Alright, let's examine the final chapter of the Book of Jonah. What is the theme of this chapter? Some might say, God cherishes human life, which is good! But I believe a better phrasing would be: A God of grace and compassion.

I. The God Jonah Believed In

He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing 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. (Jonah 4:2)

Did Jonah know what kind of God this was? Why did Jonah flee to Tarshish? He knew that God was not keen on people dying. It would be quite interesting if Jonah proclaimed a prophecy in Tarshish, and God did not fulfill it according to his declared prophecy but according to human repentance. Jonah thought: Oh dear, I must not be trifled with by God. Later, the people of Nineveh truly repented, and after their repentance, alas, the God Jonah believed in was indeed just like that.

Let me tell you, what do people care about? People care about themselves. How many people care about God? I tell you, people only care about themselves. If I were Jonah, I would thank God! I might not be much better than Jonah, but one thing I know is that my life was saved by God. I must know that my God is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, and relents from sending calamity.

Jonah repented in the belly of the great fish, and God had the fish vomit him onto the shore. After Jonah arrived in Nineveh, his mind became muddled again, and he started saying: I might as well die. I tell you all, that muddled streak in people, thankfully there is God. If God were like us, He would have crushed people to death long ago.

Let's reflect on ourselves. Have you offended God only once or twice? It's offending again and again, offending again and again, receiving grace and then forgetting it. I really think people are so muddled! Alas, I lament! Sometimes, I tell you, I don't quite understand God either. I don't understand how God can have such abundant grace. But then I think, thankfully God has such abundant grace, so I was not crushed to death by God. Wouldn't it be as easy for God to crush me as to crush an ant?

This is the God we believe in! You know, I had a very clever idea in my mind. I was searching for a God to believe in because I knew I was entering a very unlucky situation. Brothers and sisters, have you encountered an unlucky situation? What exactly is going through your mind? I tell you, some people just want to solve their current problem and forget about searching for a God. At that time, I was searching for a God. I thought this idea was too clever, first telling you it's too clever, and then explaining the idea.

What is this idea? I must find a God who loves me. First: He must be a very powerful God, not me supporting Him, but Him supporting me. Second: He must love me. This is a bit difficult, isn't it? For example, if you find a triad boss, covered in muscles, with a ribbonfish tattooed from chest to back, one after another. With a green dragon on the left and a white tiger on the right, everyone knows who he is when they see him. If I find him, wouldn't that be inviting a wolf into my house? That won't do. I must find a God who is mighty, great and awesome, and full of love.

That's why when I first came to church, the songs they sang, God has abundant love, God has compassion, God has power, this is what we often pray, may honour, power, and glory be to God. God has abundant grace, abundant compassion, is slow to anger, and has abundant love. This is the God I was searching for!

Later, it was gradually confirmed to be so. Don't easily give up on this God, because if you easily give up on a God who loves you, you will find that He won't completely destroy you, He won't easily be angry with you, He will just slowly wait for you to repent, this is the God we believe in.

II. Jonah Asks for Death, But God Still Gives Him Grace and Compassion

“Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”(Jonah 4:3)

People's hearts are like this. Are there people like this among us? Surely there are. You say, having died once, why is it happening again? Throw me off the boat, I'd rather die, but I didn't die, and the temper flares up again. Jonah's temper is quite interesting. Every time it's I'd rather die, but ends up not dying. Some people are in a car accident, and then they get out of the car and don't die, and they say, Why didn't I just die in one go? So, every time they think of dying, but they don't die. Why? Jonah asks for death, but God still has compassion and grace. Don't think that if you ask for death, you will be given death.

When I was looking for my first job, my boss was quite interesting. He had a few good friends, three of them ran outside during thunder and rain, shouting: Is there a God? If there is, strike me dead with lightning. Alas, I tell you, God is really not easy. If it were our temper, we would say: Strike him dead! You want to die, don't you? Here, I'll give you death. We can't stand this, you say, what's with this mind? But God did not take his life.

Jonah saw that God did not send disaster, and he was greatly displeased, unhappy, and very angry, feeling: God, are you playing me? You will definitely play me for a fool. I am a prophet, and none of my words will come to pass. As a result, he got angry. I tell you, Jonah asked for death, but God actually didn't let him die. I tell you, when you ask for death, saying: Let me die, take my life! Actually, God doesn't really listen to this kind of prayer, because God cherishes human life. This is the God we believe in.

Brothers and sisters, if you have experienced many unlucky things, experienced being deceived and tormented, and then blame God: God, why didn't you stop me? Couldn't stop you. Some people marry a husband, and then the husband commits domestic violence, and she asks: God, what were you doing then? Why didn't you stop me? Didn't you affirm at the time that this was given to you by God? Some sisters have dreams and visions, and pastors affirm it, and then they say: God, is there a mistake? I was very peaceful at the time, and there was affirmation, so why is it like this now? You ask God, and God wants to ask you, so people are very interesting.

