WEBVTT 00:00:00.660 --> 00:00:01.459 Good morning. 00:00:03.980 --> 00:00:05.299 Is everyone asleep still? 00:00:06.339 --> 00:00:07.120 Good morning. 00:00:08.060 --> 00:00:09.179 Oh, there they are. 00:00:10.040 --> 00:00:11.620 If you don't know me, my name is Eric. 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:13.460 I'm the youth guy here at Watermark Church. 00:00:14.099 --> 00:00:18.400 And I'm here today to finish off our last week of Jonah. 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:20.859 We've been looking at Jonah for the past four weeks, 00:00:21.080 --> 00:00:23.400 and it's been a wild adventure that he has been on. 00:00:23.820 --> 00:00:28.300 We started out looking at God calling him to go reach out to the city of Nineveh. 00:00:28.300 --> 00:00:33.439 And Nineveh was the enemies of the Israelites, which was Jonah's people. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:38.780 And Jonah was not interested in going to talk to his enemies about God, so he ran away. 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:43.880 He got on a ship sailing the opposite direction, and then a storm hit. 00:00:44.340 --> 00:00:45.240 God sent a storm. 00:00:45.980 --> 00:00:49.700 Jonah, the men on the boat, found out that Jonah was responsible for this storm, 00:00:49.859 --> 00:00:53.000 and they said to Jonah, what do we have to do to you to save our lives? 00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:56.280 And instead of saying, turn it around, send me to Nineveh, 00:00:56.280 --> 00:00:59.280 Jonah said, throw me overboard. I'd rather die than obey God. 00:01:00.140 --> 00:01:01.560 He's thrown into the water. 00:01:01.700 --> 00:01:03.700 He's crashing, waves crashing over him. 00:01:03.760 --> 00:01:05.099 He's sinking, sinking, sinking. 00:01:05.340 --> 00:01:07.460 And he cries out to God, God save me. 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:11.719 And God sends a fish that swallows him and saves him from drowning. 00:01:12.659 --> 00:01:14.819 Jonah spends three days in the belly of this fish, 00:01:14.819 --> 00:01:18.840 and he is praying to God, thanking God for saving his life. 00:01:19.240 --> 00:01:21.520 And three days later, God commands the fish. 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:26.099 It spits Jonah out onto the dry land, and God again says, Jonah, go to Nineveh. 00:01:26.539 --> 00:01:29.140 This time, Jonah figures, maybe I should obey. 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:31.019 He heads over to Nineveh. 00:01:31.259 --> 00:01:35.560 He starts telling the people of Nineveh, 40 days, and your city is going to be destroyed. 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:37.899 And the city of Nineveh says, uh-oh. 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:40.359 And they start repenting. 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:40.879 They turn. 00:01:41.319 --> 00:01:43.679 They start crying out to God to save them. 00:01:43.680 --> 00:01:47.040 And God does. 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:48.780 He relents from his plan. 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:53.840 He changes his plan and says, I'm not going to destroy Nineveh anymore. 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:55.800 And that's where we left it last week. 00:01:56.160 --> 00:01:58.620 God has decided he will not destroy Nineveh. 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:03.380 Today, we pick up the story with Jonah's response to that. 00:02:03.440 --> 00:02:06.100 And we're going to see Jonah has a misplaced anger. 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:08.560 He has a misplaced love. 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:12.300 And that God contrasts that with his perfect love. 00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:15.800 First, Jonah's misplaced anger. 00:02:16.620 --> 00:02:23.719 When Jonah sees God's forgiveness towards the city of Nineveh, it says that he becomes exceedingly angry. 00:02:25.420 --> 00:02:28.240 Jonah has just been used by God to save an entire city. 00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:31.020 And he's angry about it. 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:35.840 He looks at God, and he says, how could you do this? 00:02:36.700 --> 00:02:39.259 You're supposed to be our God, the Israelites' God. 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:40.960 Not the Ninevites' God. 00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:41.840 Our God. 00:02:42.860 --> 00:02:43.939 And yet you forgive them. 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:48.560 And we see that what happened with Jonah is that he had a lot of national pride. 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:49.980 He loved his country. 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:50.860 He loved his homeland. 00:02:51.020 --> 00:02:52.800 He was an Israelite to the core. 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:58.319 But his love of a good thing, his love of his nation, had warped itself into an idol in his life. 00:02:59.020 --> 00:03:05.400 He had taken his love of his nation, which was a good thing, and elevated it above his love for God in his life. 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:10.280 He had made it into what we would call an idol, something that takes God's place in our hearts. 00:03:10.620 --> 00:03:16.439 And because Jonah had developed this idol in his heart, it turned him into a racist. 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:25.400 It turned him into someone who would rather see an entire city of people die than see them turn to God and be saved from their evil ways. 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:37.379 And Jonah, because his view of the world and of God was so twisted by this idolatry, he actually becomes angry at God for saving the city. 00:03:37.379 --> 00:03:42.900 If you look at his response in verse 2 here, he prays to the Lord and he says, 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:46.439 Oh Lord, isn't this what I said would happen when I was still in my country? 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:49.019 That's why I ran away to Tarshish. 00:03:49.219 --> 00:03:55.219 Because I knew that you're a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relenting from disaster. 00:03:55.219 --> 00:04:00.780 You would think after God uses Jonah to save an entire city, Jonah would be like, 00:04:00.859 --> 00:04:02.340 Okay, God, you're right. 00:04:02.439 --> 00:04:04.460 Should have listened to you the first time, but that's not what happened. 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:08.500 Jonah looks at God and he says, See, this is why I ran away in the first place. 00:04:09.020 --> 00:04:10.340 I knew you'd do this. 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:14.599 I knew you would save these guys and I didn't want that to happen. 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:16.420 That's why I ran. 00:04:16.420 --> 00:04:25.780 He says, Look, I knew that you're this gracious God, that you're merciful, that you're slow to anger, that you're abounding in steadfast love, that you relent from disaster. 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:29.740 I knew these things about you and that's why I didn't want to go in the first place. 00:04:30.980 --> 00:04:35.160 But here's how twisted Jonah's view of the world has become by his idolatry. 00:04:35.960 --> 00:04:43.240 The only reason Jonah is alive right now and able to have this conversation with God is because God is a gracious God. 00:04:44.060 --> 00:04:45.560 Because God is merciful. 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:50.100 Because God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relenting from disaster. 