Jonah 4:1-11

It's good to be back with you folks this morning. If you'll turn in your Bibles to the book of Jonah in chapter 4.! We're all, I'm sure, very well familiar with the book of Jonah.

At least we should be. It's just four chapters long. We're going to be in the last chapter of it this morning. We've got a few younger people here.

Anybody want to tell me what the book of Jonah is about? All right. Jonah, of course. Nobody going to volunteer. I'll do it.

Jonah, all of us are familiar with Jonah being a prophet of God. And Jonah, this wasn't something new to Jonah.

In fact, you read about Jonah in the book of 2 Kings. He prophesied about Israel having land restored back to them. Jonah was a prophet before the account that we have in these four chapters of the book of Jonah happened.

So he was well familiar with God is what I'm getting at. And actually the sermon this morning will go pretty well with the Sunday school lesson that was taught this morning.

But he was a prophet of God. He was a known prophet of God. He was the son of Amittai. And we read about that in the first chapter of Jonah. But we all know the account. God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh.

Nineveh being the capital city of Assyria. Assyria being a very brutal nation. A very powerful nation. A very violent nation.

And I've said many times that Jonah, he did not go. We know that he didn't go. And we know from chapter 4, we'll get into it here in a little while, why he didn't go.

But I also think, just me, it's not Bible, but just me, that Jonah was afraid. Because the Assyrians were such violent people. When you went to Nineveh, and this is verified through different artifacts and different reliefs that have been found over the years.

When you went to Nineveh, the roads that led into Nineveh, there were giant spears stuck in the ground with bodies hung upon those spears. Or those staves that led into Nineveh.

And that was to give warning to anybody that might be coming there, just whom they were going to be dealing with. Very violent people. Very powerful people. In the city of Nineveh.

So I think a lot of it was, Jonah was afraid too, but we know from chapter 4 why the specifics as to why he didn't go. And we'll get into that momentarily. God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh and to preach.

What's he going to preach? He's going to preach that God's going to destroy the city. And of course we know Jonah, he turns, tucks tail, runs the other way, jumps on the first ship to Tarsus that he can find.

He's on the ship. Big storm blows up. The people on the ship, the men that were with him, which were pagans by the way, the men that were with him, ask him to get up and pray to his God.

In other words, you know, we've been praying to ours, not doing much good. Get up and pray to your God. You know, why is this happening? Anyway, Jonah tells them why it's happening.

Tells them God has sent this storm because he's running from God. Running from what God told him to do. And he tells them, toss me over the side. Toss me over the side and this will all go away.

Well, the Bible says that God had prepared a fish and he prepared this fish to swallow Jonah. They toss him over the side. Fish swallowed Jonah. And the entire second chapter of the book of Jonah is Jonah's experience inside of that fish.

Not very many verses long there, but we all know the account. And Jonah prays to God from the fish, prays for mercy. Basically is what it boils down to. God shows that mercy.

Fish spits Jonah up on the shore, as the Bible says, vomits him. And on the shore, God reminds Jonah to go to Nineveh.

So Jonah goes to Nineveh, preaches just a few words. Just a few words. God will destroy Nineveh. God's going to destroy this city. Just a few days.

And he preaches this and the people repent. The entire city repents. It gets to the king what has happened. The king commands that the city repents.

And they dress up in their sackcloth. And they use their ashes, which was a common thing for them to do for any area in that near eastern setting.

And for them to do is a sign of repentance or remorse. And so they repented. And that's what brings us to Jonah chapter 4.

And that was the first three chapters in a real small, compact nutshell. There's a whole lot more to them. In fact, one particular verse out of chapter 2. One time I preached an entire sermon just on one verse.

There's a whole lot more to that. But that's it in a nutshell. So all that being said, we'll begin in Jonah chapter 4 and verse 1.

It says, But it displeased Jonah exceedingly. And he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord and said, I pray thee, O Lord. Was not this my saying when I was yet in my country?

Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish. For I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me. For it is better for me to die than to live. Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?

So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.

And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished himself to die.

