(Text and Audio)
Title: Plants Vs. People, Part TWO
We have reached the final sermon in the book of Jonah. Today will be the 22nd, and final, sermon in the series. Jared asked last week when we began and I think I said around Thanksgiving…it wasn’t quite that long ago, I checked this past week while prepping this message. We stared on December 10th of last year, about 7 months ago.
I don’t know about you guys, but for me, that went by really fast! I have greatly enjoyed taking this journey with you, and I hope you have been both encouraged and challenged as we’ve been led by the Spirit.
And everything I just said about this being the last sermon…is a lie. I wrote it, I fully intended for it to be the grand finale…and then I started writing, and writing, and writing…and decided it needed to be two more sermons.
And I’m not apologizing. You got two choices people. A long slow walk through scripture for ultimate retentions, or a 90 minutes sermon. Who wants a 90 minute sermon? Well I don’t either!
So lets pray!
(read/pray)
“And should I not pity Nineveh?”
This is the not so hypothetical question that God proposes to Jonah as he sits on the hill, outside of the city, sulking because God has accepted honest repentance, and has decided to spare their lives and withhold his judgment…at least for this generation.
As we looked at two weeks ago, the context is set against the backdrop of God establishing before Jonah that HE, and HE ALONE is sovereign over ALL creation. He was the one that caused the plant to grow and provide shade, shelter, and safety for Jonah, just as HE was also the one to raise up the worm to devour the plant to demonstrate that truly the Lord both giveth, and taketh away.
And it is in this context of verse 11 that God gives three reasons for his actions.
Now, before I go any further, why is it fascinating that God gives Jonah reasons?
Answer: He is God, He is sovereign, he owes Jonah ZERO explanation for his actions.
But don’t we often behave, and even sometimes demand, that God explain himself to us?
What does this fact remind us of?
Answer: That we are fallen, arrogant, and prideful creatures.
So let me ask one final question before we look at the three reasons God does give…What does it suggest about the nature and character of God that he DOES give Jonah (and in so doing, give us as well) his reasoning?
Answer: God WANTS us to know HIM. He wants us to know his character, his motivations, and sometimes, though it is not required of Him, by his Grace, his shows us his reasons so that we will TRUST and LOVE him more.
Three Reasons: We will cover the first one today.
- “More that 120,000 Persons”
I have mentioned this before, but this number is NOT the number of people in the city. Cities were numbered and counted in the ancient Near East by the number of men of adult age.
We can easily double that number of total people to 240,000 including women, children and the elderly. (And it’s probably even more than that.)
So God essentially says to Jonah, “You are lamenting over a plant, a single plant, that was never yours to begin with, yet you scorn the day it stopped serving you, and wished death upon yourself…while I am saving 240,000 PEOPLE from HELL! Not plants, not one plant, but 240,000 People!
Jonah, where are you priorities?! What does it say about your own holiness if this plant (your shade, safety, and protection) is more important that the eternal souls of these lost?”
Now some of you may be shifting uncomfortably in your seats right now in anticipation of where I may be headed with this…you would be right to do so.
The 2018 parallel application question for us is this: How much does our comfort, safety, and protections KEEP us from uncomfortable conversations, confrontations, and contentions when peoples SOULS are on the line?
Maybe you don’t pick up the phone when you recognize the number, maybe you ignore the text or email, maybe you are in a hurry and you don’t stop to help, maybe you give an anecdotal answer to someone who is hurting because you don’t think you have the time, or angry to get into a messy relationship with a needy person.
As American Christians it is long past time that we recognize that Satan has his sight set on the American Church with ONE primary weapon in mind, when he barks orders to his minions of demons the message is simple: KEEP THEM COMFORTABLE and you limit their willingness to live BOLDLY.
Go all the way back to beginning of the book of Jonah, was God not calling Jonah out to live boldly, to do something utterly crazy, utterly dangerous, utterly insane??!!
But he says NO! Time and time again, because at the core of Jonah’s motivations…he just wants to be comfortable.
God’s will and plan would NOT be frustrated by this man. And if we don’t move when God directs, will be die like the plant!
So what’s the solution? Should we aim for non-comfort? Not necessarily, I think we are to “eat and drink and enjoy the gift of our labor, for it is the gift of God” (Ecc. 3), but I think we need to keep a very watchful eye on how much our own comfort creates a sense of apathy over what may truly be important.
If you think this may be a struggle for you, I’d like to offer a prayer that you might use as we close:
“Lord, may we humble ourselves before you. We live in what is perhaps the most marvelous time in human history. Technology, travel, information, and comfort are at an all time high, especially for Americans. We spend hours every days browsing the internet, posting and reading social media, consuming shows on computers that fit in our pockets and go anywhere we go, gaming both socially and in seclusion, and generally amusing ourselves whenever we have the chance.
While these comforts are not inherently evil, we confess to you, that not in moderation, these can become tools of the Enemy to keep us numb, making us feel like we are “informed” when in fact, we are neglecting the greatest source of information that mankind has ever known. We have access to your throne through the blood of Christ, we have access to prayer, guided by your holy spirit.
And we browse more than we pray.
And we view and game, more than we study.
And then we wonder why we are so scared to share the Gospel with someone.
We have forgotten that boldness does not come from comfort.
Boldness comes from the conviction that we were bought at a price, and have been called according to a Holy purpose.
And we will not find that message on Facebook anymore that we will find it on the battlefield of Fortnite.
We will find that message in your holy word, in you holy church, in holy communion with you, in holy meditation of you.
Lord, let these things be our passion, let these truths be our way. Let us acknowledge, and partake in the fruit of our labor, but keeping a close eye on this very question:
It is truly Christ that satisfies me? Or something else? If ANYTHING besides Christ, then let us, as a church, repent before you, throw ourselves upon you mercy, and beg that you would both forgive and correct us…and change our hearts to be hungry first and foremost for YOU. Amen.