WEBVTT 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:11.099 Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:15.019 like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:18.100 slash connect. If you feel called to give, go 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.980 to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:23.920 any time you feel called to make a change in 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:29.399 your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:32.259 message. Good, good. So good to see a packed 00:00:32.259 --> 00:00:35.240 house. Before I jump into our talk today, two 00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:38.299 things. If you did not get a communion element 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:42.119 or you did not get a Sour Patch Kid, put your 00:00:42.119 --> 00:00:44.420 hand up now because that's all going to take 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:47.179 place at the end of our gathering. I don't want 00:00:47.179 --> 00:00:49.560 to interrupt the end of our gathering. So if 00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:52.259 you need communion and you need a Sour Patch 00:00:52.259 --> 00:00:54.719 Kid, I know it doesn't sound like it makes sense, 00:00:54.880 --> 00:00:58.100 but it will, I promise. Bear with me. Put your 00:00:58.100 --> 00:01:01.259 hands up. There you go. Our team will come around. 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:05.200 They're coming now. Mike Swain, a previous banana, 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:09.239 you know, we got it. So just keep it up. There 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:12.239 we go. All right, bring it back. That's not freedom 00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:15.019 to talk. Just put your hand up. All right. I 00:01:15.019 --> 00:01:17.379 don't want to be your teacher here. I don't want 00:01:17.379 --> 00:01:20.620 to be your teacher. I want to be your leader. 00:01:20.739 --> 00:01:22.920 All right. I want to share with you about Jonah. 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:27.359 All right. We also have a group. I want to let 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:29.560 everyone know. We also have a group of people 00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:32.640 leaving today for North Carolina. They're heading 00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:36.439 down for a week to serve and to repair houses 00:01:36.439 --> 00:01:39.040 that were destroyed a few years ago when all 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:41.299 the floods came through near the Asheville area. 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:43.519 So we have a whole team of people headed to North 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:46.840 Carolina for this week for construction. So if 00:01:46.840 --> 00:01:50.780 you could be praying for them, please do. And 00:01:50.780 --> 00:01:53.620 I'm going to open in prayer now as they're handing 00:01:53.620 --> 00:01:56.760 out all this stuff so that we can refocus and 00:01:56.760 --> 00:01:59.379 bring ourselves back. Is that cool? All right, 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:02.219 let's pray. Jesus, we invite you into this place. 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:05.959 Holy Spirit, come. God, open our minds, our hearts, 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:09.280 our ears to receive your truth today, God. May 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:11.939 we see a little of Jonah in all of us, God. May 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:15.180 we leave this place different and open us up, 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:18.360 God, to your truth this morning. And bless that 00:02:18.360 --> 00:02:20.400 van as they're heading to North Carolina, God. 00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:23.479 May they have just supernatural encounters with 00:02:23.479 --> 00:02:26.080 people. May we hear testimonies of all that you 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:28.569 did through their lives, not just serving, but 00:02:28.569 --> 00:02:31.270 pointing others to you. We're grateful, God, 00:02:31.389 --> 00:02:33.550 for all that you're doing in our community of 00:02:33.550 --> 00:02:37.689 faith. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, so for 00:02:37.689 --> 00:02:39.710 those of you that haven't been here, if you're 00:02:39.710 --> 00:02:41.650 new, welcome. We're glad you're here. We're in 00:02:41.650 --> 00:02:43.949 the fourth and final week of our series, God's 00:02:43.949 --> 00:02:47.990 Scandalous Mercy, A Journey Through Jonah. And 00:02:47.990 --> 00:02:50.509 if you have been here, I don't know about you, 00:02:50.569 --> 00:02:52.710 but this has been a great series thus far, right? 00:02:53.110 --> 00:02:56.960 Do you think so? I have learned so much about 00:02:56.960 --> 00:02:59.180 Jonah, but more importantly, I've learned a lot 00:02:59.180 --> 00:03:02.900 about myself. Today we'll be reading from the 00:03:02.900 --> 00:03:06.719 fourth and final chapter of the book. But before 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:11.139 we jump in, let's take a look at this recap that 00:03:11.139 --> 00:03:14.800 I found on YouTube from Jonah himself. Are you 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:18.719 ready? Let's watch. What's up, fam? Jonah here. 00:03:18.819 --> 00:03:22.960 So God said, go to Nineveh. Yeah, hard pass. 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:27.099 We're running. Wish me luck. Just booked a one 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:30.860 -way trip. Destination, not Nineveh. Let's see 00:03:30.860 --> 00:03:35.520 if this works. Okay, so, apparently there's a 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.340 huge storm up top. Me, I'm vibing down here. 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:40.900 Nap game strong. Hit subscribe for more travel 00:03:40.900 --> 00:03:45.000 updates. Turns out this storm, kind of my fault. 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:51.830 Should I just jump? Welp. Booked a trip to Tarshish. 00:03:52.090 --> 00:03:55.990 Now I'm getting unbooked. Overboard we go, I 00:03:55.990 --> 00:03:59.710 guess. See ya. So, quick update. Inside a giant 00:03:59.710 --> 00:04:02.590 fish now? Yep. Should've just listened to God. 00:04:02.750 --> 00:04:08.729 My bad, Lord. Super sorry. Lesson learned. Lord, 00:04:09.569 --> 00:04:16.430 I was wrong. Please forgive me. I will go to 00:04:16.430 --> 00:04:30.279 Nineveh. Just deliver me from this place. Okay 00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:34.560 update out of the fish alive praise God Nineveh 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:38.259 here I come after some serious cleanup All right 00:04:38.259 --> 00:04:42.500 in Nineveh about to preach Super excited. Can't 00:04:42.500 --> 00:04:50.699 you tell? Yeah, I mean either All right So Jonah 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:53.819 was called by God to go and preach the city of 00:04:53.819 --> 00:04:56.579 Nineveh. The Assyrian people were, of course, 00:04:56.660 --> 00:05:00.079 his sworn enemies. Jonah said, no, thank you. 00:05:00.379 --> 00:05:03.480 Booked a trip to Tarsus, more than 2 ,000 miles 00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:06.720 away from Nineveh. God sends a storm to stop 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:09.600 Jonah. The storm was so frightening that the 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:12.759 sailors, fearing their own lives, commit to following 00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:15.519 God and throw Jonah overboard to quiet the storm. 