June 21, 2025 • 36 mins
Today's episode of Sunday Service by Pray.com features Kenny Luck
Join us for this powerful episode of our Sunday Service with John Mark Caton, where we explore the profound lessons from the book of Jonah. This service delves into themes of obedience, repentance, and the importance of aligning our hearts with God's will, emphasizing the destructive nature of running from God and harboring anger. We discuss how even when we stray, God's mercy and love call us back, offering us numerous chances to embrace our true calling and fulfill His divine plans for us.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. He that believeth on him is not condemned,
but he that believeth not is condemned already because he
hath not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God. John three eighteen. Dear God, thank you
for your love and mercies. Thank you for watching over
me and providing protection in your arms. Please help me
(00:24):
to seek you in times of trouble. Please remind me
of your unconditional love during times of doubt. I know
that I cannot do things on my own, so stand
by my side as I face the challenges of to day.
Free my thoughts of negativity, guilt, and shame, and allow
my faith to grow with each new day. Amen. Thank
(00:48):
you for listening to to day's daily prayer for more
inspiration and an incredible message from our feature pastor. Stay
tuned to Pray Dot COB's Sunday service.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Amen, we're gludg you in God's house today. Give God
a hand. Laymen, I want to invite you to reach
and grab your coffee of God's word and go back
to the book of Jonah. We are in Jonah chapter
four today going to look those first four verses, and
we started if you're new with us, both in person
or online. We started a new series all the way
back in Easter. We're talking about running with purpose, and
(01:28):
we looked at the idea that we don't ever want
to run from God. We don't ever want to run
from our calling, and even if we do, then we
want to turn around run back to God in prayer,
crying out for God's mercy, crying out for God's love.
And Jonah did all of those things. And today we're
going to talk about the idea that we need to
run sometimes from our anger with the world and with God.
(01:49):
How many of you, from time to time you're angry.
How many of you are never angering? If you're never angry,
I want to be your friend right now. I definitely
want to ride in a car with you, because it's
he's like, man, it's his road. Rage is crazy. But Jonah,
if you're new, he's a unique prophet, and it's not
in a good way. He is the only prophet that
(02:13):
is known more by what he did than what he said,
the messages he preached. He's the only prophet that ran
from God, literally physically ran from God. He is the
only prophet. And we're going to see this as we
continue looking at this book, he never truly repents and
gains God's heart for other people. Jonah literally led a
(02:37):
whole city, a great city, to the Lord. God showed
them his grace, and Jonah responds by getting angry. Say,
it's kind of interesting. We see Jonah here in chapter
three as we looked at last week. Jonah responds finally
in obedience, and he does what God wants him to do,
(02:58):
but he doesn't do it with the heart that God
would want us to have. And you know, I think
there are times and many, many of you may know
Christians that are like this, that they walk in obedience,
but there's no joy. Anybody just point at them.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Now.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
In the New Testament, those were called the Pharisees, right.
They were all about fulfilling God's law, living by the law,
living by the ceremony, living by the ritual. But there
was no joy in their heart, and there was no
smile on their face. And so today I want to
talk to us about how we can run from our anger.
I ran across the study. We'll put it up there
(03:37):
a careran across the study. Released December twentieth of twenty
twenty three, just a couple of months ago as a
survey of Americans, and here's what they found. We'll put
this up. Sixty percent of Americans feel angry or irritable
at any given time. Sixty percent that irritates me. I
don't know about you. Just right now, how many of
(03:59):
you are angry? Like right now? How many of you
are irritated? Now? You better not lie you're in God's house?
And if you drove kids to church? How many of
you are lay irritated right now? Right? Sixty percent of
Americans feel angry or irritated. So when you think about
running from anger, eighty four percent of Americans feel angrier
(04:21):
this year or at the end of last year than
they were the year before. How many of you would
fit in that category? You just feel a little more angry?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
All right?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Good? Good? We know who to watch out for. If
people are raising their hand next to you, just keep
an eye on them for us, all right? Nine percent?
This estimated by psychologists. Nine percent of Americans have an
impulsive anger issue that they can't control, all right. Twenty
five percent of Americans frequently feel angry at home. It's
(04:52):
not uncommon for people that feel angry on seventy five
or the toll road or any other roads. But they
admitted twenty five percent feel angry at home. That's probably
the percentage with teenagers. Right. Thirty eight percent of Christians
are angered by the state of America right now. How
(05:14):
many of your Yeah, that's one hundred percent. We don't know.
So the whole thirty eight percent are in our church.
I can just tell you right there, it's all of us.
There are other churches out there that they're not angry.
I mean, we're just angry to look around and go, man,
how is this going on? So I would invite us
to look at Jonah chapter four. Let's look at Jonah
(05:35):
here today. But let's rebuild the story and set it up.
Let's go back to Jonah chapter one, verse one. Let's
look at this prophet. It said, the word of Lord
came to Jonah, son of Amati. It says, go to
the great city of Ninevah and preach against it. That
was the call, because it's wickedness has come up before me.
But Jonah did what Instead of going to Ninevah, it says,
(05:57):
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and toward Tarsis.
He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship
bound for that port, and after paying the full fare,
no discount of tickets all the way paying the fair,
he got on board sell for Tarsihes to flee from
the Lord. Now you remember what happened. We talked about
this a couple of weeks ago. God sent a storm
to shake them up. The sailors begin to cry out
(06:20):
and pray to their God. Jonah went to sleep. They
cast lots. Sure enough it was Jonah. Jonah said, he's
got a death wish. He says, throw me over. More.
They go, we don't want to do that. We're going
to roll harder. No one sends in isolation. Others are
going to have to cover for you. We looked at that.
If you miss those, go find those online. They finally
throw him over. He is sinking to the deep. God
(06:40):
provides a fish. The fish was not judgment, it was
help God. And from the belly of the fish, Jonah
cries out to God, forgive me and give me grace.
God does. The fish spits him up, vomits him up
on dry ground, and Jonah thanks God. And we said
that although there have already been a lot of mirrors,
the greatest miracle of the Book of Jonah is that
(07:03):
there was a chapter two at all, because Jonah did
absolutely nothing in chapter one to earn a chapter two.
He was disobedient, he was running from God. He hated
the idea. He literally paid the fare, He paid the
fair to go in the wrong direction. He was willing
(07:23):
to die before, he was willing to obey God's kind
of crazy. But God stepped in and literally saved him
from himself. How many times, if I'm honest, has God
done that for me? How many times has God saved
me from who me? Right? And so here we is.
Here it is so look at Jonah Chapter three, verse one.
