(7/9) Welcome to week number four of "Like A Child." If you missed last week, we began talking about a disobedient prophet name to Jonah. If you’re familiar with the story you know that God gave him a lot of grace. God gave Jonah a second chance and that is one thing kids understand, they get grace, they understand forgiveness. Whenever they get in trouble and get punished, they want grace, they want a second chance, they want to move on and be restored.

We can learn a lot about grace from a child, because as adults we struggle to receive grace, to receive a gift that we don’t deserve, but a child simply believes that God forgives me. And in our Scripture today, we are going to find Jonah getting a second chance, receiving God’s grace, because he was supposed to go and preach against the Nineveh’s wickedness but he didn’t want to go. And so, the story begins as the word of the Lord came to Jonah:

"Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me" (Jonah 1:1-2).

Now, Jonah doesn’t like the Ninevites and so he says, "No way!" Actually, there were no words recorded, but his actions said it all, because Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed the opposite direction. He went down to Joppa where he found a ship bound for Tarshish (Jonah 1:3).

The Lord sent a huge storm, that was so violent that the ship threatened to break up. Jonah, realizing that the storm was his fault and innocent people were being endangered said,

"Pick me up and throw me into the sea and it will become calm" (Jonah 1:12).

Reluctantly, the sailors who had more fear of God than Jonah did, threw him overboard and the storm relented.

"The Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights" (Jonah 1:17).

It was there inside of that fish that God finally got Jonah’s attention. From the depths of the sea, when he was furthest from God, where he was the most miserable, helpless, and desperate, he called on God. He prayed,

"I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple" (Jonah 2:4).

Have you ever noticed that trouble has a way of driving you to God? And so, sometimes God will allow discomfort to come into your house, because it will move you to make changes. You see, it is those situations and circumstances of life that will drive you to your knees, causing you to open up your Bible, and call upon the Lord.

When you get in enough trouble, it will humble you, and you will begin to seek the Lord. You’ll come to worship because you want to experience breakthrough. And like Nicodemus, you’ll sneak away at night to get what you need from God. That’s what I like about Wednesday nights, because we don’t come out in the middle of the week to play church, we come to get a breakthrough from the Lord. And so, you’ll choke down your dinner and run out the door because you’re serious about meeting with God.

And so, Jonah wasn’t making any excuses, he recognized that he had made some really bad decisions and he repented. He prayed to the Lord, "Wherever you tell me to go, whatever you want me to say, what I have vowed I will make good" (Jonah 2:9). He called upon the Lord, repenting of his sin and,

"The Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land" (Jonah 2:10).

This is where we pick up the story today in chapter three, as we see God’s grace in action. Verse one says,

"Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time" (Jonah 3:1).

When God speaks light pierces the darkness, fig trees wither, fire falls from heaven, and men fall prostrate on the ground. When God speaks the lame pick up their mats and start walking, those with leprosy are cleansed, the bound are loosed and the captives are set free.

God spoke with power even before there was anyone to hear him speaking. In the beginning he said,

"Let us make man in our image, in our likeness" (Genesis 1:26).

And so, we understand that God is a speaking God. He is a relational God, he walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the garden. Throughout history God spoke with an audible voice and he said,

"My sheep listen to my voice" (John 10:27).

He will come and meet us where we are, talking to us personally, and it can take us years to walk out what God says in those moments. But most days, we have to learn to walk in silence, walking in faith, just listening for the voice of God. And so,

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time" (Jonah 3:1).

I wonder if there is anyone here who is glad that we serve a God of second chances?

There may be some of you here like me who didn’t get it the first time, and you know you don’t deserve the grace of God, but the word of the Lord came to you a second time. Jonah got a second chance, the word of the Lord came a second time,

"Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim the message I give you" (Jonah 3:2).

The word translated "Go" actually comes from two Hebrew words which mean, rise and go, do it now, or go immediately. And so, Jonah did, he got up, he moved, he obeyed the word of the Lord, and made his way to Nineveh.

He didn’t waste any time, he’s getting ready to go in, he’s doing some pregame stretches, and he’s telling himself, "You can do it, you’ve got this." He’s standing outside of the gates of this great city, this very important city, so big that a visit required three days to make the trip (Jonah 3:3). And so, this is a huge metropolis, the greatest city of its time, surrounded by a wall that was reported to be seven and a half miles long.

