Welcome to Dingwall Free Church Are you on the Side of Grace? This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 God Calls Us to delight in Christ and to Share His Hope

ORDER OF SERVICE Psalm 145:1-9* (p. 189) Prayer and Reading – Jonah 4 Psalm 63:1-8 (p. 295) Sermon - Are You On The Side of Grace? Psalm 36:5-10* (p. 44)

Prayer & Bible Reading – Jonah 4 Page 928

Bible Reading (Pew Bible - page 928) Jonah 4:1-11 3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. 4:1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

Bible Reading (Pew Bible - page 928) Jonah 4: Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." 4 But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?" 5 Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine.

Bible Reading (Pew Bible - page 928) Jonah 4: But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live." 9 But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"

Bible Reading (Pew Bible - page 928) Jonah 4:1-11 "I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die." 10 But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

Jonah – Are You One The Side of Grace or Brimstone? The last chapter ties up two important loose ends in the story: Why did Jonah ran away in the first place? Why did Jonah so badly get God wrong? The answers are exposed as God asks Jonah two very similar questions, 4:4 Have you any right to be angry? 4:9 Do you have a right to be angry about a destroyed vine?

Jonah – Are You One The Side of Grace or Brimstone? God is exposing not only Jonah’s heart – but ours too! At the end of “Mission Nineveh” Jonah is sulking. Who wrote this unflattering ‘warts and all’ portrait? Be honest about “bad days.” Oliver Cromwell - ‘warts and all’ By Pieter van der Faes

1. Do You Resent God ’ s Grace? 1-4 Why get so ANGRY, if your preaching is getting through? A prayer, parallel to Chapter 2, BUT full of bitter spite! Jonah is livid because he challenges the right of God to be God! His view of election is all wrong.

1. Do You Resent God ’ s Grace? 1-4 Be in harmony with the God who LOVES to Save (2:9) What is the most frequent word in 4:2, 4:9? “I” – six in English, NINE in Hebrew. ‘“I” object to “cheap grace” – it’s all too easy, Lord.’

1. Do You Resent God ’ s Grace? 1-4 The Pharisees objected to Jesus’ grace; The Reformers were told by the Catholics that simple faith was too easy, and would lead to sin. Have you got Orthodox Theology like 4:2b (straight out of Exodus 34:6 - "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands....”) BUT with a loveless heart?

1. Do You Resent God ’ s Grace? 1-4 Your head tells you to return to God “for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” Joel 2:13 But does your attitude say – “Sinner, you are too bad for grace?” God’s kindness is NEVER earned.

2. Do You Delight in God ’ s Grace? Do You Resent God ’ s Grace? (1-4) Are you right to be angry: God in his sovereign KINDNESS provides a vine for Jonah just as he provided a fish. God also provided a worm and a scorching wind to destroy the vine - exposing Jonah to the heat of the sun. God has a right to be kind and to be severe. Why can Jonah only delight in severity?

2. Do You Delight in God ’ s Grace? Do You Resent God ’ s Grace? (1-4) Highland “Separatists” could only find a handful of true Christians in Scotland. Truly delighting in God’s kingship will accept HIS rights and share HIS PITY.

2. Do You Delight in God ’ s Grace? Do You Resent God ’ s Grace? (1-4) 120,000 – possibly just the children? 500,000 in the city? Jonah 4 is the OT counterpart to Luke 15 – our God is much more merciful that us! The CHURCH exists for others, not just for itself.

2. Do You Delight in God ’ s Grace? Do You Resent God ’ s Grace? (1-4) Shouldn’t God be concerned for THIS city of ours? Concerned enough to die… How concerned are we to delight in God’s grace? Did Jonah wake up to God’s grace and love? Did the older brother in Luke 15?

2. Do You Delight in God ’ s Grace? Do You Resent God ’ s Grace? (1-4) Jonah ends with questions – it invites you to write an ending… Write yourself into the story… I will repent, and delight in others repenting, because God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:4).

Join us for fellowship at the manse tonight God Calls Us to delight in Christ and to Share His Hope.