00:04:50.300 --> 00:04:51.100 Because you know what? 00:04:51.220 --> 00:04:54.139 Jonah deserved destruction just like the Ninevites did. 00:04:55.139 --> 00:04:59.379 When Jonah ran away from God, he deserved destruction. 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:03.579 When Jonah was thrown into the sea, he deserved to drown. 00:05:04.340 --> 00:05:05.920 And yet, God was merciful. 00:05:07.259 --> 00:05:08.060 God was gracious. 00:05:09.100 --> 00:05:10.360 God relented from disaster. 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:12.740 God showed Jonah steadfast love. 00:05:13.259 --> 00:05:15.199 And God saved Jonah's life. 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:23.240 These traits of God that Jonah lists off here that he knows so well are the reason that he's alive. 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:25.560 And yet, he despises God because of them. 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:32.079 Jonah has this excellent theological understanding of God, but this terrible application of it to his life. 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:33.079 Jonah is a good idea. 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:40.560 The Bible again and again tells us that God's forgiveness of us, that God's love for us, is meant to inspire us to love him and love others. 00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:43.859 Jonah understands the fact that God is loving and forgiving. 00:05:43.860 --> 00:05:49.080 But he hates the world around him despite that fact. 00:05:49.080 --> 00:05:56.480 Jonah's entire view of reality and understanding of the world is completely twisted by idols. 00:05:56.480 --> 00:06:10.759 And what we see from this is that when we take desires, even if they're good ones, and we let them take God's place in our lives, we set ourselves up for disappointment, failure, and anger, especially at God. 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:11.980 Right? 00:06:12.060 --> 00:06:14.740 Jonah here, he's not just upset that Nineveh has been saved. 00:06:14.740 --> 00:06:19.160 He's directly upset with God for having saved Nineveh. 00:06:19.900 --> 00:06:21.600 It's not just, oh, I'm angry. 00:06:21.740 --> 00:06:23.280 It's, God, I am angry at you. 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:24.900 How could you do this? 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:30.740 Jonah's lost all perspective of the world and what's right and wrong. 00:06:30.900 --> 00:06:33.680 And the thing is, this is so easy for us to do in our lives too. 00:06:35.379 --> 00:06:41.500 It's so easy to take something, a good thing, other than God, and set it up in our lives as the ultimate thing. 00:06:41.500 --> 00:06:43.959 And here's one way I've seen it play out in the church. 00:06:44.860 --> 00:06:50.959 People take the idea of having a spouse and they set it up as the ultimate thing in life. 00:06:51.060 --> 00:06:52.560 I want to get married. 00:06:53.860 --> 00:06:55.939 When I get married, life will be perfect. 00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:02.000 And they've been fed this idea that there's this perfect soulmate out there for them. 00:07:02.759 --> 00:07:05.220 And so they spend their lives looking for this person. 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:06.639 And one of two things can happen. 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:12.740 One, they believe, oh, there's this perfect person out there for me. 00:07:13.180 --> 00:07:20.560 And they set their standards so high searching for perfection because they need a spouse and they need it to be the perfect person 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:24.219 that they look for someone continually who doesn't exist. 00:07:24.979 --> 00:07:27.939 And then they reach this age where they're like, God, I should have been married by now. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:28.479 What are you doing? 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:35.620 And they get angry at God because they feel that God's robbing them of this spouse that's actually essential to their identity. 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:38.939 When in reality, they've built their identity around the wrong thing. 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:44.280 Or maybe they go out there and they find someone and they're like, this is the perfect person for me. 00:07:45.020 --> 00:07:48.379 And then they get married and realize that person's not actually perfect. 00:07:49.420 --> 00:07:53.240 And life gets difficult having to deal with the imperfections of each other. 00:07:53.240 --> 00:07:57.639 And then they look at God and they're like, God, this was supposed to be the perfect person for me. 00:07:57.699 --> 00:07:58.480 What are you doing? 00:07:59.960 --> 00:08:05.139 And again, it's something where they've taken this expectation, this idea of a spouse, 00:08:05.220 --> 00:08:11.939 and they've put it above their desire for God and expected that God owes them this perfect marriage, this perfect spouse. 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:17.560 And when they don't get it, when their idol fails them, they get angry and disappointed with God. 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:23.280 Another thing that I see in the church sometimes is people want career success. 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:24.300 It's a good thing. 00:08:24.360 --> 00:08:28.980 It's good to be successful at your career, to be good at your job, and to be recognized for that. 00:08:30.220 --> 00:08:37.259 But I've seen so many people who they spend their lives investing in their career over and over and over. 00:08:37.379 --> 00:08:39.620 They put it above their relationship with God. 00:08:39.700 --> 00:08:41.779 They put it above involvement in church. 00:08:42.740 --> 00:08:43.980 We've got to work the extra hours. 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:46.259 Got to get that extra project finished. 00:08:46.259 --> 00:08:47.919 Got to have the boss recognize me. 00:08:48.139 --> 00:08:52.659 And the day comes when they're in line for the big promotion, and they don't get it. 00:08:54.259 --> 00:08:56.220 Or the day comes where they're laid off. 00:08:57.379 --> 00:09:02.480 And all of a sudden, this thing that they've built their identity around for years and years and years is gone. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:06.200 Their idol has failed them. 00:09:07.539 --> 00:09:12.700 And when we put our hopes in things other than God, when we set our hopes in idols, 00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:19.360 we set ourselves up for disappointment, for failure, for anger, especially at God. 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:24.140 And you can fill in the blank with any other good thing that we make ultimate in our lives. 00:09:24.300 --> 00:09:31.140 When we take something other than God and expect it to give us ultimate joy, ultimate peace, ultimate fulfillment, 00:09:31.379 --> 00:09:34.620 we set ourselves up for disappointment, failure, and anger. 00:09:34.620 --> 00:09:37.560 With Jonah, his anger is extreme. 00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:40.580 Jonah looks at God, and he says, 00:09:41.060 --> 00:09:45.200 Actually, God, because you saved Nineveh, it's better for me to die than to live. 00:09:46.340 --> 00:09:49.740 He jumps from, I'm angry at you, to kill me now, God. 00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:57.060 Which is really ironic, because just two chapters earlier, he had been praying to God, save me, I'm about to die. 00:09:57.059 --> 00:09:58.939 And now he says, God, just kill me. 00:09:59.399 --> 00:10:00.479 I'm tired of living. 