And said, Is it better for me to die? It is better for me to die than to live. And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd?

And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not labored, neither madest it to grow, which came up in the night and perished in the night.

And should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons, that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also much cattle.

And this book is kind of unique to Scripture, because it ends, the entire book ends with a question, that God has given.

But all that being said, back to verse 1, it says, But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. What displeased Jonah?

Exceedingly. It displeased him abundantly. He was very angry. He was wroth. He was mad. Over what? Because in chapter 3, we see that Nineveh repented of their sin.

We see Nineveh repented. They had remorse for their sin. They had remorse for their ways. And this is what displeased Jonah.

Jonah. It's not this or that. Nothing along those lines, folks. He was mad because people had repented. That's the very last thing that we read in chapter 3, is about the repentance of these pagans.

The repentance of these heathens. They believed the word that Jonah brought to them. They believed that God was going to destroy the city. And they believed and they repented.

And people believed the words that Jonah preached. He'd come into the city saying, God is going to destroy this city. And they believed what he said. And because they believed, that drove them to repentance.

And anyone who has ever received salvation, anyone who has ever been redeemed, anyone who has ever been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, anyone who has been saved has heard the gospel of Jesus Christ preached.

They have heard about the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They have heard that they are a sinner and that they are in need of a Savior.

And that that Savior is this one who was dead, was buried, and resurrected. I praise God that Jesus Christ said in Revelation in chapter 1, He said, Behold, I am He that liveth and was dead.

And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And hold the keys of hell and of death. This Jesus is the only one who is able to save. He is the only one who is able to cleanse.

He is the only one who is able to make us whole and pure and upright in the eyes of Almighty God. We are incapable of doing it ourselves. That's the whole reason that Jesus Christ had to come, because we were rebels against the law of God.

We were enemies of Almighty God. Jesus Christ came and lived a life that you cannot live and that I cannot live. And He gave that life on a hill called Calvary that you and I could have life and love everlasting.

Amen. Praise God. And hallelujah for the sacrifice and the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Hallelujah. But Jonah here, it says that it displeased him.

It displeased him that people had repented. Folks, let me tell you now, before we go any further in these 11 verses, let me tell you now, if anyone has ever received salvation that you did not think they deserved it, if anyone has ever been redeemed that you didn't think that they deserved it, I want you to look back on your life and I want you to remember of the hell that God pulled you from.

I want you to remember the filth that He pulled you out of. I want you to remember the muck and the mire. I want you to remember the sins of your life. I want you to remember the forgiveness that God has given you for all of those things that you have in your life.

All those things that you did, God bless you, sister. All those things that you have been forgiven of, you remember that and then you reconsider whether that person or this person should have been redeemed or not.

Folks, Jesus Christ said Himself, I came to seek and to save that which was lost. According to the Bible in Romans 3, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

According to what Paul wrote to the Galatians, the Scripture has concluded all under sin. We all stand guilty before God. But Jesus Christ is our advocate.

Hallelujah. He was mad because God had saved this city. He was mad because they had done what God knew that they were going to do.

And He was mad because now His enemy, the Assyrians, the Ninevites, they couldn't stand Israel. They couldn't stand the Jews. And therefore, the Jews couldn't stand them either.

There's a lot like the Samaritans and the Jews. Jews hated Samaritans. Samaritans hated Jews. It wasn't much different here. And that's what He was mad about. That's what Jonah was mad about because God showed mercy.

to His enemy. To Jonah's enemy. But folks, what we must remember, what we must remember, they were not only Jonah's enemy. They not only hated Jonah and Jonah hated them.

They were enemies to God. They were enemies of God. James, excuse me, in James 4, it says that friendship with the world is enmity with God.

That means that you are the enemy of God. You have taken up relationship. You have taken up an alliance with the world. And friendship with the world is enmity with God.

Folks, you were once upon a time an enemy of Almighty God. If you're here lost this morning, you are still an enemy of God. We were all enemies of God.

But God in His mercy, and God in His grace, and God in His long suffering, and God in His omnipotence, and His omniscience, extended grace unto you.

