Good morning. If you would please be turning
to Jonah chapter four, Jonah chapter four. I'm going to read the whole chapter. 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 unto
Tarshish, for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful,
slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from
me, for it is better for me to die than to live. Then said the
Lord, doest thou well to be angry? So Jonah went out of the city
and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth
and sat under it in the shadow till he might see what would
become of the city. And the Lord God prepared a gourd,
and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over
his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding
glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm, when
the morning rose the next day, and it smoked the gourd that
it withered. And it came to pass when the
sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind, and the
sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted and wished in
himself to die, and said, it is better for me to die than
to live. And God said to Jonah, doest
thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well
to be angry, even unto death. Then said the Lord, Thou hast
had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not labored,
neither madest it to grow, which came up in a night and perished
in a night. And should not I spare Nineveh,
that great city wherein are more than six score thousand persons
that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand,
and also much cattle? I've entitled this message, Anger
or Mercy. We start this chapter with Jonah
being angry. What was he angry about? Well,
if we read it, we can see that Jonah was angry because God did
something in mercy towards Nineveh. For whatever reason, Jonah did
not like the people of Nineveh. Jonah, other than in the book
of Jonah, he is only mentioned one time in 2 Kings 14, and then
in the New Testament. And I believe he's mentioned
there two times, maybe two accounts there, but he's in the Gospels
a couple of places. Nothing ever says anything specifically
that I recall. I did not particularly study
this, so if you find something later, you can let me know. But
I don't see anything where it indicates why specifically he
hated the people of Nineveh. But the point is Jonah did not
like the people of Nineveh and he knew God is a merciful God
and would probably show mercy on them. That is what it says
right here in our passage. It is the reason why he did not
want to go to Nineveh in the first place. He was so angry
about it that he said he wanted to die. Jonah complained one
time after another. This reminds me of me complaining
about this, then complaining about that. Always complaining
about everything. I know folks look at us as those
who hate everybody. That is not totally true, but
in some cases, they might be right. Me by nature, I am full
of hatred. But look here in this passage,
God does not deal unkindly to Jonah, even when he is being
a complainer or a backtalker to the almighty God himself.
However, God will teach Jonah who he is. He makes the gourd
grow over to cover Jonah's head, and then he makes the gourd wither.
Not to mention God sent the wind to cause Jonah to be even more
miserable in the first place. But God did these things to Jonah
to teach him who he, that is, who God is. Just as God did with
Jonah on the ship. Jonah met God there when he went
to the ship. As others have said, he thought
he was running from God. But in his running from God,
he ran right into God. So Jonah fled from God. He got
on a boat and actually went below deck and went to sleep. God sent
a storm so that the men of the boat eventually got to the point
of throwing him overboard. So then Jonah ended up in a fish's
belly for three days and three nights. This is certainly familiar
to all of us as it is a picture of that one pearl of great price
and what he did for his people. But here we have a real account,
meaning this is not a picture of a believer, but an actual
believer. This book shows us a real believer. You could also say it shows us
what believers are like, and what God does for each and every
one of us. It also gives us a picture of
Jesus Christ, as mentioned by our Lord himself. It also tells
us who God is towards his people. So I want to look at a few things
here from this passage. That is, man's anger and rebellion,
God's mercy to sinners, God's anger, a greater than Jonah. This passage shows how we are. Man has anger, and it is most
of the time misplaced, if not downright rebellion against God.
I only say that because the scripture does tell us to be angry and
sin not. It says in Ephesians 4.26, be
ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon
your wrath. I'm not sure how you do that. I know most of the time I've
been angry, there was no thought of God in it. It was shot full
of self. I'm not saying it does not happen,
I'm just saying I'm not sure how that is done, just speaking
of myself. In Proverbs 14 and 17 we read,
he that is soon angry dilleth foolishly, and a man of wicked
devices is hated. Again in Proverbs 29, 22 we read,
an angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in
transgression. Just as God said to Jonah, what
is there that we have to be angry about? We have created nothing. We have control of nothing. Were it not for the mercy of
God, all sons and daughters of Adam would be consumed in the
fires of hell. Yet man That is, those who do
not know God, those who do not love God, get angry with God
when He does with His creation just as He is pleased to do.