00:05:16.140 --> 00:05:18.560 Jonah then finds himself in the belly of a large 00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:21.259 fish for three days and three nights. He repents, 00:05:21.300 --> 00:05:25.139 and God has the fish vomit Jonah back on the 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:28.279 shore of Joppa. God speaks to Jonah a second 00:05:28.279 --> 00:05:30.860 time, and last week we learned that God is a 00:05:30.860 --> 00:05:33.620 God of second chances. He goes to Nineveh and 00:05:33.620 --> 00:05:36.160 preaches what could be the worst and shortest 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:41.000 sermon ever recorded. Five words, you are going 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:45.129 to burn. In one of the greatest miracles ever 00:05:45.129 --> 00:05:48.470 recorded in the Bible, God uses that sermon to 00:05:48.470 --> 00:05:51.050 convict the people. They all turn back to God 00:05:51.050 --> 00:05:54.009 from the least to the greatest. We see one of 00:05:54.009 --> 00:05:56.930 the greatest revivals in all of human history 00:05:56.930 --> 00:06:00.250 take place. And the people in the city of Nineveh 00:06:00.250 --> 00:06:03.329 celebrate God's mercy for giving them a second 00:06:03.329 --> 00:06:06.470 chance. And I believe if God can do that miracle 00:06:06.470 --> 00:06:09.730 in Nineveh, he can do it anywhere. Because God 00:06:09.730 --> 00:06:12.110 is a God of second chances. And as a community 00:06:12.110 --> 00:06:14.750 of faith, we believe that God wants to do the 00:06:14.750 --> 00:06:17.209 same thing through us in the tri -state area. 00:06:17.490 --> 00:06:21.110 We have a big God -sized vision to see the kingdom 00:06:21.110 --> 00:06:23.569 of God invade the hearts of people all the way 00:06:23.569 --> 00:06:26.730 from Virginia up into Pennsylvania. Just this 00:06:26.730 --> 00:06:30.110 year, we've nearly baptized 200 people and we 00:06:30.110 --> 00:06:32.069 are believing that many more will come in the 00:06:32.069 --> 00:06:34.569 coming months. But here is what is tough about 00:06:34.569 --> 00:06:37.810 the book of Jonah. If the story ended in revival, 00:06:38.569 --> 00:06:42.370 It would be perfect. It would be the Disney ending. 00:06:42.769 --> 00:06:45.189 Unfortunately, it doesn't end in celebration 00:06:45.189 --> 00:06:50.209 or revival. Jonah has one last plot twist, which 00:06:50.209 --> 00:06:52.790 leads us to our first thought. It's possible 00:06:52.790 --> 00:06:57.050 to follow God's commands and not reflect his 00:06:57.050 --> 00:07:00.449 love. Think about it. The whole nation, from 00:07:00.449 --> 00:07:04.379 the king, the richest... in the city to the very 00:07:04.379 --> 00:07:07.839 poorest turned to God. And how do you think Jonah 00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:10.980 responded? Well, Jonah was a preacher. He was 00:07:10.980 --> 00:07:14.399 similar to me. This national revival breaks out. 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:17.139 I can tell you right now that if everyone in 00:07:17.139 --> 00:07:20.279 this gathering turned and declared that Jesus 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:23.019 is their Lord and began following him, I would 00:07:23.019 --> 00:07:25.680 be celebrating and doing backflips. It would 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:28.519 be like hitting a walk -off home run in the bottom 00:07:28.519 --> 00:07:31.180 of the ninth inning for me personally. If all 00:07:31.180 --> 00:07:33.480 of you, Get me into a relationship with Jesus 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:35.980 today. It would be one of the greatest days that 00:07:35.980 --> 00:07:39.100 I've ever celebrated. But Jonah, Jonah preached. 00:07:39.399 --> 00:07:43.100 They repented. And what did he do? Well, let's 00:07:43.100 --> 00:07:47.259 learn. Jonah 4, 1 through 3. This change of plans 00:07:47.259 --> 00:07:53.500 greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. 00:07:54.259 --> 00:07:57.620 See, Jonah wasn't happy. Jonah wasn't worshiping, 00:07:57.620 --> 00:08:00.850 right? Everyone in Nineveh is celebrating. The 00:08:00.850 --> 00:08:03.490 Bible tells us that all the angels were celebrating. 00:08:03.810 --> 00:08:07.269 Even us today are declaring this is a miracle. 00:08:07.310 --> 00:08:09.990 We are celebrating the fact that hundreds of 00:08:09.990 --> 00:08:11.670 thousands of people came into a relationship 00:08:11.670 --> 00:08:14.589 with God, but not Jonah. Now the Hebrew word 00:08:14.589 --> 00:08:18.370 used for Jonah's reaction is the word ra. Everyone 00:08:18.370 --> 00:08:21.879 say ra. Doesn't that kind of sound angry? Right? 00:08:21.939 --> 00:08:25.720 It sounds negative. Well, ra is translated as 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:28.879 exceedingly evil. And it's actually the same 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:31.540 word God used to describe the Ninevites in chapter 00:08:31.540 --> 00:08:36.200 1. The Ninevites were ra, exceedingly evil. And 00:08:36.200 --> 00:08:40.399 now you see Jonah's reaction to God's mercy is 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:45.159 ra. And you begin to wonder, how can he have 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:48.000 that type of reaction? Let's continue. So now 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:51.000 he begins to complain to God. He complained to 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:53.179 the Lord about it. Didn't I say before I left 00:08:53.179 --> 00:08:56.059 home that you would do this, Lord? That is why 00:08:56.059 --> 00:08:58.799 I ran away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.840 merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:03.700 and filled with unfailing love. It's amazing. 00:09:04.179 --> 00:09:07.559 He's complaining about God's characteristics. 00:09:08.299 --> 00:09:11.159 The things that we celebrate, Jonah's what? He's 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:14.320 complaining about them. You are eager to turn 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:16.620 back from destroying people. Just kill me now, 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:20.240 Lord. I'd rather be dead than alive if what I 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:22.500 predicted will not happen. Now, after reading 00:09:22.500 --> 00:09:25.340 those words this week, I made it begin to thought 00:09:25.340 --> 00:09:28.220 about Jonah. It's like, really? I mean, this 00:09:28.220 --> 00:09:31.580 is God. And you're going to be upset and angry 00:09:31.580 --> 00:09:35.399 and screaming at God? And it's really easy for 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:38.259 us to throw shade at Jonah until we put ourselves 00:09:38.259 --> 00:09:40.860 in his shoes. And that's what I want to challenge 00:09:40.860 --> 00:09:43.289 you to do today. Remember in week one, I told 00:09:43.289 --> 00:09:45.710 you about the Ninevites, how they would rape 00:09:45.710 --> 00:09:47.570 the women, they would murder the kids, they would 00:09:47.570 --> 00:09:50.289 take over an entire area, they would kill the 00:09:50.289 --> 00:09:52.570 soldiers, putting their heads on top of the cities. 00:09:53.210 --> 00:09:55.629 Scholars tell us that it's possible, in fact, 00:09:55.629 --> 00:09:59.490 very likely, that some of Jonah's own family, 00:09:59.629 --> 00:10:01.669 possibly his mom and his dad, his grandparents, 00:10:02.009 --> 00:10:05.789 maybe some relatives, that they were tortured, 00:10:06.009 --> 00:10:08.529 killed, and murdered by the Ninevites or the 00:10:08.529 --> 00:10:11.299 Assyrians. So when we're looking at Jonah, we 00:10:11.299 --> 00:10:15.240 have to realize there's history, painful history. 00:10:15.799 --> 00:10:18.419 And we all need to acknowledge that Jonah eventually 00:10:18.419 --> 00:10:22.379 did what God asked him to do. God told him to 00:10:22.379 --> 00:10:24.860 go and preach to the Nevites. He did it. He did 00:10:24.860 --> 00:10:27.580 the will of God, but he wasn't happy about it. 00:10:27.940 --> 00:10:30.399 And what did he preach? 40 days from now, you 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:33.159 better turn or God will destroy you. And Jonah 00:10:33.159 --> 00:10:35.039 is simply showing us a problem that all of us 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:38.120 have. He shows us that it's possible for us to 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:41.220 follow God's commands and not reflect his love. 