be angry?”
MEANING: It's not right to be angry over the things we have no right to be angry over.
Our Sermon Series on the book of Jonah is called LIVING WITH NO REGRETS. It's impossible to live with no regrets if we always get angry over the things we have no right to get angry over.
Man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires (James 1:20)
If we honestly thought about what caused most of our huge regrets-
The answer would be our anger.
We said something or did something out of anger–andnow we regret it.
And how much more do we regret it when afterwards we realize we were angry over something we had no right to be angry over.
Our prayer today is God show us what are the things we have no right to get angry over.I know what many of us think the RIGHT answer is.If I get angry over it then it’s definitely the right thing to get angry over.That’s only the right answer… If God also gets angry over it.
I think this message today is going to save us all from a lot of future regrets if we apply it to our lives.
The good news from jonah 4 is that God can still use us even if we get angry over the things we have no right getting angry over. The bad news from Jonah 4 is that the devil can also use us if we get angry over the things we have no right getting angry over.
That’s why IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!
So WHAT DID JONAH GET SO ANGRY OVER THAT GOD SAID HE HAD NO RIGHT GETTING ANGRY OVER? WE FIND OUR ANSWER IN THE VERY FIRST VERSE OF JONAH CHAPTER 4
(V1) “But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry”
Jonah became angry BECAUSE HE WAS GREATLY DISPLEASED ABOUT SOMETHING. WHAT WAS HE GREATLY DISPLEASED OVER?
“When God saw what the Ninevites did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. (3:10)
WHY WAS HE GREATLY DISPLEASED OVER THIS? WE DON’T NEED TO SPECULATE - BECAUSE WE FIND THE answer IN what the phrase “greatly displeased” means in the Hebrew.It means “having an attitude that rejects God’s authority”
V1 “Having an attitude that rejects God’s authority -Jonah became angry
JONAH GOT ANGRY BECAUSE HE REJECTED GOD’S AUTHORITY TO DO SOMETHING THAT JONAH DIDN’T LIKE!SO GOD TOLD JONAH HE HAD NO RIGHT TO BE ANGRY.
DOES ANYONE REALLY HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE ANGRY WITH GOD? NONE OF US WOULD EVER DREAM OF GETTING ANGRY WITH GOD. BUT IF GOD HAS AUTHORITY OVER EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO ME. AND I BELIEVE THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT HE DOES.
AND IF I GET ANGRY OVER SOMETHING THAT GOD ALLOWED TO HAPPEN TO ME AM I NOT EXPRESSING AN ATTITUDE THAT REJECTS GOD’S AUTHORITY?
AM I RIGHT IN GETTING ANGRY OVER IT? IF I REALLY BELIEVED THAT GOD HAS AUTHORITY OVER EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO ME. I WILL NEVER HAVE THE WRONG KIND OF ANGER AGAIN! JOB HAD NO ANGER WHATSOEVER
Job SAID “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21)
WHY HAD JOB NO ANGER WHATSOEVER? HIS ATTITUDE WAS THAT GOD HAD AUTHORITY OVER EVER PART OF HIS LIFE.THE LORD GIVES- THE LORD TAKES AWAY.
WE HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE LORD GIVES PART!
WE HAVE HUGE PROBLEMS WITH THE LORD TAKES AWAY PART!
-MAY THE NAME OF THE LORD BE PRAISED!
MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE TAKING THE NAME OF THE LORD IN VAIN - NOT PRAISING THE NAME OF THE LORD!
HOW DO I STOP BEING ANGRY OVER THINGS I HAVE NO RIGHT BEING ANGRY OVER?
1. KNOW THAT GOD HAS AUTHORITY OVER EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOU
NOT JUST THE THINGS YOU LIKE!
BUT ALSO THE THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE
2. I NEED TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF MY ANGER
HERE IS SOMETHING I READ ABOUT ANGER THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW.
Anger is not a primary emotion.
ANGER is a secondary emotion. SOME primary emotion IS causing ME to become angry.
Two of these primary emotions are FEAR and HURT.
