Good morning. Today's reading can be found on page 929 of the church Bibles.
Jonah chapter 4, starting at verse 1.
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?
This is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish.
I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
a God who relents from sending calamity.
Now, Lord, take away my life.
For it is better for me to die than to live.
But the Lord replied,
Is it right for you to be angry?
Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city.
There he made himself a shelter,
sat in its shade,
and waited to see what would happen to the city.
Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant
and made it grow up over Jonah
to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort.
And Jonah was very happy about the plant.
But at dawn the next day,
God provided a worm,
which chewed the plant so that it withered.
When the sun rose,
God provided a scorching east wind,
and the sun blazed on Jonah's head
so that he grew faint.
He wanted to die.
And said,
It would be better for me to die than to live.
But God said to Jonah,
Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?
It is, he said,
and I'm so angry I wish I were dead.
But the Lord said,
You have been concerned about this plant,
though you did not tend to 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,
and also many animals?
This is the word of the Lord.
Good morning, church.
Like I said earlier, my name is Nathan.
I'm the trainee pastor here at West Kilburn.
And I mean this when I say this.
It is my great joy and privilege
to get to preach God's word to you today.
Let me start by saying this.
In the book of Acts,
we are shown a people that are commended
for the fact that they keep on looking at
what Paul is saying,
and then looking at God's word
to check that what he is saying is true and scriptural.
And so in that spirit,
can I encourage you,
keep Jonah open in front of you,
continue to check back in on it.
I will continue to refer to it.
But as we have our Bibles open at Jonah 4,
and as you might realize,
we're back in Jonah,
we did take a three-week break.
If all you can remember about Jonah 1 to 3
is the fact that there's some fish involved,
you're probably not on your own.
So we're going to do a little bit of a recap
first before we dive in to Jonah.
Here's a little recap.
So to start with,
Andrew took us through Jonah 1.
The wickedness of Nineveh,
this city,
has come before the Lord.
And so he calls on Jonah,
go to the great city of Nineveh
and preach against it,
says God.
But Jonah goes in exactly the opposite direction.
He flees away as far as he can go
from Nineveh.
And then a storm comes.
He knows it's because he has disobeyed God.
And by his own admission,
the only way to stop that storm
is to throw him overboard.
The men are hesitant,
and the men on the boat
didn't actually believe in Jonah's God.
But by the end of the chapter 1,
even they feared the Lord.
In the last verse,
he is thrown overboard,
and it says,
the Lord provided a huge fish
to swallow Jonah.
Steve then walked us
through Jonah 2 and Jonah 3.
In Jonah 2,
while in the belly of this fish,
he is pleading with the Lord,
Lord, help me,
save me from this.
I will proclaim your message,
what you told me to do,
if you would just help me here.
And so he is spat out of the fish
on a shore near Nineveh,
and he is on his way again.
God again charges him,
proclaim the message,
and in Jonah 3,
he proclaims that message.
He speaks five words
in the original language of Hebrew.
There are eight translated into English,
and these are the words.
Forty more days,
and Nineveh will be overthrown.
It's quite an unimpressive sermon,
but God is speaking,
and God is working through it.
The entirety of Nineveh
comes to repent,
to believe in who God is,
and turn away from their wickedness.
The king even sends a decree,
and now the entirety of Nineveh
is repenting
and mournful for their sin.
And Steve preached to us
about the joy
of a repentant heart,
and that's the end
of Jonah 3,
the repentant people of Nineveh.
So, God's word
has gone out to his people.
The people have repented,
and we see
one of the biggest revivals
ever recorded,
which is 120 people
turning away from their wickedness
and to God.
So all this awe-inspiring stuff happens,
and then comes Jonah 4.
The prophet has done his job.
He's proclaimed the message,
and now God seems to take aim
at his heart.
He wants to teach Jonah something
of who he is
and what he's all about,
and I think that should really speak
to us today.
And that's where we're going to dive in
to Jonah 4.
But before we dive in,
let me pray for us
as we start.
Lord, we thank you
for bringing us here together.
We thank you for your grace
and the grace shown
in the story of Jonah.
Lord, may you please edify us
with these words,
the words of your scripture.
And Lord, please speak.
Your servants are listening.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Okay.
Here's a big idea
of this big passage
of Jonah 4.
God is gracious
and merciful
and we are so often not.
God is gracious
and merciful
and we are so often not.
That's the great big idea
of the passage,
but we're going to look at that
in about three different stages.
First is going to be
the stage of grief.
This is the anger
that Jonah has
for the grace
that God has shown
to Nineveh.
