Evolution, I don't I don't get what kind of mind it takes to
have to, I mean, think of the things that we've learned from
just animals to figure out how to do things that we use now and
we think that it all happened just by evolution.
It just boggles your mind. But anyways, Jonah chapter 4
often the greatest test that I find that Christians have
usually come after the greatest victories.
You think of Christ in the Bible when after he just gets baptized
and hears the this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased.
The next thing he faces is Satan in the desert.
Think of Elijah after calling fire down from heaven, literally
in the same couple chapters he's running from Jezebel for his
life. So often Satan works so quickly
after a victory because I think Christians and and sadly, we, we
are this way that after a victory, we are the most
vulnerable. We're the most relaxed, We're
the most vulnerable, I guess would be the word to say.
It's, it's one of those things where we think we're, we're on
the mountaintop, we're on the peak and nothing can touch us.
And that's as soon as Satan wants us and and gets in there
and he always is trying to steal God's attention got tension away
from God. He's always trying to take our
eyes and focus off the one that it should be on.
And, and unfortunately here, one of the easiest ways I think
Satan gets that attention off of God is to get it on ourselves
and, and selfishness and, and focusing on us.
And here in Jonah chapter 4, Jonah's, Jonah's more concerned
with being right than the revival that just happened.
He's more concerned with himself than what just happened in an
entire city. James 4-5 says this way of what
what we must guard against spirit.
We must guard against the spirit that dwelleth in US lusteth to
envy. You're there chapter 4.
Actually, let's look at the verse before that, verse 10 of
of chapter 3. And God saw their works talking
about Nineveh, that they turn from their evil way.
And God repented of the evil that he had said, and that he
would do unto them. And he did it not chapter 4,
verse one. But it displeased Jonah
exceedingly, and he was very angry.
And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was
not this my saying, when I was yet in my country?
Therefore I fled before. I fled before unto Tarsus, for I
knew that thou art a gracious God and a merciful slow to anger
and of great kindness and repentance the of the evil.
Literally an entire city had just been turned over to God
quicker than I think any revival that we read in history.
And, and even the sad part is it took longer for God to get the
evangelist to do the revival than it did for God to have a
revival there in that city. But the sad thing is the only
person that that didn't have a revival was the evangelist
himself. The one that had the, the not a
revival message. Don't don't think that Jonah had
the message of repentant and, and be saved.
It was you are going to be destroyed Nineveh because of
your wickedness. You have 40 days and you will be
destroyed. But Jonah in his all knowledge
that he thinks he has praise hear to God about I told you you
were going to do this. I knew this is what you were
going to do. And pastor talks about it with,
you know, talking about a creation telling the creator, I
knew you were going to do this. What what what right does Jonah
have at all to say anything to God about basically thumbing his
nose at God? See, this is what was going to
happen. I should have just went to
Tarshish like I was going to do. Why'd you have to make me go
through the storm through the what bales belly of the whale?
Get me here when you were going to do this anyways, A pouting
prophet ultimately, I mean, think, think of what?
OK, a prophet is in today's word a not talking about prophetic
things, but he's basically a preacher in our terms.
We don't do prophetics anymore. We don't tell about the future.
God doesn't give that to us. But God gives God's word to the
prophet just like he does the pastor's.
He gives them word, the word, and he gives us the word of God
to teach and preach to others. And that's what Jonah is.
And and it just nobody in the right mind, no pastor, no, no
any person that's in charge of a church seeing a revival happen
would first go verse 4, but it displeased Jonah.
Wait a minute, you you literally just saw an entire city turn to
God and the first thing that comes to your mind is it
displeases you. And he it wasn't just like, man,
that bummer. I was hoping they were going to
get what was coming to him. The last part of that verses and
he was very angry. It wasn't just a well, I guess
this I kind of saw this coming, but Oh well, you know, I did
what I was supposed to do kind of thing.
No, he was angry. He was mad at God for doing what
God does. It's a pouting prophet.
Let's pray and we'll get into this lesson.
Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for this morning for having
your word to be able to read and the examples that you give us.