We'll put it on the screen. So now Jonah has
(07:46):
thanked God for a second chance. It says the word
of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. Everybody
say a second time. So here's the key. How many
of you celebrate the fact that we survey God of
the second chance? All right? And we do? But can
I tell you this, When God gives you a second chance,
(08:11):
it's so you can still do the stuff he wants
you to do. All right? A lot of us say, man,
I'm just so glad for God's grace and his love
and his compassion. God's given me a second chance. You
know what. The second chance was to do what God
told you to do the first time. And so, child
of God, if you're sitting here and you're celebrating God's
(08:32):
second chance, and I will tell you're looking at a
pastor who is grateful that I serve a God that
doesn't just give second and third, and fourth and fifth,
but an infant number of chances. But it's always a
chance to then do what God wanted you to do
the first time. And so pick it up. This is
what it says, says, Then the word of the Lord
came to Jonah a second time. That's a great miracle.
(08:54):
And notice what God says, Now do what I told
you to do the first time. Go to the great
city of Ninebah, and do what claim to it the
message I give you. So remember, God gives you a
second chance to do what he told you to do.
The first time. All right, jump down, let's see what happens.
Verse five. The Ninavites believe. So Jonah rolls into Ninebah.
(09:15):
He rolls in kind of disappointed. He's obeying, but his
heart's not in it. He's obeying, but his attitude's not right.
But he goes in and preaches, probably with a little
more ventim, hoping he can just rail on them and
then leave and say, all right, I did it God,
let me alone. Notice what happens verse five, It says
the Ninabtes believed God, a fastrust proclaimed, and all of them,
(09:38):
from the greatest to the least, put on sycloth. Boy,
you would think Jonah would say, I'm sorry, God. You're
an awesome God. You're an amazing God. God. I don't
know why I doubted you. I don't know why I
didn't trust you. I didn't know why I headed for
Tarsius and not for Ninevah, God, you did a great thing.
(10:00):
Now jump down. What did God do when he saw
the nanobete repent says, when God saw what they did
and how they turned from their evil ways. That is
always the goal when you think about a sinner or
someone you want a witness to, or someone man that
is headed down the wrong journey or wrong path, the
prodigal in your life, that you know you're the greatest
(10:23):
desires that they would turn from their wicked ways and
come back. And so notice what it says. It says,
when God saw He saw it what they did and
how they turned from their evil ways, which is the goal.
God relented. God relented and did not bring on them
the destruction that he had threatened. You say, why would
(10:45):
God do this if it was an evil city and
a great city. Let me put it to you simply,
God saw the who, not the what. See, Jonah saw
everything the what that the Ninobtes did evil. Right, God
(11:05):
saw the Ninabtes. And Jonah is very much like us.
When we think about being angry in our country. How
many of you just look at the news or see
something on social media or read about some of them happening,
and you look at it and you see what they
do and you are angry. See, we're a lot like Jonah.
(11:25):
But here's the beauty of a God who lives in
a different dimension and sees from a different perspective. When
you and I see the what God sees the who
God sees the people the Ninabtes. Remember what Jesus said
in John chapter three of verse sixteen and seventeen. He says,
for God's soul loved the world, that's the who, that's
all of them, that he gave his one and only son,
(11:47):
that whoever noticed the who, not the what, believes in
him should not perish but have everlasting Why A lot
of times we stop right there, but look at verse seventeen.
For God did not send his son into the world
to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. See,
(12:08):
the whole reason Jesus was sinned is because God saw
the who. God saw the whoever. Yes, God sees the what,
but he also sees the who. Why because it was
the who, the person, the individual, the man of the
woman that was created in his image, and so God
is always looking to save. The reason he sent his
(12:29):
son is that whoever believes in him would not perish,
but would have everlasting life. Then verse seventeen says, man,
God didn't send his son into the world to condemn
the world, but that the world might have life through him.
So what's our call, man, as we make our journey
and work and life and wherever we're about, and every
relationship we're in, even if we're in a relationship somehow,
(12:52):
in a conversational relationship or working with someone, when you
look at their what they're a ninevite. Just remember God
is introducing and encouraging you to remember the who and
the who whoever that person is, male or female, that
God send his son not to condemn them, but to
(13:14):
save them if they will simply believe in him. Here's
the deal. If you want to you know, maybe you
want to bring it all down to the core here
it is people matter to God. Lost people matter to God.
(13:39):
Ninovites matter to God. The big question for us is
not does God love them? Is do they matter to us?
Do people matter to you? Do lost people matter to you?
Do the Ninovites in your life matter to you like
(13:59):
they to God? That's ultimately our call. Yes, we can
hate the what, but we have to understand God loves them,
and God has put us in their life. And we
all have Navites in our life. God has put us
in their life to introduce them to the who who
(14:21):
truly wants to save them. See, and that's ultimately our call,
and we want to. Yeah, we step back and we
look at what happens and what people do and how
they sin, and the commandments stay break and we remember
that man, we were broken, but for the grace of
God there go lie. We remember all of those things.
But we also can look on the what they do
and realize that is evil. But we can understand the
(14:44):
God who created them still loves them and wants their salvation.
So fast forward. So Jonah finally obeys. His heart's not right,
his attitude's not right. Lost people Menovites matter to God,
but they don't matter to Jonah. He's ready for U.
He's ready for judgment more than anything else he preaches.
They repent. God relents all right. Now. Notice Jonah's response
(15:08):
in Jonah Chapter four, verse one. Here it is, but Jonah.
Now you've seen that a lot. There's several times as
you go from chapter one to chapter two, it's God
said this, but Jonah. Jonah said this, But God. Now
God has relented. Now we're back to butt Jonah. Notice
what it says. But to Jonah, this seemed wrong. Anybody
(15:30):
in here ever looked at something and thought that just
seems wrong. It just doesn't seem right at all, right,
And that's what it says to Jonah. From Jonah's perspective,
it seemed wrong. Why because they were evil people. They
were wicked in all of their ways. And he became angry.
There's your word, how do we run from our anger?
He became angry, and he prayed to the Lord isn't
(15:54):
this what I said said to the Lord when I
was still at home. That is why Jonah says, this
is exactly what I knew was happening, would happened? God?
Is it sure enough? I would go preach to them
and you would save them, and I'd be fired up
because I would rather them experience judgment than grace. And
(16:14):
so he says, this is exactly what I said would happened.
And he goes, that is why I tried to forestall
by fleeing to Tarsius. He goes, I knew that you are.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Now.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Notice I think these words, these Hebrew words. He's kind
of dripping with sarcasm. You can almost imagine God. You know, God,
here's the problem is. Yeah, when I went to before
I even came here, I knew that you're a gracious God.
You're a compassionate God. You're slow to anger and abounding
in love. Yeah, I knew you were a God who
(16:45):
relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord take away my life.
My guess is, if I was God, I would think
that's a great idea. You know, we're all about done here, Jonah.
How many of you know what I'm talking about? Right? Jonah,
you're exactly that is a good Why did not come
up with that? I'm the god of the universe? Yeah,
(17:05):
I'm done with you Jonah. Right, so it's interesting. Jonah says,
all right. And by the way, he's got a death wish. Right,
this is not the first time. This is the second
time he said, throw me in the deep. I want
all this and now here he is, he preaches, they repent.
He wants to die. Just crazy. It doesn't make any
sense to me, he says. The Lord relents. Now the Lord, now, Lord,
he says, take my life away, for it is better
(17:27):
for me to die than to live. But the Lord replied,
is it right for you, Jonah, or us to be angry?
