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Warren Wiersbe - Interview with Jonah - 5 of 5
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[Music]
welcome to back to the bottle radio in
just a moment we'll join pastor and
best-selling author warned readers be
for an encouraging message from God's
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it's very disquieting to read a story
and turn the page and discover we don't
know the ending and yet the Book of
Jonah is a book without a completed
ending you see in chapter 3 the city of
Nineveh repents and God saw their
repentance and God said I will not judge
them now according to modern standards
the story should have ended at Jonah
chapter 3 verse 10 Jonah did his work
the city was rescued and they lived
happily ever after
however we have chapter 4 in Jonah why
because God is more concerned about the
worker than he is the work you say well
God got what he wanted the city of
Nineveh repented and the message was
preached what more could God want he
wants the heart and the love of his
servant you see if you stop in chapter 3
of Jonah Jonah looks very successful he
preaches a great revival he's had a
marvelous experience sharing the Word of
God and yet what happens well God has to
go deeper with Jonah and teach him one
more lesson let's review just a little
bit in chapter 1 we have resignation
Jonah says I will not do the will of God
and he learns the lesson of God's
providence you can't run away from God
in chapter 2 we've called it repentance
and there he learns the lesson of God's
pardon God does forgive when we come and
we ask him in chapter 3 he learned the
lesson of God's power we called chapter
3 revival but now in chapter 4
he has one final lesson to learn let's
call chapter 4 rebellion but it
displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was
very angry rebellion Jonah has to learn
the lesson of God's pity his heart was
angry at God and angry at the people who
had repented
you must remember that Jonah was a
patriotic Jew Nineveh was going to be
the great enemy of Israel and actually
Jonah wanted God to judge Nineveh for
two reasons one Nineveh was their enemy
- he knew that his own people needed to
be warned about their sins it's very
likely that Jonah was saying in his
heart Oh Lord how can you forgive these Ninevites
Ninevites
why don't you judge them and make them
an example exhibit a to our own people
that they might turn away from their
sins what it really boiled down to was
that Jonah did not have love in his
heart for the people he was preaching to
God looks at the heart man may look at
the outward appearance but God looks at
the heart
you see Jonah was not living on
resurrection ground he's like some of us
today we have been identified with Jesus
Christ and death burial and resurrection
and yet we're not living as we should we
haven't set our affection on things
above our attention on things above we
don't love the lost sinners around us we
don't like the things that they do we
don't like them sometimes we don't only
hate the sin we hate the sinner now
there is a godly anger in the Bible no
one will deny that Moses had a godly
anger when he when he took the golden
calf and he smashed it broken into bits
Jesus had a godly anger when he cleansed
the temple Ephesians 4:26 says be angry
and sin not
but Jonah's anger in chapter 4 of Jonah
is not a godly anger it's a selfish
carnal worldly fleshly anger and when
this gets a hold of our lives we are in true
true
let's consider several aspects of this
anger that Jonah displays in Jonah
chapter 4 first of all the reason for
his anger well the reason for his anger
is in complete surrender to God if there
is one area in our lives that has not
yielded to God the devil will use it as
a foothold that's why it says in
Ephesians chapter 4 neither give place
to the devil don't give the devil a
beachhead any area in my life that has
not yielded to God is open season for
the devil and you see even though God
had gotten ahold of Jonah's mind and
finally got ahold of his will and
finally got ahold of his body he had not
gotten ahold of Jonah's heart this is
what Jonah said to God 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 in other words even
before he'd gone he'd determined this in
his heart
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 repent ously of the evil he
really knows his theology doesn't he
he's quoting here from Exodus 34 verse 6
numbers 14 verse 18 here's a man who can
really quote scripture but it hasn't
changed the attitude of his heart now in
Jonah chapter 4 verse 3 therefore now O
Lord take I beseech thee my life from me
for it is better for me to die than to
live Moses one day wanted to die you see
he's selfish the reason for his anger in
complete surrender to God
let's look secondly at the results of
his anger once again Jonah is the loser
God quietly says to him in verse 4 doest
thou well to be angry so Jonah went out
of the city and he sat on the east side
of the city and there he made a booth
for himself
and sat under it in the shadow till he
might see what would become of the city
he's the loser first he loses his
testimony he leaves the city instead of
staying there and helping the people and
teaching them about God and saying look
the God who has turned away his judgment
as a gracious God a merciful God a God
who is kind and slow to anger he leaves
his place of service I wonder how many
preachers and Sunday School teachers
missionaries choir members have resigned
impetuously because of anger in the
heart they didn't get things the way
they wanted them well he lost his
testimony he's silenced now he's not
preaching the word he's not living up to
his theology he just has an empty
ministry it reminds me of 1st
Corinthians chapter 13 if we speak with
the tongues of men and angels and we
have not love we're just a lot of noise
sounding brass tinkling cymbal an empty
ministry he lost God's guidance here he
is wanting to die that's a strange thing
you know people make foolish decisions
when they get angry at God here was
Jonah angry at God instead of saying
Lord I'm glad that you saved these
people now let's get a work going here