The second is
the grace
that is God's character
in this passage
that he is a gracious
and compassionate God.
Then lastly,
the gift.
Out of that flow,
out of that grace
flows a gift
that God gives us
and that's what
we're going to look at.
But let me start
by saying this.
If you know me at all,
you will know
that I like some
pretty rubbish films.
Right?
I studied media
at A-levels
and I can assess a film
and tell you
that the cinematography
is good
or this, that, and the other.
I could probably tell you
what a good film is.
I just don't like them.
They seem a bit pretentious
and the story
is never that gripping
and I'm just not a fan.
I like some quite rubbish films.
One of those films
is Safe Haven.
If you've watched it,
you'll know
that I love this.
Any given moment
you ask me
what film do you want to watch, Nathan,
this is it
and it drives my family nuts.
But
what's beautiful
about this film to me
is that it's just
basically a romantic drama.
The plot line is
this woman is leaving
a bad relationship
in the city
and escaping
to this small old town
and she finds
the love of her life.
If that sounds familiar,
that's because it is.
It's basically the plot line
of every romantic film
or hallmark film.
But
it's just better
and I love it.
Here's the thing
about this film.
It starts and ends
with some quite dramatic
and intense scenes.
And I couldn't really
tell you much
about those scenes
because I just skip over them.
I don't really want to
come here for the intense stuff
and the intense drama.
I'm here for the nice
sleepy old town
that's chilled out
and a romantic film.
So I watched the middle.
It's complete bliss.
But
I mention all of that
to say
that I think
that's what
Jonah 4 is like
for us.
It's the start
and the end
of that film to me.
It's the bit
that's kind of overlooked.
It's the bit
we're least familiar with
in the story
of Jonah.
I got to university
I think
before I even found out
really
and I'd grown up
in the church
but that was the first time
I really found out
that Jonah 4 even existed
as a chapter.
Partially because
maybe it's just because
I focused on the exciting bit
when the prophet
is in the mouth of a fish
or maybe I didn't get taught it.
Who knows?
But I think it's overlooked
but there is so much
that we need to see in this
and that can speak to us.
So why don't we start
with the grief?
Let's start with grief.
I mean Jonah is really angry
and you don't have to wait
to see that.
That's right in verse 1.
It says,
but to Jonah
this seemed very wrong
and he became angry.
I mean the word there
for anger
is a sort of hot
raging anger.
By verse 3
he already wants to die.
He is furious
with what God has done
with forgiving
the Ninevites.
But why?
He's preached the message
and they've repented
and God has forgiven them.
So why is Jonah
angry?
Well a few clues
for what might be
making him angry here.
First is the wickedness
of the Ninevites.
The wickedness
of the Ninevites
is quite well known.
If there was a mode
of torture
at that point in time
the Ninevites
were probably involved
in doing it.
They treated their captors
and prisoners terribly
and historical accounts
are quite gripping
but really horrific.
They also engaged
in things like
child sacrifice.
I mean the book
of Jonah starts
by Jonah being told
to go to Nineveh
because his wickedness
has come up
before the Lord.
They are a wicked people
make no mistake
about that.
God knows about it
and yet he sends Jonah
and those are the people
that are forgiven.
And so Jonah's annoyed.
Those are the people
that could possibly
be forgiven.
That might be one reason.
The other side
of his anger
seems to be predicated
on this prevailing opinion
that the Israelites
that Yahweh
the God of Israel
while he had authority
over the entire world
his grace
his favor
his mercy
was only meant
to extend
to Israel
his chosen people.
So put those two together
and Jonah has this
expected favoritism
of the Israelites
combined with the wickedness
of the Ninevites
and he is angry.
He has made up his mind
this is very wrong.
And of all the possible
reasons for his anger
they all boil down
to this general thinking
from Jonah.
Jonah believes
that Nineveh
deserves judgment
and yet they have had
and received grace
and mercy from God.
Jonah believes
that Nineveh
deserves judgment
yet received grace
and mercy.
We see that here
don't we?
Just look with me
at verse two
I'm going to read
these verses out again.
It says
isn't this what I said Lord
when I was still at home?
That is what I tried
to forestall
by fleeing to Tarshish.
I knew that you are
a gracious
and compassionate God
slow to anger
and abounding in love
a God who relents
from sending calamity.
Now Lord
take my life
for it is better
for me to die
than to live.
He doesn't hide
his cards does he?
The reasons
for Jonah
not wanting
to be in Nineveh
the main reason
is not that
he was afraid
of what the Ninevites
might do to him
these wicked people.
It was not because
it was a long journey
they just didn't want
to go on.