00:10:01.419 --> 00:10:01.599 Right? 00:10:02.239 --> 00:10:05.539 And God has every right right here to step in and say, 00:10:05.659 --> 00:10:06.399 Jonah, who are you? 00:10:06.459 --> 00:10:07.000 What are you doing? 00:10:07.059 --> 00:10:08.379 You have no right to talk to me this way. 00:10:08.439 --> 00:10:09.579 But that's not what God does. 00:10:11.079 --> 00:10:13.019 God, like a friend, just steps in and says, 00:10:13.099 --> 00:10:15.799 Jonah, is it right for you to be angry right now? 00:10:16.959 --> 00:10:17.819 Take a step back. 00:10:17.899 --> 00:10:19.359 Look at it from the proper perspective. 00:10:20.019 --> 00:10:21.379 Is it right for you to be angry? 00:10:22.219 --> 00:10:23.579 We get no response from Jonah. 00:10:23.580 --> 00:10:28.960 All that happens is Jonah leaves the city, goes outside, and waits to watch what's going to happen to the city. 00:10:29.680 --> 00:10:32.139 I don't know, maybe he thinks God's going to change his mind again and say, 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:34.200 Actually, I'm going to wipe him out. 00:10:35.680 --> 00:10:37.080 He goes outside the city. 00:10:37.420 --> 00:10:41.240 He builds this little hut for himself outside the city, probably out of leafy branches. 00:10:41.800 --> 00:10:43.300 He was in the middle of the hot desert. 00:10:44.139 --> 00:10:45.620 He wanted a little shade from the sun. 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:50.100 And right now, we're about to see Jonah's misplaced love develop. 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:56.620 Because as he sits out there in the sun, God decides to send a plant. 00:10:57.440 --> 00:11:01.899 A big plant that grows overnight and gives Jonah shade. 00:11:03.460 --> 00:11:04.700 Peace from the sun. 00:11:06.220 --> 00:11:06.659 Comfort. 00:11:08.259 --> 00:11:10.000 And something interesting happens here. 00:11:10.100 --> 00:11:16.100 When the plant grows, it's the first time in the entire book of Jonah that we see that Jonah is actually glad about something. 00:11:16.100 --> 00:11:20.120 He was thrown overboard, on the verge of drowning. 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:24.240 God saved his life, and he was thankful, but it doesn't say anything about him being glad. 00:11:26.060 --> 00:11:30.720 He got a second chance at obedience to God, and he obeyed God, but he was not glad. 00:11:31.720 --> 00:11:37.320 God used him to convert an entire city and get them to turn away from their evil and repent. 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:43.220 And he was actually exceedingly angry, the exact opposite emotion that he feels when this plant grows. 00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:51.300 And this plant is the first thing in the entire book of Jonah that causes Jonah to actually be happy or glad. 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:55.940 And disaster is around the corner, and Jonah does not know it. 00:11:55.980 --> 00:11:58.420 But the next morning, a worm comes. 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:00.480 It eats the plant. 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:02.580 And the plant dies. 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:08.820 And to make matters worse, this strong east wind comes up. 00:12:09.139 --> 00:12:14.700 Now, this strong east wind apparently is something that will raise temperatures by 11 or 12 degrees Celsius. 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:21.420 So Jonah's in the middle of the hot desert, and then it gets hotter and drier. 00:12:21.700 --> 00:12:25.639 And he's out there in the sun with no plant over him anymore. 00:12:26.379 --> 00:12:27.220 Life is difficult. 00:12:27.220 --> 00:12:32.700 Yesterday, we went on a hike for the Love HK summer activities, and it was awesome. 00:12:32.779 --> 00:12:36.960 If you haven't done any of the Love HK activities, I recommend you check them out after service. 00:12:37.080 --> 00:12:39.100 They're a great way to get to know other people in the church. 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:41.120 We went on a hike out in Saikong. 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:42.100 It was hot. 00:12:44.180 --> 00:12:47.860 We were walking, and we were trying to stay in the shade as much as we could. 00:12:48.040 --> 00:12:52.700 We were stopping and rinsing ourselves off in cold water to cool ourselves down as much as we could. 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:55.300 I did something that I really judged myself for. 00:12:55.299 --> 00:13:02.659 Remember, I walked with an umbrella in the sun to protect myself from it because it was so hot. 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:09.500 And I wanted protection from the sun because I was exhausted, and it was hot, and the sun was just making me more exhausted. 00:13:10.039 --> 00:13:11.240 Jonah's out here in the desert. 00:13:12.099 --> 00:13:14.219 He's got no cold water to rinse himself off in. 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:17.539 He's got no restaurants to swing by on the hike to grab a cold drink. 00:13:17.539 --> 00:13:21.179 He's got no umbrella to hold over him to keep himself cool. 00:13:21.699 --> 00:13:25.639 He's in the exposed sun in the middle of the desert. 00:13:26.059 --> 00:13:31.259 His shade has been torn away from him, and he's stranded. 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:34.319 He is not happy. 00:13:34.699 --> 00:13:43.839 But what we see is that this destruction of the plant and this sending of the wind is actually a work of God's mercy on Jonah's life. 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:45.680 It's interesting. 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:49.180 At this point with the plant, we see a transition in the book of Jonah. 00:13:50.120 --> 00:13:54.960 In the Hebrew scriptures, there's actually two different words that will be used to refer to God. 00:13:55.060 --> 00:13:57.600 One is translated Lord in our English translation. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:13:59.100 One is translated God. 00:13:59.800 --> 00:14:03.680 Lord is the covenant name that the Israelites had with God, 00:14:03.780 --> 00:14:07.060 and it was usually used for the Israelites with their interactions with God, 00:14:07.059 --> 00:14:13.539 where God was used for more general use of God, maybe interaction with the Gentiles. 00:14:13.599 --> 00:14:16.500 And you see this over and over again in the book of Jonah up to this point. 00:14:17.059 --> 00:14:19.839 At the start of the book, the Lord calls Jonah to go to Nineveh. 00:14:20.219 --> 00:14:21.799 Jonah runs away from the Lord. 00:14:22.099 --> 00:14:23.199 The Lord sends a storm. 00:14:23.579 --> 00:14:26.339 Jonah tells the sailors that he's running away from the Lord. 00:14:26.779 --> 00:14:29.039 The Lord appoints a fish to swallow Jonah. 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:32.539 Again, the Lord calls Jonah to go to Nineveh. 00:14:32.539 --> 00:14:34.919 The Lord tells the fish to vomit Jonah onto the land. 00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:37.740 At all of Jonah's interactions with God up to this point, 00:14:37.879 --> 00:14:39.759 it says the Lord is doing these things. 00:14:40.839 --> 00:14:45.199 And the word God is used primarily up to this point in the book of Jonah 00:14:45.199 --> 00:14:48.179 for God's interactions with Nineveh. 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:50.599 Nineveh believes God. 00:14:52.059 --> 00:14:54.919 Nineveh repents and calls out to God. 00:14:55.799 --> 00:14:57.740 God hears the Ninevites when they repent. 00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:00.839 And God decides to save the city of Nineveh. 00:15:01.099 --> 00:15:04.779 And as the plant grows, we see a transition happen here. 