If you'll turn with me now in your Bibles to the book of Jonah, if you have Bibles,
this is going to be on the screens as well.
If you have the church Bibles, it's Jonah chapter 1.
If your Bibles are the same as mine, that's on page 928.
We're going to read Jonah chapter 1.
We'll read the whole chapter.
This is going to be the text for our sermon this morning as well.
Let us hear God's word.
The word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai.
Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.
He went down to Chapa, where he found a ship bound for that port.
After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm rose that the ship threatened to break up.
All the sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own God.
And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
The captain went to him and said,
How can you sleep?
Get up and call on your God.
Maybe he'll take notice of us so that we will not perish.
Then the sailors said to each other,
Come, let's cast lots to find out who's responsible for this calamity.
They cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
So they asked him,
Tell us, who's responsible for making all this trouble for us?
What kind of work do you do?
Where do you come from?
What's your country?
From what people are you?
He answered,
I'm a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.
This terrified them, and they asked,
What have you done?
They knew he was running away from the Lord because he'd already told them so.
The sea was getting rougher and rougher.
So they asked him,
What should we do to make the sea calm down for us?
Pick me up and throw me into the sea, he replied, and it will become calm.
I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.
Instead, the men did their best to row back to land.
But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.
Then they cried out to the Lord,
Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man's life.
Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man,
for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.
Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard,
and the raging sea grew calm.
At this, the men greatly feared the Lord,
and they offered sacrifices to the Lord and made vows to him.
Now the Lord provided huge fish to swallow Jonah,
and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
May God bless his word.
Will you bow your heads with me as we pray?
Our Father in heaven,
we again give you thanks that we can know you as our Father.
We give you thanks that we can know that you hear us,
that you are concerned for us.
Once again, we marvel that you have chosen us,
and that you have saved us through your Son.
And we pray that you would continue to be at work within us by your Holy Spirit.
We ask that each day that you would be focusing our thoughts upon you.
We pray, Father, that your name would be honored.
We pray that your kingdom would come,
and that your church would grow.
We rejoice in the Lord Jesus' promise
that he would build his church,
and that the gates of hell would not stand against it.
And so we pray, Father,
that we would see evidence of that in our own time.
We pray for the concert that will soon be taking place.
We pray for your blessing upon that,
that it would be an encouraging time of fellowship.
We thank you for the desire to raise funds for the church plant in Galashiels.
We pray for that church.
We thank you for it.
We pray that you would be with Craig and his family.
We ask that you would bless them.
We pray that you would encourage them.
We pray for the church there.
We ask that you would continue to draw people to it.
We pray for your blessing upon Craig's preaching,
upon his role as minister.
We ask that you would raise up others as leaders in that church.
We pray, Father,
that you would enable them,
not only on Sundays in the preaching of your word,
but we pray that as they go out into the community there,
that you would enable them to live such lives
that would bear good witness to you.
And we pray, Father,
that you would be drawing people to yourself,
and that you would be building your church,
that more and more people would be professing faith in the Lord Jesus
and following him.
We pray, Father,
for our own congregation.
We pray those things for us as well.
We pray that you would be with us as we seek to reach out
to the community around us
and to those people that we have contact with.
We pray, Father,
that you would bless us as a congregation.
We pray that you would be with those
who are going through times of difficulty.
We pray for those
who are experiencing difficulties with their health
or whose loved ones are unwell.
We commit them to you,
and we pray, Father,
for your hand to be upon them.
In all that we face in this world,
we ask, Lord,
that you would be with us.
We pray for those facing financial difficulty.
We ask that you would provide for them.
We pray for those facing difficulties in relationships.
Give them wisdom and grace
as they seek to respond to those situations.
We pray that you would build us together
as a community,
that you would give us a genuine love for one another.
Father,
we think of our own nation.
We pray for the government in Holyrood
and also in Westminster.
We commit these men and women to you.
Humble them, Father.
May they know that there is a God
to whom they are accountable.
We pray that you would give them wisdom
and integrity
as they go about the work
to which you have called them.
We pray, Father,
that you would bless other nations.
We think of the terrible situation
in Israel and in Gaza at this time.
We pray, Father,
for those who have experienced
the loss of loved ones.
We pray for those who are suffering now.
We ask that you would bring an end
to the violence
and the enmity there.