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:44.320 It's possible to do what God wants, but to do 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:47.659 it with the wrong attitude, with negativity and 00:10:47.659 --> 00:10:50.440 wrong motives. And it could be any number of 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:54.320 different ways in our life as we are in a relationship 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:57.820 with Jesus. I've seen it greatly in the church 00:10:57.820 --> 00:11:03.019 when it comes to money. Once a year, I do a three 00:11:03.019 --> 00:11:06.059 to four week series on money and giving and tithing, 00:11:06.100 --> 00:11:09.860 and it's constantly pushback, pushback, pushback. 00:11:10.220 --> 00:11:13.740 Does God really tell us to deal with money? And 00:11:13.740 --> 00:11:15.919 then he convicts us, and then we give a little, 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:17.980 but we don't really want to, and then we're upset 00:11:17.980 --> 00:11:20.980 at the messenger. It's Chris's fault. You're 00:11:20.980 --> 00:11:23.320 justifying tithing. It really isn't biblical. 00:11:23.419 --> 00:11:26.779 Jesus never spoke about it. Then begrudgingly, 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:29.820 Right? To clear our conscience, we throw a $20 00:11:29.820 --> 00:11:32.220 bill in. You know, it's a hard issue, church. 00:11:32.820 --> 00:11:35.779 I talk about it because Jesus talked about money 00:11:35.779 --> 00:11:38.659 nearly more than anything else when it comes 00:11:38.659 --> 00:11:40.980 to topics because he knew that money was the 00:11:40.980 --> 00:11:43.840 closest thing to our hearts. Or it comes to service. 00:11:44.100 --> 00:11:46.580 I challenged all of you last week, serve in our 00:11:46.580 --> 00:11:49.929 community of faith. Give your time, right? And 00:11:49.929 --> 00:11:51.889 maybe you are here and you're serving and you're 00:11:51.889 --> 00:11:53.809 committing your life to serving and you're serving 00:11:53.809 --> 00:11:55.970 in the kids or the welcome team, whatever it 00:11:55.970 --> 00:11:58.450 may be, but what's your home life like? Are you 00:11:58.450 --> 00:12:00.470 being harsh and negative at home, but being happy 00:12:00.470 --> 00:12:03.470 and smiling here? Or it could be the exact opposite 00:12:03.470 --> 00:12:05.730 saying, okay, God, I'll go to church. I'll go 00:12:05.730 --> 00:12:07.789 to church. I'll show up, but I don't have time 00:12:07.789 --> 00:12:10.149 to serve. I'll go to church, but someone else 00:12:10.149 --> 00:12:11.970 can take care of my kids. I'll go to church, 00:12:12.029 --> 00:12:14.350 but I can't show up early and high five people. 00:12:15.169 --> 00:12:17.309 Or then it's the other factor where we judge 00:12:17.309 --> 00:12:20.120 others because of their big sins. while we harbor 00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:22.299 pride and bitterness and prejudice in our own 00:12:22.299 --> 00:12:25.039 hearts. You know, God knows our hearts, church. 00:12:25.159 --> 00:12:26.940 He knows our attitudes. He knows everything that 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:30.200 goes in and out of our mouth, what we say, what 00:12:30.200 --> 00:12:32.960 we think. And he's challenging us to get real 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:36.820 before him, to identify ourselves, that there's 00:12:36.820 --> 00:12:39.519 times in our life where we serve, yes, where 00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:41.460 we do the things of God, but our heart is just 00:12:41.460 --> 00:12:44.059 in the wrong place. And when it comes to love, 00:12:44.279 --> 00:12:46.919 1 John 4, 8 and 20 says, but anyone who does 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:48.919 not love does not know God, for God is love. 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:51.519 If someone says, I love God, but hates a fellow 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:54.179 believer, that person is a liar. For if we don't 00:12:54.179 --> 00:12:56.720 love people, we can see how can we love God whom 00:12:56.720 --> 00:13:01.000 we cannot see. It's possible to follow God's 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:04.559 commands and not reflect his love. And the story 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:07.000 continues, which leads us to our second thought. 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:10.379 Selfishness and unforgiveness lead us away from 00:13:10.379 --> 00:13:13.019 God. Jonah chapter four, verses four through 00:13:13.019 --> 00:13:15.500 five, the Lord replied, is it right for you to 00:13:15.500 --> 00:13:19.240 be angry about this? Then Jonah went out to the 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:21.559 east side of the city and made a shelter to sit 00:13:21.559 --> 00:13:23.779 under as he waited to see what would happen to 00:13:23.779 --> 00:13:26.820 the city. So picture this. Jonah preaches one 00:13:26.820 --> 00:13:28.899 of the worst sermons ever recorded. He gets out 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:32.700 of town, leaves town, goes up on a hill east 00:13:32.700 --> 00:13:36.259 of the city, and he's hoping that the city will 00:13:36.259 --> 00:13:38.820 be destroyed. And it's interesting that this 00:13:38.820 --> 00:13:41.500 very specific direction is in the Bible. One 00:13:41.500 --> 00:13:44.460 more time. Which direction did Jonah go? East. 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:46.600 He went east. And this is important because in 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:50.200 the Bible, anyone who travels east, this is often 00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:53.000 a picture or represents moving towards exile 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:56.159 and bondage. Many times in the Bible, when someone 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:58.980 travels east, they're moving away from God's 00:13:58.980 --> 00:14:01.720 will because of selfishness and unforgiveness. 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:04.279 Let's look at a few examples. You got Adam and 00:14:04.279 --> 00:14:08.139 Eve in Genesis 3, 24. After sending them out 00:14:08.139 --> 00:14:11.299 of the garden, The Lord God stationed mighty 00:14:11.299 --> 00:14:14.960 cherubim, notice where, to the east of the Garden 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:17.860 of Eden so that they would not come back in. 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:22.220 Genesis 4, 16. So Cain left the Lord's presence 00:14:22.220 --> 00:14:24.559 after killing Abel, and notice where he settled, 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:28.840 in the land of Nod, which was the east of Eden. 00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:32.159 Genesis 13. Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:35.360 Valley to the east. east of them. He went there 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:37.860 with his flocks and servants, but the people 00:14:37.860 --> 00:14:40.279 of this area, notice, were extremely wicked and 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:43.019 constantly sinning against the Lord. Ezekiel 00:14:43.019 --> 00:14:45.399 chapter 8, then he brought me into the inner 00:14:45.399 --> 00:14:47.559 courtyard of the Lord's temple at the entrance 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:50.220 to the sanctuary between the entry room and the 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:52.919 bronze altar. There were about 25 men with their 00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:55.120 backs to the sanctuary of the Lord. They were 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:59.259 facing east, bowing low to the ground and worshiping 00:14:59.259 --> 00:15:03.200 not the Lord but the Son. What did Jonah do? 00:15:04.440 --> 00:15:08.740 He didn't obey God. Then he listened to God with 00:15:08.740 --> 00:15:11.639 impure motives. And then he finds himself going 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:16.419 east, probably because we now know he's not trusting 00:15:16.419 --> 00:15:19.080 God again. And this is where it gets personal. 