The Patience of God’s Gracious Love 

1. Jonah didn’t understand the Gospel of grace enough to preach it to other people
2. The Human Problem of Depending on Self-Righteousness rather than God’s Grace-Approval
3. How Do We Receive the Grace of God After Realizing Our Self-Righteousness? 

Jonah 4:1-11 (NIV)

     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. ³ 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. ⁷ 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?"  
      "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 4:1-2 (NIV)

     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. 

1. Christians at first are no stronger or better than other people except in one thing: they are strong enough to admit their weaknesses

2. Christians are not less sinful than non-Christians, but admit the level, degree and magnitude of their the wickedness and sin

Jonah 2:9 (NIV)

     …“Salvation comes from the LORD.” 

Jonah 4:3 (NIV)

     Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."

3. The reason we do not know how patient God is because we do not know how persistent our sin is

1. Examine our hearts to find its deepest motivations

2.  Confess the sinful motivations in our hearts

Confession means to unmask and uncover the sin, be honest about it, and then be accountable for it 

Genesis 4:6-7, 9 (NIV)

     Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."… Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"  "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" 

3. Realize that God’s patient love will keep you out of despair