Hallelujah! An enemy of His. So why? Why would Jonah feel this way? Let's continue reading. And he prayed unto the Lord and said, I pray thee, O Lord.

Was not this my saying when I was yet in my country? Therefore, I fled before unto Tarshish. For I knew, this is when we get the specifics as to why Jonah did what he did.

For I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. He didn't want to go to Tarshish because he didn't want mercy extended to those people.

Folks, let me tell you now, we have been given a commandment from Almighty God as the church of Jesus Christ. As the church of the one and true living God.

We have been given commandment, we have been given commission to go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every living creature. To go into the world and make disciples of all nations.

We have been given that regardless of whether we think they deserve it, regardless of whether we think they're worthy, regardless of their sin, regardless of their rebellion, regardless of how evil we might think that they are.

God did not make distinction between this one or that one. He said go into the world and preach the gospel. And that is what we are commissioned to do. And folks, what a commission that is.

It's not that God needs us to do that. God is the only self-sustaining being in the entire universe. You and I depend upon God.

Everything in this world, everything on this planet, everything out in outer space, everything that ever has been, is, or will be, depends upon God for its existence.

But God depends on no one. And God depends upon nothing for His existence. The Bible says, in the beginning, God. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.

But if you can believe those first four words of the Scripture, in the beginning, God, you should have no problem believing the rest of Scripture. God does not need you to go into the world and preach the gospel.

But God expects you to, and God commands you to. Jonah entered into this city, this city of violent people, this city of his enemy, and preached a message.

And it was a message of destruction. It was a message, but it was also a message of repentance. And these people repented of their ways.

Now, they did not continue in that way. You read a little bit further along, none of them was eventually destroyed. Why? Because they went right back to their old ways. They went right back to their pagan and their heathen ways.

But here, he says, I knew that you were gracious. I knew that you were merciful. And that's why I didn't want to go. Folks, that is the very reason that you and I should spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That is the very reason that we go into the world. That is the very reason that we talk about salvation at our places of work. That we talk about salvation at school, or wherever it is that we may be.

Because we should want the rest of the world to be with us in heaven. Church, let's do what we can. Let's do what God has told us to to make sure that heaven is as populated as possible.

In the book of Romans, Paul says, how shall they hear if a preacher is not sent? I'm not saying that everyone's called to be a preacher, but we are all called to spread the news of the gospel.

That is excluding none. Male, female, boy, girl, whatever the case is, young, old, experienced, inexperienced, we are all, if we've been born again, we are all called to spread the gospel.

Therefore now, oh Lord, take I beseech thee my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live. Shame on Jonah. Shame on Jonah for having this attitude.

But folks, if we're not careful, we're going to let ourselves get into the same boat that Jonah is in right here. No pun intended with Jonah chapter 1. about getting into a boat. But, if we're not careful, we'll let our attitude come to be the same as Jonah's is right now.

Well, I'd rather die as to do this. I'd rather die as to testify. I'd rather die as to witness. I'd rather die as to talk about Jesus Christ.

It's not in me. It's not my personality. It's not me. Period. I would rather die. I would rather do something else than to talk about Jesus Christ.

Folks, there is no ifs, ands, or buts about the commandment that God has given the church to testify of Jesus Christ. And if you are born again, according to what I read in the Scriptures, you have the Holy Spirit of God abiding inside of you.

And Jesus Christ said Himself in the Gospel of John that He would go unto heaven, that He would pray the Father, and the Father would send another Comforter, and that when the Comforter come, the Comforter would testify of Jesus Christ.

And if you have the Comforter, the Holy Ghost of Almighty God living inside of you, dwelling in you, then you will testify of God and of His Christ.

Period. There's no way around it. There's no way around it. So don't say, that's not my calling. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. It's all of our callings to testify of God.

Folks, this verse, verse number three, says, It is better for me to die than to live. What has Jonah done? What is his attitude here?

