Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Introduction:
1.         Driving apology
2.         Story about HS senior basketball player – David Chubbs Stillman

I.          Jonah’s Complaint, 4:1-3
This is not the end of the story.
Jonah is very displeased.
Literally: “it was evil to Jonah with great evil”
Clearly his repentance at the end of Chapter 2 is not complete.

God turned from anger toward the Assyrians but
Jonah turned to anger.  Jonah had only recently been happy with the compassion of God that rescued him.  Now, God has been compassionate to the Ninevites.  God turned from anger but Jonah turns to anger. And we will see that true to character God is patient with Jonah.

A.        The characteristics of God
~ Gracious – God’s attitude toward those who hold no claim on him.
~ Compassionate – (Heb. hus, concern [NIV], be sorry for [NEB], pity [RSV, RV]) is the key attitude. Jonah had become completely indifferent to the fate of everyone outside Israel.

~ Slow to anger – patient
~ Abounding in love – Hesed = God’s loyal love toward those in a covenant relationship with God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction”

Lamentations 3:22-24 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.””

B.        Jonah blatantly rejected the goodness of God and disregarded his responsibility to reflect the character of God.

Jonah wished calamity on the enemies of God’s people.

When applied to his enemies, the goodness of God depressed Jonah. How could Jonah return to Israel and announce that God was not going to judge the nation that had been such an enemy of the godly for so long?

Interestingly, Jonah told God his true feelings.
Some of us try to hide our true feelings.

1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties (cares) on him, because he cares for you.”

C.        What is the goal?
John 1:14, 18 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth…No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

John 14:7-9 “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

1 Peter 1:15, 16 “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Romans 8:29 “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Galatians 4:19 “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you”

Colossians 1:28,29 “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.  To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”

Ephesians 4:13, 15 “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,..Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”

Colossians 1:27 “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Do you see what God is up to in your life?
He is working all things together for good in your life and the central essence of that goodness is that you become conformed to the image of his son.

II.         God’s Response, 4:4-8
A.        A penetrating question:
“Are you right to be angry?”
Not a confrontational “push back”
A wise question.

B.        A revealing object lesson
The pouting prophet erects a hunting blind to set back and see what God would do.

Question:  Why did Jonah move outside the city and build a hut on an overlooking mountain?  He wanted nothing to do with the repentant Ninevites!

Out of compassion God provided a vine!  (impossible to know what it

Genesis 22:7-8 “And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.”

Genesis 22:13-14 “And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.””

Philippians 4:19-20 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

God provided a worm:
“During the period of a sirocco the temperature rises steeply, sometimes even climbing during the night, and it remains high, about 16-22 F. above the average . . . at times every scrap of moisture seems to have been extracted from the air, so that one has the curious feeling that one’s skin has been drawn much tighter than usual. Sirocco days are peculiarly trying to the temper and tend to make even the mildest people irritable and fretful and to snap at one another for apparently no reason at all.”

III.        God’s Challenge, 4:9-11
A.        God’s Challenge – “Do you have a right to be angry?”

B.        The Drama King’s Response – “I’m so angry I could die!”
He knew His God well (4:2). His appreciation for God’s love for Israel had evidently so pervaded his life that it crowded out any compassion for people who lacked knowledge of and relationship with Yahweh.

C.        God’s rebuke, 4:10-11
God dealt with Jonah as any ordinary person.
He exposed him to the pleasures and discomforts that everyone faces and made him see that his theology made him no more compassionate than anyone else.

Jonah’s compassion extended only to a plant but not to people.
God’s compassion extended not only to plants and animals but also to people. The 120,000 people that God cited as the special objects of His compassion were probably those who for various

reasons could not care for themselves (babies, the mentally incompetent, et al.).

“Not to be able to distinguish between the right hand and the left is a sign of mental infancy.”
Story:  I’m sure that My sister, Linda and her husband Wayne, looked like the Beverly Hillbillies last summer…No one would help them!

God has compassion on helpless people. Spiritually they are those who do not know God, those who are “lost.”

Animals: Attitude toward animals – 2 extremes.
Treat them inhumanely feeling superior, or
Elevate them to the level of persons
If God has compassion for animals, how much more should we?
How to reach out to  lost people!

How you can help change the world together: Ways to Maximize

1.         Pray! – for open doors / clarity
2.         Become a “character…witness” – Jonah’s grade:  F
3.         Build friendship relationships = two-way street!
4.         Invite them to outreach events, church, Bible studies
Encourage them to come to a Bible study.
Stronecroft training this next week.

Friendship Bible Coffee ministry of Stonecroft Ministries.  There is a Stonecroft training event in Neenah this coming Wednesday at 12 noon.  Call Lauri 920 202 3034 luncheon jan 13 at 12:00 at ridgeway country club in neenah cost is $12.00. Guest speaker LeeAnn Steffens “finding Fulfillment for Starving Heart”

5.         Always be ready to share a verbal witness
When was the last time you shared the story of how you came to faith with someone who is not a Christian?
Do you know how to share the gospel clearly?

Illustration: the Brit Hume story this week.

Hume said about what he thought would be a 2010 sports story was that Tiger Woods would play again in the Masters and do well because he is at the top of his game.  But he said he wasn’t so sure about his personal life, that he’d likely lost his family.  Then Hume said about Woods: “He’s said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, ‘Tiger, turn your faith — turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.’”

6.         Develop an intellectual witness!

7.         Get involved in ministries of compassion? Serve! 4 hrs 4 Him
Jonah 4:11 “And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Help in the nursery
Help in Kids Connection
Go on a short-term missions trip! – Jonah!
Habitat for Humanity projects
Doctor, nurse + many other healthcare areas ($ or volunteer)
Healthy Living Clinic
Big Brothers / Sisters
Awana Club
Red Cross blood drive
Community Service organization
Invite newcomers into your home.
Help manage the Friendship Café – outreach opportunity!

PADS provides emergency shelter to the homeless
The goal of the PADS program is to provide hospitality, food, and emergency shelter to homeless people from October 1 through April 30 from 7 p.m.–7 a.m.

Has my heart grown cold and callous?

Why do we take a love offering once a month? last month:

Children and Youth – Under-resourced children and young people
Senior citizens living in nursing homes, assisted living
Homeless and under-resourced households – shelter and food
Physically challenged – Individuals who struggle with a disability – encouraging relationships, helping hand
Poverty – Reaching out to those who lack of resources
Jail or Prison – Incarcerated men, women and teens in our area need to experience the love of Christ in their lives through visits and letters. They also need assistance when re-entering into society. Consider various serving opportunities that bring hope and support to these ind
Unplanned pregnancies – Assist women who are alone and pregnant