Jonah 3-4 | Luke Dahlenburg
1. Jonah Doesn’t Like God’s Mercy
- We often remember Jonah for: Running away. The fish. Nineveh. The plant and worm.
- But Jonah is really about: Jonah → God → Nineveh.
- How we view God shapes how we view others. Jonah does not want God to show mercy to Nineveh.
- Jonah knows God is: Gracious, Compassionate, Slow to anger and Full of love (Exodus 34:6-7)
2. God Teaches Jonah Mercy
- Jonah runs away from God. Moving away from God is a slow drift down.
- God uses: A storm. A fish. Nineveh’s repentance. A plant. A worm and a hot wind to teach Jonah about mercy.
- BUT Jonah is angry = “Is it right for you to be angry?”, Jonah 4:4
- Jonah cares about a plant. God cares about people. “Should I not have concern for Nineveh?”, Jonah 4:11
3. God Asks Us the Same Question
- What is forming me? Who am I becoming? How does my view of God shape my view of others?
- God wants us to recognise and repent of: Racism. Superiority. Hatred. Revenge. Unloving attitudes.
Three Questions for Us
1. Why Do I Speak About God?
- Why do I share or not share Jesus?
- Mission flows from mercy and being in awe of God’s mercy to you.
2. Who Do I Find Hard to Love?
- Jesus sees people who need mercy (Luke 7:36-50)
- Who do I struggle to love? Who do I not want to forgive? Who do I look down on?
- The more we understand God’s mercy to us, the more we can show mercy to others.
3. Will I Accept God’s Correction?
- God corrects Jonah because he loves him.
- God’s correction is not rejection. God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in his holiness, Hebrews 12:10.
- Will you humbly allow God to correct you?
My One Thing...
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