00:15:19.419 --> 00:15:22.559 Jonah was a prophet. and he claimed to follow 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:24.840 God. All throughout the book, if you were to 00:15:24.840 --> 00:15:26.860 read the four chapters, you can read that Jonah 00:15:26.860 --> 00:15:30.120 called God his Lord and the Lord. He believed 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:32.960 in God, but in this case, he turned his back 00:15:32.960 --> 00:15:37.120 to God. He moved away from him. God, I claim 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:39.139 you and your ways, but once again, he turned 00:15:39.139 --> 00:15:42.500 his back toward God, hoping that God would destroy 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:46.220 the city. And it's not uncommon to see that in 00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:48.580 the church today, unfortunately. People will 00:15:48.580 --> 00:15:51.220 say, hey, Jesus saved me. And they know him by 00:15:51.220 --> 00:15:53.779 name, but they have not made him Lord of their 00:15:53.779 --> 00:15:56.700 life. Meaning they want to remain in control 00:15:56.700 --> 00:15:59.299 of their own life. They want to do what they 00:15:59.299 --> 00:16:01.100 want. They don't want to submit to God's authority. 00:16:01.620 --> 00:16:04.919 And this is not God's best. Because simply when 00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:06.639 people do that, they're saying that we believe 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:09.259 in Jesus. We love Jesus with our spoken words, 00:16:09.460 --> 00:16:12.940 but our actions simply don't line up. Our lives 00:16:12.940 --> 00:16:16.940 are not producing good fruit. And Jesus said 00:16:16.940 --> 00:16:19.789 this, one day people are going to be like, Hey, 00:16:19.850 --> 00:16:21.809 I called on you, Jesus. I did these works in 00:16:21.809 --> 00:16:23.929 your name. I went to church in your name, God. 00:16:24.190 --> 00:16:27.269 I did all these things, Jesus. And Jesus will 00:16:27.269 --> 00:16:32.509 look back and say, I've never known you. Because 00:16:32.509 --> 00:16:35.190 they personally haven't made him Lord of their 00:16:35.190 --> 00:16:38.570 life. They haven't prioritized that relationship 00:16:38.570 --> 00:16:42.950 Monday through Saturday. And unfortunately, I 00:16:42.950 --> 00:16:46.110 wonder if there's anybody here, and I can pastorally 00:16:46.110 --> 00:16:49.429 say, I love you, and that's why I'm saying this. 00:16:49.809 --> 00:16:53.450 Do you claim God with your lips, but you live 00:16:53.450 --> 00:16:56.009 with your back towards him? And the good news 00:16:56.009 --> 00:17:00.909 is simply this. All you have to do is turn. That's 00:17:00.909 --> 00:17:03.210 all God is inviting you to. He's inviting you 00:17:03.210 --> 00:17:07.509 back to himself. So here we got Jonah, and I'm 00:17:07.509 --> 00:17:09.309 actually starting to understand him a little. 00:17:10.089 --> 00:17:12.390 And the reason I'm understanding him is because 00:17:12.390 --> 00:17:15.640 I see a little bit of Jonah in myself. What is 00:17:15.640 --> 00:17:18.259 Jonah ultimately doing in this situation? He's 00:17:18.259 --> 00:17:20.920 throwing a tantrum. He's acting like a child. 00:17:21.299 --> 00:17:23.279 And if you're anything like me, we're all the 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:26.359 same way. We get frustrated. We get aggravated. 00:17:26.359 --> 00:17:29.339 Things don't go our way. And then we get negative 00:17:29.339 --> 00:17:32.440 and spew venom at the people we love. We make 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:36.380 judgments and we say things we regret. He was 00:17:36.380 --> 00:17:38.779 hurting. He was frustrated. He's mad. He's uncomfortable. 00:17:39.299 --> 00:17:42.829 Things were not going his way. And now he finds 00:17:42.829 --> 00:17:46.170 himself baking in the hot sun, which leads us 00:17:46.170 --> 00:17:49.150 to our next thought. Humanity wants God's blessings, 00:17:49.230 --> 00:17:53.089 but pushes back on God's growth. Jonah chapter 00:17:53.089 --> 00:17:55.809 four, verse six. And the Lord God arranged for 00:17:55.809 --> 00:17:58.569 a leafy plant to grow there. And soon it spread 00:17:58.569 --> 00:18:01.029 its broad leaves over Jonah's head, shading him 00:18:01.029 --> 00:18:04.609 from the sun. This eased his discomfort. And 00:18:04.609 --> 00:18:07.589 Jonah noticed now how he changes his attitude 00:18:07.589 --> 00:18:12.910 was very. grateful for the plant. So first God 00:18:12.910 --> 00:18:15.690 provides a fish to save Jonah from the sea. Now 00:18:15.690 --> 00:18:18.009 God provides a plant to cover him, and he was 00:18:18.009 --> 00:18:23.049 very happy, extremely grateful. And the Hebrew 00:18:23.049 --> 00:18:27.430 word used here was the word weizma, and it means 00:18:27.430 --> 00:18:31.430 to rejoice greatly or exceedingly overjoyed. 00:18:31.809 --> 00:18:34.789 In other words, this isn't like finding $20 in 00:18:34.789 --> 00:18:36.930 your pants pocket. I mean, that's a good day 00:18:36.930 --> 00:18:41.059 that we can smile about. But the word used here 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:43.700 in the Hebrew, Jonah was celebrating that he 00:18:43.700 --> 00:18:46.619 won the lottery. That's the type of joy he was 00:18:46.619 --> 00:18:49.839 experiencing. He was exceedingly overjoyed. And 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:53.559 why was he happy? Because of God's blessings. 00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:57.940 God sent a plant to shade him from the sun and 00:18:57.940 --> 00:19:01.299 he was happy. Not. Not because of the people 00:19:01.299 --> 00:19:03.880 that turned to God. Not because of the hundreds 00:19:03.880 --> 00:19:06.500 and thousands of people that were saved because 00:19:06.500 --> 00:19:11.880 of God's mercy. It was all about him. And that's 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:14.440 the part that makes me uncomfortable because 00:19:14.440 --> 00:19:17.819 that's me. Jonah loves receiving God's blessings, 00:19:17.900 --> 00:19:22.420 but notice what he's doing. God's going to now 00:19:22.420 --> 00:19:25.680 teach him a lesson. Jesus is the good teacher. 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:29.160 God wants us to grow, but sometimes allowing 00:19:29.160 --> 00:19:31.180 us to walk through the wilderness and tests. 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:34.380 God is about to give Jonah an object lesson. 00:19:35.220 --> 00:19:38.799 And Jonah didn't like the lessons. He's like 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:42.440 many of us. He wants to skip the lessons and 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:45.019 get right to what? Get right to the blessings. 00:19:45.339 --> 00:19:48.059 Give me the blessings, God, but I'm not ready 00:19:48.059 --> 00:19:50.940 to change. Jonah 4, 7 through 8, but God also 00:19:50.940 --> 00:19:53.240 arranged for a worm. The next morning at dawn, 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:55.809 the worm ate through the stem of the plant. and 00:19:55.809 --> 00:19:58.509 it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God 00:19:58.509 --> 00:20:02.809 arranged for a scorching notice, east wind, negativity, 00:20:03.150 --> 00:20:06.589 frustration to blow on Jonah, the sun be down 00:20:06.589 --> 00:20:08.390 on his head until he grew faint and wished to 00:20:08.390 --> 00:20:11.869 die. Death is certainly better than living like 00:20:11.869 --> 00:20:14.930 this, he exclaimed. So what is happening? Jonah 00:20:14.930 --> 00:20:17.930 is having a pity party. He's throwing another 00:20:17.930 --> 00:20:21.170 tantrum. And in our eyes, we're thinking, this 00:20:21.170 --> 00:20:25.099 is pathetic. And as you read this story, We're 00:20:25.099 --> 00:20:28.259 so quick to criticize. But it's incredible that 00:20:28.259 --> 00:20:30.599 the Bible includes all these details about his 00:20:30.599 --> 00:20:33.220 emotions. It's very real. I mean, think about 00:20:33.220 --> 00:20:35.920 it. Jonah's all over the place. He's up. He's 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:38.059 down. He's happy. He's sad. He's celebrating. 