1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,400 today's Beach Talk. Now once a week I go down to the beach by my house here in 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:10,140 California and I teach a chapter of the Bible. Now today is the 100th episode of 3 00:00:10,140 --> 00:00:15,440 these Beach Talks. We've had over 10,000 downloads so I'm really happy that this 4 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:21,320 is helping a lot of people learn. Now my passion is to help us understand the 5 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:26,880 Bible and to take it seriously. I want you to be able to understand it 6 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:33,040 so that you can apply it to your life. Now my objective has always been the same 7 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:39,620 in all 100 episodes so far and it's this, it's disciples making disciples who 8 00:00:39,620 --> 00:00:43,920 plant churches that plant churches so Jesus can continue to be a beautiful 9 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:49,360 grassroots movement all over the world. And now this is happening. Right 10 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:55,800 now we have six churches in three countries and I want to just continue to 11 00:00:55,800 --> 00:01:00,800 focus on teaching the Bible in a straightforward way so that our 12 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:05,120 expectations can be in line with what God wants to say to you each and every 13 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,000 time that you listen to one of these. So I'm going to assume that you're here to 14 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:14,000 listen and learn apply it to your life. Now our vision 2021 is to multiply. 15 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:19,480 You know God wants to multiply everything that he gives us and so when 16 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:25,200 we keep an open hand God can multiply the things that he puts in it and so we 17 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:29,280 want to keep an open hand with our lives and with everything that God has given 18 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:33,720 to us including our churches. So excited to see that happen this 19 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:39,360 year. Now we hope to see you in one of our locations soon. We have a collective 20 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,600 that's developed and you can look on our website for the details 21 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:48,360 that's being updated all the time. Now in Jonah chapter 4 Jonah was really 22 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:52,720 complaining. He had a displeasure at the people of Nineveh because they 23 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:58,440 had repented. In fact he was angry about it. Now it displeased Jonah. Now 24 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:05,160 this was strange because usually the person who is displeased is the 25 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:09,900 person doing the preaching but Jonah in this case was upset. He said that he was 26 00:02:09,900 --> 00:02:14,040 exceedingly angry. Not only was this strange it was very strange because Jonah 27 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:18,360 was upset at the success of his preaching. Normally when you teach the 28 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:22,120 Bible you hope for good results. You don't curse the good results when they 29 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:25,600 come. This is kind of an odd occurrence in the Bible. Now look at verse 2. Jonah 30 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:30,800 explains his anger. He prayed to the Lord and said, Lord is this not what I 31 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:35,440 said when I was still in my country? And this is why he went to Tarshish for I 32 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:40,200 know that you're a gracious and merciful God slow to anger and abounding and 33 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:46,240 loving kindness. One who relents from doing harm. So you see Jonah understood 34 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:51,800 that the nature and the character of God was to be forgiving and to be kind and 35 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:56,520 to be gracious just like he is to us. Now he knew that God was gonna forgive 36 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,520 these people. That was why he was so apprehensive in going and talking to 37 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:05,120 them in the first place. You see Jonah was angry because God granted repentance 38 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:09,120 to the Ninevites and he didn't like the Ninevites. You see God is always trying 39 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:16,640 to stretch our understanding of love and so often he does that by giving us a 40 00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:20,840 person or a group of people that we don't like. You see God always starts 41 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:28,720 with our culture and then God always calls us to go cross culture. This is 42 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,880 what happened to Jonah. And in fact we pick it up he says Lord was this not 43 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:37,480 what I said when he was still in his country? Jonah knew that God was full of 44 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:41,600 grace and mercy and that's why he was afraid to tell the people of Nineveh. 45 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:46,320 This was at least part of the reason why Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. He 46 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:50,040 was afraid that they would turn around and then they would actually be in his 47 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:54,720 same spiritual family. When all along God wanted, he wanted God to judge the 48 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:59,520 Assyrian capital because these were their... Jonah himself called on the mercy of God 49 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:04,240 and enjoyed the mercy of God when it was extended to Jonah and now he resents it 50 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,680 when it was extended to others. What if God treated Jonah the way that Jonah 51 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:14,240 wanted God to treat the people of Nineveh? Now think about that. Now he said 52 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:18,240 it was better for me to die than to live. The repentance and salvation of the 53 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:23,040 people of Nineveh is so painful to Jonah that he would rather die than think 54 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:27,420 about it. And he also states that this was the reason that he ran away from the 55 00:04:27,420 --> 00:04:33,240 call. Not out of fear that he would be ineffective but for fear that he would be 56 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:41,600 effective. Now God confronts Jonah about this. God questions Jonah's heart. Now the 57 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:45,960 Lord said to him is it right for you to be angry? Now what does this mean? Well 58 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:52,640 Jonah in expressing his anger against God was being honest about his feelings 59 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,480 so that's a good thing. That's something good. But we should not for a moment 60 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:03,520 think that all of our feelings towards God are justified. So God likes to ask us 61 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:07,360 questions, rhetorical questions, because they make us think. They reveal our heart. 62 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:12,320 It also puts us on proper ground before him because God has every 63 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:19,040 right to question us and we owe him answers. He doesn't owe us answers. Now he 64 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:22,920 says to Jonah where are you? Who told you that you were naked? What is this that 65 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,880 you have done? This was in his conversation with Adam and Eve in the 66 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:30,640 book of Genesis and then he also said to Cain, where is your 67 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,320 brother Abel? And then he also said to David, through Samuel, what have you done 68 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:38,060 when you sinned against Bathsheba? Why did you despise the word of the Lord by 69 00:05:38,060 --> 00:05:42,240 doing what is evil in your eyes? Again God spoke prophetically. And then he 70 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:47,480 also said in Isaiah, whom shall I send? Who will go for us? So sometimes God asks 71 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:54,300 us questions just like he did to Peter. Who do you say that I am? And then Jesus 72 00:05:54,300 --> 00:05:59,360 also asked someone in the gospel, what do you want me to do for you? You see 73 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:06,480 sometimes questions bring out our best thinking. That's why it's better to ask 74 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:10,840 someone a question than it is to tell them something or just to tell them what 75 00:06:10,840 --> 00:06:15,320 to do because it's better for us to get to think, us to think and arrive at the 76 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:19,320 correct conclusion rather than just someone to tell us things. That's why 77 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:24,880 questions always produce critical thinking. Sometimes when you just tell 78 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:30,160 people things it results in absolutely no thinking at all. So Jonah was 79 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:34,780 angry towards God. Yes it was right for Jonah to stay his anger towards God but 80 00:06:34,780 --> 00:06:39,080 he must also repent from his anger towards God. You see sometimes we share 81 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:42,240 our feelings with God but it doesn't necessarily mean that they're right. Now 82 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:46,160 look at verse 5, God prepares an object lesson for Jonah. So Jonah went out of 83 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:50,200 the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and 84 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:54,480 he sat under it in the shade till he might see what would become of the city. 85 00:06:54,480 --> 00:07:00,800 And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah that it might 86 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:06,080 be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very 87 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:10,600 grateful for the plant but as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm 88 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:15,480 so that it damaged the plant that it withered and it happened when the Sun 89 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:22,040 arose that God prepared an east wind and the Sun beat on Jonah's head so that he 90 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:26,160 grew faint. Then he wished death for himself and said it'd be better for me 91 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:30,720 to die than to live. Now this is a classic case of having a pity party. Now 92 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:36,040 Jonah went out of the city that he might see what would become of the city. You 93 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:40,160 see he went out and sat on his plant hoping that God would change his mind and 94 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:44,680 destroy the city which is what Jonah wanted to begin with. Now he goes out of 95 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:50,800 the city for safety. You see the Lord God prepared the plant and he made it come 96 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:55,320 up over Jonah just as God prepared a great fish for Jonah to swallow Jonah. Now 97 00:07:55,320 --> 00:08:00,520 he prepares a particular type of plant that provided shelter for Jonah from the 98 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:05,280 elements the Sun and the wind even though Jonah's intentions and motives 99 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:07,920 were wrong for being out there in the first place. Now this is the first sign 100 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:12,440 that we find Jonah happy in the book of Jonah. Jonah was pleased because at last 101 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:16,560 after all the compassion that God had for other people God was finally doing 102 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:20,520 something for Jonah. Doesn't that sound like us? We see God do all these 103 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:23,920 wonderful things for the people and then we feel selfish about it. Now we could 104 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:28,840 say that Jonah's happiness was just as wrong as his anger. Both were about him. 105 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:33,920 The Sun beat on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. Jonah was angry with God 106 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:38,920 because he brought the people of Nineveh to repentance. Now the ancient Hebrew for 107 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:45,480 angry is literally means to be hot. Now God would let Jonah feel some of 108 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:49,600 that heat by allowing this plant to wither here in a second. Now Jonah was 109 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,880 grateful for the plant. He says it's better for me to die than to live. Now 110 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:58,280 when God took the plant and its pleasant shelter away from Jonah he missed the 111 00:08:58,280 --> 00:09:04,760 plant so much that he wished for death. Skies all over the place. One theologian 112 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:08,720 said dear friends like Jonah if you want to complain you will soon have 113 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:13,480 something to complain about. People who are resolved to complain generally make 114 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:19,360 for themselves great causes for it. Charles Spurgeon. Jonah allowed even a 115 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:24,200 silly thing like a plant to become an idol. How often are the things that God 116 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:29,760 has made us? Do they become idols? And we fail to realize that the Lord gives and the 117 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:35,840 Lord takes away. It's always about the Lord and keeping our focus on him. Now 118 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:39,920 finally in verse 9 God applies the object lesson then he says to Jonah is 119 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:45,880 it right for you to be angry about this plant? And he said well it's it's it is 120 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:49,520 right for me to be angry even so much so that I wish I could die but the Lord 121 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:54,040 said you have had pity on the plant for which you've made but you haven't built 122 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:59,440 it nor did you make it grow it came up in a night and perish in a night should 123 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:03,800 I not have pity on Nineveh that great city in which there are more than a 124 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:09,960 hundred and twenty thousand persons who can't discern from the right hand with 125 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:16,000 their left hand. Wow what's happening here? Well Jonah in response to God's 126 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:22,120 question felt totally justified in his anger about the sheltering plants 127 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:27,520 destruction. Now this is considering that the plant was just a plant and Jonah had 128 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:31,640 no personal interest in the investment of the plant except what it provided for 129 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:39,640 him at the moment. Well Jonah made three errors that angry people often make. Each 130 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:45,360 of these things put Jonah in a worse place not a better place. Well one Jonah 131 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:51,280 quit quitting never helps. Two Jonah separated himself from others that never 132 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:57,160 helps and then three Jonah became a spectator and that never helps. Now they 133 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:01,760 these are the last words of Jonah recorded in this book but but thankfully 134 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:07,520 they are not the last words of the book. God's mercy and compassion still worked 135 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:14,440 with Jonah teaching him and guiding him to eventually have God's heart and he 136 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:18,560 said should I not pity Nineveh how much more should God be concerned about the 137 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:24,280 destruction of persons those made in his image even if they are Assyrians. You see 138 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:28,880 God's response to Jonah showed the prophet that he really didn't know God 139 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:33,680 as well as he thought he did. Sound familiar like you and I? Now those who 140 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:37,920 cannot discern between their right hand or their left hand are those who are 141 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:42,680 unable to make moral judgments they have no moral reference. The lesson is clear 142 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:49,080 not only does God God's concern for people go beyond us but he is totally 143 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:53,120 justified in giving us a heart for others. The lessons of Jonas reminds us 144 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:59,800 that God is the God of all people all the time. The lesson of Jonah is that is 145 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:04,080 what he proclaimed before being freed from the great fish salvation is of the 146 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:09,640 Lord and not any race or nation or class. This is the same message God made clear 147 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:20,080 through Peter in Acts 10. God is a God of all people all of the time not some 148 00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:26,140 people some of the time. You see God had pity on Nineveh. Jewish tradition says 149 00:12:26,140 --> 00:12:30,920 that after God said the words of Jonah 4 11 Jonah then fell in his face and said 150 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:36,320 govern your world according to the measure of your mercy as it is said to 151 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:40,280 the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness. Now we can only hope that 152 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:46,760 Jonah and we would have such a humble response when God speaks to us. You see 153 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:53,080 God showed his mercy to Jonah through a lot of preparation just like he does for 154 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:57,380 us. The Lord prepared a great fish for Jonah. God prepares everything for us in 155 00:12:57,380 --> 00:13:02,040 our life. The Lord prepared a plant. God gives us special blessings in our life. 156 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:08,800 The Lord prepared a worm for Jonah. The Lord prepared a wind for Jonah. 157 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:14,200 Nevertheless the real work of preparation happened in Jonah. What God 158 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:19,720 really prepared was a person a prophet someone who was gonna go out and speak 159 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:25,040 his words to people just like he wants us to speak his words to people. We are 160 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:30,200 no different than Jonah. God has something for us to do. We often run from 161 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:36,200 it. We often run away from it. We often run the opposite direction of it but God 162 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:41,780 still has a call still wants us to do amazing things for him. That is the 163 00:13:41,780 --> 00:14:01,320 lesson of this book.