We pray, Father,
for a quick resolution
to the situation.
As we think of these things,
we recognize how beyond us that is.
We recognize how almost impossible
that seems to us.
But we pray, Father,
that you would do this.
And we ask for your church
in that country.
We pray that you would watch over your people,
those who acknowledge the Lord Jesus
as their Savior.
We pray that you would enable them
to be a blessing to those around them.
We pray similarly
for the situation in Ukraine,
a situation that has gone on for so long
that we almost begin to take it for granted.
We pray, Father,
for those who continue to suffer there.
Again, we pray for an end
to that conflict.
We thank you, Father,
for the measure of peace
and prosperity
that we know in our own country.
We do not take these well off,
and we do,
and we confess that.
But we recognize
that this is a gift from you.
And so we pray, Father,
that you would enable us
to make the most of that opportunity
and to make the most
of the freedoms that we have here
to live faithfully to you.
We pray, Father,
that you would continue with us
as we turn now to your word.
Hear our prayers.
Forgive our sins.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
We're going to continue our worship now
singing,
Our God Will Go Before Us.
If you would again stand with me
as we sing.
Amen.
For every step is faithfulness, is the truth that lights our way.
Our God will go before us, the Lord of hosts is with us.
Oh, praise the one who leads us on, for his grace will bring us home.
Though evil forms against us, all heaven will defend us.
The gates of hell shall not prevail, for the battle is the last.
Our God will go before us, the Lord of hosts is with us.
Oh, praise the one who leads us on, for his grace will bring us home.
Now send us with your presence, and lead us on to heaven.
Where songs of sorrow stray no more, and our every breath is praise.
Our God will go before us, the Lord of hosts is with us.
Oh, praise the one who leads us on, for his grace will bring us home.
Now our second reading is in the New Testament.
It's in Luke's Gospel.
Luke chapter 18, we'll read verses 9 to 17.
Let us hear God's word.
To some who are confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable.
Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed,
God, I thank you that I am not like other people.
Robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.
But the tax collector stood at a distance.
He wouldn't even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said,
God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.
For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled,
and all those who humble themselves will be exalted.
People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them.
When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.
But Jesus called the children to him and said,
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Truly, I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.
May God bless this word.
If you turn to me again, if you have Bibles with you there,
if you turn back to the book of Jonah,
I'm going to be focusing on that book this morning.
If we were to play a word association game,
and I was to say to you,
Jonah,
you would say,
whale.
We think of Jonah as the book about a whale.
Jonah and the whale.
Jonah and the big fish.
And in fact,
the book of Jonah
is a book about a lot of big things.
If you look with me in Jonah chapter 1,
at verse 2,
you notice that it begins by mentioning
a great city.
Literally a big city.
You notice in verse 4,
then the Lord sent a great wind,
a big wind.
You notice also it mentions a violent storm.
That again is the word big storm.
In verse 10,
we see how people responded to what Jonah told them.
In verse 10,
this terrified them.
Literally they feared a big fear.
In verse 12,
it mentions a great storm,
a big storm again.
In verse 16,
we're back to fear.
The men greatly feared the Lord.
They feared Yahweh with a great fear.
In verse 17,
now the Lord provided a huge fish,
a great fish,
a big fish.
It gets translated different ways in English,
but in the original,
all of that is the same word.
And in fact,
if we were to carry on,
if we were to look in chapter 4,
for example,
to Jonah,
this seemed very wrong
and he became very angry.
He had a big anger.
And notice in verse 6 of that chapter,
then the Lord provided a leafy plant
and made it grow up over Jonah
to give shade for his head
and to ease his discomfort.
And Jonah was very happy.
He had great joy.
Over and over and over again,
the book of Jonah
tells us about big things.
It's a very little book
about a lot of big things.
A big city,
a big wind,
a big storm,
big fear,
big fish,
big evil,
big joy,
lots and lots of big things.
Now,
when an author does that,
typically,
they want you to notice.
The author of the book of Jonah
is making a point
by telling us about
all of these big things.
But his point
isn't about a big fish
or a big fear
or a big storm.
The author of the book of Jonah
is wanting to impress upon you
the fact that there is
a big God.
The book of Jonah
is about the majesty
and the greatness of God.
And maybe
this is a particularly good time
for us to hear about that.