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:11.120 Where God's interaction with Jonah begins to be marked by the use of the word God instead of Lord. 00:15:11.699 --> 00:15:15.479 Basically, what's happening here is Jonah is being put into the Ninevites' shoes. 00:15:16.319 --> 00:15:21.679 Jonah is being treated as a pagan because of his constant rebellion and complaining against God. 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:27.740 God's taking a chance for Jonah to see what's going on in the world around him. 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:32.639 He's getting a chance to experience the destruction that was foretold for the Ninevites. 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:34.519 It's a plant for him, not a city. 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:38.799 But he's experiencing this destruction because of his rebellion against God. 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:46.699 And it's interesting to see that Jonah has lost out, missed out on his relationship with God, 00:15:47.259 --> 00:15:50.399 despite a lifetime of service and obedience to God. 00:15:52.899 --> 00:15:58.559 Jonah has spent his entire life sending messages from God to the people. 00:16:00.459 --> 00:16:05.079 Jonah has spent his entire life working for God. 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:12.480 And yet Jonah's missed out on the most important thing, his own personal relationship with God. 00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:15.900 He's sort of like the older brother in the story of the prodigal son, 00:16:16.020 --> 00:16:20.240 who constantly obeys the father, constantly does everything perfectly right, 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:24.720 but not for a love of the father just because he wants the inheritance once the father's gone. 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:29.399 And so Jonah's stranded in the middle of the desert. 00:16:30.340 --> 00:16:34.460 He feels that God owes it to him to destroy the city of Nineveh 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:38.840 because he has been obedient and finally delivered the message, and they're his enemies. 00:16:40.180 --> 00:16:46.139 And again, Jonah shows us the danger of loving things other than God as ultimate in our lives. 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:52.340 Jonah loved the plant more than anything else in his life at that point. 00:16:52.340 --> 00:16:55.560 He had turned the plant into an idol. 00:16:56.759 --> 00:17:01.180 But there's multiple levels of idolatry going on in Jonah's heart right now. 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:07.120 Because I think there are ways that God could have taken away the plant that wouldn't have led to Jonah being angry. 00:17:07.700 --> 00:17:12.640 I think if God had taken away the plant and sent a cloud over the sun to cool things down, 00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:16.519 and Jonah was still comfortable, he wouldn't have complained about the plant. 00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:20.720 But there's a deeper thing going on in Jonah's heart right here. 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:24.039 A deeper idol controlling his love for the plant. 00:17:25.240 --> 00:17:29.879 If we think about it, it's sort of like, we could call them surface-level idols and deep idols. 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:33.759 There's this deep desire in Jonah's heart for comfort. 00:17:34.339 --> 00:17:37.500 There's this deep desire in Jonah's heart for him to have his own way. 00:17:37.500 --> 00:17:41.640 And at that moment, he's receiving comfort from the plant. 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:45.700 Once the plant is gone, his comfort is gone. 00:17:46.700 --> 00:17:51.019 But if God took away the plant and put something else in its place that still kept Jonah comfortable, 00:17:51.420 --> 00:17:58.059 if God sent a car with an air conditioner that Jonah could sit inside of and chill in hundreds BC 00:17:58.059 --> 00:18:03.220 and relax in the middle of the desert, he would have been okay with that, I think. 00:18:03.220 --> 00:18:07.720 Because his deep idol still would have been satisfied. 00:18:09.259 --> 00:18:10.779 And it's the same way in our lives. 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:12.860 There's multiple levels of idolatry in our lives. 00:18:12.940 --> 00:18:15.980 There's things that we can see and everyone around us can see. 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:17.160 Things like money. 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:20.220 Things like sex. 00:18:21.339 --> 00:18:22.339 Things like grades. 00:18:23.259 --> 00:18:25.039 That people take and make as idols. 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:29.660 And we can see those idols, and everyone around us can see those idols in our lives. 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:31.860 But there's a deeper level. 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:36.480 There's something in all of our hearts that motivates us and drives us to go for those things. 00:18:37.740 --> 00:18:39.779 Maybe it's this deep desire for acceptance. 00:18:41.800 --> 00:18:46.220 I want to be accepted and loved, and I think this is my way to get acceptance and love. 00:18:47.180 --> 00:18:48.160 Maybe it's power. 00:18:48.300 --> 00:18:50.019 I want to be in control of everything. 00:18:50.140 --> 00:18:52.360 And if I have enough money, I think I can be in control. 00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:55.819 Maybe it's success. 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:57.119 We just want to be successful. 00:18:57.379 --> 00:18:59.879 And grades are where I know I can be successful. 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:01.979 So I'm going to focus on those. 00:19:03.579 --> 00:19:09.419 Here's an example of what that could look like in someone's life. 00:19:09.479 --> 00:19:11.139 Let's say there's this guy and a girl. 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:12.539 They both say they're Christians. 00:19:12.659 --> 00:19:16.740 They go out to a bar one night, and they hook up and have a one-night stand and sleep together. 00:19:17.339 --> 00:19:20.740 Now, obviously, for both of them, sex is an idol in their lives. 00:19:20.740 --> 00:19:27.319 But the reason that sex has become an idol for them could be totally different for each of them. 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:30.859 Maybe for the girl, she has a deep idol of acceptance. 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.180 She wants to be loved and accepted and thinks, 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:37.880 the way to be loved and accepted is to give my body to this guy 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:42.599 because he'll give me a place to love, to be loved and be accepted and to belong for the night. 00:19:43.980 --> 00:19:46.460 Maybe for the guy, it's a deep idol of power. 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:48.799 He wants to be in control of the world around him, 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:53.200 and he thinks that if he can go to the bar and pick up a girl and get her to do what he wants for the night, 00:19:53.419 --> 00:19:54.180 he has power. 00:19:55.339 --> 00:20:01.419 They have different underlying deep idols that are manifesting themselves in the same way on the surface. 00:20:02.399 --> 00:20:05.000 But now let's say that the guy is in a men's accountability group, 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:06.799 and they find out that he's been sleeping around, 00:20:06.879 --> 00:20:08.339 and they come and talk to him, and they're like, 00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:11.279 dude, the Bible says we're not supposed to have sex unless we're married. 