His attitude is sinful. It's exactly what it is. And I will tell you now, and I can tell you from personal experience, sin will warp your mind into thinking that some things are so that are not so.

And that goes for saved people and lost people alike. But folks, sin will warp our minds. It will alter our minds. And the more we do it, the more our mind gets altered.

The more it gets altered to the Word of God and to the things of God. If you're here lost, hey, your mind's warped already. And you already think that what you're doing is okay. You already think that what you're doing is alright.

You already think that God's sweeping it under the rug. You already think that He is dismissing it. Let me tell you something now, sinner friend, if you are here among us, God does not dismiss sin. God does not overlook sin.

Sin was punished on a cross in the form of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, He that knew no sin became sin for us. But praise be unto God. The Bible also says, but God commendeth His love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Christ became sin. He that never knew sin. He that never committed a sin in thought, word, or deed became sin. Why? Because sin must be punished.

But folks, the more we allow sin into our lives, and we do it every day, we sin every day. There is not a day that goes by. In fact, most of y'all have sinned, including myself, more than likely since you come in the church house doors this morning, in one way, shape, form, or fashion.

Either a thought that you shouldn't have had or whatever the case is. That's exactly what was going on with Jonah here. He had thoughts that he shouldn't have had. He should have been rejoicing that an entire city had repented.

Even the gospel accounts say Jesus Christ said Himself that there is rejoicing in heaven amongst the angels of Almighty God over the repentance and salvation of one person.

Why do we not rejoice? I ain't saying you've got to cut a shine. I ain't saying you've got to scream your head off or run the aisles or anything else. But we should rejoice. When we hear someone receiving the ultimate gift which is salvation from God, we should rejoice.

But here is Jonah sulking. Here is Jonah moping over an entire city who didn't know their left hand from their right were in that city.

Now there are some people that say he was talking about children because they don't know their left from their right. Other people think that that was the entirety of the city. I really don't care folks. That's a whole bunch of people that repented and that God showed mercy to.

And here is Jonah sad and angry about it. God help us not to get that attitude. God help the church of the living God not to have that attitude. God asked a question in verse 4.

Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? It's almost sarcastic what God is saying here. Doest thou well to be angry? Is this doing you any good, Jonah?

To be mad? Is this the right thing for you to do? Well, what I want you to notice is the next verse. It just says, So Jonah went out of the city. He didn't answer God.

I think he knew because God was right. He knew exactly what God was trying to show him when he asked the question, Doest thou well to be angry? There is no answer recorded here that Jonah gave to God.

So Jonah, in verse 5, So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city and there made him a booth and sat under it in the shadow till he might see what would become of the city. He knew.

We've already read it. In verse 2, He knew that God is gracious. He knows that He's merciful. He knows that He's slow to anger. And He knows that the people of Nineveh repented.

And yet, He goes to the east side of the city and builds a booth, builds a little tabernacle or a tent for Him to stay under to see what would become of the city.

Folks, He knew that God is gracious. He knew that God was long-suffering. He knew that He was merciful. And He knew the message that He preached. And He knew the repentance that Nineveh had.

And yet, He was still hoping for their destruction. He was still hoping for their destruction. I'll tell you something, church, be careful.

I've heard it said in my years being saved, I've heard it said numerous times by numerous church people. When someone comes in, they make their profession, they bawl their eyes out, they get saved, whatever the case is, and they go out and they do good for a year or two years or five years or whatever it is, and then suddenly they get sucked out in sin again.

You bite your tongue, church, before you say, I knew it would happen. I knew it would happen. Here is Jonah knowing the mercy of God.

And he is still waiting on the destruction of this city. folks, don't sit back and wait on someone to sin. You encourage them to walk in the ways of the Lord.

You encourage them to keep their nose in the Bible. You encourage them to keep their prayer life up. You encourage them to walk and do the things of God.

That's another thing that we're called to do, is to exhort one another and encourage one another. As far as the world is concerned, folks, 1 Corinthians 15, Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, the believers, those who have professed Christ, he said, some have not the knowledge of God.