God, I pray that we we learn from those examples, but more
importantly, we need to be in your word to even read about
those examples. I pray that you, you open your
word to each and every one of us this morning.
Give us eyesight and an open heart and an open mind to hear
and see what you want us to see through Jonah that you've
preserved throughout all eternity.
You've preserved this story for us to learn from, just to see
what it was like and to see what changes we need to make in our
life. I pray that you be glorified
through everything. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
The first thing is it's a selfishness.
Second Timothy 31 says it this way.
This know also that in the last days, perilous times shall come.
Now, now we like to think of, you know, corrupt government
people that do whatever they want and and moral indecencies
and political corruption, horrible crime and everything.
But the rest of that verse is different than what we would
think. The rest of the verse tells us
that for men shall be lovers of their own selves.
It's selfishness that talks about.
What that perilous time is, is men being selfish.
DL Moody used to say, the man that I fear the most is the man
underneath this hat. Lincoln, before he became
president, was asked this by a reporter.
Who of all the candidates do you fear the most?
And he said, yes, I do fear one of them.
And the reporter asked him which one.
And he responded, a man named Lincoln.
If I am defeated, I will be defeated by a man named Lincoln.
Every single person in Jonah chapter 3 experienced revival
except for Jonah and I. And I think that it's one of
those things that God knew that was going to happen, But God
gave Jonah a choice. God gave Jonah a chance.
Jonah could have said, praise God, look at what happened.
Thank you, Lord for your loving kindness, your mercy and your
grace to keep these people alive and look at this entire city is
now turned towards you. God gave him that option.
It wasn't a of course Jonah was going to be mad.
And I think like, like I said, we've said throughout this
thing, when, when Jonah went on to the ship, yes, the storm was
to show Jonah, hey, get your attention, John, I'm trying to
get your attention. But it was also for those people
on the sailors on that ship to understand who the true God was.
When, when, when he gets thrown into the sea and get swallowed
by a whale. I'm pretty sure everybody on
that, that sailor that was on that ship realized, oh, that
Jehovah was the real one, that, that the sea is totally calm.
And now Jonah's going deep. That was the real God.
It was for Jonah, but it was also for the sailors.
Just like now we see Nineveh is saved and turned to God and a
revival happens. And that, yes, it was for
Nineveh, but it was also for Jonah.
It was God testing to see, OK, Jonah, what's more important,
you being right or souls being saved?
What's more important in your life?
And unfortunately, Jonah goes the wrong direction.
He is all about himself. Selfishness, pity parties, who
loves having pity parties, who love being around people that
have pity parties. It is never a happy ending.
It is never something. Even when you're in the pity
party, if you are the one having the pity party, you're not even
happy. But sadly we get into that
corner so quickly, so easily, and Paul reminds us that
selfishness kills joy in Philippians 2 two it says,
Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded.
Having the same love being of 1 accord of one mind.
Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in
lowliness of mind, let each let each esteem other better than
themselves. Look, not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others.
It's not talking about cheating. It's just that that was always
the in school. I'm just doing what the Bible
says. Don't look at my own paper.
Look at the other person's paper.
But anyways, too often when we serve God and perhaps we're
doing it something right, we're doing what is right, but it's
not because of we're trying to serve God.
We're trying to get what it's out of it for us.
We're we're serving, we're doing things, but it's to please me.
It's to get me up in front of everybody.
It's to get me to, to get praise because of oh, nobody came out
on Saturday, but Josh did. Yes, I was there.
Well, I did it for the wrong reason.
It wasn't to serve God, it was because I wanted to be getting
praise that selfishness. First Corinthians 1032 says even
as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own
prophet, but the prophet of many that they may be saved.
Paul specifically says I don't do it because of me.
I'm here as a missionary to keep people saved, not because I want
to be written down forever and have a recorded list of
everything I've done for all eternity and I want the praise
of all the people and be called the greatest missionary and the
greatest Christian in history. I do it that they may be saved.
There was a difference and Jonah, again, Jonah didn't have
the message of repent and and be saved.
