Sermon Tone Analysis

*Intro*

One of the top selling video game applications created for Apple’s Iphone is called “Pocket God.” Listen to the description given on Itunes: “What kind of god would you be? Benevolent or vengeful?

Play /Pocket God/ and discover the answer within yourself.

On a remote island, you are the all-powerful god that rules over the primitive islanders.

You can bring new life, and then take it away just as quickly.”[1]

Well, I did some more research on this to see what the options were to be a benevolent god as well as the vengeful god.

I found one benevolent act: give the islanders a fishing rod.

However, I found a plethora of things you can do as a vengeful God including “throwing islanders into volcanoes, using islanders as shark bait, bowling for islanders with a large rock, or creating earthquakes to destroy the islanders' villages.”[2]

Wow, isn’t it interesting that there is a game where you can be your own god?

Actually that’s how most people live anyway isn’t it?

You can create God in your own image and live as you please.

It is also interesting that the developers figure that the only roles people would want to play is the one of a vengeful god.

If Jonah was here today, he might be first in the game called “Pocket God.” Jonah wants to create God in his image and the image is a God of vengeance.

He wants to put God in a box.

Today we are in the final chapter.

It would have been nice to end in Jonah 3 right?

And the whole city repented and everyone lived happily ever after.

But in Jonah 4, God will pursue Jonah to uncover Jonah’s heart.

Thankfully, our God does not try to fit into the boxes we put Him in.

And even more thankfully, our God does not give up on us when we try to do that.

We have been studying these days in the book of Jonah.

It is a short book with full of great truths and lessons for us.

I am very thankful for Jonah 4. I’m glad it’s in here (though a lot of children’s bibles omit it).

One of the things I love about the Bible is that it is so raw and real.

There is no sugarcoating of the lives of these believers who struggled with the complexities and messiness of their hearts.

I hope that encourages you!

I hope you do not fall into the trap thinking Biblical characters or even famous Christians over history had this perfect life, on fire for God all the time, witnessing every day, praying five hours and never struggling with sin.

Actually if you study anyone’s life closely, you will see that there are times when they are full of contradictions, yet it is God’s amazing grace that keeps them going.

Here we see that amazing grace (remember the theme of this series is “Grace in Pursuit”) again pursuing God’s prodigal prophet, Jonah.

We saw God’s grace pursuing Jonah through the storm, the captain, the sailors and finally, the fish.

We saw God’s grace capturing Jonah in Jonah 2. We saw God’s grace give Jonah another chance and God’s grace poured out and lavished upon the Ninevites in Jonah 3. Now if I was God, and I’m sure you all are thankful that I am not, I would have given up on Jonah way before, maybe on the boat, before the fish incident.

And somehow if I did give him another chance in Jonah 3, by Jon.

4:1, I would have given up after seeing his little temper tantrum there.

But no, our God of grace is extremely gracious.

Our grace, if you want to call it that, has limits.

God’s grace is limitless, even appealing and pursuing a self-righteous, judgmental, religious prophet.

His capacity of grace is greater than our capacity to sin.

And today we are going to look at the purpose of the pursuit of grace.

Why does God pursue us with His grace?

I want to make two observations about God’s grace today.

One is a micro reason, a personal one.

The second is a macro reason.

First of all, then: 

*I.

**God extends His grace to us to reveal our deepest heart issues (Jon.

4:1-4)*

I like the word “extends” which means “to stretch out; to draw out to full length.”[3]

God is all about extending grace in this book.

I was amazed at the fish story in Jonah 2. I was even more amazed at God’s love for the lost in Jonah 3.

However, I am even more astounded how this grace now extends to narrow minded, judgmental, racist, religious, angry prophet of God.

Each time I draw the line of how far God’s grace can go, God broadens it even further.

God’s grace does not color just between the lines.

It colors the whole page.

If only Jonah got that!

So revival happens in Nineveh.

People are repenting left and right, everyone from the king to the commoner.

Even their livestock join in.

But wait a minute?

Where’s Jonah in all of this?

The last we heard of him he was preaching a five-word sermon in Jon.

3:4.

Now the camera zooms in to one person, a person sitting by the city gate, perhaps in a corner, with his arms crossed, face downcast and smoke coming out of his ears.

Look at Jonah 4:1.

Notice “but.”

We have seen in Jonah already that whenever you see someone butting up in the story (actually it’s been Jonah every time), it’s never good.

God’s anger has ceased, but Jonah’s has just begun, or perhaps, finally exploded.

This guy is writhing in anger.

The verse literally reads, “but Jonah was deeply offended and he was burning hot.”[4]

But this time he prays instead of running.

Have you ever prayed in anger?

I do appreciate the fact that he is not hiding his true feelings and purposefully praying about it.

And in his prayer, it is revealed for the first time the true reason for his running from God in Jonah 1. “I should have known!

I knew it, I knew it!”

Jonah says, stomping up and down like a two-year old.

Jonah knew when God had called him the first time to go to Nineveh, the capital of Israel’s enemy, Assyria, that they deserved judgment.

But in preaching about Yahweh’s judgment to them, there was the possibility that they might repent, and knowing Yahweh’s character, He will show them mercy when they do.

He didn’t want anything to do with that.

So he says he ran.

Jonah cannot stand the fact that God is good and a God of grace and mercy.

Do you know who Jonah is?

He is like the elder brother in the prodigal son story, who represented the religious snobs of Jesus’ day, who loves grace for themselves, but unable to show grace to anyone else (Luke 15:25-32).

Notice what comes out of Jonah’s mouth about who God is.

He is good at saying the religious things, like he does in Jon.

1:9, but believing it to point of changing his heart is another matter.

He is quoting Ex. 34:6.

The irony is amazing.

God had saved Israel from Egypt.

He miraculously delivered them from Pharaoh and the Egyptians through the Red Sea.

God cared for them, loved them, provided for them and delivered them.

And how does Israel thank God?

They gather all their jewelry and make a golden calf and worship it saying, “This is the god that saved us!” (Ex.

32:8).

But God, through Moses’ plea, forgives them and tells Moses to let the people of God’s character.

“This is who I am,” God says, “A gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

God is gracious, a word that means, “He longs for and favors others.”[5]

A God who is “touched by simple human need.”[6]

He is merciful, one who is “tender in His affection.”[7]

He is slow to anger, describing how God “suffers long” as He does not delight in the death of unbelievers.

And He is abounding in “hesed,” this loyal, steadfast, covenant love.

The people of Israel owed their existence to the fact that God was who He was and had spared them time and time again of His wrath and extended grace to them.

And what about Jonah himself?

Why is he alive?

He is alive because God was who He was and extended grace and mercy to him as well!