Ch. 1Jonah Rebelling & Running From God
Ch. 2Jonah Repenting & Running Back To God
Ch. 3Jonah Restarting & Running With God
Ch. 4Jonah Regretting & Resenting God
5 MISTAKES THAT MADE JONAH MISERABLE
These make us miserable too
1. Jonah thought he could ignore his Mission. He ran from God.
2. Jonah was prejudiced against people God created & loved.
3. Jonah cared more about his politics than people’s salvation.
4. Jonah was only interested in his nation, not God’s world.
5. Jonah reluctantly fulfilled his Mission, but with a bad attitude.
2 MORE MISTAKES: JONAH 4:1-11
1.
Resenting God's plan when it doesn't fit my plans.
“When God saw that the people of Nineveh had put a stop to their evil ways, he had mercy on them and he cancelled the destruction he had threatened. This CHANGE OF PLANS upset Jonah, and he became furious. So Jonah complained to the Lord about it . . .”Jonah 3:10-4:2
o
Frustration
“This change of plans upset Jonah”
o
Anger
“He became furious”
o
Self pity
“He complained to the Lord”
“Now I ask you, Lord, please kill me. For it is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah 4:3 (NCV)
o
despair
“It is better for me to die than live”
o
Suicidal thoughts
“Lord, please kill me!”
2.
Resenting God's goodness and mercy to others.
“Then Jonah complained, ‘Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I KNEW that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for punishing these people.’”Jonah 4:2 (NLT)
WHAT TO REMEMBER WHEN THINGS DON’T GO MY WAY
1. REMEMBER
God can see things that I can't.
“Then God asked Jonah: ‘ What right do you have to be angry over what I’ve done?” Jonah 4:4
“The Lord said to Job, ‘Who are you to question my wisdom?. . . Where were you when I made the world?”’ Job 38:2-3 (TEV)
“Then Jonah left the city and found a place east of the city to sit down, There he tried to make a temporary shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city.”Jonah 4:5
2. REMEMBER
God is good to me even when I am cranky.
“Then God arranged for broad leafed plant to spring up quickly and provide shade for Jonah from the hot sun and to relieve his discomfort. This made Jonah very happy and comfortable!’Jonah 4:6
3. REMEMBER
God is in control of ever detail of my life.
“But at dawn the next day God arranged for a small worm to chew through the stem of that large shade plant so that it withered and died! Then, when the sun rose, God arranged a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed so hot on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said again, ‘It would be better for me to die than to live!’”Jonah 4:7-8
God uses big things in my life and small things to direct me.
“Then God asked Jonah again, ‘What right do you have to be angry that the shade plant withered and died?’ Jonah said. ‘I have every right to be angry and I’m angry enough to die!’”Jonah 4:9
4. REMEMBER
To focus on what's going to last.
“Then the Lord said, ‘Jonah, You’re more concerned about a plant that died even though you didn’t plant it, water it ,it or make it grow. (I did that) And plants are short-lived. They spring up quickly then die. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people who don’t know their right hand from their left, not to mention all the animals. Should I not be concerned about that great city?’”Jonah 4:10-11
“We fix our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever.”2 Corinthians 4:18 (NCV)