He had the message of you're going to be destroyed.
So there's a little bit of a difference, but he, I think for
as much as Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh, I think he loved
saying that prophet I love. I think he loved being the one
that said, hey, guess what? All your wickedness, you're
going to get what's coming to you finally.
You're finally going to get what is dealt to you, what you should
have gotten a long time ago. 40 days.
Count them. I am.
I think Jonah was quite ready and quite happy about the
prophecy that he was going to give.
Whether in the ministry or in your family, in society.
Love, the Bible says, seeketh not her own.
Selfishness kills any kind of joy.
Selfishness is almost the same in close relation to jealousy.
But jealousy is a little different than selfishness.
Jealousy is that it, it likes it.
It doesn't like good happening to others.
It it doesn't want you to to to be blessed.
It doesn't want you to have anything happen to you.
Selfishness is just what's good to happen to me.
But they're so close and they cap in so much to where they
they overlap. And here in Jonah, we see Jonah
dealing with both. Think think of Jonah.
He just disobeyed God, got on a ship, went through a storm,
sense was jumped, thrown overboard, goes into the belly
of the whale for doing what disobeying God wants.
All right, I'm going to go to Nineveh, who's literally the
wickedness has gotten so bad there that God says I'm
destroying it. And in a matter of days, God
Forgives them and wipes them clean.
They don't even get a storm. They don't even get half the
wall falling. Buildings don't fall.
No whale comes out. I think Jonah wanted some whale
time for those people. I think Jonah was mad because he
only did one wrong thing and has to deal with all the problems
that he dealt with. But these people that have so
wickedness that God wants to destroy him, get off so easy is
the ways. I think it inhuman.
That's how we would think I did one wrong thing.
You've had a mountain of stuff. It'd be like somebody that
steals for the first time gets the death penalty versus
somebody that has murdered an entire city and they go, well,
you said sorry, so you're good now.
Well, wait a minute. That's not justification.
Where's justice in this whole thing?
I think that's what Jonah was dealing with.
That's why he got so the Bible says was very angry.
He was so mad that these people that were going to be destroyed
got off Scotch free. He was jealous, the Bible says
in Genesis 37. For think of other people that
have jealousy throughout the Bible, Genesis dealing with
Joseph's brothers. And they were jealous of Joseph.
And the Bible says, And when his brothers saw that the father,
their father loved him more than all his brother, and they hated
him, and could not speak peacefully unto him.
Saul with David, when David slew Goliath, and afterwards was
fighting the Philistines, the Bible says, And Saul was very
wroth, and they and the saying displeased him.
And he said, They have ascribed unto David 10 thousands, and to
me they have ascribed but thousands.
And what can he have more but the Kingdom?
Think of, think the prodigal son.
We don't really have anything, but when when the son leaves,
the older brother doesn't have a problem with it.
The interesting thing if you read there, the father didn't
just give the old, the younger son his portion.
It says the Bible says that the father split gave both of them
their portion. The older brother didn't have a
problem with it. He wasn't going to.
Why is he going? He was, he enjoyed it.
He was glad about that. When did he get angry?
When did he get jealous? When the son came back, what
when? When repentance was given, when
forgiveness and grace and mercy happened, that's when the elder
brother was angry. Luke 1520 says 28 says and he
was angry and would not go in talking about the feast that
they were having because his brother came home.
He was jealous because of what had happened.
Proverbs 634 warns us and says for jealousy is the rage of a
man. Jealousy and selfishness is what
we find in Jonah and it's warning us don't have what Jonah
has. Don't be like Jonah.
When something that God does happens, God, God blesses
somebody in church and and gives them a new car.
Are you happy about it? Are you jealous?
That man? I've been working, trying to do
this. I've been praying longer than he
has and my car is now in the shop.
Which is it? Jealousy and anger go together.
The last part of that verse of verse one and he was very anger.
Angry. Anger is 1 short word one letter
short of danger. I don't think that's a goof up
or happenstance that be that way.