So that's the question. Is it right for us to
be angry? So if you're living in an angry space
and an angry life, angry world, angry emotions, angry heart,
angry attitude, how do we run from our anger? Even
(17:50):
when God's in the midst of it? Thought Number one,
stop playing God, don't play God. Just let God be God.
You say, where you see that verse one? But to Jonah,
that's his perspective. This seemed very wrong, and he became
angry with God. Ran across another couple of articles about
(18:15):
people who are angry with God. This, be honest and
do it fast so God won't take notice. How many
of you, let's be honest, from time to time you've
been angry at God? Okay, some of you are so
scared beyond it. How many of you been a little
angry with God? A little disappointed with God? Combination of
just looking through some research, reading some devotions, and just
(18:38):
things I've experienced with people sitting in my office as
they're walking through stuff here kind of in my top
six things that I've seen Why people get angry with God?
Number one, When our lives aren't turning out like we hoped.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
That.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
There are some people, you know, there are some people
I've noticed this that they live a right and a
righteous life. They live a good life, but it just
seems like bad things happened them. Anybody know anybody like that?
Anybody feel like you're that person? Right? They just live
life and had so many hopes and so many dreams,
and life just deals them a bad hand. But it
(19:15):
really wasn't their fault, and it's just not turning out.
And I've set with those people and I've prayed with
those people, have coffee with those people, and things just
go through them, and they get mad at God. They
go I just don't know why God will let this
happen to me. I understand that. Here's a secone. I
noticed a lot of people they get mad at God
(19:35):
when they go their own way and God doesn't bless it.
Remember we talked about this week one with Jonah when
he took off and he paid the fare to go
in the wrong direction and he said, man, God, I'm
going in the wrong direction, but he prayed for calm sees.
I've noticed a lot of people that they will go
in their own way and go in their own direction,
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and then when God says, well I'm going to send
a storm or I'm not going to bless that direc
they get mad at God. Here's another one. When we
lose someone or something that we loved greatly. How many
of you have lost someone you loved? How many you
have lost someone you love too early? Or you go
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through all of a sudden you get the diagnosis of
cancer and you lose your health or something like that.
And I've noticed people I prayed with people that they
just get mad at God. They get angry with God.
I think there's remember Job's wife, Job lost everything. Remember Job,
and she finally looked at him and said, Job, I
got an idea. Why don't you just curse God and die?
(20:36):
They need a marriage retreat. Bad. Right. It's been interesting
to me and it's real clear to me and oftentimes
others in their life. Sometimes people get angry with God
when they reap what they sow. They've been sowing to
the flesh all their life, and all of a sudden
they reap to the flesh and they want to blame
(20:56):
God for allowing that to happen. And if that's you,
my encourage with you, sow to the spirit, don't sow
to the flesh, because, as it says, God is not
mocked mocked, you will reap what you sow in your
marriage and your kids and your relationships and your occupation
and your job and your community. When we're hurt somebody
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by someone who's a Christian. I've set in my office
and someone said, man, this person did this to me
and they're a Christian or they're this, or it was
a minister or a pastor or a deacon, And people
get angry and maybe there's some here that you're mad
at God because of what someone else who pretended to
be a Christian did. And I want to encourage you.
(21:38):
Let's let's run from that. Here's the last one, and
this is Jonah's problem. Known people that are mad at God.
When God blesses someone, we want him to curse. Anybody
ever been in that situation, that perspective where you're sitting
here going Lord, Maybe you didn't say it exactly this way.
This is just the way I say it. God, I'm
(21:58):
way more righteous than they are. Okay, maybe, yeah, that's
exactly the way I said. Right. You know, they got
what they wanted. They wanted fame, they won this, and
God I'm doing with hum humility of heart. I'm doing
it your way of this and that, and God, they're
just scoundrels, right, I mean, just we all have scoundrels
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in our life that it seems like everything goes well
for them, right am? I the only guy that had
I mean, have you seen our staff? You're supposed to
laugh right there? Now? You know what I mean? Right,
We've all been in those situations where you're like, God,
you know, why did they seem to get your blessings,
and I struggle for your blessings, and we can get angry.
(22:45):
Let me just encourage you. Don't play God. I love
what Isaiah said the prophet. He says, for my thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts higher than your thoughts. So step back. The next
time you want to play God and you want to
(23:06):
be like Jonah and say, Hey, from my perspective, this
looks wrong. Step back and say God, here's what I know.
I see from an earthly perspective, you see from an
eternal perspective. God, I'm simply going to trust that you
know better than I do, and you're going to work
it all out. So I thought Number one, running from God,
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stop running from your anger, Stop playing God. Just step back.
When things don't make sense to you, or you're struggling,
or someone who just seems to be living the wrong
way seems to get all the blessing, just step back
and say God, I don't get it, but I'm gonna
leave that one with you, all right. Here's number two,
don't ever estimate God's goodness. Don't ever estimate God's because
(23:48):
that's exactly what Jonah did. Jonah underestimated God's goodness. Here
it is in verse two, says he prayed to the Lord.
This is after they've repented. Isn't this exactly what I
said was gonna happen when I was still at home,
That is when I tried to force all all this
and flee to Tarsius, dripping with sort because and he
quotes exod Is thirty four year he basically he says,
(24:10):
I know that you are gracious and a compassionate God,
that you are slow to anger and abounding in love.
You are a god who relents. That word relents. It
has the idea of burning, It has the idea of
flared nostrils. How many of you know what I mean?
That when someone you've ever just seen someone that all
of a sudden they get a little fired up. They
(24:30):
haven't said anything, but you just look at the nostrils
and you can just seal me they're ready to hit somebody.
That's exactly the Hebrew word says man, God, I know
you're one that instead of flaring your nostrils, you show
your grace you show your love, and so he says,
I know that you are a God that is compassionate
and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, a God
(24:52):
who relents from sending calamity. And this is indictment from Jonah.
Remember just brief outline. Remember what happened. Joanah was disobedient.
He went into the fish, He ended up on dry ground.
He thanked God for salvation, He preached it, and anemtes
God gave them salvation. Jonah gets mad. You're like Jonah,
(25:18):
you are completely You're the poster child for being the
recipient of God's grace and compassionate love. But you don't
want God to give it to anybody else. So let
me give you a couple of thoughts. When you think
about it. You can read that Exodus thirty four passages.
Let me give you a couple of thoughts from right
here when you think about don't ever understand and underestimate
(25:38):
God's goodness. Number one, don't ever forget that we serber
God that is completely gracious and compassionate, and we've all
experienced it. How many of you know for sure you've
experienced God's grace in your life? How many of you
can look back on your life when you've been more
(25:59):
like Jonah than you would like to admit, and you've
experienced God's compassion. We've all been there. And Man, as
I think about how many times God has been gracious
and compassionate to me, how I should also want God
to do the same thing for us. I love what
Issama said in someone Will three verse eight and following
He says, the Lord is compassionate and gracious. God is
(26:21):
slow to anger and abounding with love. He's a relenting God.