His creation being everything and everyone. But not only that,
we see that God's people can be angry with God. As a child
of God, if you get angry with God, He will correct you. We
see this in the book of Jonah here. Jonah, when first told
by God to preach to Nineveh, he got angry and did not immediately
go. He tried to get away from God,
what God was telling him to do by heading to Tarshish. Even
after all that he went through on the ship and being thrown
overboard, being three days and three nights in the fish's belly
and spit up on dry ground, he still gets angry after he preaches
the gospel to Nineveh. God corrects us every time. If
God does not correct us, what does his word tell us? Then are
ye bastards and not sons. If there are no troubles you
encounter and your sailing and your ship is smooth and sunny,
with nothing going wrong, it seems everything is going right,
you might have good reason to worry. Because it says that we
are all partakers of his correction, that is, his people. Why is that? Because the fact
is, all of us need correction. God's mercy to sinners. There
are so many scriptures that show us how merciful and kind God
is to his people. This passage is not absent of
that. Walter's been going through numbers,
and there we see where God, even though the people were rebellious,
God was still kind and merciful to them. We have the people of
Israel where they were traveling in the wilderness and complained
against God. And God never seemed to show
anger to them, but was merciful to them. How? He gave them water
from Barak. Although Moses, who typifies
the law of God, was angry with them, God refreshed them with
water from the rock. He gave them manna from heaven
and meat from heaven. God is kind and merciful to those
he loves. We see it right here in this
passage. Although some may not see it as kindness, maybe when
God is teaching you something or that is correcting you of
something, it may not seem like he is merciful and kind. But
here in Jonah chapter four, this is one of his that is one of
God's own. He does not destroy Jonah, even
though Jonah is rebelling and complaining to God. God does,
however, chasten Jonah because God loves him. God brings things
about to cause the discomfort of one of his people, to show
them who he is and that he does as he pleases. Sometimes this
may be great discomfort so that you know you will certainly perish
as Jonah I'm sure thought when he was thrown overboard Jonah
knew he was guilty and deserved to die He said so God brought
him to that point Jonah thought he was thrown over it Jonah thought
when he was thrown over it would be the end of him But God is
always faithful to his people No matter whether we are faithful
or not. And we are not always faithful to God. If we are faithful,
it is because he gives us the faith. And it is he that has
worked in us both to do and to will of his good pleasure. God's anger. What about God's
anger? Let's not forget that God does
everything right. He is God and creator of all
things. Therefore, whatever he does is
right because of who he is. If God is angry, he is absolutely
right in being so. God's anger is not something
you want to have on you. In Nahum chapter 1 verses 2 through
6, we read this. God is jealous and the Lord revengeth. The Lord revengeth and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance
on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The Lord
is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit
the wicked. The Lord hath his way in the
whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his
feet. He rebuketh the sea and maketh it dry, and drieth up
all the rivers, Bashan languisheth, and Carmel and the flower of
Lebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at him, and
the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea,
the world and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before
his indignation, that is, his wrath, his hatred? And who can
abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out
like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. I don't want
to be God's adversary, although I know by nature I am that very
thing. I don't want to be the wicked,
although I know by nature I am that very thing. The scripture
says that God is angry with the wicked. When? Every day. Psalm 711 reads this. God judgeth the righteous, and
God is angry with the wicked every day. Psalms 212 says this,
kiss the son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when
his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put
their trust in him. How do you kiss the son? First
of all, you have to bow down. The kissing is not the kissing
of one on the cheek. This is a kissing of bowing down
at his feet in humble adoration for who he is. That is king of
kings and lord of lords. If you do not want to bow down
to Jesus Christ the Lord, then you are yet wicked and his adversary. You will either know the mercy
of God or the anger of God. Is God angry with you? Scripture
says God is angry with the wicked every day. We just read that. I don't want God to be angry
with me, but merciful to me. Not because I deserve it. That
is not that I deserve mercy, but because I need it. I deserve
the anger and wrath of God coming down on my head because the only
thing I try to do is run from God to have my own way and not
his. But God bethanked, if I am in
his son, I will never know the anger of God Almighty. We see
here in this book, the book of Jonah, that there is one who
is complaining about what God is pleased to do. Jonah did not
want God to show mercy to those in Nineveh. But listen, don't
presume on God. Don't think you can do this and
everything will be okay. Don't think God owes you anything.
God owes us nothing but his anger and wrath. It is not something
that we need to be flipping about, that I can just do whatever and
God's gonna be merciful to me. We know that God has chosen a
people, it's clear in scripture. I know people may think that
we say God has chosen some to salvation and chosen others to
hell, but that's not true. God certainly does choose his
people to salvation. But God does not have to choose
simple man to go to hell or eternal damnation. Man or woman, for
that matter, who has not been chosen in Christ is already fifthed
to that end. If God has not chosen a man or
a woman, they are already dead in trespasses and in sin. They
are already the very enemies of God. They are wicked before
a thrice holy God, whether they know it or not, or whether they
think so or not. Are we going to blame God for
not choosing us? God commands all men everywhere
to repent. God says in his word that all
that come to him, he will in no wise cast out. Yet there are
thousands, even millions, who could care less about Jesus Christ.