We should probably acknowledge
all of the time
that our lives are uncertain
and that our lives are short.
But sometimes
we particularly come
to appreciate that.
just within the last
little bit more than a week,
suddenly,
there's war
in the Middle East.
We take it for granted
now,
I think,
often,
sadly,
but there's even war
in Europe.
That should be shocking
to us.
And it's very troubling
to us.
And there are so many
other things.
In the journal Nature
that they've noted,
we talk often
about the climate crisis
and the environmental crisis.
And psychiatrists
sometimes talk about
the way that that
preys on people's mind
and the effect
that that has
upon people's mental health.
And particularly
younger people
who are disproportionately
affected by that.
The article in Nature
links it
to PTSD,
post-traumatic stress disorder,
anxiety,
depression,
learning disorder,
anger amongst
young people.
These are terrible things.
We live in a very
stressful time.
And perhaps
in the midst of that,
it's a very good time
for us to be reminded
that there is a God
who is greater
than all of these things.
I want us to look
this morning
at the book of Jonah
and to see what it tells us
about the greatness
of this God.
And we're going to see
two things.
First of all,
the book of Jonah
emphasizes maybe
most obviously
that God is great
in power.
Do you notice
something strange
about verse 9?
They were asking
Jonah,
who on earth
was he
that he had caused
all of this?
And do you notice
his response
in verse 9?
Jonah says,
I'm a Hebrew
and I worship
the Lord,
the God of heaven,
who made the sea
and the dry land.
maybe we'll mention
this again
as we go on,
but if you read
through the book
of Jonah,
everything that
Jonah says
is technically
correct
and completely
orthodox,
even when he's
doing the very
opposite in terms
of his actual
actions.
So the statement
that Jonah
makes here,
it's a very
true statement.
Yahweh is the
God of heaven,
he is the one
who made the sea
and the dry land,
and what is Jonah
doing as he says
that?
Well, he's running
away from the God
who made the sea
on the sea.
And how well
does that go
for Jonah?
It's not working
out very well.
Notice verse 4,
the Lord sent
a great wind
on the sea
and such a
violent storm
arose that the
ship threatened
to break up.
Do you notice
the language
that's used there
in verse 4?
The ship wasn't
being swamped
with water,
it wasn't sort
of slowly sinking.
Apparently,
I only saw
this recently,
over the weekend
were there
several ships
in Granton
Harbor that
filled with
water and
sank.
That's not
what we're told
was happening
to this ship,
it wasn't just
going to founder.
The storm
was so bad
that the ship
was going to
be smashed
to pieces.
Imagine being
at sea in a
ship like that
in that
kind of storm.
It was a
storm of
such power,
the hardened
sailors,
they were
terrified.
But notice
the power
of God
has revealed
in the book
of Jonah,
not just in
these great
obvious things,
notice as well
that it's also
God exerts
his power
and his control
even in the
smallest of details.
miracles.
So notice
in chapter 4
for example,
in verse 6,
then the Lord
provided a
leafy plant.
That single
plant that
grew up
came from
God.
It was under
his control,
under his
power.
The same
word that's
used there
that the Lord
provided this
in verse 8,
when the sun
rose,
God provided
a scorched
east wind.
the wind
that came
was under
God's
control.
That's also
the same
word that's
used back
in verse 17,
when it says
that the Lord
provided a
huge fish.
All of these
things are
manifestations
of the power
and the
control of
God.
God's
control and
his power
is manifest
throughout this
book,
most obviously
in the storm,
but even in
all of the
smallest of
details.
they were
experiencing
the power
of God,
and we
should recognize
that we
experienced
the power
of God
as well.
Creation
itself testifies
to the power
of its
creator.
We saw
something of
that,
didn't we,
over this
weekend even.
Thankfully
here,
I live right
beside the
river,
so I was
very grateful.
Thankfully
here,
it wasn't as
bad as in
some places,
but we've
experienced the
power of that
storm,
the storm
Babbitt
that came.
Before moving
to Musselboro,
my family and
I used to
live in
Skye,
and that
was sort
of like
every October.
We lived
in a very
old house
there,
and it
was a
very
substantial
stone
house
with walls
maybe that
thick.
It was the
mats that
was originally
built in
the 1800s
with the
church,
massive stone
walls.