He's a loving God. He will not always accuse, nor
will he harbor his anger forever. He does not listen
to this, listen to how many times us our and
we are in here. He does not treat us as
our sins deserve, or repay us as our iniquities deserve.
(26:45):
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
that's the way his thoughts were. So great is his
love for those who fear him. As far as the
east is from the west, so far he has removed
our transgressions from us. Man, how many of you take
great comfort in those words? Right? That God doesn't treat
(27:05):
me as my sins deserve, as my transgressions deserve. But
instead God is a gracious God. And as far as
the yeast is from the west, so far God has
removed our transgressions and sinned from us. Don't ever forget
that God is a gracious and loving and a compassionate God.
Here's number two. Don't ever forget. Not only is God
(27:28):
gracious with us those who love him, but God is
also patient with sinners. That's where God was with the Navites.
That's what Peter says over in the Book of Peter
says that God is not slow. God wants everybody to
come to repentance. And so that's what Jonah didn't understand
that God, why are you so patient with sinners? Why?
(27:51):
Because God prefers repentance over judgment. Remember what it said
verse seventeen, John three. God did not send his son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world would be saved through him. That's God's desire. So
if you ever look around and say, God, why do
you put up with that? Well, I can't tell you why,
because he is a patient God. He is a loving God.
(28:13):
And then step back and do what I want to do.
And what we should always do is remember the times
that God was patient with us. Look what Isaiah said
in Isaiah forty three, verse twenty five. He says, I
even I, this is God speaking. I'm the one who
blots out your transgressions. Now I want you to read
(28:33):
this little phrase, this next phrase. God blots out your transgressions.
Not for your sake, But notice what he says for
my own sake and remembers your sin no more. See,
God wants to forgive you and show you his grace
and love. Why for his sake he created you in
(28:57):
the image of God. God doesn't want anybody to spend
eternity in hell. He wants all of us to come
to repentance. God doesn't want us to reap what we
sow if we sow to the flesh wine, because at
the end of that road, at the end of that folly,
at the end of that are the consequences and the
results of the sin we committed. So what does God do.
He wants to be patient, so instead of us continuing
(29:19):
down that path, we would turn away. So here's the
third thing we always have to remember about God. Not
only is he compassionate and gracious and loving, he's patient
with sinners, but don't ever doubt this. God is adjust God.
There will come a day when grace is no more.
There will come a day when it is judgment day
(29:40):
until he comes the right of the Hebrews said it
is appointed for a man or a woman, a person
wants to die, and then judgment. See, you better make
a good decision here about what you're going to do
with Jesus, because there is going to come a day
when we're going to look in God's eyes and He's
going to say, what did you do with my son?
If you said I reject it would not be loving
(30:02):
for God to say, all right, I'm going to make
you spend eternity with you. Instead, God is going to say, listen,
you rejected my son on earth. Man, go live where
you want it to, an eternity apart from me. But
God doesn't want that. But don't ever doubt in the
midst of the fact that we serve a gracious, compassionate
and loving God who is patient with sinners. Don't ever
(30:24):
forget the fact God's just.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
So.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Wherever you are in this room or online, you better
make a decision for or against Jesus Christ, and understand
that determines where you spend eternity with God. Are apart
from God? Why? Because God is gracious, compassionate, loving patient,
(30:54):
But he's also adjust God, He's also adjusted God. Here's
the next thought as we just continue to read down,
look at versus at number three, going to verse three,
it says, don't let your darkest, darkest thoughts ever control you.
I don't know where you are in your mind space
or mental space. Don't ever ever let your darkest thoughts
(31:16):
control you. So where do you see that? Look at
verse three. Now Jonah says, Lord take my life away,
for it is better for me to die than to live.
That's a dark thought. That's a bad thought. Can I
tell you this? That is a wrong thought. And maybe
there's someone here that you've not been called to be
(31:36):
a prophet, you've not been called to preach in ene It,
but you have those dark thoughts that maybe it be
better for me to die than to live. Can I
just tell you this, that's a bad thought, that's a
wrong thought. Because here's what I know. When a look
(31:56):
at God's word and a look at God's character, and
when I look at God's nature, I want to look
at God's call. I want to look at God's purpose
for every person in this room or online. Let me
tell you what It is not better that you would
be dead than whether you'd be alive, because God wants
to take the life that you have, the breadth that
you have, the ability that you have, the talents that
you have, the skills you have, and He wants to
bless you through you and bless others through you. So
(32:20):
don't ever, ever, ever let your darkest thoughts control you. Man,
something was going on in Jonah that in chapter one
he said, I'd rather go the wrong way, and so
the right way. There's something going wrong with Jonah where
he said I'd rather go in the deep, then just
repent and go back and do what God called me.
And here we are again in chapter four. He's allowing
(32:42):
these dark thoughts, his darkest thoughts, to control him. So
my encouragement to you, if there's someone here that you
were walking in this space, that man, would it be
better for me to die than to live? Can I
just tell you these are God's worst No, No, It's
(33:04):
better that you live and be used by God to
your fullest potential and let God determine when your last
breath is. How many of us understand that. Here's the
last thought you're ready remember before we pick it up
in verse four, don't let your emotions run you. Last point,
don't let your darkest thoughts control you. Don't let your
(33:26):
emotions run you. His emotion was anger. Notice what it says.
But the word of the Lord came and it says,
is it right for you to be angry? Is it right?
So let me just kind of stop this sermon where
we started. We live in an age of anger where
people are bitter and mad, and so here's how we end.
(33:51):
Are you one of those people? Are you someone that
if you think about where you're living, truly in your space,
that you're living in such a way that you're angry
with God? Can I invite you just to pause, step
back from that, confess that, and ask God to help
you deal with that. Maybe there's someone here that man,
(34:13):
you've experienced a loss and you're angry with God. Maybe
you've lived a good life and hard things have come
and you're angry with God. Can I just tell you
that as long as you let your emotions control you,
you will never be able to fulfill God's ultimate call
(34:33):
in your life. That's why we want to run from anger.
Because in spite of this, and we're going to see
it next week. In the next week, in spite of
all of God's blessings, Jonah missed it all. And I
don't want that to be your story. Let's pray, God,
(34:53):
thank you so much for an opportunity to look at
a prophet that you just describe so clearly who runs
from you. Never truly repents, he obeys, but he doesn't
have a harder attitude of love. Instead, he lets his
darkest thoughts control him. He lets his emotions get the
(35:14):
best of it. The saddest thing of all is he
missed your blessings. God. Don't ever let that be us.
Don't let ever let that be the people in the
room or the people online. Let us be a people
that run from our darkest thoughts, that run from our emotions,
run from our anger, and run to your grace and Jesus' name.