let's teach them how to worship the true
God the Living God instead he says kill
me I didn't have my own way Jonah goes
outside the city and stares at the city
hoping that God would destroy the city
you know Jeremiah had a great burden for
the city the city of Jerusalem in this
case and Jeremiah wept over the city
you'd think that Jonah would have been
rejoicing over those who had repented
but no he's sitting there in rebellion
Jonah sat there and he said God I really
hope that you'll just blow this place up
they don't deserve to live well did
Jonah deserve to live suppose that God
had begun to treat Jonah the way Jonah
was treating them
you see that's what Christian love is
Christian love means I treat you the way
God treats me God loves me and he's kind
to me so I'm kind
do you God forgives me so I forgive you
that's Christian love but Jonah did not
have any love for these people at all we
lose our love for the people we're
ministering to and as a consequence we
start focusing our love only on
ourselves and all we think about is
earning our salary and getting our work
done as fast as we can and having it our
own way it's a sad thing isn't it when a
child of God a servant of God is
rebelling the way Jonah did well I need
to ask myself the question and perhaps
you need to ask yourself the question
have I learned the lesson of God's pity
we'll finish our study in chapter 4 the
Lord willing next time but I want you to
know that you and I need to examine our
hearts and find out if we learn the
lesson of God's pity should I not pity
this great city is what the Lord said to
Jonah may the Lord help each of us to
have a heart for souls a love for people
to share the compassion of Christ with a
lost world [Music]
[Music]
now God has to deal with Jonah and so in
verse 6 the Lord God prepared a gourd
and made it to come up over Jonah that
might be a shadow over his head to
deliver him from his grief so Jonah was
exceedingly glad of the gourd that's interesting
interesting
in verse 1 he was exceedingly displeased
because Nineveh repented but now he's
exceedingly glad because of a gourd you
see he's become selfish
you can tell what a person is like by
what makes him happy and what makes him
sad by what makes him laugh and by what
makes him cry well God is still in
control but God prepared a worm it's
interesting God can control great fish
and God can control little worms
everything in this book is obeying God
except Jonah but God prepared a worm
when the morning rose the next day and
it smote the gourd that it withered and
it came to pass when the Sun did rise
that God prepared a vehement east wind
now remember you're out in the east and
the Sun is blistering and and the wind
is stifling
it's smothering and the Sun did beat
upon the head of Jonah that he fainted
well men ought always to pray and not to
faint they that wait upon the Lord shall
renew their strength they shall mount up
with wings as Eagles they shall run and
not be weary they shall walk and not
faint but you see Jonah is no longer
praying and Jonah is no longer waiting
on the Lord he's pouting
he's stubbornly wanting his own way he
fainted and wished in himself to die and
said it is better for me to die than to
live and God said that Jonah do it
thought well to be angry for the gourd
it's interesting God can't talk to him
anymore about lost souls about service
about new horizons of ministry has to
talk to him about the gourd he said I do
well to be angry even unto death now
it's interesting why did God permit this
east wind to blow on Jonah why did God
permit the Sun to beat down upon Jonah
he sang Jonah you have forgotten what
it's like to be lost here are these
people who need to be saved and you've
forgotten you're only concerned about AG or
or
to shelter your head you're only
concerned about your own comfort Oh
Jonah says the Lord
do you realize what it really means to
be lost verse 10 then said the Lord thou
hast had pity on the gourd for which
thou has not labored neither made estat
grow which came up in a night and
perished in a night and should not I
spare Nineveh that great city in which
are more than six score thousand persons
that cannot discern between their right
hand and their left hand and also much
cattle one of the problems when you get
out of the will of God is that your
values get out of proportion your
priorities get all mixed up he was happy
for a plant that grew up and would die
the next day but he wasn't happy for a
city and for these souls that would
spend eternity either in heaven or in
hell now what I'd like to do is we
finished chapter 4 is interview Jonah I
want to call a committee meeting now and
interviewed Jonah and I want to find out
whether or not Jonah is really qualified
to serve as a missionary servant of God
let's look first of all his credentials
let's ask Jonah a few questions Jonah
has God called you yes he has in fact
he's called me twice now as your
theology of angelical oh yes yes I
believe in a God who is gracious and
merciful slow to anger and of great kindness
kindness
a God who repents of evil I believe that
he's the God of creation he's the God
who made the heavens and the earth and
the sea and the dry land oh yes my
theology is Evan Jellicle and I believe
that salvation is of the Lord well
that's good now Jonah do you pray oh yes
and when I pray God answers I've seen
some marvelous answers to prayer Jonah
are you a victorious believer have you
experienced the deeper life oh I've gone
deeper than anybody else says Jonah in
fact I went down down
then God brought me up again and he has
given me newness of life
Jonah does your preaching bring results
certainly does it certainly does I
preached at the city of Nineveh and the
whole city from the King on the throne
down to the servants in the field
repented in sack cloth and ashes Jonah
do you study the Bible are you able to
quote the scriptures yes indeed I can
quote from the Psalms I can quote from
Exodus and numbers oh yes I know how to
quote the Word of God
in fact sometimes in my praying my
praying is just simply quotations from
the Word of God well that's very good
now Jonah one final question you know
the the service of the Lord is difficult