I tell you, don't believe this, these are all your own choices, what were you doing earlier? And then you let God take the blame. Don't you know that God has abundant grace? You ask for death, but God is still God, God is still full of compassion, full of grace, and slow to anger. So brothers and sisters, start to turn back to God again. If your breath still exists today, that is because God has abundant grace and compassion. You see, Jonah asked for death, but God didn't let him die, you say how great is God's grace and compassion! This is Jonah's first time asking for death, and as a result, he didn't die.

III. Jonah Asks for Death a Second Time, But God Still Has Grace and Compassion

I don't know if there were three times of asking for death. If we count the time in the first chapter when he was thrown into the sea, it really is three times! Alas, things don't go beyond three! You ask for death three times, and God still has grace and compassion. Can this prove that the God we believe in is a God of grace and compassion? Our God is waiting for us to repent.

Jonah was angry, and asked for death for the first time, and then God was quite interesting, God even said to him:

But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”(Jonah 4:4)

Jonah ignored God. Too lazy to pay attention to you, do you know that look of disdain? I often see this look, people treat me as God.

Jonah had gone 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. (Jonah 4:5)

Do you know what Jonah was looking at? He was thinking: I must continue to pray, so that what I declared will come to pass, otherwise they will say I am a false prophet. As a result, he built a shelter, prayed desperately, even crying, kneeling on the ground with his face to the ground. It's so embarrassing to be a false prophet, isn't it? Jonah wanted to see what would happen to the city: God, perhaps there is a chance for you to send disaster and destroy them.

Are there people among us who pray like this? As if they are your enemies, who have tricked you, harmed you, taken advantage of you, and hurt you. God! Destroy them! God didn't destroy them, but made you very tired. Jonah was thinking: Perhaps I didn't pray enough, I need to pray more, to see what will happen to the city, maybe I can pray one minute longer than the devil perseveres, so that what I declared will come to pass.

Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 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.”(Jonah 4:8)

When Jonah saw that the leafy plant had been chewed to death, that muddled streak in him came back again. We all have that muddled streak coming up from time to time, don't learn from Jonah. This matter is very interesting, what should be done? Jonah was scorched by the sun, and God made the sun, that force, infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, all added together, and strengthened it tenfold.

You can imagine, taking a magnifying glass, shining it on the sun, it can light paper. Have you tried a magnifying glass, after focusing, the sun can light paper? Probably God made a magnifying glass in the air to shine on Jonah, but be careful, don't let Jonah's head catch fire, don't burn him to death, but just make him hot. As a result, with this heat, alas, Jonah grew faint, and again asked for death, saying: It would be better for me to die than to live.

I tell you, many think death is better than life. You know, even if people do this, God still has abundant grace and mercy. You must know that when the sun shines on him, he seeks death again, but what happens? God still does not let him die. Why does Jonah like to seek death so much? I think Jonah must have suffered a lot of harm growing up, so he developed the habit of seeking death. So when he has nothing to do, he thinks about dying all the time, thinking that death is better than life.

Jonah sees things quite clearly, he is not interested in anything in the world, but he is still very serious about his prophetic office, even if his requests are not fulfilled, he thinks he might as well die. Jonah was thinking: I'm just waiting to see the disaster befall Nineveh, why did you bring a sun to shine on me? It's uncomfortable and hard. I tell you, people are like this, they would rather die than change their inner reasoning. God asked Jonah again: Is it reasonable for you to be so angry? In fact, God just wants to guide people out of their own reason, and God still gives him grace and mercy.

That's why the theme of this chapter is called A God of grace and mercy. If you let me be God, I would kill that rascal, can you imagine that feeling? You don't care about me, do you think I care? I don't even care about my own death, why would I care about your death? I'll fulfill you. Send a little devil, looking like a bull-headed horse-face, and take him away, kill him, that's people. Thank God, I don't identify with my own reason too much, it doesn't matter if what I declare doesn't come to pass, I know God's grace and mercy will come to pass.

IV. Is Jonah's Anger Justified?

God asked Jonah and did ideological work on Jonah.

Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” “It is,” he said. “I am so angry I wish I were dead.” (Jonah 4:9)

I find that many brothers and sisters are particularly like Jonah. They are particularly fond of their own reasons, they are so sure of them, no matter how I remind them, it's useless. They just want to walk down the road to bad luck. The road to blessing? That won't do! Can they live a blessed life? I just speak my reason, I speak reason to the point of death, if you have reason you can go anywhere, if you have no reason you can't move an inch. As a result, they find that even with reason, they can't move an inch. Alas, do people have to be like this? Do you know how many people have been harmed by the reason inside them?

I tell you, all reasonable people are fools. Why are reasonable people fools? Because the thing they are talking about is the reason that harms them, making themselves uncomfortable. If you have no reason, will you be uncomfortable? Our brothers and sisters, for example, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, if the daughter-in-law always feels that she is not reasonable, will she discern good and evil with her mother-in-law? No. She just feels that she is right, so she is uncomfortable.