I speak this to your shame. Speaking to the church, saying some have not the knowledge of God. Why are they not the knowledge of God? Because the church hasn't done their job and went out and spread the knowledge of God.

God, help us to do that. God, help us to spread it amongst our families. You say, I don't have a ministry. Yes, you do. God's given you a family. God's given you friends.

God's given you a phone. He's given you legs to walk on. He's given you mail. He's given you all kinds of things to spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those excuses will not hold water.

When you stand before God, those excuses will not hold water. Verse number six, and the Lord God prepared a gourd and made it come up over Jonah that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his grief.

So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. Well, I would have been too. I've never been over there in the Middle East, but it's awfully hot over there. There's not many trees to find shade underneath.

That's why Noah built a booth to stay under. But here's God. Now listen, folks, this is Jonah. This is his man. It is his prophet.

We've already established that 2 Kings chapter 14. God was very well familiar with Jonah. Jonah was very well familiar with God. Jonah had a wrong attitude about people repenting and receiving mercy from God.

And instead of God chastising him, instead of God just kicking him around, what does God do? He shows him mercy.

He shows him mercy. After God showed the Ninevites mercy, mercy. And Jonah got mad about it. Here's God showing Jonah mercy.

And the Lord prepared a gourd to make it come up over Jonah. In other words, to give him more shade than what that booth that he had built was already doing. And it says, Jonah was happy about it.

At the end of that verse, it says, Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. In verse number one of this same chapter, we read that Jonah was exceeding angry. But here, because something's benefiting him, because something's helping him, he is exceeding glad.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions from that. God help us. Because we do the same thing, folks. When things don't go our way, it's anybody's fault but ours.

But when something good comes along, and something comes along that's going to benefit us, something comes along that's going to give us a little bit of comfort. Hey, we're all over that. We're all over that, and to heck with the rest of the world.

A lot of times, that is the Christian's attitude, and that is no attitude that we should have. We should still be concerned about the things of the world.

We should still be concerned about the people of the world, and their sin, and their lack of salvation, and their lack of the knowledge of God. And we should make every effort possible to bring them to the knowledge of God, that they might repent and believe.

Jonah was exceeding glad of this gourd. Verse number seven, but God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smoked the gourd that it withered.

People will read this and say, well, that was mean. That was awful of God. That's what we would call nowadays lifting somebody up and slamming them right back down on their face.

Folks, God was trying to get something through to Jonah in doing all this. Yes, he sent relief in the form of this gourd, which I'm sure had a vine, which I'm sure had big leaves, and I've read all kinds of things about different gourds and stuff that grow over there, the size of their leaves and stuff.

We ain't even going to get into that. But, God did do that. But it says here, but God prepared a worm when the morning arose. But God, so many times in scripture we read those words, and it's something wonderful.

It's something great, and I'm thankful for that. But folks, verse number six, the last line, so Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. Verse number seven, but God, but what did God do?

But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smoked the gourd that it withered. God gave him comfort, then he took that comfort right back away from Jonah.

And then we read on the next verse, and it came to pass when the sun did arise, that God prepared a behemoth east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted and wished himself to die, and said, it is better for me to die than to live.

So not only does God take away what little bit of shade he had from this gourd, however it was that he got that shade, but then he sends an east wind.

You ever read about the east wind? You ever really studied about the east wind? Because the east wind doesn't blow eastward, it blows in from the east. It blows westward from the east, and as it's blowing from the east, it picks up all this heat off of the desert sands, and it picks up these sand particles off of the floor of the desert, and it's blowing all this around, so you've got sun, you've got heat, you've got sand that's pelting you, you've got all of these things, that's what's so destructive about the east wind, and the Bible says that God prepared a vehement east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, again folks, sin will make you think some strange things, sin will make you think some unnatural things, and Jonah's problem here was, he had a sinful attitude, he had sin within him, and he would not fess up to it, so God is doing his best to bring

Jonah to a point of repentance himself, Jonah did his thing, went into them, preached, and the people repented, now God is showing Jonah, hey, you have some repentance that you need to do as well, hey folks, every one of us have repentance that we need to perform toward almighty God, every one of us sin, I've already said we sin every day of our lives, and that sin calls for repentance, what is repentance?

