What drives someone to resent the grace of God? Seems implausible, doesn't it?
Well, meet Jonah, the most successful evangelist in the Bible. who desperately wanted his own ministry to fail. After an enormous crowd of people found salvation, he sat in bitter isolation, furious at God's compassion. Imagine that. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindahl describes his shocking response, showing how selfishness becomes a poison that destroys from within.
Isolation, we'll see, is one of humanity's greatest killers. and only Jesus Christ can offer the cure. Chuck titled his message, Ticked Off to the Bitter End. Today, our Father, as we spend Just these few moments in your living word. May you speak to us in such a way that you crowd out all other thoughts.
You silence all other voices. And you make insignificant all other events of this day.
So that we realize You really mean what you say. Because you have written it in such a way. that it penetrates. It digs deep within our souls. cutting down to where no surgeon's scalpel could ever reach.
Revealing the thoughts and intentions. of our innermost thoughts and heart. Thank you, Father. For your spirits work as you take charge. of the truth.
and drive it home. Maybe all realize You're talking about us. Though you wrote these things centuries ago. We have our occupations, and we are grateful for them. We thank you for the salaries we earn.
And from the money we make, We give. And we're learning to be even more generous. You teach us even that Use our gifts today, which we give. joyfully and generously, For the greater cause of Christ. And may this act of giving help even further to draw us away from ourselves.
and into the lives of those we will never meet. who live in places We will never go.
So that their lives will be changed from a lifestyle. We would never know. We commit to you, our Father. These things in prayer and these gifts that we give. In the name of Jesus, The Emmanuel God with us.
And all God's people said. Amen. You're listening to Insight for Living. To dig deeper into the story of Jonah on your own, be sure to purchase our Searching the Scriptures Bible Study Workbook by going to insight.org slash offer. Chuck titled today's message, Ticked Off to the Bitter End.
Look at the text that we're looking at, Jonah chapter 4. You'll find three things that God arranges. Or your Bible may read he appoints. You will see them right on the text. Verse 6.
God arranged For a leafy plant. I'll come back to it in a moment. Look at verse 7. God also arranged for a worm. This is an old cut worm that would come and.
eat into the stem of the plant and kill it. I'll get to that in a moment. And third, you will notice Verse 8, as the sun grew hot, God arranged, there's the third time. God appointed a scorching east wind. to blow across that blistering sands of the desert east of Nineveh.
That's how God sovereignly works. He begins with a comforting maneuver. Look at what he does. Back to verse six. He arranged for a leafy plant.
To grow there. God didn't have to do that. Could have left him alone in the shelter and turned his back on him and ignored him. God is no isolationist. No, not on your life.
God brought some comfort. How patient of the Lord to do that. He arranged for a plant. It grew quickly and spread its broad leaves. over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun.
This eased Jodah's discomfort. Look at that. And Jonah was very grateful. for the plant. Finally, he's grateful for something.
But he realizes that Jonah is not grateful for God. He's grateful for the plant.
So the Lord ratchets up the plan and he Sends along a worm, and what do we read? He arranged for a worm, and the next morning at dawn, God starts early, doesn't he? The worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. There goes the shade. And if that isn't enough, Notice he tightens the screws even tighter.
When the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching East wind to blow On. Jonah. And what happens? He wishes to die. Death is certainly better than living like this.
Then God said to Jonah, Is it right for you to be angry about the plant? Really? Jonah. Is that right? You've reduced your life To the leaves of a plant?
Unless you think that that might have done it. Jonah's response is yes. Yes. Even angry enough to die. I think he shouted that.
In so many words, so many ways, he's saying, you better believe it.
Well, that was enough. Enough was enough. Even God's leash has a limit. And he's reached the limit. Here's the heartbreaking reality.
At this point, Jonah isn't even thinking about the changed lives of the Ninevites.
So God wants more. turns there, which was the whole purpose of getting him to come in the first place. is that these people might be changed. And so the Lord said. And from here on, it's a monologue.
Jonah says nothing else. The book ends, if you will, with a death wish. that seals Jonah's lips. You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. You have compassion for the plant.
Though you didn't even Planted. It came quickly and died quickly. But but Look, Jonah. Look at this city. Look at the smiles.