Sometimes, I meet brothers and sisters who reason with me, but they don't even say their reason, they just feel: Teacher, I'm so sorry for you. If you are sorry for me, why are you arguing with me? Other brothers and sisters actually believe this: Teacher, don't talk about him anymore, he already feels very sorry for you. He feels sorry for me? Then why doesn't he bang his head against the wall, make a bump, is there such a thing? I can't figure out what this reason is.

Later I said to this sister: Do you think he is sorry for me? I tell you, he thinks I'm sorry for him. This Jonah feels that God is sorry for him. His life was saved by God. Without God, how could he be alive now? But Jonah said: I am angry to the point of death, it is all reasonable. Isn't this arguing with Got? In fact, God knows what he is arguing about. He just wants Nineveh to suffer disaster. This is Nineveh that destroyed the kingdom of Israel, this is the Assyrian Empire that destroyed the kingdom of Israel, this is the Japanese devil of the Nanjing Massacre.

I tell you, some people once asked me: Teacher, what is meant by loving your enemies? It just means hoping that the enemy will not be destroyed by anything. Brothers and sisters, never gloat over misfortune, because the disaster will fall on you. I tell you, Jonah cares about himself, he cares about his own nation, he does not care about what God cares about.

That's why people are all liars, and God is real. Jonah just wants Nineveh to suffer disaster, is it reasonable? Even death is reasonable. What kind of reason is this? This is a reason without grace and mercy. So although Chinese Mingding Destiny is called Chinese Mingding Destiny, it is not for Chinese people, but hopes to be a blessing to all nations on earth, not asking God to destroy this or destroy that, but asking God to bless this and bless that.

You think God has asked Jonah several times: Is it reasonable for you to be like this? Just to remind you. Brothers and sisters, I will ask you again, is it reasonable for you to think like that? What kind of reason is that? I tell you, those who have deceived you, people wish God would curse these liars, but I tell you, it's useless, you can't see it, why? Because God cherishes human life. People on earth are all sinners, but God cherishes human life. It is not that God hopes to kill the Israelites, nor that God hopes to kill the people in Sodom and Gomorrah. God hopes that people can be saved, God is waiting for people to repent. We must all begin to have a heart of repentance, and remove the things inside us that cause us to provoke God's anger. Is it reasonable for Jonah to be so angry? It is unreasonable.

V. God cherishes human life

But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4:10-11)

Many of our brothers and sisters are in debt, have been blacklisted, and then God still wants to save you. Haven't some people already come out of this? They have come out, thank God! So many people love the world, so many indulge in the flesh, so many discern good and evil, it is also very reasonable for God to destroy all these people, but God cherishes human life.

We must not read the Old Testament and conclude that God is a very cruel God. Our God is a God full of grace and mercy, our God cherishes your life and mine, so we are still alive. God will not destroy us because we insist on our own reasons like Jonah, nor will he be cruel because we are like the people of Nineveh. God invented many tortures to treat the Israelites, but did not destroy them. Why? Because they repented. So God is waiting for us to repent.

Look at the things we have inside, there are too many things that are not God's truth. People are very cruel, people want to kill their competitors. Look at the presidential election now, it is to eliminate the opponents. God cherishes human life, waiting for people to repent. So I have to tell you, repentance is never enough.

I am particularly grateful that I have known Jesus Christ in this life, and have known our Father in heaven, who is full of grace and mercy, otherwise I would have died several times without knowing it. The last chapter of the Book of Jonah finally lets us understand what kind of God our God is. Never assume that God likes to kill people just because God killed 600,000 Israelites. In fact, God has tolerated them again and again. They just have to dig into death! It is not because God struck down Pharaoh and all the firstborn of the Egyptians that He likes to kill people. No! But God hopes that the Israelites will repent, and God also hopes that the Egyptians will repent, but some people say: Teacher, didn't God harden Pharaoh's heart? God can harden Pharaoh's heart, but he can choose not to be stiff.

If we have a little brain, don't be so stupid, don't be so stubborn, people always have room to live. In fact, many of our brothers and sisters, many people have experienced the grace of God, but then they do not recognize God, there are really a lot. Some people don't care about God after God heals their illness.

Once there was a person who was paralyzed in bed, and then the factory could not continue to operate, and then a friend brought her to us. After arriving among us, we prayed with her, and she got up from the bed, and the paralysis that had lasted for many years was cured, but in the end she did not recognize God.

Did God know she was this kind of person? He knew. Then why did God heal her? He healed her not because she did well, but because God cherished her life. Later we wanted to continue praying with her, but we couldn't find her. She said: That won't work, how can I have time to believe in the Lord properly, I have to do business and make money.

This kind of situation is very common among us. Those who have depression, who have been healed by praying with us, are busy with their own business and go to make money again. But I tell you, God did not let his illness come back to make him suffer. Why? Because God cherishes human life, people are forcing God, but God did not kill him.

You say how good our God is! We must seize this opportunity tightly, and grasp God tightly. God treats Jonah like this, he sought death three times, and God did not kill him. Such a God, don't we know to fear Him? Worship Him? Everyone must begin to gain wisdom and discernment. We have such a God, it is really so worth it.

May God bless everyone!