It's to turn from one way and go another way, it's to make 180 degree turn, just like the point of salvation folks, we just headed south, we just headed to hell, we just headed downward, but when we repent and we look up to God, hey, that same thing is going north, that's going up, that is repentance, and that is the picture of repentance, when you're living a life that God is displeased with, when you're waking up in the morning, thinking about what sin you can commit, when you go throughout the day committing that sin, and you lay your head down at nine, thinking about what sin you're going to do the next day, hey folks, you need to repent!

Repentance is key, folks. It's not secondary. You can believe the gospel all day long, but if you don't repent, did you really believe it?

No. No, you didn't. Because when you learn, as per the scripture, when you learn what a filthy, rotten, wretch you really are in the eyes of God, when you learn that, that should drive you to repentance.

And then when you hear that there was a man came and took your place, it should have been you upon that cross. It should have been you taking the beating.

It should have been you taking the scourging. And it should have been me doing all these things too. It should have been you that was spit upon. It should have been you that was mocked. It should have been every one of us.

But the perfect, sinless Son of God Himself came and took our place on a cross that we deserved. And none of us are worthy of that.

None of us deserve that. But I praise God that He did not look down and wait on me to clean my act up before He sent His Son to do that.

I thank God that He didn't wait on me to clean my act up before He offered salvation unto me. God meets us exactly where we are and cleanses us from that sin and makes us whole and commands us to walk according to His Word.

What does the psalmist say? Psalm 119, Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. We walk according to the Word of God and we will not do it perfectly. Not in this life, but praise be unto God.

I read in the Scriptures one of these days I'm going to have a body that's locked in fashion unto the Son of Man whom is Jesus Christ. And when I'm in that glorified body and I'm in that glorified state, there'll be no more sin.

That's why John the Revelator! There is no sin there. There is no death there. There is no sickness. None of those things exist in that celestial city that is promised to all who have repented and believed.

And I encourage you now if you're here today lost, I encourage you now to repent, believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Joel says in Joel chapter 2, there is coming a day when whosoever shall call for the Lord shall be delivered.

And Brother Paul reiterates that in the book of Romans. He says whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Believe and repent. If you truly believe that Jesus is the Christ and He is, if you truly believe that, that will drive you to repentance.

Verse number 9, And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the Lord? Sounds kind of repetitive, didn't we just read that a few verses ago in verse 4?

God asked the same question, except not concerning the gourd in verse 4, Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? Remember, Jonah didn't give an answer to that. But here in verse 9, God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd?

And He said, I do well to be angry even unto death. Jonah arguing with God. God's showing Jonah exactly where he's at.

exactly what his attitude is, and his exact need for repentance, and Jonah is saying, my sin is justified. That's exactly what Jonah is saying here when he says, I do well to be angry.

He is justifying his own sinful attitude toward God. And folks, and it was brought up in Sunday school this morning, we'll justify our own sins.

We will. Well, if they hadn't done that, I wouldn't have done this. If they hadn't treated me mean, I wouldn't have treated them mean. And folks, I'm guilty of it.

Every one of us are. Why? That's our nature. That's how we're wired. You kick my dog, I'll shoot your cat. That's our attitude. But folks, we're not supposed to have that attitude.

According to Scripture, we need to repent of that attitude. But that's what Jonah is doing. here. He is justifying his attitude and his sin with God when he says, I'm doing well to be angry.

It is perfectly all right, God, if I want to be angry. Remember what he was angry about, though. He was angry over salvation happening to an entire city of people.

That's what he was mad about. Granted, they were his enemies. But he was mad about it. Folks, I'll tell you now, I don't care who took your milk money when you were a child. I don't care who done this to you, or who done that to you, or who told you your mama wore cowboy boots, or combat boots, or anything else.

I don't care how badly they treated you, how badly they talked about you, you should not wish them to go to hell. I won't see everybody up there that I can.