00:20:38.180 --> 00:20:42.880 He's angry. He's worshiping. He's praising. He's 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:47.359 screaming at God. He's all over the place. I 00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:50.000 don't know about you, but I can be just like 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:52.619 that. In fact, while studying the book of Jonah, 00:20:52.680 --> 00:20:55.700 there's now expert research done on his personality 00:20:55.700 --> 00:20:59.380 that measured historic Jonah against today's 00:20:59.380 --> 00:21:02.759 personality types and different mindsets. Now, 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:04.740 what I want you to do is I read these three different 00:21:04.740 --> 00:21:07.160 mindsets and approaches. See if you identify 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:10.099 with any of these behaviors. The first one is 00:21:10.099 --> 00:21:13.119 this. He had erratic mood swings ranging from 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:16.880 courageous obedience. to extreme dissatisfaction 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:19.660 and anger, suggesting underlying frustration 00:21:19.660 --> 00:21:24.779 and the need to control. I know that's none of 00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:27.700 you, but I'll put a check for me. The next one 00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:31.259 is this. He had entitlement issues, focusing 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:33.720 on his own views of justice and expecting God 00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:36.339 and others to operate within his parameters. 00:21:37.220 --> 00:21:41.220 The things that make you go, hmm. The third one, 00:21:41.400 --> 00:21:44.720 he had depressive symptoms manifesting from feelings 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:46.980 of burnout, sadness, anger, and hopelessness. 00:21:47.339 --> 00:21:50.039 I don't know about you, but I just checked all 00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:53.700 three boxes. It's so easy to criticize this guy's 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:56.940 emotional tantrums and drama. I get it. We're 00:21:56.940 --> 00:21:59.339 reading the story. But if we're honest and admit 00:21:59.339 --> 00:22:03.440 it, we are just like Jonah. I can obey God with 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:05.960 great faith one moment and then ignore God and 00:22:05.960 --> 00:22:08.869 do my own thing the next. I can be in the presence 00:22:08.869 --> 00:22:11.269 of God, worshiping him passionately, authentically, 00:22:11.309 --> 00:22:14.430 with heartfelt song and dance on a Sunday morning. 00:22:14.529 --> 00:22:17.309 And then Monday, I can be apathetic, even act 00:22:17.309 --> 00:22:21.650 like he doesn't even exist. I can be completely 00:22:21.650 --> 00:22:23.849 obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, 00:22:24.009 --> 00:22:26.650 praying for someone, seeing signs, wonders, and 00:22:26.650 --> 00:22:29.450 miracles break out as I pray. And the next day, 00:22:29.490 --> 00:22:31.549 God prompts me to do the exact same thing. And 00:22:31.549 --> 00:22:33.269 I say, no, that's the devil. I don't have time 00:22:33.269 --> 00:22:38.259 for that. We hate the lessons. But we sure do 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:42.599 love the blessings. All of us can relate. It's 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:44.400 kind of like these two plants from that object 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:46.680 lesson. We can look at them and say, oh, this 00:22:46.680 --> 00:22:48.519 is definitely God's blessings. It's healthy. 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:52.559 It's plentiful. It's growing. Oh, this is God's 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:57.019 temptings. This is God's tests. This is God's 00:22:57.019 --> 00:23:01.920 wilderness. But what if we flip the script? And 00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:04.099 what if we said that abundant life is obedience? 00:23:05.169 --> 00:23:08.829 abundant life as walking through tests and seeing 00:23:08.829 --> 00:23:11.730 us come out stronger on the other side. When 00:23:11.730 --> 00:23:14.230 in reality, when we focus on self and selfishness, 00:23:14.390 --> 00:23:17.509 we're a dead, dying, withered plant that can 00:23:17.509 --> 00:23:20.849 go nowhere. That's why James 1, 2 through 4 says, 00:23:21.009 --> 00:23:23.150 Dear brothers and sisters, when trouble of any 00:23:23.150 --> 00:23:25.170 kind comes your way, consider it an opportunity 00:23:25.170 --> 00:23:29.910 for great joy. Not just joy, but great joy. Why? 00:23:30.109 --> 00:23:31.930 Because you know that when your faith is tested, 00:23:32.049 --> 00:23:35.400 your endurance has a chance to Grow. So let it 00:23:35.400 --> 00:23:37.420 grow. And when your endurance is fully developed, 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:40.539 you will be perfect and complete, needing absolutely 00:23:40.539 --> 00:23:45.220 nothing. Let's all learn from Jonah on what not 00:23:45.220 --> 00:23:48.599 to do when God wants us to grow and change, which 00:23:48.599 --> 00:23:50.480 I believe he wants us to do every single day. 00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:55.019 Let's be grateful and joyful because as we walk 00:23:55.019 --> 00:23:57.740 through those testings, we receive God's blessings, 00:23:57.819 --> 00:24:00.599 which leads us to our fourth thought. Getting 00:24:00.599 --> 00:24:03.549 a second chance is easier than giving. A second 00:24:03.549 --> 00:24:06.569 chance. Jonah 4, 9 through 11. Then God said 00:24:06.569 --> 00:24:08.509 to Jonah, is it right for you to be angry because 00:24:08.509 --> 00:24:12.670 the plant died? Yes, Jonah retorted. Even angry 00:24:12.670 --> 00:24:15.490 enough to die. Then the Lord said, you feel sorry 00:24:15.490 --> 00:24:17.509 about the plant that you did nothing to put it 00:24:17.509 --> 00:24:19.890 there. It came quickly and died quickly. But 00:24:19.890 --> 00:24:22.289 Nineveh has more than 120 ,000 people living 00:24:22.289 --> 00:24:24.809 in spiritual darkness. Not to mention all the 00:24:24.809 --> 00:24:26.849 animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great 00:24:26.849 --> 00:24:29.539 city? And see, what is being exposed through 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:33.200 Jonah's actions is a deeply seated racism and 00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:35.700 hatred that Jonah had towards his enemies, the 00:24:35.700 --> 00:24:39.059 Assyrians. And I get it. The Assyrians were a 00:24:39.059 --> 00:24:42.519 brutal group of people, the type of people that 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:45.940 if they were alive today and we saw their actions 00:24:45.940 --> 00:24:48.759 on the news and their evil, I believe that many 00:24:48.759 --> 00:24:51.339 of us would pray for God to intervene, for God 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:53.539 to get rid of them. But here's the issue when 00:24:53.539 --> 00:24:57.150 God intervenes. It may not be the way we want 00:24:57.150 --> 00:25:00.930 him to move. Remember, God is using Jonah as 00:25:00.930 --> 00:25:03.869 a mirror to reflect issues in our heart. And 00:25:03.869 --> 00:25:07.029 the reality is all of us have those people in 00:25:07.029 --> 00:25:10.769 our lives. It may not be the Assyrians, but who 00:25:10.769 --> 00:25:13.369 are those people in your life that God is calling 00:25:13.369 --> 00:25:16.509 you to give them a second chance? See, maybe 00:25:16.509 --> 00:25:18.589 these people, they dress a little different. 00:25:18.750 --> 00:25:20.930 Maybe they talk different, look different, vote 00:25:20.930 --> 00:25:23.650 different than you. Maybe it's people that sin 00:25:23.650 --> 00:25:27.119 different than you. Right? I sin, but not how 00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:29.940 they sin. Maybe it's someone that has hurt you 00:25:29.940 --> 00:25:32.420 in the past. A parent that wasn't there for you 00:25:32.420 --> 00:25:34.559 as you grew up when you needed them the most. 