Beloved radio friends, we greet you once more in the precious name of our beloved and blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, one who, from eternity past and through eternity to come, is the Son of the Living God. We continue our study in the closing chapter of the prophecy of Jonah, chapter four. And today we would consider what is the lesson that God is seeking to teach? His servant the prophet, the one whom we have found in chapter four in verse nine, very vehemently declared his anger and expressed his desire to die. Jonah clearly indicated how much that God had meant to him. It had protected him from the rays of the scorching sun, but it had been removed by God in one night. by a tiny caterpillar worm, cutting through its tender stalk. Now God reaches the crisis of all this foolishness by Jonah, in order to show his servant the prophet his own narrow-minded soul, and that he had more affection and concern for the unimportant plant than he had for all the people that dwelt in the city of Nineveh. Jonah had been his commissioned servant, and he had clearly indicated that by his action, attitude and conduct, he had no pity in his heart for the citizens of that great city Nineveh. And he expressed his displeasure in his anger when God spared them. Now God says to Jonah in chapter four in verse ten, Thou hast had pity on the God. Oh, yes. Jonah felt sorry for that gourd. Oh, yes, to Jonah, that was different. He was unfortunately selfishly concerned about his own personal comfort. Not the threat and destruction of a million people, perhaps, who lived in Nineveh. You know, it seems amazing that he could be so unbalanced in his heart and mind. Here is one little plant. a gourd that was more important to be kept alive by than all the population of Nineveh. And this seems the colossal height of selfishness. But before we condemn Jonah, let us ask our own hearts. Are we just as guilty of selfishness too? Now when you read verse ten of Jonah chapter four, we can see why God chose a plant like this gourd which grew up so rapidly and was chosen as an object lesson for Jonah. Now let me read the whole verse through. Verse ten. Then said the Lord, thou hast had pity on the God, for the which thou hast not labored, neither madeest it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. Now Jonah had absolutely nothing to do to make that plant grow. It came up of itself rapidly. He neither made anything that would help it. He had no garden hose or a sprinkling can of water to even water it. He absolutely contributed nothing toward the appearing and the growth of that plant. He could not tell God what he had done to keep that plant alive. And why all this? In substance, God is saying to Jonah, look, If you were so attached to the God, because it protected you and served you, a plant upon which you expended not even any thought, not even any labor, no toil, no sacrifice, no care, you not even did you plant it, you did not water it, you did not prune it, and it was only a plant of short duration that grew so quickly, and then it passed away just as quickly. Shall I not allow my love, my pity, my compassion, to flow out to thousands of people whom I have created, whom I have maintained with the necessities of life? And more than that, these people are going to exist forever, for they will never go out of existence. Now what God in substance is saying to Jonah is this, Jonah, you do not know my heart. You do not know my love. You do not know my mercy and my compassion. After all you have gone through, you should realize my love for you, my mercy and my compassion to deliver you. And by this you should also be glad when I show it to a multitude of others. I would not wonder that Jonah began to feel very, very small and greatly humbled by this. And so should you and I, my radio friend. Have we been able to fathom yet the breadth, the length, the depth, and the height of God's love for a world of sinners that are lost? It has been expressed by the Son of God that he could never be more greatly expressed by his own precious words so familiar. John For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For in the very words of John three sixteen the Lord Jesus declares the breadth of God's love. He loves the whole world. Every man, woman, boy and girl within it. The Lord Jesus not only expressed the breadth of God's love, but also the length of it. He gave His only begotten Son, and that upon the cross of Calvary. He has also expressed the depth of His love, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, meaning the very depths of hell would never be their portion. And then He expresses the height of it, to give every believing sinner everlasting life. My radio listener, My Christian friend, has there ever been such boundless love and pity which God has shown to the whole world? Read with me the last verse of the book of Jonah. And I want you to listen to God continuing to reason with his servant as well as to instruct him. Says God to Jonah, should not I spare Nineveh? That great city wherein are more than six-score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also much capital. There were a hundred and twenty thousand souls. Probably the Lord is referring to children of tender years, perhaps no more than three years of age and under, or not any more than seven years of age. and under, little children of whom he could say they are not able to know which hand is left and which is the right hand. And if there were a hundred and twenty thousand as such, then they were but about a fifth of the population, at least if not, there were more than six hundred thousand to a million, who would be the complete number within the city? And of all these people, even the little ones, it certainly seems evident that Jonah loved one little gourd plant more than they. Yes, that's right. What a narrow heart and narrow mind you say he had. Well, now my beloved radio friend, let me ask you, how large is your heart? How large is my heart? And even in our scripture, God even had concern about the cattle to show his pity and his compassion upon them. My beloved, please let us see the lesson. The lesson that God was trying to teach his servant, that God has a compassionate, loving heart for his creatures. Now there is no question of doubt. The city of Nineveh, with all of his population, deserved the judgment that God decreed. And we have stated it in the preceding message, and we repeat it again. Perhaps a hundred years later, approximately, the city of Nineveh was destroyed because of its wickedness. And though the city repented in the days of Jonah, it renewed later on in life the wickedness of the human heart. But the people of Nineveh in Jonah's day repented. And because of their repentance, God spared the city of Nineveh. For our God is not only a God of righteousness and judgment. He is a God of love. He is a God of mercy. And please may I say the words that Paul quotes, as you have them in chapter seventeen of the book of the Acts, when Paul spoke upon Mars Hill in the Areopagus it happens, to the wisest men of Greek culture. He said, God hath commanded all men everywhere to repent. And my beloved, may I say, when in true repentance people will turn to God, He will forgive. And there is a tremendous challenge as well as a searching of heart for every one of us saved and unsaved. Do we really properly measure the heart of God? and my fellow believer, and I confess this, and I preach the truth of it to my conscience and heart as I speak to you, how we need to enter into God's heart of love when around us men and women are dying in sin and going to a lost eternal hell. How appropriate are the words of the hymn writer when he said, Love this world through me, Lord, the world of sinful men. I think of the words of a good friend of mine, who was a great musician, who wrote many musical compositions, as well as some loveliest of hymns and choruses. And one special one that he wrote, I've never forgotten, oh, I really need to remember it more. Here are the words. Lord crucified. Give me a heart like thine. Teach me to love the dying souls around. Oh, keep my heart in closest touch with thee. And give me love, pure calvary love, to bring the loss to thee. How precious an out-searching of these words. Dear Jonah, a prophet, a servant of God, Yet without the love of God within his heart, without the compassion and mercy of God showing and willing to show his selfish, deavishness because of his own comfort or discomfort, as the case may have been. Oh, my beloved, this is a lesson. May you and I learn it, and may God fill us with his own love and mercy and compassion too. Father, bless the truth of thy word to every heart. Most sin is to come to the Savior and find his love. In Jesus' name we ask in our men.