If you
looked up
into the
crawl space,
up into
the attic,
the timbers
and the
roof were
massive,
big timbers.
It was a
substantial
house,
and you
could sit
in that
house in
October when
the storms
came,
and the
whole thing
would tremble
because of
the force
of the
storms.
We've
experienced
the power
of these
things.
We should
also recognize
that God's
power is
revealed not
just in the
forces of
nature.
The Bible
also tells us
that Jesus'
resurrection is
the greatest
proof of
his power.
There's one
point in the
New Testament
where the
Apostle Paul
speaks about
God's
incomparably
great power,
which he
then goes on
to describe
as God's
mighty strength
which he
exerted when
he raised
Christ from
the dead
and seated
him at his
right hand
in the
heavenly realms
far above
all rule
and authority,
power,
and dominion,
and every
name that is
invoked,
not only in
the present
age,
but also
in the
one to
come.
Two thousand
years ago,
Jesus died,
and three
days later,
he was
raised from
the dead.
And when
that happened,
it was a
manifestation
of God's
incomparably
great power.
God is
overwhelming
in power.
And what
effect should
that have
on us?
If we're
honest,
very often
we behave
like Jonah.
We'll say
a little
bit more
about his
behavior
in a
moment.
But what
we ought
to do,
we see
that
exemplified
in the
sailors.
Do you
notice in
verse 16?
At this,
and what
is this?
This is
in verse 15,
the sea
grew calm.
You'd think
they'd just
be relieved,
go back to
whatever they'd
been doing.
at this
the men
greatly
feared the
Lord,
and they
offered
sacrifices
to the
Lord,
and made
vows to
him.
These
people were
previously
pagans.
In verse
5,
we tell
that they
were told
that they
had been
worshipping
all of
their own
gods.
Now,
they fear
Yahweh,
and they
worship
Yahweh.
when we
go out
and we
see the
majesty
and the
grandeur
of the
creation
around us,
when we
experience
something of
the power
of the
forces of
nature,
which
reveal to
us just
a tiny
bit of
God's
infinite
power,
when you
experience
those things,
it should
fill you
with a
sense of
awe.
It should
give you
a desire
to worship
the God
who stands
behind
all of
that.
these
things
should
lead us
to
worship
God.
Also,
I recognize
that many
of these
things,
if we
talk about
the power
of God
revealed
in the
storms,
we think
about the
control of
God over
all things,
I recognize
that that
will also
raise
questions
for us.
The book
of Jonah
doesn't
seek to
answer all
of these
questions.
Why does
God allow
a certain
thing to
happen?
These
questions do
come to
mind.
this book
is
emphasized
in the
simple
fact that
God is
in control
and that
he is
all-powerful.
And one
of the
striking
things is
that the
Bible
often
emphasizes
this
for your
comfort.
Think of
what Jesus
says.
Are not
two sparrows
sold for
a penny?
Sparrows,
tiny,
insignificant
birds,
you can buy
them for
nothing.
Two sparrows
sold for
a penny,
yet not
one of
them will
fall to the
ground outside
of your
Father's
care.
Jesus is
saying this
in a
context in
which he's
emphasizing that
the disciples
needn't worry,
that they
needn't panic,
because they
know God.
And he is a
God of
unlimited
power,
whose power
extends even
to the most
minute things.
And notice
how Jesus
tells us to
think of God
there.
care.
Not one
of them
falls to
the ground
outside of
your Father's
care.
And you
remember how
Jesus taught
us to
pray.
He taught
us to
say,
our Father
in heaven.
People have
commented on
those two
words,
Father and
heaven.
The fact
that God
is Father
in the
sense that
he is
willing to
help you,
he is
willing to
receive you.
There are
many things
that I am
willing to
do.
There are
many things
that are
outside of
my control
that I
can't do
even if I
wanted to.
But your
Father is
in heaven.
He is not
limited by
anything.
He is a
God of
unlimited
power.
So this
gives you
confidence.
It doesn't
answer all of
the questions
that you may
have.
It doesn't
necessarily
enable you to
understand why
something has
happened.
But in the
midst of all of
these things,
things which
prey upon
our mental
health,
things which
often affect
our physical
health, the
most difficult
things that you
might go
through, in
the midst of
all of that,
you can know
that there is a
God behind all
of that.