For most, Jesus Christ is just someone they are involved with
when they go to church. Then there are some who don't
even care about Jesus Christ at all. Some certainly do love
the Jesus Christ of their own imagination, but they would not
even think about having the absolutely sovereign of the universe to
be their Lord. No natural man will. The truth
is that none will ever come to and bow down to Jesus Christ
unless God has chosen them in his faithful son, Jesus Christ
the Lord. God bethink that he would even
think about choosing me, a wretched, no good sinner, who in my heart as I am born
in Adam, I am a Ninevite, you might say. Not only that, even
after God reveals himself to me, I complain constantly at
the hand of God and what he provides for me every day. Yet God is
merciful and kind to me to take care of my every need. He can
do this because he knows all my needs and when I have no idea
even what I might need, So how does God show me mercy? How is
God kind to me? How can he be kind to me if I
am born a rebel against him? We have a greater than Jonah. Jonah being thrown overboard
and swallowed up by a great fish, stayed there for three days and
three nights. This was a picture of that one who was greater than
Jonah, who would come. This sign, that is the sign of
Jesus Christ, the Lord, our Messiah, is the only sign given to simple
men. This is that one that is greater
than Jonah. If you would, turn with me to
Matthew 12. Matthew 12. Matthew 12, verse 38 through
42. Then certain of the scribes and
of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from
thee. But he answered and said unto
them, an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign,
and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of the prophet
Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and
three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be there
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men
of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall
condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and
behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south
shall rise up in judgment with this generation and shall condemn
it, for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the
wisdom of Solomon. And behold, a greater than Solomon
is here. This world always wants something
different than what God gives. Just as Jonah was in the belly
of the fish for three days and three nights, Jesus Christ, once
he suffered the death of the cross, having been made sin for
us, having been forsaken of God, the Father, he gave up the ghost
and died. He was dead three days and three
nights. Just as Jonah was in the fish's
belly, but then he arose from that grave victorious, having
put away our sins forever. When he arose from the grave,
he ascended to the Father on high, but then returning in a
glorified body. It is in this man who is God
himself that took my place, a sinful man who hated God and was not
looking for God, but trying to run away from God to my own destruction. But it is he that took my place.
He calmed the storm of God's wrath against me. So that now,
this same sovereign, almighty, all-powerful God shows me kindness
and mercy in His Son. So much so that I can now approach
unto God by Jesus Christ the Lord, having fellowship with
Him. The sign given by God is what
Christ has done. Those people of Nineveh heard
the gospel proclaimed by Jonah, and they repented of their ways.
We have now a greater than Jonah who has, right here in this passage,
proclaimed to us the gospel. He tells us of what he would
do and now has done. He now sends others to proclaim
the gospel. Will God have mercy on you? If
he has, then you will hear the gospel and you will repent. If
you will not hear the gospel, you are still looking for a sign.
and there is no other sign that will be given other than Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. When the lot was cast, it had
to be Him, that is, Jesus Christ the Lord. He was the only one
that could satisfy the fierce anger and wrath of God for those
in His ship. After coming out of the grave,
He now goes forth through those sent by him preaching the gospel,
which declares to those hearing what he has finished the work,
or that he has finished the work. This is the only place where
you will find mercy of God. The only one that can calm the
seas of God Almighty's furious wrath against the sinner is Jesus
Christ. Him being the one who was the
one that took his people's place of being thrown overboard to
suffer death that we should die. His death calms the storm of
God's wrath against those whom he has chosen in his glorious
son, Jesus Christ the Lord. If it were left up to us to choose
God, who he would have mercy on, there would be no mercy.
Because left to us, we would not only be angry with God and
not want him to have mercy on 120,000 people of Nineveh. but we would be angry with God
and not bow down to Him at all to serve Him. Scripture says,
I, and that is God, Jesus Christ the Lord, was found of them that
sought me not. It is up to God to show mercy
to us. He does this in His Son, Jesus
Christ, Him being God manifest in the flesh, and His cross work
in that he was made sin, and he was buried three days and
three nights, and arose from the grave victorious, having
accomplished salvation, or that is, completed salvation, or that
is, finished salvation, for those to whom the Father gave him.
My prayer is all those that are hearing me, that you do not have
to experience the anger and wrath of God. I pray that he has shown
mercy to you. I know he can because he is a
gracious, merciful God. But if he has shown you mercy,
it is only through the Lord Jesus Christ and his cross work, the
almighty creator and controller of this world. If God almighty
does a work for you just as he has done for me, then you will
be enabled to cry out just as Jonah did when God pulled him
from the belly of hell. Salvation. is of the Lord. Amen. Dear Lord God, open our hearts,
mind and ears to see Jesus Christ the Lord. May it be the one thing that
we desire and look to and all these other things will be added
to us. All these things we ask in Christ's name. Amen.