Everybody. I've been treated bad up to the point I was saved when I was lost. I've been treated bad since I've been saved. But I still don't want anyone. I don't care what they're guilty of.

I don't want anyone to go to hell. Except many times, I hope Saddam Hussein is there. I hope Osama bin Laden is there. I don't think that either one of them will because I've never read anything about either one of them repenting and believing.

But I hope they are. I hope God will give them another opportunity. I hope Adolf Hitler is there. There are so many people that I hope are there.

And it is my job and my commission and my responsibility per the Scripture to put the Gospel into their ears. That it might seep into their mind and into their hearts.

That the Holy Ghost of God will do His work and convict their hearts. Show them they're a sinner in need of a Savior. And that God saves their souls. That is what I want for everyone.

I don't care how badly they talk about my country. How badly they talk about my congressman or my president or me. I want them to go to heaven. I don't want anyone to go to that awful place called hell.

Jonah justifying his sin. Verse 10. Then said the Lord, Thou hast pity on the gourd for which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow, which came up in the night and perished in the night.

You've had pity for this gourd that you had nothing to do with. That you did not grow. In other words, God's saying, I'm the one that put that there. I'm the one that caused it to grow.

I'm the one that gave you the shade from it. I'm the one that gave you a little bit of relief from that gourd. And you were upset about that. You were exceeding glad about it.

But when it was taken away, you were upset about that. But what else is God saying in this? You had nothing to do with the Assyrians. You had nothing to do with Nineveh.

You didn't populate their city. You didn't populate their country. You did not grow them into what they are. You had nothing to do with this is what God is telling Jonah here.

He says, and you are worried. You're worried about a gourd, a vegetable, that came up in a night and perished in a night.

Something that is that temporal when the city of Nineveh who had eternal souls at stake. Something that's going to last forever. And you're worried about a little gourd.

God bless your heart, Jonah. God bless our heart when we have the same attitude. God help us. God help us to not be like this.

Verse number 11. And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand.

And also, much cattle? And again, it ends with a question mark. very unique to the scripture. That God saying, you're worried about this gourd.

Should I not have spared Nineveh? Should I not have done what I did? Jonah, I gave you temporary relief. You built a booth that was all great and fine and well.

That was your own works. That was your own doing. You did that. I provided something else. A gourd that gave you shame. They gave you temporary comfort.

But then I took it away. And you got mad. Should I not have spared Nineveh? Absolutely. God should spare them.

Why? Because they did what God knew that they would do for one. But when the message was preached, when the coming destruction was preached, it says in verse 4 of chapter 3, Jonah began to enter into the city of day's journey.

And he cried and said, Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. That's all the words that we have recorded here that Jonah preached. In 40 days.

In biblical numerology, that number 40 is a number that intimates trial and tribulation. He says, 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed.

And according to the scripture, that's all that was preached, and that was enough for those people to repent, yes, God should have spared them. Not because they deserved it.

Not because they were worthy. But because they did what they were supposed to do, they repented. And again, if you were here lost, I encourage you to do likewise.

You will never earn heaven. You will never get there on your own. It is an impossibility. But I thank God that He sent His only begotten Son into the world to seek and to save that which was lost, which was me, and which is you.

I can assure you if you've never been saved, that you are lost as the proverbial ball in high weeds. But God knows exactly where you're at.

God knows exactly what you've done, and I thank God that there is no sinner so vile, no sinner that is so wretched that the grace of God cannot overpower that.

God is all-powerful, and God is all-powerful to wash away your sin, make you whole, make you pure. Church, those of you who are redeemed, be careful.

As I've already said, Jonah was God's prophet. Jonah was very well familiar with God, and God very well familiar with him. And Jonah tells us that, confesses that in Jonah chapter 4, he knew he was gracious.

He knew he was merciful. Don't let yourself get the same attitude as Jonah. No matter who it is, no matter what they have done, you do what you can to get the gospel in their ears, that they might repent and believe and be saved.

God bless you all. That's the message for this morning. I appreciate your attention.