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:36.640 Maybe it was a friend that betrayed you or a 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:39.539 spouse that said for better or worse, but apparently 00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:43.299 didn't mean it. The book of Jonah is causing 00:25:43.299 --> 00:25:45.799 us to look in the mirror and that mirror is looking 00:25:45.799 --> 00:25:49.160 back at ourselves saying, who is it in your life 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:51.039 that you're harboring bitterness and unforgiveness? 00:25:52.039 --> 00:25:54.299 And isn't it true that it's much easier to be 00:25:54.299 --> 00:25:57.359 forgiven by God than to extend forgiveness to 00:25:57.359 --> 00:26:00.680 those that have hurt us? Jonah, we see it. He's 00:26:00.680 --> 00:26:04.319 wrestling with God. He's now angry. He's angry 00:26:04.319 --> 00:26:06.799 that God extended mercy to a group of people. 00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:10.440 We saw that Jonah knew God's character. He knew 00:26:10.440 --> 00:26:13.619 that God would forgive. And friends, in today's 00:26:13.619 --> 00:26:15.720 world of social media and news, we're constantly 00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:18.460 bombarded with opportunities for our hearts to 00:26:18.460 --> 00:26:21.460 be corrupted with hate. judgment, and unforgiveness 00:26:21.460 --> 00:26:24.740 towards others. Jonah didn't have an issue with 00:26:24.740 --> 00:26:26.799 receiving a second chance from God. We see it 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:29.099 all through his life. But he did have an issue 00:26:29.099 --> 00:26:32.460 with giving a second chance to others. And we 00:26:32.460 --> 00:26:34.339 have to realize that all of us have a little 00:26:34.339 --> 00:26:37.059 hypocrite in our hearts. How do I know that? 00:26:37.859 --> 00:26:40.519 Brene Brown writes this in her book. I thought 00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:44.839 it was just me. The biggest potential for helping 00:26:44.839 --> 00:26:49.119 us overcome shame is this. We are those people. 00:26:49.740 --> 00:26:53.660 Truth is, we are the others. Most of us are one 00:26:53.660 --> 00:26:56.579 paycheck, one divorce, one drug -addicted kid, 00:26:56.700 --> 00:26:58.920 one mental health illness, one sexual assault, 00:26:59.019 --> 00:27:01.640 one drinking binge, one night of unprotected 00:27:01.640 --> 00:27:04.420 sex, one affair away from being those people, 00:27:04.579 --> 00:27:07.619 the ones we don't trust, the ones we pity, the 00:27:07.619 --> 00:27:09.640 ones we don't let our kids play with, the ones 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:12.819 bad things happen to, the ones we don't want 00:27:12.819 --> 00:27:16.900 living next door. What is she saying to all of 00:27:16.900 --> 00:27:19.640 us? We're quick to see the faults in others, 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:22.839 but so easily the myths false in our own life. 00:27:23.480 --> 00:27:25.720 We judge others by what they do, but we judge 00:27:25.720 --> 00:27:28.700 ourselves by our motives. We judge others by 00:27:28.700 --> 00:27:30.640 what they do, but we extend grace to ourselves 00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:33.640 when we need it after making a bad decision, 00:27:33.819 --> 00:27:37.500 choice, or reaction. And Jesus warns us in Matthew 00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:40.940 chapter 7, why worry about a speck in your friend's 00:27:40.940 --> 00:27:44.319 eye when you have a log in your own? How can 00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:46.400 you think of saying to your friend, let me help 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:48.480 you get rid of that speck in your eye when you 00:27:48.480 --> 00:27:50.980 can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite. 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:53.599 Get rid of the log in your own eye, then you 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:55.619 will see well enough to deal with the speck in 00:27:55.619 --> 00:27:58.319 your friend's eyes. And when it comes to God 00:27:58.319 --> 00:28:05.240 giving grace, it's our decision. The fact that 00:28:05.240 --> 00:28:07.160 we even think that we're capable of making that 00:28:07.160 --> 00:28:11.319 judgment shows that we're hypocritical. and shows 00:28:11.319 --> 00:28:14.380 that we have no business harboring unforgiveness 00:28:14.380 --> 00:28:18.960 and anger towards others. Jonah's story is our 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:22.019 story. And that's why it makes it difficult to 00:28:22.019 --> 00:28:23.920 read, which leads us to our fifth and final thought. 00:28:24.299 --> 00:28:30.559 God is for us, but not just us. God is challenging 00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:32.380 us through the book of Jonah to see that God 00:28:32.380 --> 00:28:36.460 is a God for all people. He is the God of creation. 00:28:37.150 --> 00:28:39.309 And this book is challenging us to see that we 00:28:39.309 --> 00:28:41.890 cannot allow our prejudices nor our politics 00:28:41.890 --> 00:28:45.809 to determine who God can and can't love. It's 00:28:45.809 --> 00:28:49.049 for us. God is not just for us. He is for all 00:28:49.049 --> 00:28:51.829 people, and he desires to see all people come 00:28:51.829 --> 00:28:54.890 into a loving relationship with him. We read 00:28:54.890 --> 00:28:57.250 in Jonah 4 .11, but Nineveh has more than 120 00:28:57.250 --> 00:29:01.609 ,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not 00:29:01.609 --> 00:29:04.589 to mention all the animals. Should not feel sorry 00:29:04.589 --> 00:29:07.960 for such a great city. I mean, you see God challenging 00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:13.019 Jonah, open your eyes. This is truth. There were 00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:15.700 people in that great city that were not committing 00:29:15.700 --> 00:29:18.400 the horrible atrocities that the soldiers are 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:21.400 doing and have done to the Israelites. And that's 00:29:21.400 --> 00:29:23.599 why Jesus taught us in Matthew 5, you have heard 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:26.079 the law that says, love your neighbor and hate 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:29.980 your enemy. But I say, Jesus says, love your 00:29:29.980 --> 00:29:32.460 enemies and pray for those who persecute you. 00:29:33.289 --> 00:29:35.970 Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6, 12, we are not 00:29:35.970 --> 00:29:38.750 fighting against flesh and blood enemies. Let 00:29:38.750 --> 00:29:41.150 me read that again. We are not fighting against 00:29:41.150 --> 00:29:43.349 flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers 00:29:43.349 --> 00:29:45.470 and authorities in the unseen world, against 00:29:45.470 --> 00:29:47.470 mighty powers in this dark world, and against 00:29:47.470 --> 00:29:50.089 evil spirits in the heavenly places. And remember, 00:29:50.170 --> 00:29:53.029 when Paul wrote those words, it wasn't theoretical. 00:29:53.569 --> 00:29:56.269 Jesus' followers were being stoned, murdered, 00:29:56.529 --> 00:30:00.369 imprisoned, and persecuted. Yet Paul says, if 00:30:00.369 --> 00:30:03.650 they are flesh and blood, And even if they're 00:30:03.650 --> 00:30:06.829 hurting you, God is for them. God is for those 00:30:06.829 --> 00:30:11.990 people. Translation, if your enemy is made of 00:30:11.990 --> 00:30:15.829 flesh and blood, they are not your enemy. They 00:30:15.829 --> 00:30:19.029 are not your enemy. And I wanted to make this 00:30:19.029 --> 00:30:21.650 as real as possible for all of us living in 2026 00:30:21.650 --> 00:30:24.349 in the United States of America. I'm going to 00:30:24.349 --> 00:30:27.250 flip some images up on the screen. And as you 00:30:27.250 --> 00:30:30.230 see these images, see how your heart responds. 