Key Truth: God patiently shows us compassion while growing us as disciples in His image.

Introduction:

Has God ever shown you that you don’t know something as well as you thought you did?

Jonah’s Anger at God’s Compassionate Character

Jonah 4:1-3

“How we react is often a better thermometer of our heart than how we act. . . . The Christian who loses his taste for what God is doing must look to see who, as well as what, is dulling his palate.”

Sinclair Ferguson, Man Overboard!: The Story of Jonah

How do you react when God doesn’t do what you want?
What does this reveal about your heart?

God’s Compassion for Jonah

Jonah 4:4 

“Most of us are like Jonah. We must have multiple exposures both to our need for God’s grace—which usually come through experiences of disappointment and failure—and to the gospel message. To get God’s love and Christ’s grace down into the motivational principles of our hearts, to the foundational layer of our identities, is a process, and often a slow one.”

Tim Keller, The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God’s Mercy

How is God being patient with you as you slowly grow in your discipleship? 

Application:

Jonah 4:1-4 teaches us that: 

- Our reactions to God’s actions reveal what’s going on in our hearts

- Our reactions often reveal that we don’t know God as well as we thought we did

- Even so, God patiently shows us compassion as He grows us as disciples in His image