(35:38):
We pray Amen.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
The podcast The Bible in a Year with Jack Graham
is a moving and inspiring biblical audio experience that will
help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In
each episode, you'll learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
Each cinematic episode is a journey through the Bible's most
profound stories that will strengthen your appreciation of the word
and inspire you to keep learning.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
Listen to the Bible in a Year with Jack Graham
on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Let us pray. He that believeth on him is not condemned,
but he that believeth not is condemned already because he
hath not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God. John three eighteen. Dear God, thank you
for your love and mercies. Thank you for watching over
me and providing protection in your arms. Please help me
(00:24):
to seek you in times of trouble. Please remind me
of your unconditional love during times of doubt. I know
that I cannot do things on my own, so stand
by my side as I face the challenges of to day.
Free my thoughts of negativity, guilt, and shame, and allow
my faith to grow with each new day. Amen. Thank
(00:48):
you for listening to to day's daily prayer for more
inspiration and an incredible message from our feature pastor. Stay
tuned to Pray Dot COB's Sunday service.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Amen, we're gludg you in God's house today. Give God
a hand. Laymen, I want to invite you to reach
and grab your coffee of God's word and go back
to the book of Jonah. We are in Jonah chapter
four today going to look those first four verses, and
we started if you're new with us, both in person
or online. We started a new series all the way
back in Easter. We're talking about running with purpose, and
(01:28):
we looked at the idea that we don't ever want
to run from God. We don't ever want to run
from our calling, and even if we do, then we
want to turn around run back to God in prayer,
crying out for God's mercy, crying out for God's love.
And Jonah did all of those things. And today we're
going to talk about the idea that we need to
run sometimes from our anger with the world and with God.
(01:49):
How many of you, from time to time you're angry.
How many of you are never angering? If you're never angry,
I want to be your friend right now. I definitely
want to ride in a car with you, because it's
he's like, man, it's his road. Rage is crazy. But Jonah,
if you're new, he's a unique prophet, and it's not
in a good way. He is the only prophet that
(02:13):
is known more by what he did than what he said,
the messages he preached. He's the only prophet that ran
from God, literally physically ran from God. He is the
only prophet. And we're going to see this as we
continue looking at this book, he never truly repents and
gains God's heart for other people. Jonah literally led a
(02:37):
whole city, a great city, to the Lord. God showed
them his grace, and Jonah responds by getting angry. Say,
it's kind of interesting. We see Jonah here in chapter
three as we looked at last week. Jonah responds finally
in obedience, and he does what God wants him to do,
(02:58):
but he doesn't do it with the heart that God
would want us to have. And you know, I think
there are times and many, many of you may know
Christians that are like this, that they walk in obedience,
but there's no joy. Anybody just point at them.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Now.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
In the New Testament, those were called the Pharisees, right.
They were all about fulfilling God's law, living by the law,
living by the ceremony, living by the ritual. But there
was no joy in their heart, and there was no
smile on their face. And so today I want to
talk to us about how we can run from our anger.
I ran across the study. We'll put it up there
(03:37):
a careran across the study. Released December twentieth of twenty
twenty three, just a couple of months ago as a
survey of Americans, and here's what they found. We'll put
this up. Sixty percent of Americans feel angry or irritable
at any given time. Sixty percent that irritates me. I
don't know about you. Just right now, how many of
(03:59):
you are angry? Like right now? How many of you
are irritated? Now? You better not lie you're in God's house?
And if you drove kids to church? How many of
you are lay irritated right now? Right? Sixty percent of
Americans feel angry or irritated. So when you think about
running from anger, eighty four percent of Americans feel angrier
(04:21):
this year or at the end of last year than
they were the year before. How many of you would
fit in that category? You just feel a little more angry?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
All right?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Good? Good? We know who to watch out for. If
people are raising their hand next to you, just keep
an eye on them for us, all right? Nine percent?
This estimated by psychologists. Nine percent of Americans have an
impulsive anger issue that they can't control, all right. Twenty
five percent of Americans frequently feel angry at home. It's
(04:52):
not uncommon for people that feel angry on seventy five
or the toll road or any other roads. But they
admitted twenty five percent feel angry at home. That's probably
the percentage with teenagers. Right. Thirty eight percent of Christians
are angered by the state of America right now. How
(05:14):
many of your Yeah, that's one hundred percent. We don't know.
So the whole thirty eight percent are in our church.
I can just tell you right there, it's all of us.
There are other churches out there that they're not angry.
I mean, we're just angry to look around and go, man,
how is this going on? So I would invite us
to look at Jonah chapter four. Let's look at Jonah
(05:35):
here today. But let's rebuild the story and set it up.
Let's go back to Jonah chapter one, verse one. Let's
look at this prophet. It said, the word of Lord
came to Jonah, son of Amati. It says, go to
the great city of Ninevah and preach against it. That
was the call, because it's wickedness has come up before me.
But Jonah did what Instead of going to Ninevah, it says,
(05:57):
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and toward Tarsis.
He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship
bound for that port, and after paying the full fare,
no discount of tickets all the way paying the fair,
he got on board sell for Tarsihes to flee from
the Lord. Now you remember what happened. We talked about
this a couple of weeks ago. God sent a storm
to shake them up. The sailors begin to cry out
(06:20):
and pray to their God. Jonah went to sleep. They
cast lots. Sure enough it was Jonah. Jonah said, he's
got a death wish. He says, throw me over. More.
They go, we don't want to do that. We're going
to roll harder. No one sends in isolation. Others are
going to have to cover for you. We looked at that.
If you miss those, go find those online. They finally
throw him over. He is sinking to the deep. God
(06:40):
provides a fish. The fish was not judgment, it was
help God. And from the belly of the fish, Jonah
cries out to God, forgive me and give me grace.
God does. The fish spits him up, vomits him up
on dry ground, and Jonah thanks God. And we said
that although there have already been a lot of mirrors,
the greatest miracle of the Book of Jonah is that
(07:03):
there was a chapter two at all, because Jonah did
absolutely nothing in chapter one to earn a chapter two.
He was disobedient, he was running from God. He hated
the idea. He literally paid the fare, He paid the
fair to go in the wrong direction. He was willing
(07:23):
to die before, he was willing to obey God's kind
of crazy. But God stepped in and literally saved him
from himself. How many times, if I'm honest, has God
done that for me? How many times has God saved
me from who me? Right? And so here we is.
Here it is so look at Jonah Chapter three, verse one.
We'll put it on the screen. So now Jonah has
(07:46):
thanked God for a second chance. It says the word
of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. Everybody
say a second time. So here's the key. How many
of you celebrate the fact that we survey God of
the second chance? All right? And we do? But can
I tell you this, When God gives you a second chance,
(08:11):
it's so you can still do the stuff he wants
you to do. All right? A lot of us say, man,
I'm just so glad for God's grace and his love
and his compassion. God's given me a second chance. You
know what. The second chance was to do what God
told you to do the first time. And so, child
of God, if you're sitting here and you're celebrating God's
(08:32):
second chance, and I will tell you're looking at a
pastor who is grateful that I serve a God that
doesn't just give second and third, and fourth and fifth,
but an infant number of chances. But it's always a
chance to then do what God wanted you to do
the first time. And so pick it up. This is
what it says, says, Then the word of the Lord
came to Jonah a second time. That's a great miracle.
