Chart, Message and Outline of Jonah

Message of Jonah

God is a compassionate God who desires all the world to come to Him. He shows compassion to His people so that they can take His compassion to the world. If God is compassionate to save us we must be compassionate to the world by taking the message of salvation to them.

1. God is a sovereign and compassionate God who does great things to help his people serve Him and draw the world to Him.‏
1. God is a great God who does great things to show His compassion for people.
1. The word "great" is used 14 times in the book to describe Nineveh, Nineveh's response, God's means of compassion (wind, storm and fish), Jonah's anger and Jonah's joy
2. God overcomes great obstacles with great provision to provide great repentance and joy
2. God is in control and proceeding in His plan to reach the world
1. God was in control of the storm, the lot, the fish, the vine, the worm, the heat and the city
3. The goal of God's sovereign power is the reclamation of sinful people
1. God moves the sea and everything in it to discipline Jonah
2. God provides the pagan sailors with evidence that He is the One they should worship
3. God uses the fish to save Jonah so he could preach to Nineveh
4. God uses the vine and worm to provide an illustration to explain compassion to Jonah
5. All of the events lend credibility to Jonah and his message leading to Nineveh's repentance
2. The essence of God's character in his relation to humanity is His GRACE  4:2
1. Gracious: God wants to give us what we do not deserve; relationship with Him
2. Compassion: God cares very deeply for all people. He desires us strongly
3. Slow To Anger: God does not overlook sin, but He is patient and gives people plenty of opportunity to repent
4. Abounding In Love: There is no limit to God's love for His people. Love is what He is. It is part of his unchangeable character
5. Relenting From Calamity: God does not desire to punish anyone. It hurts God to punish people.
3. Jonah is typical of the believer who is willing to apply God's mercy to himself (because he thinks he deserves it) but not to anyone else.
1. Jonah felt that he deserved mercy, but the Ninevites did not
1. His prayer assumes that God will forgive him. He does not ask. He just thanks God
2. Jonah refused to go to Nineveh because he did not want the Assyrians to be saved    4:2
2. Jonah was more concerned about his own comfort than the need for the world's salvation
1. His own difficulty immediately drove him to prayer but he never prays for the Ninevites
2. Jonah cares more about his shade and cool comfort than the darkness of the Ninevites
3. Jonah's anger was selfish. God was angry at the pain and ignorance of hurting people. We need to get angry at the things that make God angry and care about the things God cares about
3. Jonah had an attitude of racial and spiritual superiority 1:9
1. Jonah thought that Israel had been chosen because they were better instead of God’s mercy
2. Jonah applied a tough standard of judgment to everyone except himself.
4. The believer who has received and experienced God's mercy and love is obligated to show God's mercy and love to others
1. The Abrahamic principle is "I Will Bless You, so Be a Blessing"
2. God saves us so we can serve Him.
3. We are obligated to forgive others just as much as God has forgiven us. Lack of forgiveness is an indication that you have not received God's love and forgiveness

An experience with the heart of God obliges us to show His heart to the world