Jul 14 – Jonah 1, Jonah 2, Jonah 3, Jonah 4 Romans 2:1-16 Psalm 85:1-7

Jonah 4:1-2

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 

We can think Jonah was guilty of cowardice, and that’s why he ran from God. there may be an element of that at play, but it’s here in Jonah 4 that we get the whole reason.

Jonah is angry – because he know sGod is living and gracious and he knew that if Nineveh repented, God would forgive them.

And Jonah didn’t want God to forgive them.

Jonah didn’t like Nineveh, or the Assyrians. They had been a threat to Israel for a long time. He wanted to see them destroyed – he wanted God’s judgement on them.

HI heart was heard towards them.

And it’s easy to get judgy here over Jonah – but we need to be very careful we don’t do the same.

How are we to the people who have hurt us, or our nation? Do we want to see God judge them, or do we want to see them repent and be forgiven?

If we don’t have compassion, we won’t reach out. May God break our hearts for the lost. for God is willing that none will perish.

Rom 2:4

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Grace is not an excuse. God’s kindness to us is not a reason to treat sin lightly.

God’s kindness and grace towards us has a purpose. To lead us into repentance. The trouble is, too often we seek grace without offering repentance. And it simply doesn’t’ work like that.

Becoming a Christian isn’t just putting your hand up in a meeting, job done. It’s coming into repentance. Jesus’ message was repent.

Without repentance there is no forgiveness and no salvation. Don’t presume on the goodness of His grace, but let it lead you to repentance.

Rom 2:8

but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

It’s ok… everyone ends up in heaven in the end. God isn’t interested in punishing the lost. Life your truth and we will see you all in heaven.

Sadly that’s becoming the message of much of the church today. But it simply does not fit with the bible.

For those who do not obey the truth – for those who live in rebellion against God, they are storing up wrath and fury. Neither of these things are good.

We need to treat eternity seriously and biblically. Let’s stop trying to minimise the seriousness of the judgement, because we are not doing anybody any favours by pretending it won’t happen.