00:30:30.410 --> 00:30:34.299 Let's look at our first one. The person in that 00:30:34.299 --> 00:30:40.240 car driving is not your enemy. Even if they cut 00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:43.039 you off and even if they're driving slow in the 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:47.359 left -hand lane, they are not your enemy. The 00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:50.319 same person that goes through the express lane 00:30:50.319 --> 00:30:53.539 with a cart full of groceries, they are not your 00:30:53.539 --> 00:30:57.279 enemy. They're not your enemy. I mean, they're 00:30:57.279 --> 00:31:00.500 not thinking clearly, but they're still not your 00:31:00.500 --> 00:31:05.589 enemy. To keep it going, HCV, these people are 00:31:05.589 --> 00:31:14.430 not your enemies. They're really easy to hate, 00:31:14.529 --> 00:31:19.009 but they're still not your enemies. Let's keep 00:31:19.009 --> 00:31:22.130 it going. The rich and powerful in our world 00:31:22.130 --> 00:31:25.529 are not your enemies. And they're also not your 00:31:25.529 --> 00:31:28.269 saviors. But you also have to remember, it's 00:31:28.269 --> 00:31:31.230 not just the rich and the powerful. It's the... 00:31:31.640 --> 00:31:36.079 It's the politicians. They are not your enemies. 00:31:36.359 --> 00:31:40.519 And it's not just them. This group is not your 00:31:40.519 --> 00:31:44.539 enemies. They are flesh and blood. But unfortunately, 00:31:44.680 --> 00:31:48.839 in our current political culture, there is deep 00:31:48.839 --> 00:31:52.140 division and hatred between both. And we can't 00:31:52.140 --> 00:31:55.920 allow that deep division and hatred to enter 00:31:55.920 --> 00:31:59.440 into our hearts. In the same way, these people 00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:08.579 are not. We cannot allow CNN and Fox News to 00:32:08.579 --> 00:32:12.279 tell us who we can love and hate. God determines 00:32:12.279 --> 00:32:16.759 who we love. Therefore, these people aren't your 00:32:16.759 --> 00:32:23.519 enemies. Next slide. Thank you. And if it's not 00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:26.579 these people, it's not these people either. Neither 00:32:26.579 --> 00:32:30.470 one of them are your enemies. If they are made 00:32:30.470 --> 00:32:33.269 of flesh and blood, they are not our enemies. 00:32:33.529 --> 00:32:36.569 And we have to stop allowing politics and prejudice 00:32:36.569 --> 00:32:43.210 determine who and how we love. And listen. And 00:32:43.210 --> 00:32:51.509 listen, if any of those images made you feel 00:32:51.509 --> 00:32:55.150 uncomfortable in any way, then the book of Jonah 00:32:55.150 --> 00:32:59.079 is for you and me. And God is saying, I am a 00:32:59.079 --> 00:33:01.480 God of all humanity and desire that all people 00:33:01.480 --> 00:33:03.759 come into a relationship with me. Because we 00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:06.579 have to remember Romans 5 .10. For since our 00:33:06.579 --> 00:33:09.420 friendship with God was restored by the death 00:33:09.420 --> 00:33:12.740 of his son, while we were still his enemies, 00:33:12.920 --> 00:33:16.140 we will certainly be saved through the life of 00:33:16.140 --> 00:33:21.940 his son. We used to be enemies with God. And 00:33:21.940 --> 00:33:25.450 now I'm God's friend. And therefore, we are challenged 00:33:25.450 --> 00:33:29.289 to allow our hearts to be friends with all people 00:33:29.289 --> 00:33:32.029 throughout the world, which leads us to ponder, 00:33:32.109 --> 00:33:34.450 what is God trying to show us through Jonah? 00:33:34.730 --> 00:33:38.329 Well, it's one simple truth. Church, we need 00:33:38.329 --> 00:33:43.789 to choose to forgive. We need to choose to forgive. 00:33:44.210 --> 00:33:46.829 Jonah chapter 4 verse 11, but Nineveh has more 00:33:46.829 --> 00:33:49.930 than 120 ,000 people living in spiritual darkness. 00:33:50.759 --> 00:33:53.240 Not to mention all the animals. Should not feel 00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:55.960 sorry for such a great city. Now, hear me out. 00:33:55.980 --> 00:33:59.680 Many scholars believe that that number that God 00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:02.099 is referencing there is the number of innocent 00:34:02.099 --> 00:34:04.380 women and children that were alive currently 00:34:04.380 --> 00:34:06.980 in Nineveh. Remember, that city had more than 00:34:06.980 --> 00:34:10.840 600 ,000 people, and God is calling Jonah back 00:34:10.840 --> 00:34:13.340 to his heart. He's saying, you have to come back 00:34:13.340 --> 00:34:16.420 to my heart. Jonah was so angry that he wanted 00:34:16.420 --> 00:34:19.179 to die, and God is trying to show him that bitterness 00:34:19.179 --> 00:34:22.300 and unforgiveness is literally killing him from 00:34:22.300 --> 00:34:25.920 the inside out. And it's been said that holding 00:34:25.920 --> 00:34:29.019 on to bitterness and unforgiveness is like lighting 00:34:29.019 --> 00:34:31.579 yourself on fire and hoping the smoke annoys 00:34:31.579 --> 00:34:36.360 the person next to you. Bitterness and unforgiveness 00:34:36.360 --> 00:34:41.789 only hurt you and me. Does it make us any better 00:34:41.789 --> 00:34:43.730 to hold on to anger and unforgiveness toward 00:34:43.730 --> 00:34:47.349 that parent or spouse? No. It just makes us angry 00:34:47.349 --> 00:34:50.349 towards our own children. Is the rage and negativity 00:34:50.349 --> 00:34:52.789 toward a coworker or classmate or boss making 00:34:52.789 --> 00:34:56.250 us a better person? No. It's just making us not 00:34:56.250 --> 00:34:59.389 good at our job. So what I want to do for you 00:34:59.389 --> 00:35:01.530 is I want to give you a simple example. Many 00:35:01.530 --> 00:35:04.429 of you were giving a Sour Patch Kid on the way 00:35:04.429 --> 00:35:08.340 in. Please open up your pack right now. If you 00:35:08.340 --> 00:35:10.460 did not get one, there's like six Sour Patch 00:35:10.460 --> 00:35:12.739 Kids in that pack. Give it to your neighbor, 00:35:12.860 --> 00:35:16.559 okay? Because Chris made a foolish mistake of 00:35:16.559 --> 00:35:19.599 purchasing Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish. 00:35:19.900 --> 00:35:22.099 The Swedish Fish, unfortunately, aren't sour, 00:35:22.260 --> 00:35:25.179 so I just need the Sour Patch Kids. So if you 00:35:25.179 --> 00:35:27.900 have one, put it in your hand now. And what I 00:35:27.900 --> 00:35:31.539 want you to do is, if you're able, I want you 00:35:31.539 --> 00:35:34.800 to put a Sour Patch Kid in your mouth and look 00:35:34.800 --> 00:35:37.780 at your neighbor's reaction to the sour. Ready, 00:35:37.920 --> 00:35:49.599 set, go. Okay, you see where I'm going with this. 00:35:54.039 --> 00:36:02.329 Okay. Typically, I get it, work with me. Typically, 00:36:02.329 --> 00:36:05.570 when we put something sour in our mouth, our 00:36:05.570 --> 00:36:10.409 face suddenly turns, like, what was that? And 00:36:10.409 --> 00:36:12.610 our initial reaction when we put sour in our 00:36:12.610 --> 00:36:15.210 mouth is to spit it out. Now, unfortunately, 00:36:15.309 --> 00:36:18.349 with candy, it turns sweet, so it doesn't quite 00:36:18.349 --> 00:36:22.489 fit the example. But we want to spit something 00:36:22.489 --> 00:36:25.090 out of our mouth that's sour. Why is it when 00:36:25.090 --> 00:36:27.110 it comes to bitterness and unforgiveness in our 00:36:27.110 --> 00:36:30.090 hearts, we want to hold on to it and stew over 00:36:30.090 --> 00:36:32.449 it and stew over it and stew over it to make 00:36:32.449 --> 00:36:36.289 ourselves more angry and upset? Because it's 00:36:36.289 --> 00:36:39.210 a choice that we want to heap negativity on the 00:36:39.210 --> 00:36:42.909 person that hurt us. When in reality, God is 00:36:42.909 --> 00:36:45.789 challenging us to let go of bitterness and unforgiveness. 