(08:54):
And notice what God says, Now do what I told
you to do the first time. Go to the great
city of Ninebah, and do what claim to it the
message I give you. So remember, God gives you a
second chance to do what he told you to do.
The first time. All right, jump down, let's see what happens.
Verse five. The Ninavites believe. So Jonah rolls into Ninebah.
(09:15):
He rolls in kind of disappointed. He's obeying, but his
heart's not in it. He's obeying, but his attitude's not right.
But he goes in and preaches, probably with a little
more ventim, hoping he can just rail on them and
then leave and say, all right, I did it God,
let me alone. Notice what happens verse five, It says
the Ninabtes believed God, a fastrust proclaimed, and all of them,
(09:38):
from the greatest to the least, put on sycloth. Boy,
you would think Jonah would say, I'm sorry, God. You're
an awesome God. You're an amazing God. God. I don't
know why I doubted you. I don't know why I
didn't trust you. I didn't know why I headed for
Tarsius and not for Ninevah, God, you did a great thing.
(10:00):
Now jump down. What did God do when he saw
the nanobete repent says, when God saw what they did
and how they turned from their evil ways. That is
always the goal when you think about a sinner or
someone you want a witness to, or someone man that
is headed down the wrong journey or wrong path, the
prodigal in your life, that you know you're the greatest
(10:23):
desires that they would turn from their wicked ways and
come back. And so notice what it says. It says,
when God saw He saw it what they did and
how they turned from their evil ways, which is the goal.
God relented. God relented and did not bring on them
the destruction that he had threatened. You say, why would
(10:45):
God do this if it was an evil city and
a great city. Let me put it to you simply,
God saw the who, not the what. See, Jonah saw
everything the what that the Ninobtes did evil. Right, God
(11:05):
saw the Ninabtes. And Jonah is very much like us.
When we think about being angry in our country. How
many of you just look at the news or see
something on social media or read about some of them happening,
and you look at it and you see what they
do and you are angry. See, we're a lot like Jonah.
(11:25):
But here's the beauty of a God who lives in
a different dimension and sees from a different perspective. When
you and I see the what God sees the who
God sees the people the Ninabtes. Remember what Jesus said
in John chapter three of verse sixteen and seventeen. He says,
for God's soul loved the world, that's the who, that's
all of them, that he gave his one and only son,
(11:47):
that whoever noticed the who, not the what, believes in
him should not perish but have everlasting Why A lot
of times we stop right there, but look at verse seventeen.
For God did not send his son into the world
to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. See,
(12:08):
the whole reason Jesus was sinned is because God saw
the who. God saw the whoever. Yes, God sees the what,
but he also sees the who. Why because it was
the who, the person, the individual, the man of the
woman that was created in his image, and so God
is always looking to save. The reason he sent his
(12:29):
son is that whoever believes in him would not perish,
but would have everlasting life. Then verse seventeen says, man,
God didn't send his son into the world to condemn
the world, but that the world might have life through him.
So what's our call, man, as we make our journey
and work and life and wherever we're about, and every
relationship we're in, even if we're in a relationship somehow,
(12:52):
in a conversational relationship or working with someone, when you
look at their what they're a ninevite. Just remember God
is introducing and encouraging you to remember the who and
the who whoever that person is, male or female, that
God send his son not to condemn them, but to
(13:14):
save them if they will simply believe in him. Here's
the deal. If you want to you know, maybe you
want to bring it all down to the core here
it is people matter to God. Lost people matter to God.
(13:39):
Ninovites matter to God. The big question for us is
not does God love them? Is do they matter to us?
Do people matter to you? Do lost people matter to you?
Do the Ninovites in your life matter to you like
(13:59):
they to God? That's ultimately our call. Yes, we can
hate the what, but we have to understand God loves them,
and God has put us in their life. And we
all have Navites in our life. God has put us
in their life to introduce them to the who who
(14:21):
truly wants to save them. See, and that's ultimately our call,
and we want to. Yeah, we step back and we
look at what happens and what people do and how
they sin, and the commandments stay break and we remember
that man, we were broken, but for the grace of
God there go lie. We remember all of those things.
But we also can look on the what they do
and realize that is evil. But we can understand the
(14:44):
God who created them still loves them and wants their salvation.
So fast forward. So Jonah finally obeys. His heart's not right,
his attitude's not right. Lost people Menovites matter to God,
but they don't matter to Jonah. He's ready for U.
He's ready for judgment more than anything else he preaches.
They repent. God relents all right. Now. Notice Jonah's response
(15:08):
in Jonah Chapter four, verse one. Here it is, but Jonah.
Now you've seen that a lot. There's several times as
you go from chapter one to chapter two, it's God
said this, but Jonah. Jonah said this, But God. Now
God has relented. Now we're back to butt Jonah. Notice
what it says. But to Jonah, this seemed wrong. Anybody
(15:30):
in here ever looked at something and thought that just
seems wrong. It just doesn't seem right at all, right,
And that's what it says to Jonah. From Jonah's perspective,
it seemed wrong. Why because they were evil people. They
were wicked in all of their ways. And he became angry.
There's your word, how do we run from our anger?
He became angry, and he prayed to the Lord isn't
(15:54):
this what I said said to the Lord when I
was still at home. That is why Jonah says, this
is exactly what I knew was happening, would happened? God?
Is it sure enough? I would go preach to them
and you would save them, and I'd be fired up
because I would rather them experience judgment than grace. And
(16:14):
so he says, this is exactly what I said would happened.
And he goes, that is why I tried to forestall
by fleeing to Tarsius. He goes, I knew that you are.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Now.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Notice I think these words, these Hebrew words. He's kind
of dripping with sarcasm. You can almost imagine God. You know, God,
here's the problem is. Yeah, when I went to before
I even came here, I knew that you're a gracious God.
You're a compassionate God. You're slow to anger and abounding
in love. Yeah, I knew you were a God who
(16:45):
relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord take away my life.
My guess is, if I was God, I would think
that's a great idea. You know, we're all about done here, Jonah.
How many of you know what I'm talking about? Right? Jonah,
you're exactly that is a good Why did not come
up with that? I'm the god of the universe? Yeah,
(17:05):
I'm done with you Jonah. Right, so it's interesting. Jonah says,
all right. And by the way, he's got a death wish. Right,
this is not the first time. This is the second
time he said, throw me in the deep. I want
all this and now here he is, he preaches, they repent.
He wants to die. Just crazy. It doesn't make any
sense to me, he says. The Lord relents. Now the Lord, now, Lord,
he says, take my life away, for it is better
(17:27):
for me to die than to live. But the Lord replied,
is it right for you, Jonah, or us to be angry?
So that's the question. Is it right for us to
be angry? So if you're living in an angry space
and an angry life, angry world, angry emotions, angry heart,
angry attitude, how do we run from our anger? Even
(17:50):
when God's in the midst of it? Thought Number one,
stop playing God, don't play God. Just let God be God.