I think there's a very easy correlation that anger, if left
to go, brings danger. It's interesting to note that
that as we talked about in in Joseph's life with his brothers,
that in King Saul and the elder son that all had jealousy
towards the brother or or towards David or towards the
brother. Every single one dealt also with
not just jealousy, but it turns to anger.
Anger. Have you ever had somebody that
always has a chip on the shoulder no matter what you do?
Hi. Oh, how are you doing?
I'm fine. OK.
One of those people that you're like, I'm going to stay away
from this person. I was nice and that was it.
That's all. I'm going to go.
I'm not. I'm going to skirt around the
edge to say hi to them. And when we shake hands, I'm
going to go this way because they're going to stay in their
seat or they're walking this way.
There's somebody to avoid. When people have anger issues,
they're always angry about everything.
And they did not even the thing that they're angry about
everything will tick them off. The littlest thing will.
It's like, you know the the needle that broke the camel's
back or the fuse that finally got lit.
Do you find yourself angry when others are rejoicing about
dealing with jealousy? Do you find yourself mad that
somebody else got a blessing? Not just jealous, but angry
about it. The worst part is Jonah's not
angry with Nineveh. He's angry at God.
He's not mad that the king repented and got right with God.
He's not mad that with the Ninevites, he's mad with God.
Just like Pastor talks about the, you know, something that
you make out of clay coming up and mad at you because you made
it not smoosh you. I mean, I really think, and it's
a good thing that we're not God, because I think a lot more
people would be smooshed. But God has a specific purpose
in a plan, and the Bible says that His plans are perfect.
It doesn't matter whether it goes our way or the way we want
it to go. If it goes the way God wants it
to go, we need to be joyful because of it, not angry and
displeased exceedingly like Jonah was.
He called. God says it this way in
Ecclesiastes 79. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be
angry. Listen what he calls people that
are angry, for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
If you're somebody that loses their top blows, the top gets
angry all the time. God says you're a fool.
If you let anger fester, you're a fool.
And that's not, you know, goofy like you're a foolish person.
Fool. In the Bible, there's two
different ways of being called fool.
Foolish like a clown, like goofy stuff.
But a fool here, a fool, the Bible says, says there is no
God. There's a big difference between
being goofy and being a fool, according to the Bible, and
that's why it's so important to realize how much this means.
Anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Somebody said, well, my anger only lasts a little bit.
It's it's short, I get over it quick.
OK, last time I checked, the nuclear bomb went off quick.
Pretty devastating though. Anger has no place in a
Christian's life. Righteous anger that God, that
Christ, shows. There's a difference between
righteous anger and what we see here is a jealous anger.
Anger, according to this flesh, has no place.
Matthew 522 warns us of the results of anger.
But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his
brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.
There's a disgrace of anger. You're called a fool.
You're in danger of the judgment.
Proverbs 1417 tells us he that is soon angry Dealeth foolishly.
And a man of wicked devices is heeded.
Hated. I can't even read writing hated
there. There's also a damage of anger.
Think of this story a Quaker man.
You know, Quakers are always peaceful.
They they don't they don't get mad.
They don't go to war. They don't.
That was the the staple of a Quaker man.
A Quaker man owned a a very ornery cow and he goes out and
every time he deals with this cow, it's almost like a clash.
Cow doesn't want to be milked, but the, the Quaker man can't
really do much about it. Can't beat the cow because
that's against being a Quaker. Can't, can't force the cow.
So the Quaker man decided, I'm going to, to milk old Bessie.
And I'm going to do this the right way and I'm not going to
lose my cool. I'm going to do everything
right. And he sits down and gets ready
to, to milk old Bessie. And of course, the first thing
old Bessie does is move her foot and step on his.
Now, I don't know if you've ever been stepped on with a cow, but
that's a lot of weight. But old Quaker man said I got
this, bites his tongue, finally gets his foot free of her hoof
and sits back down. And her tail starts going like
this all in his face. So he moves over without getting
mad, without saying a word, moves over and starts milking
her. And halfway through getting all
that warm milk, she reels that leg up and Powell goes that
pale, all half of that milk. And if you've ever milked a cow,
that usually is the straw. For me, it was the straw.