00:36:45.849 --> 00:36:48.750 Matthew 6. If you forgive those who sin against 00:36:48.750 --> 00:36:51.230 you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But 00:36:51.230 --> 00:36:53.909 if you refuse to forgive others, notice, your 00:36:53.909 --> 00:36:56.989 heavenly Father will not forgive your sins. Ephesians 00:36:56.989 --> 00:36:59.369 chapter 4 tells us, church, get rid of all bitterness, 00:36:59.489 --> 00:37:03.349 rage, anger, harsh words, slander. as well as 00:37:03.349 --> 00:37:06.989 all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind 00:37:06.989 --> 00:37:09.150 to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, 00:37:09.230 --> 00:37:11.929 just as God through Christ has forgiven you. 00:37:12.309 --> 00:37:15.489 And the best way, church, to move past bitterness 00:37:15.489 --> 00:37:19.110 and unforgiveness is to release it to God. And 00:37:19.110 --> 00:37:21.550 that's why I'm skipping next week and moving 00:37:21.550 --> 00:37:24.630 communion to this week. Because see, for many 00:37:24.630 --> 00:37:27.409 of us, we think that communion is just something 00:37:27.409 --> 00:37:31.019 we do at church. When in reality, Jesus left 00:37:31.019 --> 00:37:33.960 this as an ordinance to the church. And an ordinance 00:37:33.960 --> 00:37:37.800 means something that we should do regularly to 00:37:37.800 --> 00:37:40.920 remember what God did for us. The bread represents 00:37:40.920 --> 00:37:45.219 Jesus' broken body on the cross. The juice represents 00:37:45.219 --> 00:37:48.719 his shed blood for what? The forgiveness of our 00:37:48.719 --> 00:37:52.800 sins. And the Bible very clearly tells us that 00:37:52.800 --> 00:37:55.639 before you take communion, before you drink the 00:37:55.639 --> 00:37:58.480 juice, search your heart. So what he tells us 00:37:58.480 --> 00:38:01.579 to do, he says, look in the mirror and if there's 00:38:01.579 --> 00:38:04.619 any unforgiveness or bitterness or anger or rage 00:38:04.619 --> 00:38:07.820 in your heart, towards anyone, towards a parent, 00:38:07.880 --> 00:38:13.519 a spouse, a son, a daughter, a group of people, 00:38:13.579 --> 00:38:17.420 whatever it may be, that we're to lay that down 00:38:17.420 --> 00:38:20.300 before we drink that juice because we just learned 00:38:20.300 --> 00:38:23.880 what Jesus said to us. Our Father in heaven can't 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:26.460 forgive us until we've what? Forgiven others. 00:38:27.210 --> 00:38:30.289 In other words, get rid of the roof that you're 00:38:30.289 --> 00:38:32.789 putting over yourself and open up your connection 00:38:32.789 --> 00:38:40.849 with God. Will you stand with me? So before we 00:38:40.849 --> 00:38:42.889 take communion, I want to share a little instructions 00:38:42.889 --> 00:38:45.809 with you. We're going to share in the bread together 00:38:45.809 --> 00:38:48.809 and celebrate God's broken body, Jesus' broken 00:38:48.809 --> 00:38:51.670 body on the cross. But before we drink the juice 00:38:51.670 --> 00:38:54.079 together, I want to pray a simple prayer giving 00:38:54.079 --> 00:38:56.460 you an opportunity to lay down any unforgiveness 00:38:56.460 --> 00:38:58.960 and bitterness in your heart. And I want to encourage 00:38:58.960 --> 00:39:01.579 you. You may have been holding on to it for years 00:39:01.579 --> 00:39:03.599 and this is your opportunity to leave this place 00:39:03.599 --> 00:39:07.400 free. Stop making excuses. Stop putting it off. 00:39:08.059 --> 00:39:11.119 Lay it down. Let God have it so that you can 00:39:11.119 --> 00:39:14.880 live and walk in abundance. This can be an incredible 00:39:14.880 --> 00:39:17.420 celebratory day for many of you. But again, it's 00:39:17.420 --> 00:39:21.559 a choice. God desires that we choose to forgive. 00:39:22.409 --> 00:39:25.150 On the night that he was betrayed, Jesus took 00:39:25.150 --> 00:39:27.730 bread, broke it, gave it to his disciples and 00:39:27.730 --> 00:39:30.670 said, take, eat, this is my body, which is broken 00:39:30.670 --> 00:39:34.130 for you. Do it in remembrance of me. Let's remember 00:39:34.130 --> 00:39:43.389 Jesus on the cross. Likewise, after supper, Jesus 00:39:43.389 --> 00:39:46.610 took the cup of wine, said, this is my blood, 00:39:46.610 --> 00:39:49.400 which is shed for you and for many. For the forgiveness 00:39:49.400 --> 00:39:51.679 of sin, shrink it often. And when you do, do 00:39:51.679 --> 00:39:54.619 it in remembrance of me. Let's pray together, 00:39:54.820 --> 00:39:58.300 church. Holy Spirit, come. Search our hearts. 00:39:59.039 --> 00:40:01.820 If there's any unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, 00:40:02.099 --> 00:40:08.099 rage, reveal it now in Jesus' name. And now say, 00:40:08.199 --> 00:40:14.159 I choose as an act of my will to forgive. Lay 00:40:14.159 --> 00:40:22.440 it down. Lay it down. Lay them down. Lay them 00:40:22.440 --> 00:40:31.780 down. Let's drink. God, we are grateful for freedom. 00:40:32.500 --> 00:40:35.039 We celebrate the ability to extend forgiveness 00:40:35.039 --> 00:40:38.360 and grace and mercy to others. Allow for us to 00:40:38.360 --> 00:40:40.579 see in Jonah ourselves, but more importantly, 00:40:40.619 --> 00:40:45.119 to change and not live like Jonah, but live like 00:40:45.119 --> 00:40:48.659 your son, Jesus. And we're grateful for all you 00:40:48.659 --> 00:40:52.730 do. In Jesus' name, amen. Now, there are several 00:40:52.730 --> 00:40:54.409 words of knowledge. Hold on, we're not done. 00:40:54.750 --> 00:40:56.789 That I wanna share with you before we go, and 00:40:56.789 --> 00:40:59.449 then we're gonna pray a simple prayer. Our prayer 00:40:59.449 --> 00:41:01.269 team will be on my left and my right for any 00:41:01.269 --> 00:41:04.989 of these issues. If these are you, believe that 00:41:04.989 --> 00:41:07.269 God wants to work a miracle in your life. You 00:41:07.269 --> 00:41:10.030 have confusion in your mind about a decision 00:41:10.030 --> 00:41:12.809 that's leading to anxiety. You have right hip 00:41:12.809 --> 00:41:16.449 pain. You have muscle spasm in your right leg. 00:41:17.079 --> 00:41:21.380 You have left inner ear pain. You have pain radiating 00:41:21.380 --> 00:41:24.340 from your lower back to the base of your neck. 00:41:25.019 --> 00:41:28.219 You have forgiveness and bitterness issues that 00:41:28.219 --> 00:41:30.360 you need to lay down. So if any of those are 00:41:30.360 --> 00:41:32.860 you, our prayer team will be here to pray with 00:41:32.860 --> 00:41:36.179 you or any other need that you may have. And 00:41:36.179 --> 00:41:38.380 now like we always do as a community of faith, 00:41:38.460 --> 00:41:41.300 we're gonna pray a simple prayer. And for some 00:41:41.300 --> 00:41:45.329 of you, when I was talking about professing Jesus 00:41:45.329 --> 00:41:48.210 with your mouth, but not living like him, this 00:41:48.210 --> 00:41:51.210 prayer is for you. It's all about the relationship. 00:41:51.750 --> 00:41:54.309 It's all about putting him first and prioritizing 00:41:54.309 --> 00:41:56.530 making Jesus Lord of your life. And if you've 00:41:56.530 --> 00:41:59.130 never made that decision, this decision is for 00:41:59.130 --> 00:42:01.449 you also. And we'll all pray together. Let's 00:42:01.449 --> 00:42:06.429 pray. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt, shame, 00:42:06.750 --> 00:42:12.530 regret, sin. Change me. Forgive me. I believe. 00:42:13.179 --> 00:42:16.980 You're God's son. I believe you died for me. 00:42:17.559 --> 00:42:23.059 I believe you're alive today. Make me new. Set 00:42:23.059 --> 00:42:27.760 me free. Fill me with your spirit. Help me, God, 00:42:27.900 --> 00:42:33.619 to serve others. In Jesus' name, amen. So listen, 00:42:33.699 --> 00:42:36.239 if you prayed that prayer, see me, hug me, see 00:42:36.239 --> 00:42:38.239 Rudy. We're gonna give you some next steps. We're 00:42:38.239 --> 00:42:41.079 gonna get you baptized. We want to lead you into 00:42:41.079 --> 00:42:43.920 a relationship with Jesus. Next week for May, 00:42:44.079 --> 00:42:47.699 we kick off text to talk, and we're going to 00:42:47.699 --> 00:42:50.480 be focusing on reading the Bible and prayer so 00:42:50.480 --> 00:42:53.159 that our relationship with Jesus can grow and 00:42:53.159 --> 00:42:55.420 flourish. It's going to be a great month of growing 00:42:55.420 --> 00:42:57.440 closer to God. God bless you guys. I'm going 00:42:57.440 --> 00:42:59.739 there to say goodbye to everyone. Have a great 00:42:59.739 --> 00:43:09.309 week. Cut off my lifetime I was stuck up in that 00:43:09.309 --> 00:43:11.469 grind Not knowing you gave your life for mine 00:43:11.469 --> 00:43:14.030 You don't wanna turn water into wine Please fix 00:43:14.030 --> 00:43:15.250 my heart and the things inside