You say, where you see that verse one? But to Jonah,
that's his perspective. This seemed very wrong, and he became
angry with God. Ran across another couple of articles about
(18:15):
people who are angry with God. This, be honest and
do it fast so God won't take notice. How many
of you, let's be honest, from time to time you've
been angry at God? Okay, some of you are so
scared beyond it. How many of you been a little
angry with God? A little disappointed with God? Combination of
just looking through some research, reading some devotions, and just
(18:38):
things I've experienced with people sitting in my office as
they're walking through stuff here kind of in my top
six things that I've seen Why people get angry with God?
Number one, When our lives aren't turning out like we hoped.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
That.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
There are some people, you know, there are some people
I've noticed this that they live a right and a
righteous life. They live a good life, but it just
seems like bad things happened them. Anybody know anybody like that?
Anybody feel like you're that person? Right? They just live
life and had so many hopes and so many dreams,
and life just deals them a bad hand. But it
(19:15):
really wasn't their fault, and it's just not turning out.
And I've set with those people and I've prayed with
those people, have coffee with those people, and things just
go through them, and they get mad at God. They
go I just don't know why God will let this
happen to me. I understand that. Here's a secone. I
noticed a lot of people they get mad at God
(19:35):
when they go their own way and God doesn't bless it.
Remember we talked about this week one with Jonah when
he took off and he paid the fare to go
in the wrong direction and he said, man, God, I'm
going in the wrong direction, but he prayed for calm sees.
I've noticed a lot of people that they will go
in their own way and go in their own direction,
(19:56):
and then when God says, well I'm going to send
a storm or I'm not going to bless that direc
they get mad at God. Here's another one. When we
lose someone or something that we loved greatly. How many
of you have lost someone you loved? How many you
have lost someone you love too early? Or you go
(20:16):
through all of a sudden you get the diagnosis of
cancer and you lose your health or something like that.
And I've noticed people I prayed with people that they
just get mad at God. They get angry with God.
I think there's remember Job's wife, Job lost everything. Remember Job,
and she finally looked at him and said, Job, I
got an idea. Why don't you just curse God and die?
(20:36):
They need a marriage retreat. Bad. Right. It's been interesting
to me and it's real clear to me and oftentimes
others in their life. Sometimes people get angry with God
when they reap what they sow. They've been sowing to
the flesh all their life, and all of a sudden
they reap to the flesh and they want to blame
(20:56):
God for allowing that to happen. And if that's you,
my encourage with you, sow to the spirit, don't sow
to the flesh, because, as it says, God is not
mocked mocked, you will reap what you sow in your
marriage and your kids and your relationships and your occupation
and your job and your community. When we're hurt somebody
(21:17):
by someone who's a Christian. I've set in my office
and someone said, man, this person did this to me
and they're a Christian or they're this, or it was
a minister or a pastor or a deacon, And people
get angry and maybe there's some here that you're mad
at God because of what someone else who pretended to
be a Christian did. And I want to encourage you.
(21:38):
Let's let's run from that. Here's the last one, and
this is Jonah's problem. Known people that are mad at God.
When God blesses someone, we want him to curse. Anybody
ever been in that situation, that perspective where you're sitting
here going Lord, Maybe you didn't say it exactly this way.
This is just the way I say it. God, I'm
(21:58):
way more righteous than they are. Okay, maybe, yeah, that's
exactly the way I said. Right. You know, they got
what they wanted. They wanted fame, they won this, and
God I'm doing with hum humility of heart. I'm doing
it your way of this and that, and God, they're
just scoundrels, right, I mean, just we all have scoundrels
(22:21):
in our life that it seems like everything goes well
for them, right am? I the only guy that had
I mean, have you seen our staff? You're supposed to
laugh right there? Now? You know what I mean? Right,
We've all been in those situations where you're like, God,
you know, why did they seem to get your blessings,
and I struggle for your blessings, and we can get angry.
(22:45):
Let me just encourage you. Don't play God. I love
what Isaiah said the prophet. He says, for my thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts higher than your thoughts. So step back. The next
time you want to play God and you want to
(23:06):
be like Jonah and say, Hey, from my perspective, this
looks wrong. Step back and say God, here's what I know.
I see from an earthly perspective, you see from an
eternal perspective. God, I'm simply going to trust that you
know better than I do, and you're going to work
it all out. So I thought Number one, running from God,
(23:27):
stop running from your anger, Stop playing God. Just step back.
When things don't make sense to you, or you're struggling,
or someone who just seems to be living the wrong
way seems to get all the blessing, just step back
and say God, I don't get it, but I'm gonna
leave that one with you, all right. Here's number two,
don't ever estimate God's goodness. Don't ever estimate God's because
(23:48):
that's exactly what Jonah did. Jonah underestimated God's goodness. Here
it is in verse two, says he prayed to the Lord.
This is after they've repented. Isn't this exactly what I
said was gonna happen when I was still at home,
That is when I tried to force all all this
and flee to Tarsius, dripping with sort because and he
quotes exod Is thirty four year he basically he says,
(24:10):
I know that you are gracious and a compassionate God,
that you are slow to anger and abounding in love.
You are a god who relents. That word relents. It
has the idea of burning, It has the idea of
flared nostrils. How many of you know what I mean?
That when someone you've ever just seen someone that all
of a sudden they get a little fired up. They
(24:30):
haven't said anything, but you just look at the nostrils
and you can just seal me they're ready to hit somebody.
That's exactly the Hebrew word says man, God, I know
you're one that instead of flaring your nostrils, you show
your grace you show your love, and so he says,
I know that you are a God that is compassionate
and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, a God
(24:52):
who relents from sending calamity. And this is indictment from Jonah.
Remember just brief outline. Remember what happened. Joanah was disobedient.
He went into the fish, He ended up on dry ground.
He thanked God for salvation, He preached it, and anemtes
God gave them salvation. Jonah gets mad. You're like Jonah,
(25:18):
you are completely You're the poster child for being the
recipient of God's grace and compassionate love. But you don't
want God to give it to anybody else. So let
me give you a couple of thoughts. When you think
about it. You can read that Exodus thirty four passages.
Let me give you a couple of thoughts from right
here when you think about don't ever understand and underestimate
(25:38):
God's goodness. Number one, don't ever forget that we serber
God that is completely gracious and compassionate, and we've all
experienced it. How many of you know for sure you've
experienced God's grace in your life? How many of you
can look back on your life when you've been more
(25:59):
like Jonah than you would like to admit, and you've
experienced God's compassion. We've all been there. And Man, as
I think about how many times God has been gracious
and compassionate to me, how I should also want God
to do the same thing for us. I love what
Issama said in someone Will three verse eight and following
He says, the Lord is compassionate and gracious. God is
(26:21):
slow to anger and abounding with love. He's a relenting God.