And through
Jesus, you can
know him as
your Father in
heaven.
This is
astonishing.
It should lead
you not only to
worship him, but
also to be able to
take comfort in
him, recognizing
that he loves you
and that he cares
for you.
God.
So in the
first place, the
book of Jonah
reveals to you a
God who is
unlimited in
power, who is
overwhelming in
power.
The second
thing that the
book of Jonah
emphasizes, which
we might not at
first appreciate,
is that this is a
God of mercy.
The book of Jonah
reveals that God is
great in mercy.
I find Jonah a
fascinating book
because of the way
it was written.
And at the
very beginning,
one of the
fascinating things
is that at the
beginning of the
account, there
are two, well, we
could say
ambiguities, two
things that we're
not certain about.
We might make
assumptions about
them, but there
are two things that
aren't actually
clear at the
beginning of the
book.
And both of them
relate to
motivation.
The first of them
relates to God's
motivation.
Why is God
sending Jonah to
Nineveh?
And then the
second one relates
to Jonah's
motivation.
Why does Jonah
run away from
Nineveh?
Some of you may
know, but Tarshish
is believed to be
about where
Gibraltar is.
So if Jonah was
supposed to go
east to Nineveh,
and then he goes
west to
Gibraltar, he's
going as far as
he possibly can in
the opposite
direction.
So we might
wonder, why is
Jonah doing
that?
With regard to
that first
question, what's
motivating God,
there's a degree
of ambiguity.
If you look at
verse 2, go to
the great city of
Nineveh and
preach against it
because its
wickedness has
come up before
me.
Now that's a
possible way of
translating it,
and if it's
translated that
way, what's
motivating God to
send Jonah to
Nineveh?
Well, his
anger.
God's angry at
the Ninevites
because of what
they've done,
isn't he?
It's his wrath
that's motivating
him.
Their wickedness
has come up
before me.
Go and preach
against them.
What if I were
to tell you that
verse 2 could
just as equally
be translated,
go and preach
to them,
because their
calamity has
come up before
me, because the
danger that they
are in has come
up before me.
The word that's
translated here as
wickedness, that's
the same as the
word that's used
in verse 7.
Come, let us
cast lots to
find out who is
responsible for
this calamity.
It wasn't
wickedness that
they were talking
about.
It was the
terrible danger
that they were
afraid of that
they're talking
about.
So verse 2
could be
translated in
either of those
ways.
There's a degree
of ambiguity there.
What is it
that's motivating
God?
What's the
answer?
Well, the
shocking thing
as we get to
the end of the
book is that
the thing that's
motivating God
is his
compassion.
The Lord
said,
you've been
concerned about
this plant,
though you
didn't tend it
or make it
grow.
It sprang up
overnight and
died overnight.
And should I
not have
concern for
the great
city of
Nineveh,
in which
there are
more than
120,000
people who
cannot tell
their right
hand from
their left?
We would
be wrong
if we assumed
at the
beginning that
God was
motivated by
his wrath
and his
anger.
I suppose
wrath and
anger is a
thing.
It is part
of God's
response to
human sin.
But that's
not the
thing that's
being emphasized
here.
And that's
not the
reason that
God is
sending Jonah
to Nineveh.
God tells
us at the
end that
the thing
that's
motivating
him to
send Jonah
to Nineveh
is his
great concern
for the
people of
that city
in spite of
their wickedness.
And this is
tremendous,
isn't it?
If you're here
this morning and
you're not yet a
Christian,
this is the
thing that makes
all the
difference,
isn't it?
God is
great in
power.
That wouldn't
really be
encouraging,
would it?
Unless we
knew that
that God
was for
us.
If we
were alienated
from that
God,
the fact that
he is a
God of
overwhelming
power would
be a
terrifying
thing.
But the
point of
the book
of Jonah,
one of the
points,
is that you
can know
that this
God is
for you.
He's
motivated by
his concern
for you.
In the
New Testament
we read,
we could
pick many
examples,
in 1 John,
in one of
John's letters,
he said,
this is how
we know
what love
is.
Jesus Christ
laid down
his life
for us.
And then
later on,
John goes
on to say,
this is love.
Not that we
loved God,
but that he
loved us
and sent
his sins
son as
an atoning
sacrifice
for our
sins.
