Jonah 4:1-11 (New International Version)
4:1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.
7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
I. The danger of disappointment (vv. 1-2)
• Disappointment puts us in danger of
• Disappointment leads to
• Sound Bible study practices
• Unsound Bible study practices
II. The degradation of anger (vv. 3-4)
• The progression of sin anger is
• Resentment is unforgiveness charging
• The only way out of sin anger is to
• Forgiveness is a decision to
III. The disillusionment of happiness (vv. 5-6)
• Comfort is a momentary
• God’s primary desire for people is holiness not
• Complaint seeks to
• The storms of life reveal if our trust in God is
TAKE OFF
Share about a time when someone changed your mind on an issue. What approach did they use to help persuade you?
TEXT
1. What thoughts or feelings did you have during this week’s sermon?
2. Read Jonah 4:1-3. What is the “this” in verse 1 Jonah is upset about (see 3:10)? How does Jonah describe God and why is he angry God has these attributes?
3. Read Jonah 4:4-10. What object lesson does God give to Jonah to get him to think about his right to be angry? What contrast does God draw in his explanation of the object lesson? If you were in Jonah’s shoes, how would you have responded?
4. How would you summarize the main lesson of the book of Jonah? What have you learned about yourself during this sermon series?
TAKE AWAY
What type of person or people group do you struggle to have compassion for? Take time to pray for one another that God would change your hearts toward them so you can be more like Jesus.