Impact FXBG | The Book of Jonah - Jonah 4

You know, the life you and I are trying to live, but we keep messing it up. Well, Jesus actually did it. He lived a perfect life. And instead of using that perfect life to set up a political kingdom where we would all follow his righteous rules, Jesus gave up his life. He allowed them to crucify him on the cross and took all of the justice that we deserved, took it on himself on the cross so that we would receive mercy. Somebody say mercy. You are a recipient, not of justice, but of mercy. [01:07:08] (39 seconds)  #RecipientOfMercy

Noticed the difference in Jesus and Jonah. Jonah went to the outskirts of the city to complain, to throw a pity party, to be bitter. You know, Jesus, when he was kicked out of the city, he went to the outskirts of the city. The difference is Jesus didn't throw a pity party on the outskirts of the city. Jesus was crucified. Jesus gave up his life on the outskirts of the city to bestow mercy and grace upon anyone who would receive it, and that is yours tonight. Mercy and grace to anyone who would receive it, and I just wanna offer it to you tonight. [01:21:41] (45 seconds)  #MercyOnTheOutskirts

Consider our love of comfort over our love of for God and his people. See, here's the thing. God appoints all of these things to reveal to Jonah what his real problem is. So he appoints the plant. He appoints the worm to eat the plant. He appoints the wind that comes and makes him hot. Like, he appoints all this. He appoints the fish to swallow Jonah. Like, he appoints all of these things. And he does it not to mess with Jonah, but to reveal to Jonah his real problem. You know what Jonah's real problem was? Jonah loved his own comfort over the souls of other people. That's what Jonah's problem was. [01:13:10] (41 seconds)  #ComfortVsCompassion

Because see, here's the deal, and it's been said before, not by me, but by someone smarter, but nobody really knows who said it, so I'll take credit for it. But we can we can either get bitter or we can get better. And God says, Jonah, which one is working for you, bud? Do you like to stay in your bitterness, or are you ready to get better? And there's only one path to better, God's way. That's it. So in the middle of all of this, Jonah had just surrendered to what God wanted for his life, but Jonah had not surrendered to what God wanted for Nineveh's life. [00:47:32] (41 seconds)  #BitterOrBetter

Jonah was spiritually apathetic. I don't know why. I don't know what happened in Jonah's life that made him become so bitter. I don't know if Jonah was tired. I don't know what happened in Jonah's life, but, man, our brother became spiritual out spiritually apathetic. See, Jonah wants God's provision and mercy for himself, but not for the people he disagrees with. Probably none of us would say that we hate people or say that we hate that God would save people. But there are people, right, who would get mad that God would choose to show our enemies mercy rather than justice. [01:05:31] (43 seconds)  #MercyForAllNotSome

And can I just tell you, I understand maybe what you're trying to say? That is not helpful language because God has called all of us to the nations, period, to love all people. It's almost like we put ourselves in a box to say, well, they prefer to reach international people, and I prefer to just reach the people around me. And often, that's an excuse just not to reach anybody. And the fact is we have been called to reach the nations. If you follow Jesus, you have been called to reach the nations. Period. The question is not if, the question is how. [01:02:08] (46 seconds)  #CalledToTheNations

I just wanna let you know that it doesn't matter how bad you've been, it doesn't matter where you've been, it doesn't matter how severe or how disconnected you have felt, I want you to know that Jesus stands ready to forgive and lavish mercy on you. Because just like Jonah, man, let's say, God, I knew you would do this. I knew if I just came to you, you would forgive all of my sins and heal my brokenness and give me a new life and a new plan in Jesus. Would you guys pray with me? [01:22:26] (31 seconds)  #ReadyToForgive

God's love and his mercy know no bounds. God has always been for the nations. Always. Even since the Israelites, which were his chosen nation, even then, the reason he had a chosen nation was to bless the other nations. Like all throughout scripture, it says, hey, I want you to live this way. Here's 10 commandments. Follow these 10 commandments so that the nations around you will know that I am the one true God by the way that you live. Like, everything God did all throughout the Old Testament was to use the people group of Israel to show the nations the love, grace, mercy, and kindness, and at times the wrath of the holy the one true holy God. So sometimes we we forget that. [00:59:46] (58 seconds)  #BlessingToTheNations