He's a loving God. He will not always accuse, nor
will he harbor his anger forever. He does not listen
to this, listen to how many times us our and
we are in here. He does not treat us as
our sins deserve, or repay us as our iniquities deserve.
(26:45):
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
that's the way his thoughts were. So great is his
love for those who fear him. As far as the
east is from the west, so far he has removed
our transgressions from us. Man, how many of you take
great comfort in those words? Right? That God doesn't treat
(27:05):
me as my sins deserve, as my transgressions deserve. But
instead God is a gracious God. And as far as
the yeast is from the west, so far God has
removed our transgressions and sinned from us. Don't ever forget
that God is a gracious and loving and a compassionate God.
Here's number two. Don't ever forget. Not only is God
(27:28):
gracious with us those who love him, but God is
also patient with sinners. That's where God was with the Navites.
That's what Peter says over in the Book of Peter
says that God is not slow. God wants everybody to
come to repentance. And so that's what Jonah didn't understand
that God, why are you so patient with sinners? Why?
(27:51):
Because God prefers repentance over judgment. Remember what it said
verse seventeen, John three. God did not send his son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world would be saved through him. That's God's desire. So
if you ever look around and say, God, why do
you put up with that? Well, I can't tell you why,
because he is a patient God. He is a loving God.
(28:13):
And then step back and do what I want to do.
And what we should always do is remember the times
that God was patient with us. Look what Isaiah said
in Isaiah forty three, verse twenty five. He says, I
even I, this is God speaking. I'm the one who
blots out your transgressions. Now I want you to read
(28:33):
this little phrase, this next phrase. God blots out your transgressions.
Not for your sake, But notice what he says for
my own sake and remembers your sin no more. See,
God wants to forgive you and show you his grace
and love. Why for his sake he created you in
(28:57):
the image of God. God doesn't want anybody to spend
eternity in hell. He wants all of us to come
to repentance. God doesn't want us to reap what we
sow if we sow to the flesh wine, because at
the end of that road, at the end of that folly,
at the end of that are the consequences and the
results of the sin we committed. So what does God do.
He wants to be patient, so instead of us continuing
(29:19):
down that path, we would turn away. So here's the
third thing we always have to remember about God. Not
only is he compassionate and gracious and loving, he's patient
with sinners, but don't ever doubt this. God is adjust God.
There will come a day when grace is no more.
There will come a day when it is judgment day
(29:40):
until he comes the right of the Hebrews said it
is appointed for a man or a woman, a person
wants to die, and then judgment. See, you better make
a good decision here about what you're going to do
with Jesus, because there is going to come a day
when we're going to look in God's eyes and He's
going to say, what did you do with my son?
If you said I reject it would not be loving
(30:02):
for God to say, all right, I'm going to make
you spend eternity with you. Instead, God is going to say, listen,
you rejected my son on earth. Man, go live where
you want it to, an eternity apart from me. But
God doesn't want that. But don't ever doubt in the
midst of the fact that we serve a gracious, compassionate
and loving God who is patient with sinners. Don't ever
(30:24):
forget the fact God's just.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
So.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Wherever you are in this room or online, you better
make a decision for or against Jesus Christ, and understand
that determines where you spend eternity with God. Are apart
from God? Why? Because God is gracious, compassionate, loving patient,
(30:54):
But he's also adjust God, He's also adjusted God. Here's
the next thought as we just continue to read down,
look at versus at number three, going to verse three,
it says, don't let your darkest, darkest thoughts ever control you.
I don't know where you are in your mind space
or mental space. Don't ever ever let your darkest thoughts
(31:16):
control you. So where do you see that? Look at
verse three. Now Jonah says, Lord take my life away,
for it is better for me to die than to live.
That's a dark thought. That's a bad thought. Can I
tell you this? That is a wrong thought. And maybe
there's someone here that you've not been called to be
(31:36):
a prophet, you've not been called to preach in ene It,
but you have those dark thoughts that maybe it be
better for me to die than to live. Can I
just tell you this, that's a bad thought, that's a
wrong thought. Because here's what I know. When a look
(31:56):
at God's word and a look at God's character, and
when I look at God's nature, I want to look
at God's call. I want to look at God's purpose
for every person in this room or online. Let me
tell you what It is not better that you would
be dead than whether you'd be alive, because God wants
to take the life that you have, the breadth that
you have, the ability that you have, the talents that
you have, the skills you have, and He wants to
bless you through you and bless others through you. So
(32:20):
don't ever, ever, ever let your darkest thoughts control you. Man,
something was going on in Jonah that in chapter one
he said, I'd rather go the wrong way, and so
the right way. There's something going wrong with Jonah where
he said I'd rather go in the deep, then just
repent and go back and do what God called me.
And here we are again in chapter four. He's allowing
(32:42):
these dark thoughts, his darkest thoughts, to control him. So
my encouragement to you, if there's someone here that you
were walking in this space, that man, would it be
better for me to die than to live? Can I
just tell you these are God's worst No, No, It's
(33:04):
better that you live and be used by God to
your fullest potential and let God determine when your last
breath is. How many of us understand that. Here's the
last thought you're ready remember before we pick it up
in verse four, don't let your emotions run you. Last point,
don't let your darkest thoughts control you. Don't let your
(33:26):
emotions run you. His emotion was anger. Notice what it says.
But the word of the Lord came and it says,
is it right for you to be angry? Is it right?
So let me just kind of stop this sermon where
we started. We live in an age of anger where
people are bitter and mad, and so here's how we end.
(33:51):
Are you one of those people? Are you someone that
if you think about where you're living, truly in your space,
that you're living in such a way that you're angry
with God? Can I invite you just to pause, step
back from that, confess that, and ask God to help
you deal with that. Maybe there's someone here that man,
(34:13):
you've experienced a loss and you're angry with God. Maybe
you've lived a good life and hard things have come
and you're angry with God. Can I just tell you
that as long as you let your emotions control you,
you will never be able to fulfill God's ultimate call
(34:33):
in your life. That's why we want to run from anger.
Because in spite of this, and we're going to see
it next week. In the next week, in spite of
all of God's blessings, Jonah missed it all. And I
don't want that to be your story. Let's pray, God,
(34:53):
thank you so much for an opportunity to look at
a prophet that you just describe so clearly who runs
from you. Never truly repents, he obeys, but he doesn't
have a harder attitude of love. Instead, he lets his
darkest thoughts control him. He lets his emotions get the
(35:14):
best of it. The saddest thing of all is he
missed your blessings. God. Don't ever let that be us.
Don't let ever let that be the people in the
room or the people online. Let us be a people
that run from our darkest thoughts, that run from our emotions,
run from our anger, and run to your grace and Jesus' name.
(35:38):
We pray Amen.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
The podcast The Bible in a Year with Jack Graham
is a moving and inspiring biblical audio experience that will
help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In
each episode, you'll learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
Each cinematic episode is a journey through the Bible's most
profound stories that will strengthen your appreciation of the word
and inspire you to keep learning.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
Listen to the Bible in a Year with Jack Graham
on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Host
Matthew Potter
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