It's not because
he thought they might
reject the message
that the prophet
had to proclaim.
No
the main reason
wasn't any of those things.
The main reason
is because Jonah
knows God's heart.
He knows his character.
He knew that God
would show the people
grace and mercy
if they would repent.
And he didn't want that.
He wanted to see
them judged.
He was afraid
that God would be
exactly who he says
he is.
Gracious,
compassionate,
slow to anger,
abounding in love
and for Jonah
maybe the worst one
relenting
from sending calamity.
See Jonah is saying
what is the quiet bit
in his heart
out loud.
Jonah is screaming
in all of this
enough God.
This is why
I didn't want
to come here.
I knew you were gracious.
I knew
that you would make
some way for them
to turn back
and I don't want that.
They deserve judgment.
They are wicked.
God,
you're wrong
to offer them mercy.
They don't deserve it,
says Jonah.
And just as he wishes
his life away,
God comes to him
with a question
on which this passage
turns.
Is it right
for you
to be angry?
Is it right
for you to be angry,
Jonah?
Is it right
for you to be angry
that I called
120,000 people
to me
and they repented
and put their faith
in me?
Is it right
for you to be angry
at my grace
for these people?
Is it right
for you to be angry
at who I am,
gracious
and compassionate?
I think we all
may know
what the ideal response
here is from Jonah
but we don't see one.
Jonah doesn't say anything.
All we know
is that by verse 5
he is sat down
and is looking
at the city.
By all accounts
he is hoping
that they are destroyed,
judged for what
they are doing,
that their repentance
was futile
and actually
they are still
going to be judged.
That is the way
he comes into it.
God is about
to use an object lesson
to help Jonah out.
God is using
the leafy plant
that grows.
Look at me
at verse 6.
Then the Lord
God provided
a leafy plant
and made it grow up
over Jonah
to give shade
for his head
to ease his discomfort
and Jonah was very
happy about the plant.
But at dawn
the next day
God provided a worm
which chewed the plant
and so that it withered.
When the sun rose
God provided
a scorching east wind
and the sun blazed
on Jonah's head
so that he grew faint.
He wanted to die
and said
it would be better
for me to die
than to live.
This time
it's a plant
and yet again
he is furious.
Angry to the point
of death
and here comes
God again
it's the same question
but just this time
it's about the plant
says
is it right
for you to be angry
about the plant?
Before we even
get to his answer
to this
it shows us
his heart.
Do you see
his heart,
his priorities,
his values here?
There's two times
throughout this passage
that he has been angry
to the point of death.
Once over the repentance
of Nineveh
and once
over a plant
that gave him comfort
for a few hours.
So he has more compassion
for a plant
that he knew
for all of 24 hours
than for the 120,000 people
that would be lost
without God's grace
in Nineveh.
Do you see
his heart,
his priorities,
what he values
above everything else?
So what he values
is his comfort
and a plant
far more
than the lives
of people.
So the only time
he's actually been happy
at all
in this entire book
is in verse 6
when a plant comes
to give him comfort.
In verse 2
as he rounds
at God
about his character
what we see
is six different
references
in those couple
of sentences
to himself.
I, me
or my
are used.
His priority
is himself
and his comfort
and values
and he values
that far above
and beyond
the life
of the people
of Nineveh.
See here
it's really easy
for us to think
and just detach
ourselves from it.
To think we are
so far from being
like Jonah
yeah friends
we're far more
geared up to be
like him
than we think.
Maybe you're not
thinking our value
a plant
over 120,000 people.
See one of
Jonah's major issues
here is that
he has misplaced
his priorities.
His priorities
are not in order.
He's constantly
prioritizing his own
comfort and values
above the lives
of others
and that is
exactly the opposite
of the way
God sees it.
We're going to see
that as we continue
in this passage.
But maybe it will
help you to know
how this plays out
in my life
in how I
misplace priorities.
About a week
or two
well about two
weeks ago
me and Daisy
had a week off.
Knowing we had
a few busy weeks
ahead and a few
busy weeks behind us
we really were
looking forward
to this time off.
We're getting away
from London
getting to relax
and see some friends
and go away
and see some family.
But for various reasons
you can ask me
about after the sermon
we had to cancel
all that holiday.
We couldn't go away
and it was quite annoying.
You try and make
the best of it
we were still in London
we had a good time
but it felt
slightly disappointing.
And then at the end
of that week
my holidays are
drawing to a close
and it feels like
a bit of a shambles.
We wake up on Monday
and the washing machine
is completely closed.
It's completely broke.
It's gone.