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:15.399 And he's like, oh no, I'm going to stop that. 00:20:15.859 --> 00:20:20.079 This deep idol of power in his life is still going to continue manifesting itself, 00:20:20.399 --> 00:20:21.579 just in a different way. 00:20:21.879 --> 00:20:25.039 Because you haven't dealt with the deep problem in his heart. 00:20:25.339 --> 00:20:28.099 Maybe it means that instead of going and picking up girls at the bar, 00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:30.319 he's going to become more domineering at the office. 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:35.519 Because God says it's wrong for me to control the girls at the bar and get them to sleep with me, 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:40.420 but I can control the people who work for me at the office and get them to do what I want. 00:20:41.660 --> 00:20:45.059 For the girl, maybe if she, if you deal with the surface level idol, 00:20:45.180 --> 00:20:47.779 but don't deal with this deep longing and need for acceptance, 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:53.639 maybe she goes out and finds a man and enters into this codependent marriage relationship 00:20:53.639 --> 00:20:57.660 and just has this horrible codependent relationship 00:20:57.660 --> 00:21:02.359 because she wants to find her identity in this relationship so badly. 00:21:02.359 --> 00:21:08.439 And the Bible teaches us that the only way to deal with the deep idols in our hearts 00:21:08.439 --> 00:21:12.019 is to identify them and replace them with the gospel. 00:21:13.079 --> 00:21:15.779 If we're talking to this girl, we need to, we need to say to the girl, 00:21:15.859 --> 00:21:19.299 look, we understand you have a desire and a need to be accepted. 00:21:19.419 --> 00:21:21.379 And that's, that's normal. That's a good thing. 00:21:22.859 --> 00:21:24.639 But in Christ, you're already loved. 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:26.179 You're already accepted. 00:21:27.139 --> 00:21:29.039 You already have a place where you belong. 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:31.459 You don't need to find that through one night stands. 00:21:32.899 --> 00:21:35.019 With the man, maybe we can look at him and we can say, 00:21:35.319 --> 00:21:37.299 look, we understand your desire for power. 00:21:38.019 --> 00:21:41.079 We understand, understand your desire to be in control, but we're human. 00:21:41.199 --> 00:21:41.599 We're finite. 00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:44.139 We can't be in control, but there's one who is. 00:21:44.219 --> 00:21:46.299 There's a God who is in control. 00:21:46.379 --> 00:21:50.219 And more than that, who loves us, who's working for us, 00:21:50.899 --> 00:21:54.699 who's working all things together for good if we're his children. 00:21:54.700 --> 00:21:59.740 And so we don't need to be in control because God already is in control for us. 00:22:01.080 --> 00:22:03.519 With idolatry in our lives, it's not just about the, 00:22:03.600 --> 00:22:06.299 it's not just about the simple surface level things that we see. 00:22:06.380 --> 00:22:07.360 It's not just about the plant. 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:13.500 It's about the deeper idol behind the plant that's driving us to love the plant. 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:17.639 And so I want us to think about what are our idols. 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:19.819 You know, this is Hong Kong. 00:22:20.159 --> 00:22:21.699 Money, success, power. 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:26.519 Those are the obvious ones that everyone would look at and think about. 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:28.660 But why do we want those things? 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:31.840 Is it because we want to be comfortable? 00:22:33.059 --> 00:22:36.039 We think, if I just have enough money, I'll be comfortable. 00:22:38.360 --> 00:22:41.140 Is it because we want to be accepted and we think, 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:43.980 I need to be successful for people to accept me? 00:22:43.980 --> 00:22:49.880 There's a couple questions that we can think about to help us, 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:52.720 to help guide us in that, in that thought. 00:22:53.860 --> 00:22:57.059 You know, with Jonah, he became angry when his idol was taken away. 00:22:57.180 --> 00:23:00.259 What is it that when it's taken away, it makes us angry? 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:09.220 With Jonah, when, when his idol was taken away, he lost his desire to live. 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:11.160 He said, God, just kill me now. 00:23:11.220 --> 00:23:12.099 That's better than living. 00:23:12.819 --> 00:23:15.980 What's that thing in our lives that if God took it away from us, 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:17.599 we'd say, God, just kill me now. 00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:19.859 It's better for me to die than to keep on living. 00:23:22.279 --> 00:23:26.699 With Jonah, when his idol was taken away, he lost his desire to follow God. 00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:29.480 He said, God, if you're going to send me to Nineveh, 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:31.759 if you're going to love my enemies, 00:23:32.519 --> 00:23:34.399 it's not worth it to follow you anymore. 00:23:36.139 --> 00:23:39.459 What's that one thing in our lives that if God took it away, 00:23:39.460 --> 00:23:42.920 we would say, it's not worth it to follow you anymore. 00:23:46.180 --> 00:23:50.079 I think the answers to those questions are going to, are going to guide us and show us 00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:54.039 what it is in our lives that we're setting up as higher than God. 00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:57.779 There was a man back in the 1500s named John Calvin. 00:23:57.880 --> 00:23:59.600 He said, our hearts are idol factories. 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:04.180 Our hearts have this way of just finding things other than God 00:24:04.180 --> 00:24:06.279 and setting them up as ultimate in our lives. 00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:10.560 And it's our natural state as humans to search for something to define ourselves by. 00:24:12.100 --> 00:24:16.100 But Jonah shows us that everything we define ourselves by other than God 00:24:16.100 --> 00:24:17.420 is going to fail us. 00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:18.840 It's going to leave us empty. 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:23.840 And that we need to identify those idols and deal with them 00:24:23.840 --> 00:24:25.860 and replace them with a love for God 00:24:25.859 --> 00:24:28.740 if we want to truly live lives 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:31.639 that aren't going to be marked by continual failure 00:24:31.639 --> 00:24:33.419 and disappointment and anger at God. 00:24:36.779 --> 00:24:39.240 And now we have God step in to the story. 00:24:40.500 --> 00:24:42.559 And he takes Jonah's misplaced anger 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:44.119 and he takes Jonah's misplaced love 00:24:44.119 --> 00:24:47.659 and he contrasts them with his perfect love. 00:24:47.660 --> 00:24:52.160 Jonah, you know, he again says, 00:24:52.320 --> 00:24:54.860 God, kill me now, please. 00:24:55.420 --> 00:24:57.560 And God, again, doesn't rebuke him. 00:24:57.620 --> 00:25:01.600 He just says, Jonah, is it right for you to be angry about the plant? 00:25:02.320 --> 00:25:04.460 And this time we actually get a response from Jonah. 00:25:04.560 --> 00:25:08.340 He says, yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die. 00:25:09.700 --> 00:25:11.740 God steps in, again, not rebuking, 00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:14.400 like a friend, just trying to give Jonah perspective. 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:17.400 And Jonah has reverted to childish behavior. 00:25:18.320 --> 00:25:20.560 I can't have my way, kill me now. 00:25:21.540 --> 00:25:24.120 I can't have my way, I want to die. 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:26.700 It's what you'd expect from a four-year-old, right? 00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:31.120 If I can't get that toy, I don't want to live anymore. 00:25:31.480 --> 00:25:32.779 That's what Jonah's doing. 00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:37.480 And God steps in to give Jonah some perspective. 00:25:38.080 --> 00:25:40.279 God says, Jonah, you pity the plant 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:43.160 for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, 00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:46.660 which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 00:25:46.660 --> 00:25:48.200 Here's what God's saying. 00:25:48.420 --> 00:25:49.300 Jonah, it's a plant. 00:25:52.340 --> 00:25:53.740 And not even just a plant. 00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:56.400 Like, it's a plant that you did nothing to get. 00:25:56.920 --> 00:25:59.019 If you were a gardener and you had planted it 00:25:59.019 --> 00:26:00.759 and taken care of it and watched it grow, 00:26:01.080 --> 00:26:04.180 maybe I could a little bit understand you being upset about it. 00:26:04.740 --> 00:26:08.519 But you went to bed and you woke up the next morning 00:26:08.519 --> 00:26:09.920 and it was there. 00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:12.500 You did nothing to make it grow. 00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:16.640 You had no role in its coming into existence. 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:22.580 And yet you treat it as the most important thing in existence. 00:26:22.920 --> 00:26:24.880 But it's just a plant, Jonah. 00:26:25.620 --> 00:26:26.580 It's just a plant. 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:27.880 You love a plant. 00:26:29.460 --> 00:26:30.460 Then God continues, 00:26:30.460 --> 00:26:42.360 God says, look at you, Jonah. 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:47.440 I can't understand how you can love this plant so much 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:49.120 and ignore this city. 00:26:50.200 --> 00:26:51.319 You love this plant. 00:26:51.420 --> 00:26:53.480 You did nothing to make it grow. 00:26:53.799 --> 00:26:57.200 There's a city here full of over 120,000 people 00:26:57.200 --> 00:26:59.080 that I made in my image. 00:27:00.319 --> 00:27:01.900 If you love this plant so much, 00:27:01.980 --> 00:27:04.620 how can you expect me not to love them so much more? 00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:08.240 Your plant, it doesn't have a soul. 00:27:09.319 --> 00:27:11.799 Every single person in that city has a soul. 00:27:13.900 --> 00:27:17.039 Your plant, you did nothing to make it be there. 00:27:17.039 --> 00:27:20.220 But this city is full of people that I made, 00:27:20.759 --> 00:27:23.840 that I sustain on a day-to-day basis. 00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:27.059 There was one plant. 00:27:27.319 --> 00:27:30.419 There are over 120,000 people in this city, Jonah. 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:33.299 How can you have such terrible perspective on life? 00:27:34.539 --> 00:27:37.240 And even if you hate the people in the city so badly 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:38.819 that you think they all deserve to die, 00:27:39.139 --> 00:27:40.759 there's a bunch of cows in this city 00:27:40.759 --> 00:27:43.079 that are also more valuable than your plant 00:27:43.079 --> 00:27:46.079 that would be wiped out with the city 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:47.439 if the city was destroyed. 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:50.199 You should care about the cows 00:27:50.199 --> 00:27:51.959 more than you care about your plant, Jonah, 00:27:51.960 --> 00:27:55.400 because they are more valuable than the plant. 00:27:57.039 --> 00:28:00.600 God says, Jonah, you have got the worst perspective ever 00:28:00.600 --> 00:28:03.120 on value, on the world, on anything. 00:28:03.900 --> 00:28:06.940 You love a plant more than a city full of people. 00:28:09.400 --> 00:28:10.840 And God challenges Jonah 00:28:10.840 --> 00:28:13.420 to reexamine his priorities 00:28:13.420 --> 00:28:16.240 by revealing to us God's love for cities. 00:28:17.579 --> 00:28:19.559 There's a pastor in New York named Tim Keller. 00:28:19.559 --> 00:28:21.139 He says, 00:28:21.919 --> 00:28:24.480 in cities, there's more image of God per square foot 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:25.480 than anywhere else on earth. 00:28:27.019 --> 00:28:27.899 I'll repeat that. 00:28:27.960 --> 00:28:30.740 In cities, there's more image of God per square foot 00:28:30.740 --> 00:28:32.339 than anywhere else on earth. 00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:35.440 The Bible again and again tells us 00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:37.399 that God loves people. 00:28:38.159 --> 00:28:39.319 And cities are where people are. 00:28:39.379 --> 00:28:40.819 So God loves cities. 00:28:41.679 --> 00:28:43.099 And right here, we see that. 00:28:43.159 --> 00:28:45.759 We see God calling Jonah to love the city 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:46.700 just like he does. 00:28:46.700 --> 00:28:49.200 And what's more than that, Tim Keller says, 00:28:49.620 --> 00:28:53.000 cities are still places that will not let you sit back 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:55.799 and be indifferent, comfortable, and blind to temptation. 00:28:57.019 --> 00:28:59.920 Cities drive you to sell your soul to something. 00:29:00.740 --> 00:29:03.319 They always create spiritual turmoil. 00:29:04.200 --> 00:29:06.680 People are always spiritually searching in cities. 00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:08.519 It was true for Nineveh. 00:29:08.799 --> 00:29:10.740 Jonah came in and all he had to do is say, 00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:12.759 your city is being destroyed in 40 days. 00:29:12.759 --> 00:29:15.220 And the people cried out and clothed themselves 00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:19.019 in like terrible, uncomfortable clothing 00:29:19.019 --> 00:29:21.400 and repented and said, God, forgive us. 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:23.759 All it took was one guy walking through the streets. 00:29:25.420 --> 00:29:27.039 And today, it's still true. 00:29:27.140 --> 00:29:28.140 People come to cities 00:29:28.140 --> 00:29:30.059 and what they thought about the world 00:29:30.059 --> 00:29:31.299 is turned upside down. 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:32.019 And they search 00:29:32.019 --> 00:29:33.920 because everything that they thought was normal, 00:29:34.279 --> 00:29:35.400 everything that they thought was 00:29:35.400 --> 00:29:36.940 the way things are supposed to be 00:29:36.940 --> 00:29:38.079 is so different here. 00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:41.079 They can't live in this protective bubble 00:29:41.079 --> 00:29:43.079 where they believe that everything is going to be the same 00:29:43.079 --> 00:29:44.899 because everything is constantly changing. 00:29:45.099 --> 00:29:46.000 And they want to know, 00:29:46.319 --> 00:29:49.139 where is that place that's constant? 00:29:49.399 --> 00:29:51.960 What is that thing that's going to hold firm? 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:55.439 Cities are an incredibly strategic place 00:29:55.439 --> 00:29:57.079 for reaching people with the gospel 00:29:57.079 --> 00:29:58.980 because when people come into cities, 00:29:59.159 --> 00:29:59.980 they're searching. 00:30:01.960 --> 00:30:03.139 And God knows that. 00:30:03.220 --> 00:30:04.139 God designed it that way. 00:30:04.279 --> 00:30:06.000 God designed cities as a tool 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:07.939 that we can use to help point people towards him. 00:30:07.940 --> 00:30:09.820 And with every single person here today, 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:14.180 he strategically placed us in this city at this time 00:30:14.180 --> 00:30:16.880 to be a tool that he can use 00:30:16.880 --> 00:30:17.980 to help reach people 00:30:17.980 --> 00:30:20.660 who are going through that time of searching, 00:30:21.580 --> 00:30:23.000 that time of wondering, 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:24.440 what's life really all about? 00:30:27.259 --> 00:30:28.259 Why am I here? 00:30:30.360 --> 00:30:32.840 And he challenges Jonah to see this love for cities 00:30:32.840 --> 00:30:34.299 and he challenges us today 00:30:34.299 --> 00:30:36.740 to see this love for cities. 00:30:36.740 --> 00:30:37.599 And I think like Jonah, 00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:40.599 a lot of us don't love our cities like we're supposed to. 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:42.880 Maybe we come here for two years 00:30:42.880 --> 00:30:44.079 to get ahead on our careers, 00:30:44.539 --> 00:30:45.720 make our fortune and then leave. 00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:47.960 Get what we can from the city and get out. 00:30:49.160 --> 00:30:50.500 Maybe we set up a business 00:30:50.500 --> 00:30:53.859 and employ, exploit migrant workers 00:30:53.859 --> 00:30:55.160 so we can pay very low wages 00:30:55.160 --> 00:30:56.559 so we can maximize our profits. 00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:00.140 Maybe we just come to the city and we do our thing. 00:31:00.140 --> 00:31:01.759 We ignore everyone around us. 00:31:02.160 --> 00:31:03.500 All of this hurting, 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:04.520 all of the brokenness, 00:31:04.620 --> 00:31:05.340 all of the needs 00:31:05.340 --> 00:31:07.120 that the people around us have 00:31:07.120 --> 00:31:09.720 because we're so focused on ourselves 00:31:09.720 --> 00:31:11.020 being comfortable, 00:31:11.720 --> 00:31:12.500 having what we want. 00:31:13.880 --> 00:31:14.880 But just like Jonah, 00:31:14.980 --> 00:31:16.700 God wants each of us here today 00:31:16.700 --> 00:31:17.940 to love our city, 00:31:18.280 --> 00:31:19.759 to spend our lives 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:21.400 investing in the good of our city, 00:31:21.800 --> 00:31:24.440 to take his heart for our city 00:31:24.440 --> 00:31:25.460 and for the people in it 00:31:25.460 --> 00:31:26.620 and make that our heart 00:31:26.620 --> 00:31:27.259 for the city 00:31:27.259 --> 00:31:28.480 and the people in it. 00:31:31.160 --> 00:31:33.600 And then God closes the book of Jonah 00:31:33.600 --> 00:31:39.559 by revealing his great love for people to Jonah, 00:31:39.700 --> 00:31:42.100 which is a love greater than Jonah or us 00:31:42.100 --> 00:31:43.480 is capable of. 00:31:44.600 --> 00:31:45.680 And it's a love 00:31:45.680 --> 00:31:48.740 that for us to understand it fully, 00:31:48.840 --> 00:31:50.019 we need to look to someone 00:31:50.019 --> 00:31:51.880 who we could call a second Jonah. 00:31:53.319 --> 00:31:54.559 You know, the first Jonah, 00:31:54.559 --> 00:31:56.460 God called him 00:31:56.460 --> 00:31:57.879 to go to the wicked city 00:31:57.879 --> 00:31:59.899 and Jonah ran away. 00:32:01.119 --> 00:32:02.440 But with the second Jonah, 00:32:03.059 --> 00:32:03.319 Jesus, 00:32:04.339 --> 00:32:05.419 God sent him 00:32:05.419 --> 00:32:07.480 to a broken and sinful earth 00:32:07.480 --> 00:32:09.559 and he came obediently. 00:32:11.619 --> 00:32:12.919 With the first Jonah, 00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:16.079 he feared that maybe if he went 00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:18.619 to share God's message with this city, 00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:19.619 he might be attacked. 00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:22.119 The second Jonah, 00:32:22.419 --> 00:32:22.659 Jesus, 00:32:23.179 --> 00:32:24.019 the greater Jonah, 00:32:24.559 --> 00:32:26.419 knew that if he came to the world, 00:32:27.259 --> 00:32:27.960 he would be killed. 00:32:29.079 --> 00:32:30.599 Yet he came willingly. 00:32:31.919 --> 00:32:32.940 The first Jonah 00:32:32.940 --> 00:32:35.419 spent three days and three nights 00:32:35.419 --> 00:32:36.579 in the belly of a fish 00:32:36.579 --> 00:32:38.859 because of his rebellion against God. 00:32:38.980 --> 00:32:39.440 But Jesus, 00:32:39.679 --> 00:32:40.460 our greater Jonah, 00:32:40.779 --> 00:32:42.379 spent three days and three nights 00:32:42.379 --> 00:32:43.700 in the earth, 00:32:44.440 --> 00:32:44.759 dead 00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:46.000 for our sin 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:48.279 and our rebellion against God. 00:32:49.339 --> 00:32:50.440 The first Jonah, 00:32:50.519 --> 00:32:52.539 when he had come back from the fish, 00:32:52.539 --> 00:32:55.259 he hesitantly went to Nineveh 00:32:55.259 --> 00:32:57.759 and reluctantly shared with them 00:32:57.759 --> 00:32:59.079 this message that could lead 00:32:59.079 --> 00:32:59.899 to their salvation. 00:32:59.899 --> 00:33:01.879 But the second and greater Jonah, 00:33:02.159 --> 00:33:04.039 after conquering over sin and death, 00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:06.240 came and proclaimed salvation 00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:07.819 to all who would believe on him. 00:33:08.039 --> 00:33:09.039 A sure thing, 00:33:09.740 --> 00:33:10.559 a promise 00:33:10.559 --> 00:33:12.920 that he will forgive us, 00:33:13.039 --> 00:33:14.720 that he will save us. 00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:17.940 The story of Jonah 00:33:17.940 --> 00:33:19.380 only makes sense for us 00:33:19.380 --> 00:33:20.559 if we see it 00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:22.059 through the lens of Jesus. 00:33:22.059 --> 00:33:22.839 The only way 00:33:22.839 --> 00:33:24.600 that God can love cities so much, 00:33:24.660 --> 00:33:25.079 the only way 00:33:25.079 --> 00:33:26.220 that God can love us 00:33:26.220 --> 00:33:27.319 so much 00:33:27.319 --> 00:33:28.120 is through 00:33:28.120 --> 00:33:30.059 this second and greater Jonah, 00:33:30.880 --> 00:33:31.500 through Jesus. 00:33:33.700 --> 00:33:34.819 And as the book ends, 00:33:34.860 --> 00:33:35.779 it doesn't really tell us 00:33:35.779 --> 00:33:36.620 how Jonah responds 00:33:36.620 --> 00:33:38.259 to God's challenge 00:33:38.259 --> 00:33:38.900 for his life. 00:33:40.160 --> 00:33:40.600 Personally, 00:33:40.759 --> 00:33:41.339 I think 00:33:41.339 --> 00:33:42.579 Jonah got the message. 00:33:42.579 --> 00:33:44.559 And here's why I think that. 00:33:44.740 --> 00:33:45.539 If you read through 00:33:45.539 --> 00:33:46.279 the story of Jonah, 00:33:46.980 --> 00:33:49.119 everywhere in the story of Jonah, 00:33:49.480 --> 00:33:50.419 Jonah is shown 00:33:50.419 --> 00:33:51.319 as an evil fool. 00:33:52.319 --> 00:33:53.379 He is the bad guy 00:33:53.379 --> 00:33:54.799 again and again and again. 