Do You Have Any Good Reason to be Angry With God?
Jonah: It’s More Than Just a Fish Story Series
Sept. 3, 2006 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction:
A A new resident was walking down a street and noticed a man struggling with a washing machine at the doorway of his house. When the newcomer volunteered to help, the homeowner was overjoyed, and the two men together began to work and struggle with the bulky appliance. After several minutes of fruitless effort the two stopped and just stared at each other in frustration. They looked as if they were on the verge of total exhaustion. Finally, when they had caught their breath, the first man said to the homeowner: "We’ll never get this washing machine in there!" To which the homeowner replied: "In? I’m trying to move it out of here!"
1 Not on the same page, either was Jonah & God.
2 We’ll see an adult/believer acting like a child/unbeliever.
B Jonah 4
1 Jonah’s anger towards God was birthed out of his (Jonah’s) not sharing the same concern as God (ETS)
2 Our relationship with God flourishes when we become passionate about what God is passionate about (ESS)
3 I pray you’ll fall in love with the things God loves, especially lost people (objective)
C How would you answer the questions God asked Jonah? (PQ)
1 Let’s look at the two questions God asked Jonah in order to help us see if we love the things God loves, especially lost people.
2 Pray
Conclusion:
A Jonah’s anger towards God was birthed out of his (Jonah’s) not sharing the same concern as God (ETS) Our relationship with God flourishes when we become passionate about what God is passionate about (ESS)
1 We’ve looked at the two questions God asked Jonah in order to help us see if we love the things God loves, especially lost people.
a Do you have a good reason to be angry?
b Should I not have compassion on Ninevah?
2 I pray you’ll fall in love with the things God loves, especially lost people.
a Our way or God’s Way.
b Talk about the lost or we talk to the lost.
B How would you answer the questions God asked Jonah? (PQ)
When Henry Ford purchased a large insurance policy, the Detroit news papers blazoned the fact, since the amount was so large and he was so prominent. The story was read by one of Ford’s old friends, who I happened to be in the insurance business. The old friend went to confront Ford to see if the story was true. When Ford assured him that it was, the friend asked him why the policy was not purchased from him, since he was a personal friend and had been in insurance for many years. Ford’s reply was, "You never asked me."
How many of our friends can say to us, "You never asked me," as to our sharing Christ with them?
God’s concern is people.
And He uses you and me to reach them.
Do you share God’s concern? Do you have a passion for people?
I "Do you have good reason to be angry?" v. 4
A To Jonah, it was a disaster that Ninevah averted disaster.
1 His anger could have grown for a few reasons:
a His reputation as a prophet had been damaged when they repented (40 days)
aa He’s embarrassed, pride is bruised, reputation is damaged. "You may say in your heart, ’How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’ 22 "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. Deut 18:21-22 (NASB)
bb ...for I knew...really saying, "I knew better!"
cc He’s ripping on God for being compassionate, gracious, slow to anger
b He wanted Ninevah to be destroyed for their wickedness.
aa This was Israel’s enemy, deserved to die/be destroyed...WRATH
bb Jonah, who despised the Ninevites, was used by God to help rescue them. (IL) Scoring a touchdown for the other team.
2 Jonah’s answer to God’s question was not given verbally. Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city.
a He walks away because he’d rather have his way than to see souls saved, God’s way.
b If he couldn’t have his way, he’d rather be dead (forgot the storm & fish)
3 Jonah was angry because Ninevah (Israel’s enemy) were embraced by God as sons.
a Ninevah didn’t open a seminary, temple, synagogue, church
b Ninevah didn’t have perfect theology, orthodoxy, doctrine
aa Passover? Festival of Show Bread? Day of Atonement?
bb They just came to God with a repentive heart.
c Jonah did know theology/doctrine & he knew that whoever really said, "God be merciful to me a sinner (a failure)" would be justified in God’s sight & it made him fuming mad.
B We never get angry with God because He doesn’t do things our way, do we?
1 Some people, like Jonah, become sulky when they cannot have their way in every area of their life.
a Stop coming to church, stop giving, stop praying, stop reading, stop worshipping (even attack the pastor because he’s God’s man).
b Like Jonah, we’d rather have our way than God’s way.
c We’re really saying that our way is better, right, superior
2 In reality, our way was leading us to hell. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NASB)
a By grace, through faith in Jesus
b We didn’t need morality, philosophy...we needed salvation & that comes through Christ alone!
aa Apart from Christ, none can (or will be) saved
bb Jesus is not a way among many-THE WAY
3 If you have not put your trust in Him up to today, you can right now
Transitional Sentence: God asks Jonah a follow-up question.
II "Should I not have compassion on Ninevah?" v.11
A God uses an object lesson from creation to seek to correct Jonah’s heart.
1 God grows a plant for shade (only time Jonah is happy in 48 verses), only to send a worm to kill it the next morning.
a Jonah is concerned about the plant, but could care less about the souls in Ninevah.
b Jonah had an option to go back to Ninevah to find shade (taught, discipled)
c Lesson? God made the plant, worm, sun, wind, & the people of Ninevah.
2 God’s telling Jonah that he should be concerned about Ninevah because God Himself was concerned about them, He created them...they’re his children, too.
3 Jonah risked a lot to come to Ninevah, and he probably knew that Ninevah’s repentance wouldn’t last (150 years later judgement does happen).
a They’ll always be a threat to Israel
b A lasting repentance is rarely possible when a culture is saturated with violence/sin. (Ignorant of God)
c "Why am I risking my life, spending money to reach these people who are going to slide right back into sin?"-Jonah
d God wanted Jonah to know that it was worth the risk/investment because God loved those people because He made them.
aa Jonah lost his sense of awe of God’s love
bb He got used to compassion, grace, mercy, blessing...
B I don’t know how much more "ignorant" (...who do not know the difference between their right and left hand...) our culture can get about God, but we’re doing it as quickly as we can.
1 Taken God out of city square, schools, currency, family, pledge, govenment...
a Aborted over 50 million children in the last 30 years.
b The generation coming up is on track to having only 4% be born-again believers.
c America needs to hear Jonah’s message.
2 God is sending modern-day Jonahs (us) into Steeleville, Ellis Grove, & Chester with the message!
a It’s worth the risk!
b God invested His Son on a cross-it’s that big of a deal to Him. Why? So none would perish.
c What’s close to God’s heart should be close to ours.
3 "Should I not have compassion on Ninevah?" Yes, Lord. Chester, too.
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Mike Fogerson