And I,
and that was like
the camel that
broke the straw.
The back,
I didn't get that
analogy right.
You know what I'm saying.
But that was the thing
that sent me over the edge.
Right?
I'm annoyed.
The toaster is
completely gone.
And I realise
that all of this
is a bit of a
first world problem.
He didn't get his holiday.
I know.
But I'm ticked off.
I'm really annoyed.
I take myself off
to a different room.
I'm doing some
household chores
trying to just pray
that this day gets better.
My nice,
relaxing weekend
or week
is off in shambles.
And I just felt
this little thought
perk in my head.
He goes,
that's a lot like Jonah,
isn't it, Nathan?
Now,
I've been prepping
this sermon
for a while
and so this was
in the back
of my head.
Annoyed
and sad
at my relaxing
and my comfort
being disrupted.
In that moment,
I felt like
God was convicting me.
Holding up a mirror
from Jonah 4.
And it's not
that it was wrong
for me to be annoyed.
Those are some
annoying things
and if you're
annoyed about them,
that is okay.
But I just felt
God convict me
and said,
when was the last time
you were this
passionately prayerful,
this passionately annoyed
or this passionately angry
at the fact
that so many
around you
do not know Jesus yet?
Your priorities
are your comfort
and the weekend
of relaxation
that you got taken away
rather than
the people
around you.
And it's one instance
and one example
of where our priorities
are shaped the wrong way
but I bet
I'm not the only one
where our priorities
are not always right.
They're the wrong way route.
See, we are far closer
to Jonah
in having our priorities
wrong than we would
like to admit.
So here's my question
for you.
Are your priorities
in line with God
and does your life
show that?
Are your life decisions
the big decisions
you make in life
and the small alike
are they marked
by the gospel mission
of Jesus Christ?
To reach people,
to care for people,
to show his compassion
to others.
Is your calendar set up
to make time
to care for people,
to pray for others,
those around you?
Christians in this room,
God calls you
to die to yourself
each day
and live for Christ,
prioritizing his ways
over and above
your own comfort.
So lovingly,
I think it's right
that we ask ourselves,
how are you doing
with that?
How are you doing
with that?
But we've seen
the bitterness
and the wrong place
priorities of Jonah,
but now we see
God's heart.
As Jonah responds,
saying,
it is right for me
to be angry
with what you've done
with this plant,
God.
We see verse 10
and 11,
God show his heart.
Look with me
at those.
But the Lord said,
you have been
concerned about this plant
though you did not
tend to 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
and also many animals?
God's response
to Jonah
is one of love
and care
for the people
of Nineveh.
People who are lost
do not know
their right hand
from their left.
God is saying,
Jonah,
their sins are many,
yes,
but each one of them
is a man
or woman
or child
made in my image.
Each one I have sustained
and I have grown
from birth until now.
Each one is unique
creation of mine.
Should I not be concerned?
Should I not have
compassion for them?
God is adamant
and passionate
about the people
of his creation
and not just
his chosen people
in Israel
and that's what
Jonah is finding out.
He is passionate
about the entirety
of his creation.
Look down with me
at verse 6.
It starts by saying,
then the Lord God
provided a tree.
The words Lord
and God
are used together.
They're used separately
in the rest of the book,
Lord or God,
but they're used together here.
The first word Lord
in Hebrew here
is the word Yahweh.
That is the personal name
that Israel have
for their God,
Yahweh.
So Lord is Yahweh
and the second word God
in Hebrew
is Elohim.
That word is used
to refer to God,
especially in Jonah,
as the God
of the universe,
the God
of everything
that exists.
See,
in saying both together here,
the writer is putting
them together,
Yahweh Elohim.
He is God
of both Israel
and the universe.
He is God
of everybody
and he is compassionate
about everybody,
not just Israel,
but the entire world.
And as he sees people
living in wickedness
in Nineveh,
his grace is on them.
He sends a prophet
to them
to share a message
that brings them
to repent
and allows them
to be forgiven.
And as we come
to our last point,
the gift,
we look at the,
looking at the character
of God,
does any of it
sound familiar to you?
One with concern
and compassion
for the sinners.
One who makes a way
for people
to be forgiven.
One that holds
our grace
and love
for each
and every
one of us.
That God
sees the wickedness
and suffering
of his people
and sent someone
to save them
to save them.
It's Jesus,
isn't it?
That's Jesus.
God sent Jesus
to and for us.
See,
there is a whole
load of wickedness
in the world
around us today,
just like in Nineveh.
I don't think
I really need
to convince you
of that.