1. WHEN I’M ANGRY ABOUT SOMETHING I HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE ANGRY ABOUT IT’S BECAUSE THERE IS SOME FEAR IN MY LIFE
2. OR WHEN I’M ANGRY ABOUT SOMETHING I HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE ANGRY ABOUT IT’S BECAUSE THERE IS SOME HURT IN MY LIFE.
IT IS FEAR AND HURT THAT CAUSE US TO LASH OUT IN ANGER
In Jonah’s case it was both fear and hurt that caused him to become angry.
1.Jonah is FIRST OF ALL angry because of a Fear in his life (4:1-4)
JONAH had just TOLD the Ninevites that God was going to destroy their city in 40 days.
WHEN GOD DIDN’T DO WHAT Jonah said he was going to do …
But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the Lord, 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 are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live. But the Lord replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”(v1-4)
WHAT DID JONAH FEAR THAT CAUSED HIM TO RESPOND IN ANGER?
HE FEARED HIS REPUTATION AS A PROPHET WOULD SUFFER.
WHEN YOUR PROPHESY DOES NOT COME TRUE IT CAN RUIN YOUR REPUTATION.
YOU COULD LOSE YOUR CREDENTIALS WITH THE AG!
FEAR OF LOSING HIS REPUTATION WAS WHY JONAH DIDN’T WANT TO GO TO NINEVEAH IN THE FIRST PLACE.
HE WAS ANGRY WITH GOD FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS!
WHEN I GET ANGRY -IT’S OFTEN BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO LOOK BAD!
WHEN I GET ANGRY WITH MY KIDS! I FEAR OTHERS MIGHT THINK I’M NOT A GOOD PARENT.
THERE ARE SOMETHINGS I GET ANGRY OVER BECAUSE I FEAR OTHERS MIGHT THINK I’M NOT A GOOD PASTOR!
IF GOD HAS AUTHORITY OVER EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE IN MY LIFE WHY SHOULD I FEAR? WHY SHOULD I BECOME ANGRY?
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
IF GOD LOVES ME UNCONDITIONALLY WHY SHOULD I FEAR WHAT OTHERS THINK?
“YOU ARE A GRACIOUS AND COMPASSIONATE GOD, SLOW TO ANGER AND ABOUNDING IN LOVE, A GOD WHO RELENTS FROM SENDING CALAMITY.” (V3)
“BUT PERFECT LOVE DRIVES OUT FEAR.”
WHAT DO YOU FEAR THAT MAKES YOU RESPOND IN ANGER?
2. JONAH IS ANGRY A SECOND TIME BECAUSE OF A HURT IN HIS LIFE (4:5-9)
“But Jonah 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. Then 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. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “it would be better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry about the vine? “I do,” he said. “I am angry enough to die.” (v5-9)
A SECOND TIME GOD ASKS JONAH IF HE HAS A RIGHT TO BE ANGRY?
JONAH SAID “I DO” I AM ANGRY ENOUGH TO DIE.
LAST TIME IT WAS A FEAR IN HIS LIFE THAT MADE JONAH ANGRY
THIS TIME IT IS A HURT IN HIS LIFE THAT MADE JONAH ANGRY
JONAH IS HURT BECAUSE SOMETHING THAT MADE HIM HAPPY HAS BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM.
THAT SOMETHING WAS A VINE.
THE REASON THE VINE MADE JONAH VERY HAPPY BECAUSE IT GAVE SHADE FOR HIS HEAD AND IT EASED HIS DISCOMFORT
But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “it would be better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry about the vine? “I do,” he said. “I am angry enough to die.” (v5-9)
LESSON TO LEARN
If we're trying to find our happiness in things we will only end up getting hurt and being angry.
When we get hurt by other or we get hurt by losing things then God is teaching us a lesson. You can't put your happiness in hands of anyone else but God.If we are angry over some hurt that has happened in our lives we need to put that hurt into the hands of God.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
“Consider it pure (all) joy my brothers whenever you face all kinds of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (James 1:3)