And verse four says, "On the first day, Jonah started into the city." He knows that the odds were against him, but he also knows that he and God are a majority. And so, he went in without a microphone, without television, without a radio or Facebook live, just one man walking down the street hollering "Repent."

"He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth" (Jonah 3:4-5).

In other words, all the people fell to their knees and repented, crying out to God, "Forgive us of our wicked ways." And so, you could just imagine Jonah’s exhilaration realizing that God had used him in such a mighty way.

I can picture him falling to his knees and praising God for using him because this was a big win. If he were alive today the people would’ve grabbed the cooler of Gatorade and dumped it on his head. Jonah got what any preacher would have wanted, his message was received, and the people responded to God.

But Jonah wasn’t very happy about it, in fact, chapter four opens up telling us,

"Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry" (Jonah 4:1).

Now, I have to admit, there have been a few times when I’ve been angry with God, but it was never because I won. Jonah was upset because he had succeeded, in fact he was so angry that he got up in the Lord’s business. He said,

"Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love…" (Jonah 4:2).

Now, I can understand not going to Tarshish because I was afraid they might skin me alive or hang me upside down by my toes. But he said he was afraid that he would succeed, "I fled because I knew they would repent and you would relent from sending calamity" (Jonah 4:2).

And so, I’m starting to see the story differently, because I used to think of Jonah as being the hero, but he’s really not. He’s the one who defied God and ran in the opposite direction. He’s the one who refused to repent. He’s the one who preached to people he hated. And he’s the one who became angry when they repented.

"Now" he says, "O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live" (Jonah 4:3).

He’s so angry at God for forgiving the Ninevites that he can’t deal with it, and his life is one big contradiction.

God had called his people to be a blessing to all nations, but like the Jews, Jonah refused to obey. His disdain for the people of Nineveh was so strong that he said he would prefer to die because he was harboring such bitterness and resentment towards them. And even though God had given him a second chance, he refuses to give the people of Nineveh a second chance.

And so, the Lord comes to Jonah again, trying to engage him in a rational conversation. He says in verse 4,

"Have you any right to be angry?" (Jonah 4:4).

He’s like, "Come on Jonah, a hundred and twenty thousand people just repented and you’re bitter and angry. Let’s look at the big picture, let’s celebrate what happened here, "Have you any right to be angry?"

My prayer is that we can learn from Jonah, because there may be some of you who are harboring bitterness, anger, and resentment toward someone. You’ve been hurt and you’re hanging onto unforgiveness. It’s created a kind of bondage, a weight and a burden in your life. But today, the Lord is calling us to forgive so that we can live in freedom.

He says, "Have you any right to be angry?" And he modeled that kind of unconditional forgiveness for us, because he was lied about, slandered, rejected, abandoned, and abused. People beat him with their fists, spit in his face, and hung him on the cross. But he looked at them with compassion and said,

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).

As followers of Jesus, we should follow the example of our teacher, because it’s just so much better than Jonah’s example. I know it’s not easy, it hurts, it’s painful, it doesn’t make any sense, but Jesus tells us to forgive unconditionally. In fact, he warned us saying,

"If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:14-15).

And so, we’ve got to learn to let it go, we can’t carry it any longer, we can’t allow our hearts to be darkened with judgment and criticism of others because we’ve been called to live in freedom.

The Lord extended grace to us, he gave us a second chance, and then he said,

"Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8).

And so, when you’re a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit makes us family. And when you have the Holy Spirit, it’s not just about preaching and speaking in tongues, you’ll treat people differently because you have a new nature.

But Jonah wasn’t interested in that concept right now, and even though God was trying to engage him in conversation,

"Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city" (Jonah 4:5).

God asked him a question and Jonah stomps off grumbling under his breath because things aren’t working out the way he planned. He’s not getting the answer from God that he wanted and so he walks away.

"He made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city" (Jonah 4:5).

I would imagine that he got a safe distance from the city because he knows about Sodom and Gomorrah. And so, he sets up his lawn chair, takes off his sandals, and waits to see what God is going to do. Jonah had already given the people of Nineveh the ultimatum, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned," and now the days were ticking away.

Jonah thinks that he is just going to watch and wait, but God is not through with him, he has another lesson for him. Look at what God does in verse six,

"The Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort" (Jonah 4:6).

And so, in spite of Jonah’s attitude, in spite of what Jonah deserves, God was still watching out for him, still caring for him, and still providing for him.

"Jonah was very happy about the vine" (Jonah 4:6).