00:33:54.919 --> 00:33:55.299 He's the guy 00:33:55.299 --> 00:33:56.379 who should have gotten it 00:33:56.379 --> 00:33:57.159 and didn't 00:33:57.159 --> 00:33:58.439 over and over and over. 00:34:00.839 --> 00:34:01.639 And for us 00:34:01.639 --> 00:34:02.519 to have this story 00:34:02.519 --> 00:34:03.859 with such intimate details 00:34:03.859 --> 00:34:04.839 of things like 00:34:04.839 --> 00:34:05.480 what he prayed 00:34:05.480 --> 00:34:06.740 while he was inside the fish, 00:34:07.279 --> 00:34:08.719 there's no way 00:34:08.719 --> 00:34:09.880 we could have gotten that story 00:34:09.880 --> 00:34:11.259 unless he told it to someone. 00:34:11.260 --> 00:34:13.220 And there's no way 00:34:13.220 --> 00:34:13.980 that he would tell 00:34:13.980 --> 00:34:15.040 this story to someone 00:34:15.040 --> 00:34:17.120 where he was the bad guy 00:34:17.120 --> 00:34:19.040 over and over 00:34:19.040 --> 00:34:20.100 and over again 00:34:20.100 --> 00:34:22.100 unless he had come 00:34:22.100 --> 00:34:23.340 to recognize that fact 00:34:23.340 --> 00:34:25.620 and he had been transformed 00:34:25.620 --> 00:34:26.820 by God's grace 00:34:26.820 --> 00:34:27.640 and he could see, 00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:28.100 yeah, 00:34:28.160 --> 00:34:29.160 the way that I was then 00:34:29.160 --> 00:34:29.860 was wrong. 00:34:31.560 --> 00:34:32.740 I need to change 00:34:32.740 --> 00:34:33.580 my life. 00:34:33.700 --> 00:34:34.580 I need to love people 00:34:34.580 --> 00:34:35.800 the way that God does. 00:34:37.740 --> 00:34:38.440 But the book 00:34:38.440 --> 00:34:39.340 doesn't tell us that. 00:34:39.620 --> 00:34:40.620 That's just speculation. 00:34:42.260 --> 00:34:43.140 But what happens 00:34:43.140 --> 00:34:43.820 at the end of the book 00:34:43.820 --> 00:34:45.140 is that God asks Jonah 00:34:45.140 --> 00:34:45.720 a question. 00:34:46.820 --> 00:34:48.000 And as God asks Jonah 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:48.700 this question, 00:34:49.960 --> 00:34:50.640 Jonah's taken out 00:34:50.640 --> 00:34:51.000 of the way. 00:34:52.040 --> 00:34:53.000 And the question 00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:53.920 gets aimed straight 00:34:53.920 --> 00:34:54.540 at us today. 00:34:56.720 --> 00:34:57.380 God says, 00:34:57.460 --> 00:34:57.640 Jonah, 00:34:57.740 --> 00:34:59.080 you love this plant 00:34:59.080 --> 00:34:59.800 so much. 00:35:01.420 --> 00:35:02.220 But the city 00:35:02.220 --> 00:35:03.240 is so much more valuable. 00:35:04.540 --> 00:35:05.360 Which one 00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:06.520 should you love? 00:35:07.260 --> 00:35:08.480 Which one should I love? 00:35:08.480 --> 00:35:11.079 for us today? 00:35:11.780 --> 00:35:13.059 I think it's the same question. 00:35:13.179 --> 00:35:13.840 We have things 00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:14.440 in our lives 00:35:14.440 --> 00:35:15.920 that we look at 00:35:15.920 --> 00:35:16.559 and we love. 00:35:17.639 --> 00:35:18.559 Maybe it's money. 00:35:19.559 --> 00:35:20.619 Maybe it's comfort. 00:35:21.480 --> 00:35:22.679 Maybe it's success. 00:35:23.639 --> 00:35:24.880 Maybe it's our career 00:35:24.880 --> 00:35:25.699 or our family. 00:35:26.719 --> 00:35:27.579 Good things. 00:35:28.840 --> 00:35:29.679 But God says, 00:35:29.780 --> 00:35:30.500 examine yourself. 00:35:30.500 --> 00:35:31.500 what is your plant? 00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:32.500 What is your plant? 00:35:32.500 --> 00:35:33.500 What is your plant? 00:35:33.500 --> 00:35:34.320 Which is more valuable? 00:35:34.320 --> 00:35:36.340 your bank account 00:35:36.340 --> 00:35:38.420 or the city 00:35:38.420 --> 00:35:39.640 and the people in it? 00:35:41.240 --> 00:35:42.320 Which is more valuable? 00:35:42.440 --> 00:35:42.980 Your comfort 00:35:42.980 --> 00:35:45.960 or your neighbors? 00:35:50.960 --> 00:35:51.480 God says, 00:35:51.559 --> 00:35:52.220 examine yourself. 00:35:52.320 --> 00:35:53.260 What is your plant? 00:35:53.880 --> 00:35:54.700 What is that thing 00:35:54.700 --> 00:35:55.580 that you hold on to 00:35:55.580 --> 00:35:56.740 more than anything else 00:35:56.740 --> 00:35:58.080 that could be gone 00:35:58.080 --> 00:35:58.660 in an instant 00:35:58.660 --> 00:36:01.519 that you look at 00:36:01.519 --> 00:36:01.820 and say, 00:36:01.900 --> 00:36:02.880 if I can just have that, 00:36:02.880 --> 00:36:04.260 the city of Hong Kong 00:36:04.260 --> 00:36:04.820 can burn? 00:36:09.019 --> 00:36:10.000 And ask yourself, 00:36:10.140 --> 00:36:11.420 is that a right love? 00:36:12.960 --> 00:36:14.200 And what is the love 00:36:14.200 --> 00:36:15.840 that God is calling you 00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:16.300 to have 00:36:16.300 --> 00:36:17.340 for your city? 00:36:19.079 --> 00:36:19.700 Let's pray. 00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:22.280 Father, 00:36:22.380 --> 00:36:22.900 we thank you 00:36:22.900 --> 00:36:23.780 for your love. 00:36:23.920 --> 00:36:24.460 We thank you 00:36:24.460 --> 00:36:26.240 for the story of Jonah 00:36:26.240 --> 00:36:26.720 and the ways 00:36:26.720 --> 00:36:27.720 that it challenges us 00:36:27.720 --> 00:36:28.340 and points us 00:36:28.340 --> 00:36:28.880 towards you. 00:36:29.700 --> 00:36:30.539 We thank you 00:36:30.539 --> 00:36:31.320 for the fact 00:36:31.320 --> 00:36:31.900 that your grace 00:36:31.900 --> 00:36:32.619 did not let go 00:36:32.619 --> 00:36:33.019 of Jonah, 00:36:33.460 --> 00:36:34.220 that you chased him 00:36:34.220 --> 00:36:34.920 down when he was 00:36:34.920 --> 00:36:35.360 in rebellion 00:36:35.360 --> 00:36:36.360 again and again 00:36:36.360 --> 00:36:36.800 and again, 00:36:37.039 --> 00:36:38.599 that you didn't 00:36:38.599 --> 00:36:39.579 accept his excuses, 00:36:40.539 --> 00:36:41.680 that you didn't 00:36:41.680 --> 00:36:42.340 give in to his 00:36:42.340 --> 00:36:43.300 idolatrous desires, 00:36:44.420 --> 00:36:45.960 that you pointed him 00:36:45.960 --> 00:36:46.920 constantly back 00:36:46.920 --> 00:36:47.460 to you, 00:36:48.220 --> 00:36:49.300 to your heart, 00:36:49.820 --> 00:36:51.119 to your love, 00:36:52.119 --> 00:36:53.420 that you challenged him 00:36:53.420 --> 00:36:54.119 to join you 00:36:54.119 --> 00:36:55.519 in loving the city 00:36:55.519 --> 00:36:57.039 as you love the city. 00:36:57.039 --> 00:36:59.340 God, 00:36:59.400 --> 00:37:00.179 I pray that for each 00:37:00.179 --> 00:37:00.900 of us here today 00:37:00.900 --> 00:37:01.559 that we would love 00:37:01.559 --> 00:37:01.980 our city, 00:37:02.539 --> 00:37:04.539 that we would identify 00:37:04.539 --> 00:37:05.739 the idols in our hearts 00:37:05.739 --> 00:37:06.719 that keep us from you 00:37:06.719 --> 00:37:07.420 and that keep us 00:37:07.420 --> 00:37:08.320 from loving our neighbors 00:37:08.320 --> 00:37:09.099 around us, 00:37:09.599 --> 00:37:12.099 that we would repent 00:37:12.099 --> 00:37:12.820 of the ways 00:37:12.820 --> 00:37:13.559 that we have trusted 00:37:13.559 --> 00:37:14.059 in idols 00:37:14.059 --> 00:37:14.880 for our fulfillment 00:37:14.880 --> 00:37:15.980 rather than for you, 00:37:16.779 --> 00:37:19.119 and that we would 00:37:19.119 --> 00:37:20.800 obediently serve you 00:37:20.800 --> 00:37:21.599 and love our city. 00:37:22.340 --> 00:37:23.059 We thank you 00:37:23.059 --> 00:37:23.519 for Jesus, 00:37:23.779 --> 00:37:24.239 the true, 00:37:24.420 --> 00:37:24.659 greater, 00:37:24.659 --> 00:37:25.379 second Jonah, 00:37:25.819 --> 00:37:26.940 who makes your love 00:37:26.940 --> 00:37:28.159 of us and of cities 00:37:28.159 --> 00:37:28.679 possible. 00:37:29.599 --> 00:37:30.619 And in Jesus' name, 00:37:31.179 --> 00:37:31.379 amen.