God may call you to some hard place do
you have courage all yes I have courage
I was willing to risk my life and die
that a storm might be abated oh yes I
have courage you know when you look at
Jonah's credentials it looks as though
he has the makings of a wonderful
servant of God he's been called by God
he has good evangelical theology he
knows how to pray knows how to quote
scripture he has preached and seen
people repent and he seems to be a
courageous person but you know in spite
of all these marvelous credentials he
was a bad servant of God you know why I
didn't have any love in his heart you
see even though we might be able to
speak with the tongues of men and of
angels if we have not love we're just
sounding brass a tinkling cymbal even
though we do give our body to be burned
or to be thrown into the sea if we don't
have love it doesn't mean anything
love is what gives us the values of life
you see ministry not only blesses the
people we minister to it blesses us as
well well let's look at a second source
of information now when I have been
interviewing missionary candidates we
have often we have always in fact sent
out pieces of information to other
people their friends their pastors their
instructors in school we
send out inventory sheets and say now
would you tell us what you think of
these people let's talk to some of his
companions now and find out what kind of
testimony Jonah has chapter one let's
talk to the sailors what do you think of
this fellow named Joe no he's a
troublemaker because of him we almost
lost the ship almost lost our lives
he sleeps when he ought to be praying we
don't think much of him he's a troublemaker
troublemaker
well it's talk in Chapter two to the
great fish and I realize that fish can't
talk but let's just talk to the great
fish anyway what do you think of this
fellow Jonah well he's a pretty stubborn
person God commanded me to swallow him
and it took him three days until he
finally got to the place where he would
repent and and ask for forgiveness I
think he's a pretty stubborn person I'm
glad that he did finally repent but he's
got a stubborn heart let's talk to the
people of Nineveh now in Chapter three
what kind of a person do you think Jonah
is we're interviewing him possibly for
service well we can't quite understand
them he's a problem he came into our
city and began to preach and we believed
him and we repented in God held back his
hand of judgment that's the last we saw
of him he just vanished and we heard
word he was sitting outside the city
really hoping that fire would come down
from heaven and burn us all up we don't
really understand this fellow he started
something and didn't finish it well
let's turn to chapter 4 now and using
our imagination let's interview the worm
he got kind of close to Jonah there what
do you think about this fellow Jonah
well to begin with I think the worm
would say he's a he's a man who lives by
his feelings if he feels good or feels
happy he does one thing if he doesn't
feel good he does something else he has
a tendency to pout to be angry if he
doesn't get his own way he really is not
a very disciplined fellow I understand
says the worm that Jonah was swallowed
by a great fish and he could have died
and yet the Lord gave him
merci now why doesn't he want mercy for
these who desperately needs salvation in
fact Jonah is very unlike the God that
he preaches I heard him say that that
God is a gracious God and a merciful God
slow to anger and of great kindness but
I don't see much mercy or grace or
kindness or slowness of anger in Jonah
he's very unlike the God that he
preaches and finally the worm I think
would say Jonah lacks perspective his
values are out of proportion he's got
everything all confused as far as
priorities are concerned he doesn't have
a burden or pity for people and yet he
has pity for a gourd that I was
instructed to to kill so I think that
the worm would probably say he's not a
very good candidate well as far as his
credentials are concerned Jonah passes
with a hundred percent but as far as his
companions are concerned they don't give
him very good recommendation do they
let's talk to the Lord the Lord may have
something to add to this Lord did you
call Jonah yes I did I called him twice
did he obey you he obeyed me outwardly
not inwardly are all the statements true
that these various witnesses have made
oh yes they're all true what do you
suggest we do with Jonah give him
another chance give him another opportunity
opportunity
you see God deals patiently with Jonah
and God deals graciously with Jonah and
God deals gently with Jonah to begin
with God dealt very fiercely with Jonah
storm waves wind a big fish but now he's
using a little worm a little plant using
some wind using the warmth of the Sun
very gently and patiently God is dealing
with Jonah trying to teach him one more
lesson the lesson of God's pity the
greatest need that Jonah had was a love
for God and a love for lost souls and so
what the chapter just simply ends on a
question should I not spare Nineveh
and I would expect that there would be
verse 12 at the end of chapter 4 but I
don't see verse 12 you see you and I
have to write verse 12 we have to face
the fact that Jonah's not the one who's
on trial we are the ones who are on
trial how do you respond to Jonah
chapter 4 do you say well I think Jonah
had a case or do you say whoa Jonah was
dead wrong
you see God looks at our hearts God sees
what is important to us suppose that
your companions were summoned to bear
witness about you I wonder with if we
would be able to pass the test
God is searching our hearts God is
wondering what is our attitude toward
his will I do believe that Jonah
repented I believe he went back to
Nineveh ministered to these people and
then returned home a different man a man
with a much wider perspective on life a
man who realized that God is not just
the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
he's also the God of the Gentiles and
his mercy is everlasting and God is not
willing that any should perish where
does the Book of Jonah find you in
relation to God's will [Music]
[Music]
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