God didn't
just send
Jonah,
God sent
his son,
God sent
Jesus,
and he
sent him
to save
you.
That's
really an
astonishing
thought.
If you
have a
sense,
all of us
have a
conscience,
we know
that we've
done things
that are
wrong.
If you
recognize
that and
you have
some
conception
of a
great and
all-powerful
God,
that would
be
terrifying.
But he
has given
proof of
the fact
that he
is a
merciful
and a
loving
God
in that
he has
sent
his
son.
And
Jesus
died
for the
sins
of his
people.
So if
you're not
a Christian
here this
morning,
you can
be.
You can
know this
God.
You can
turn to
Jesus and
trust in
him and
know that
as you
do so,
you experience
the mercy
of God,
the compassion
of God.
Jesus'
resurrection is
the proof
of that.
If you're
here this
morning and
you are a
Christian,
this is
also
tremendously
encouraging.
Because how
often are we
like Jonah?
There's the
Jonah of the
first half of
the book,
who is sort
of openly,
aggressively
hostile toward
God and
doing the
opposite of
what he
knows God
wants him
to do.
There's the
Jonah of
the second
half of
the book,
who is
maybe we
could say
passively
aggressive.
He sort
of does
what he's
supposed to
do,
doesn't he?
But not
really.
Do you
notice his
message to
the Ninevites?
Forty more
days and
Nineveh will
be overthrown.
It might not
be described as
the most
winsome gospel
message ever.
Jonah did
the bare
minimum.
He did
what he
had to
do.
But do
you notice,
lest you
think I'm
being too
hard on
Jonah,
at the
end of
this,
in spite
of the
terseness
of his
message,
in verse
10 of
chapter 3,
when God
saw what
they did
and how
they turned
from their
evil ways,
he relented
and did
not bring
on them
the destruction
that he
had threatened.
The Ninevites,
this is
tremendous
news.
At this
point,
Jonah's
delighted,
yes?
or not.
But to
Jonah,
this seemed
very wrong
and he
became angry.
He prayed
to the
Lord,
isn't this
what I
said,
Lord,
when I
was still
at home?
That is
why I
tried to
forestall,
this is
what I
tried to
forestall
by fleeing
to Tarshish.
God.
I
knew that
you
were a
gracious
and
compassionate
God,
slow to
anger and
abounding
in love,
a God
who relents
from sending
calamity.
Again,
that's
true.
And
Jonah's
angry about
it.
This is,
incidentally,
I mentioned,
we make two
assumptions.
We assume
at the
beginning of
the story
that Jonah
ran away
from the
Ninevites
because he
was scared
of them.
We could
read,
if you
wanted,
you could
read in
Nahum,
in chapter
three,
there's a
description
of what
Nineveh was
like.
It was a
terrifying
place.
I would
run away
from Nineveh.
I would
be terrified.
Jonah
didn't run
away because
he was
scared.
Jonah ran
away because
he hated
them.
And he
was afraid
that if
he went,
he tells
us this,
he was
afraid that
if he
went,
that God
would have
mercy upon
them.
And his
hatred of
them was
such,
justifiably,
you might
argue,
they had
done horrible
things.
But Jonah's
hatred of
them was
such that
he did
not want
them to
experience
God's
mercy.
Maybe we're
not quite as
extreme as
Jonah,
but how
often are we a
little bit like
him?
We know all
of the right
words to
say,
we're correct
in all of
that,
we know what
we ought to
do, and
sometimes we
even sort of
do it,
good, but
our hearts
not really
in it.
And
particularly,
the challenge
here is to
demonstrate
God's mercy,
but I
mention this
at this
point,
because this
is also
encouraging for
you.
If you're
here this
morning and
you're not
a Christian,
the overwhelming
greatness of
God's mercy
is tremendously
good news.
And if you
are a
Christian,
it is also
tremendously
good news,
because so
often we're
like Jonah.
So in the
first place,
this is an
encouragement to
us, this is
the best news.
There is also
a degree of
challenge for
us here.
Do you
notice how
the book of
Jonah ends?
It ends
with a
question,
doesn't it?
Should I
not have
concern for
the great
city of
Nineveh?
God
asked Jonah
a question
and Jonah
doesn't
answer.
At least
we're not
told how
Jonah
answered.
That's not
by accident,
is it?