If you turn on
your news
or flick through
Instagram
or maybe just
walk out your door
and live a little,
you'll see the
brokenness
and wickedness
of the world
around us.
Bitterness,
hatred,
envy,
and generally
wickedness
fuel wars,
hateful politics,
broken relationships,
and so much more.
The gravest
of our sins
is not the individual
things necessarily
that we do
or don't do.
They absolutely
matter and are sinful.
But rather,
it's the fact
that we have turned
away from God
and his ways.
The wickedness
of our world
is a symptom
of us turning
away from God.
The Bible says
we have all
sinned and fallen
short of the glory
of God.
We have all
deserved punishment
just like the
Ninevites did
for our sin.
And that sin
separates us
from God
and the creator
that we were
meant to know
and love forever.
And who does he
send to save us?
He sends Jesus.
God himself
came to this earth
to save us.
Tim Keller
talks about
Jonah 4
and the links
to Jesus.
He talks about
them as
the God
of the Ninevites,
God figuratively
weeping
as he sees
the wickedness
of the Ninevites.
And so
this is one
of the quotes
he says about
Jesus.
He says,
he,
Jesus,
is the weeping
God of Jonah 4
in human form.
See,
the same God
that weeps
over the wickedness
of Nineveh
and brings them
back to him
is the same God
that weeps
over us
and in his
compassion
sent Jesus.
All of that
is the reason
why Jesus
lives a perfect
life,
died on the cross
for you and me,
taking all our sins
on him
and rises again
having defeated
death and sin.
He didn't just
see the Ninevites
way back when
and offer a
flailing,
failing,
and angry prophet.
He sees you
and me,
ones that are
sinful and need
forgiveness
and he sent
Jesus.
so that if we,
like the Ninevites,
are sitting in here
having repented
of our sins,
he is still
that gracious
and compassionate
God,
abounding in love
and says,
live in the freedom
that your sins
have been forgiven
in Jesus.
See,
we've seen the heart
of Jonah
and imperfect
and grieving
God's grace.
We've seen the heart
full of grace
and out of it
the gift that flows
of Jesus for us.
And I just want to end
with two things.
There are so many
things that we could
take away,
be convicted of
and all of those
things and be
worshipful of.
Here's two things
I want to end on
that might be
very practical things
that we can apply
in our lives.
First,
let's remember
God's compassion
for others.
God's compassion
for others
is so deep
and wide
that it extends
far beyond
your friends
and family
and far beyond
the walls
of our church.
We want to be
like Jesus,
not like Jonah.
We want to show
our concern
and compassion
for the people
in front of us.
Whether that's
your Muslim neighbor
that goes out
to pray each Friday
or the co-worker
with no particular
belief and a lot
of apathy
or maybe it's
the curious agnostic
searching for answers
or maybe
it's the person
who hates churches,
hates organized religion
and doesn't really
like you all that much.
See,
no matter who
the person is,
God is concerned
for them.
He has compassion
for them
and he wants them
to know him
and his forgiveness
through the gospel.
It is their greatest need
and it is ours too.
And so this week,
why don't we remember
God's compassion
for others
that we see
in Jonah 4,
their need for him
and why don't we long
to pray for them
and share the gospel
with them.
Secondly,
why don't we continue
to worship God
his grace?
This is not for us
this zone is not
for us to go home
and just do a ton of things
but rather that we would
worship God
for his grace to us.
See, the quickest way
for us to become
more like Jonah
and less like Jesus
is to miss God's grace
in our lives.
Jonah disobeys God
from start to finish
and yet God is gracious.
When he went the wrong way
into a storm
thrown into the sea,
God graciously
provides a fish.
When he hates God
for forgiving
the Ninevites,
God graciously
gives him shade
and he graciously
provides a worm
to take that shade away
that he might teach
Jonah some of the
heart of God.
See, Jonah wants
judgment for others
but refuses to acknowledge
the grace that God
has had to have
on him
in his own life
for all of his sin.
And I see that
to be true in me.
I want to see people
punished for their sins,
punished for their crimes
and I want to have
gracious forgiveness
for mine.
But we are a people
forgiven,
sustained and carried
by the grace of God.
So let us not forget
that grace
as we go out
that God has had
on us
and may it fuel us
to be gracious
to others too.
Let me pray for us
as we end.
Lord, we thank you
for being a gracious
God to us.
We thank you
for sending Jesus
without whom
we would be
just like the Ninevites,
lost and wicked.
Lord, we pray
that you would continue
to work in us
to see us
be gracious to others
as we see our own
need for your grace.
In Jesus' name
I pray.
Amen.