When it's I'm not, I'm not a milker.
But when you finally get going and you're like, all right, I
got it going and there goes everything you just did.
That was usually the straw for me.
But the Quaker man said, Nope, I promised I'm not going to get
angry. So he picks up the pail, sets it
back down and finishes everything.
And he picks up the bucket after being done.
And boy, he's, I mean, he's, he's at the tip of, of what we
would say that the top is going to blow.
But he decides I'm not going to do anything.
And he shook his head. And he gets the he walks around
to the front of the cow, and he says this, Thou dost know that I
am a Quaker. Thou dost know also that I
cannot strike thee back, but I can sell you to a Presbyterian.
Getting a handle of your anger is probably the for men, I think
is the most important thing for men to deal with.
As a Christian, it's so easy for us to, to get angry like that.
And like I said, if, if something goes wrong at work, as
soon as you get home, everything is on a knife, kid does
something. It's not.
It's not that you're necessarily mad that, I don't know, your kid
did something silly or dumb or whatever, but you have the
weight of all the day waiting to just blow.
And I think that's one of the most important things that a
Christian man has to learn to control is his anger and to be
able to keep it inside. First Corinthians 925 says and
every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all
things. We have to have self-discipline
in our own spirits. Proverbs 1632 says it this way.
He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he
that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh the city.
Not only do our actions get us in trouble, but a lot of times,
mostly it's our reaction that gets us the most in trouble.
How do you react when something happens?
How do you react when, not necessarily this case where
something great happens, but when bad things happens in your
life, when you're at work and something bad happens, How is
your testimony with those that you work with?
Are you the one that everybody's like?
Oh boy, what's he going to say? I ain't going to tell him
because the wrath that comes out of him, I ain't saying that I
ain't going over to him. Are you the one that they know
because you're a Christian, that you're going to handle it right?
That you're going to react correctly?
The last part here, verse 2. And he prayed under the Lord and
said, I pray thee, oh Lord, was not this my saying when I was
yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto
Tarshish, for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and
merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness and repentance
Thee of the evil. How low do you have to go to
blame God? I mean, I mean honestly, how low
do you have to get in your Christianity?
Not not saying that something as bad has happened, but something
great has happened. An entire city has turned to God
and and Jonah, the first thing that he does is blame God and
then tries to use God's attributes as an excuse for what
he did for disobeying God. We can never question God's ways
what we I mean, we can, but God's ways are perfect.
God's ways are set in and sure, Isaiah 55, eight says, for my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your neither
are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Psalms 1830 says for as As for God, His way is perfect.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works.
Psalms 14717 Be careful what you think towards God.
Be careful the way that you handle what happens in your
life, your reactions to the way that what God does for you.
God may put you in a trial. Be careful how you react to it.
God may bless you. Be careful how you react to it.
Romans 918 turn there. Romans 918 We don't need to
question God's acts, God's judgments, God's mercy.
He doesn't have to explain himself.
And perhaps if if we were, and I think most of us probably would,
we probably would have destroyed Nineveh, We probably would have
said that you deserve this Nineveh done.
But we don't, we don't possess God's grace.
We don't possess God's mercy that he has you're there.
Verse Chapter 9, verse 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will have he hardeneth.
Thou wilt say unto then unto me, Why dost thou yet find fault for
who hath resisted his will? Nay, but, O man, who art thou
that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say unto
him that formed it? Why hast thou made me thus?
Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump to
make one vessel unto honor, and another under dishonor?
The Bible says you have no right to say anything to God about the
way He does things. God doesn't need to explain it.
God doesn't have to tell you why He did something.
Just know that His way is perfect.
Why did my father pass away so early right when it was finally
filmed? Like I had a dad, again, why?
I don't have a reason. I don't have a leg to stand on
to be able to ask God why I don't have a reason to be able
to say you were wrong about doing this.
God's way is perfect. I may not understand it.