The author
of the book
wants us
to ask
that question.
Should
God
not have
compassion
for those
who are
still alienated
from him?
And part
of the
point of
the book
of Jonah
is not
merely for
us
ourselves
to know
the compassion,
the mercy,
and the
forgiveness
of God
through Jesus.
Part of
the point
of the
book of
Jonah
is for
us to
demonstrate
that
attitude
toward
other
people.
What did
Jonah do?
Did
Jonah ever
repent?
The Ninevites
repented?
Did Jonah
ever repent?
We don't
know.
It's left
us an
open question
because we
are to
ask that
question.
We
probably
don't
normally
take
things
to the
extreme
that
Jonah
did.
But how
often
are we
maybe
just
unconcerned
about
other
people?
We know
that they're
not
Christians
in theory,
we know
the implications
of that,
but we
really don't
worry about
it very
much.
But then
this book
is challenging
us,
isn't it?
God is
concerned
about these
people,
and so
should we
be.
Practically,
in terms
of what
we do
about
that,
one thing
very simply
that you
can do
is that
you can
pray.
Those of
you who
are Christians
here this
morning,
you will
know people
who aren't.
You can
pray that
God would
give them
a desire
to know
him.
You can
pray that
God would
give you
an opportunity
to speak
to them.
We can
seek to
live lives
in a way
that reflects
well upon
the gospel.
Just in
simple ways
we can
seek to
address this,
even simply
by praying
for people,
praying for
ourselves,
praying that
God would
give us
that desire
and that
concern.
So there
is a
challenge to
us here.
But as we
conclude,
I want us
to return to
the fact that
this is
profoundly
encouraging.
And one
of the
things that
I think is
most striking
in this
book is
not God's
compassion to
the Ninevites.
I think one
of the most
striking things
in the book
of Jonah
is God's
patience with
Jonah.
God didn't
have to put
up with
Jonah.
God didn't
have to
provide the
great fish.
God didn't
need Jonah
to save the
Ninevites.
He could have
sent somebody
else.
But he
persevered with
Jonah.
God didn't
have to put
up with
Jonah's
behavior in
chapters 3
and 4.
And yet he
did.
All through
the book
of Jonah
God persevered
with Jonah.
And we
don't know
what happened
but I
think we
can believe
that God
continued to
persevere with
Jonah after
the book
because we
have the
book,
don't we?
Who recorded
this for us?
Who gave
us this?
If not
Jonah.
Presumably
then God
persevered with
him and was
at work in
him.
Isn't that
good news for
us?
Because so
often we're
like Jonah.
All the
time we're
like Jonah.
Maybe I
should speak
for myself.
All the
time I'm
like Jonah.
Either the
open rebellious
Jonah at
the beginning
of the book
or the
passively
aggressive
Jonah in
the second
half of
the book.
I'm not
really sure
if one's
better than
the other.
But all
of the time
we struggle
with these
things.
And yet
God
perseveres
with us.
And that
is tremendously
encouraging.
That you
can know
that this
God is
not only
a God
who is
great in
power.
We
experience
that in
the forces
of nature.
The
resurrection
of Jesus
is a
great
testimony
to the
power of
God.
God
is great
in power
and God
is also
great in
mercy.
He's
proven that
in the
cross,
in the
giving of
his son.
Will you
bow your
heads with
me as we
pray?
Amen.
Our Father
in Heaven,
we rejoice
in your
word.
We pray
that you
would enable
us to take
these things
in and
to marvel
at the
magnitude
of your
mercy.
We pray,
Father,
for any
here this
morning who
are not
yet Christians.
We ask
that you
would draw
them to
the Lord
Jesus and
they would
experience
your mercy
and compassion.
We pray
for those
of us
who are
following
Jesus.
We pray
that you
would give
us a
fresh sense
of your
love for
us,
that we
would be
overwhelmed
by this,
that we
would delight
in it.
We pray
that you
would make
yourself,
Father,
Son,
and Holy
Spirit,
to be the
most precious
thing to
us in
all our
experience.
And we
pray,
Father,
that we
would have
a desire
to make
you known
to those
around us.
We ask
that you
would watch
over us
as we
go from
here.
Hear our
prayers.
Forgive us
all our
sins.
We ask
these things
in Jesus'
name.
Amen.