In other words, the angry discontent prophet is very self-centered, putting his own comfort before the people of Nineveh. For the first time, he is happy, because he was sitting out in the heat and the Lord provided a vine to give him some shade to ease his discomfort.

But we’re going to discover that God is up to something, he is merely teaching Jonah a lesson, because verse 7 says,

"At dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind…" (Jonah 4:7-8).

Did you notice the theme? God continues to provide, not always what Jonah wanted, not always what Jonah asked for, but God knew exactly what Jonah needed. And so, provided a great fish, he provided a vine, he provided a worm, and then he provided a scorching east wind so that the sun blazed on Jonah’s head until he grew faint.

As Jonah was about to pass out from the heat, when he couldn’t handle it anymore, verse 8 says he prayed,

"It would be better for me to die than to live" (Jonah 4:8).

Once again, Jonah is not very happy, he’s got a bad attitude, and he’s having a bad day. But God was teaching him that he is God of the good day, the bad day, and every day in between. Like Jesus said, "He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45).

The Lord was teaching Jonah that he loves him so much, cares about him so much, that he will send exactly what Jonah needs in each season of his life. And so, sometimes he will send a fish to save him or a vine to protect him. Other times he will send a storm or a worm or maybe a scorching east wind, not because God is mean, but because he knows exactly what Jonah needs in season. That’s why the Bible says there is a time for everything,

"A season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance" (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4).

And it was in this season that God would provide the worm and the wind because the truth is that God is so much bigger than just the God of the vine. In other words, he loves us enough to send a worm and a wind to mature us and develop Christ in us. And so, he provides what we need to develop patience and endurance in us, growing us into the men and women that God has called us to be.

Meanwhile, by this time Jonah is a mess, he’s spitting mad, he’s angry, and he’s not at all interested in hearing from God. But nonetheless God tries to engage with him again. He said,

"Do you have a right to be angry about the vine? Jonah angrily responds, "I do, and I am angry enough to die" (Jonah 4:9).

Jonah continues with this angry flood of suicidal talk because it’s not fair that God took away the vine and removed his shade. In other words, Jonas feels like the world revolves around him, everything is about making him happy.

I wonder if there are any of you today that recognize a little bit of Jonah in you? You know, life is all about you, about where you want to eat, what you want to do, or where you want to go? It’s all about your friends, your social media, your work or your money?

Jonas thinks that everything is about him, and the truth is that many of us have come to believe that life is all about pleasing ourselves. But I want you to see this, watch how the Lord responds to Jonah’s suicidal threat.

"The Lord said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight" (Jonah 4:10).

In other words, Jonah, you think it’s all about you, but it’s really not. The book is about Jonah, about his rebellion, his anger, his unforgiveness, and his self-centeredness, but behind the scenes it’s all about Nineveh. And so, the Lord says,

"Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city" (Jonah 4:11).

And so, the Lord said, open your eyes, look beyond yourself, because it’s all about those other people around you. It’s about all those people without hope and without God in the world. It’s all about Nineveh, that person you meet walking down the street, checking out at the store, or as you’re pumping your gas. We think that life is all about us, but there are people hurting all around us in the world today.

God says, you’re angry about this vine that you didn’t plant, you didn’t care for, or make it grow. And you’re concerned about trying to protect the vine while at the same time you are hoping that more than one hundred and twenty thousand people perish. He says, Jonah you’ve got something seriously wrong with your priorities.

And I wonder if that isn’t a sign of the times, because Jesus said,

"As Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation… The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here" (Luke 11:30-32).

And the good news is that faith like a child repents, because God knows every hidden sin, he knows the times you ran away, the times you disobeyed. In fact, the Bible says in the last days,

"People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

And even though God sees at all, knows it all, he still loves you and he provides for you. He knows about your unfaithfulness, your greed, your self-centeredness, your selfish idolatry, but he is still crazy in love with you. In fact, he provided exactly what you needed, he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

In other words, what he wants from you more than anything else is to believe with faith like a child that he loves you. And he wants you to receive that, to find pleasure in that, and to live your life out of the overflow of his love in your life. He is just that crazy about you, about your angry self, your self-centered self, your messed up, hurting, and desperate self. And he wants you to turn to him with faith like a child and live the rest of your life as a response to what he has provided for you as your way of saying, "I love you because you first loved me" (1 John 4:19).

Read part 5

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott