Jonah 4:1-11

Story of Mercy

• Jonah - to the disobedient (Jonah 1:1-5)
• Sailors - to the distressed (Jonah 1:13-16)
• Nineveh - to the depraved (Jonah 3:6-10)
• You & Me - to the dead (Eph 2:1-5)

Story of Anger

• Jonah equated the evil of Nineveh with the "evil" of God showing mercy to them (Jonah 4:1)
• Jonah was angry that God is who He said He was (Jonah 4:2) (Ex 34:6)
• Sources of anger (Jonah had them all)
  • Wounded soul
  • Thwarted will
  • Unmet expectations
• Outcomes of anger (Jonah had them all)
  • Foolish words (Jonah 4:3)
  • Relational distance (Jonah 4:5)
  • Lost perspective (Jonah 4:10)
• Why didn't Jonah become a mercy dispenser?
  • "They don't deserve mercy" is a universal truth
  • The harder the soil, the less saturation
  • Remembering God's mercy is the way we behold God's mercy

Showing of Mercy

• Care and Compassion (Luke 10:25-37)
• Patience, especially with those who doubt (Jude 21-23)
• Preferring the needs of others (Heb 10:32-34)

Questions to Ponder

1. What comes to your mind first when you hear, "God had mercy on me?"
2. Who would make you most angry if God had mercy on them today? Why?