Jonah may not have understood why.
Why of everything God, would you have me go to give a prophecy
that you knew ahead of time was going to to not happen?
Why would you do that to me? But God doesn't have to answer
him. God was concerned with Nineveh.
Yes, He wanted to destroy it because of their wickedness, but
He was concerned about those souls.
Don't ever think that like Noah's flood.
God didn't love all those people that He killed.
God loved every single one of those wicked sinners, just like
He loved Noah. But the Bible says that Noah
found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
It was because Noah's righteousness that the Bible
talks about that that's what saved him and his family.
But don't ever think that God hated those other peoples that
that he killed and and drowned in the flood.
God loved them just the same as he loved Noah.
Just like today, God loves every single person on this earth,
loves every single Sinner. I don't care whether you're the
least Sinner or you're the worst one in death row, or you're the
homosexual or you're the fill in the blank.
God loves that person. But the sin has to be judged.
And what happened here was the sin was taken care of so that
love could be flown freely. That mercy was able to be shown
because the sin problem was paid for.
But Jonah didn't care. And then the last part, we'll go
quick. The last part of that verse and
he talks about, Oh Lord, was this not my saying when I was
yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto
before unto Tarshish. For I knew that thou art a
gracious God and a merciful slow to anger and of great kindness
and repentance the of evil. Don't ever think God's grace is
an excuse for your disobedience. Don't ever think that you
getting away with your sin is because God loves you and
because God is just not going to judge that sin.
Be sure your sin will find you out.
The Bible says Jonah used God's attributes to say that's why I
disobeyed. I'm justifying why I disobeyed
you because if I knew who you are, don't ever get to that
point as a Christian. That's a very, very, very fine
line you're walking on. When you start using God's
attributes to justify your sin, you're not just backslide,
you've fallen over and you it's it's it's going to be real hard
of a life for you. The way of a transgressor is
hard. First, Peter 222 says it this
way, who think of Christ, think of the the, the one person in
life, in history that didn't deserve what he got.
Christ who hung on the cross, bled and died and destroyed his
body for you and for me. And the Bible said who did no
sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who when he was
reviled, reviled not again when he suffered, he threatened not,
but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.
Next time that you think you got the raw deal, think of this
cross. You know, when, when we I'm
done, when we have problems happen in our life or we have
issues or, or trials that come in our life.
I think if we would understand how small that trial, how small
that sin that we're getting tempted to do, how insignificant
it it is when faced with what Christ had to deal with, we
would understand. I don't need to yield to this
temptation. I don't I my, my circumstances
aren't as bad as what I think they are when we compare it to
what Christ had to go through. We should have joy, we should
have rejoicing through the fact that God wants to temper us.
Why are you going through a trial?
Because God cares about you, Jonah.
You just saw a an entire city be turned around and saved for God.
Yes. Did it ruin your whole career?
Yes. Can you say anything now
prophetic? No, because nobody's going to
believe you. You are now a false prophet.
Your whole livelihood is done, but what's more important?
Those souls being saved? Are you having a job as
Christians? Those souls mean more anything.
Those souls are what made Christ come to this earth and die.
Your job means nothing compared to those souls.
And we need to have that grasp and that understanding of not
being selfish, not being jealous and being careful about what we
get angry about. And for sure you be be careful
what you say and react to God about what he does.
Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you so
much for your word for for what you've given us and preserved
for us to have for this generation and it forward.
God, I pray that we read it, that we learn what's in your
word, that we we cherish what you've given us.
And God, I pray that we we not forget what you gave us
ultimately, when you sacrifice your whole, your only son for us
because of us, I pray that we we get a re understanding and a
refocusing on how much that cost you versus what we deal with
every day. It means nothing compared to
what you deal with. God, I thank you for your mercy
and your grace that you showed to us every day and not giving
us what we deserve. I pray that you be with pastor
as he brings the the message this morning, filling with your
spirit as well. And I pray that you be here that
you you meet with us this morning and that you be praised
and honored through everything that happens here today.
And Jesus name I pray, Amen.