Look at the changed lives. From the king all the way to the peasant. Look at the humility of these people who were once. Arrogant in their wickedness. Look at this.
Jonah, look at this. What a difference. What a change. In fact, let me say something about the number. There's an insight here I don't want you to miss.
Nineveh has more than 120,000 people. And I mentioned in the reading. That the Hebrew has the line that These are people who don't know the right hand from their left.
Now shop. If you were sitting at your kitchen table And you are reading your Bible at the end of Jonah. And you come to that line. which the new American standard reads, including that Who would that refer to? Who would be those who do not know their right hand?
from their left. Small children. is the only answer. Until they're old enough to understand left and right and And to understand. That concept Everything hands doing what right and left hands do.
They're young.
So let's Understand 120,000 has reference Two little children. I agree with Charles Ryrie in his footnote in the study Bible. In the New American Standard, where he says this has reference. To children, in fact, that puts the number of the people of Nineveh. Over 600,000.
Thousand. Not just 120. This is the most significant revival recorded in all the Bible. Look, Jonah. Look at that.
Look at all of these people. Children younger. Older adults, and now look at them, the change in their lives. Jonah, look. All right.
Should we not have compassion? Not on the leaves of a gourd. but on the lives. And these What's Lost souls. who existed in darkness.
And knew nothing but that lifestyle. Jonah. Connect the dots. He doesn't. I would love to be able to say that there exists Uh a reliable body of literature that gives us the later years of Jonah where He came to his senses and he realized how short-sighted he had been and selfish and any change, but I have I have no other literary work to recommend.
Certainly nothing in the Bible. In fact, interesting, the book of Jonah begins. With the word of the Lord. Where he gave his message to Jonah. to get up and go to Nineveh.
And the book ends with the word of the Lord. As they are at Nineveh and the lives have been changed. But it ends in sort of an ellipsy. Just a dot. Dot God.
Question mark? It's sort of like the song Peggy Lee made popular. Is that all there is? Jonah, is that all there is? You want to die because of Plant diet?
Let me state it lest anybody miss it. This is the ultimate in a selfish lifestyle. This is the individual who is proud of the license frame. that says he who dies with the most toys wins. I will not back off and just be nice and tactful here.
I'm going to be direct. It's easy in this day and age to become that selfish. It's easy. Just follow the direction of The majority. Plan for yourself.
Live for yourself. Think of yourself. Work for yourself. In the sense of your plans. Your future Your salary.
Care little about those who are lost. And press right on in that lifestyle, and I will tell you. Little by little your world will revolve around Sort of an us four and no more, and I'm not too sure about you three. It's all about me. How many marriages have broken up because the mate?
Simply did not have room in her life or his life for one other person. How many companies have split apart because? There's no sharing here. This is about me. This is mine.
We are selfish. body of people.
Now let me end on a wonderful note. Turn from Jonah 4 to Philippians 2. Quickly turn. What a marvelous Contrast. Paul is writing to the people of Philippi.
And he turns to the ultimate example of an unselfish lifestyle But not before he has. Given this imperative Verse 3 of chapter 2. Don't be selfish. Don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
Don't look out for your own interests, but take an interest in others' interest. Two. And then he turns. To the ultimate illustration. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
I love it that it's the word attitude. It all starts there. Quickly transport yourself to eternity past. When there was no earth. When there was no matter When there was nothing but the Godhead, And in The midst of this Eternal setting.
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Put together the plan of eternal decrees. Anticipating Earth that would come. and people who would populate it. and depravity that would captivate it.
and the lostness of humanity that would populate it. And the Father and Son and Spirit agree.
However, it occurred in that setting. that the sun Would lay aside and not cling to all of the glories. of heaven and think of what they were. Myriad of angels. For ever at his beckon call, Co-equaled, co-eternal, coexistent with the Father and with the Spirit.
Never a hint of sin to deal with. Never An ugly caustic comment to listen to. Never mistreatment, only harmony, only. The joys of eternal glory. In eternity past, and the Son of God.
agrees. To leave that and to come here. In our midst. And to be born. as a human being.
Immanuel God with us. and become one of us. Apart from sin, Now you can read on. Verse 6, though he was God. Did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
No selfishness whatsoever. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges. took the humble position of a slave. And was born. As a human being.
He was willing to come. and live among us. And if that wasn't enough, When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God. Died a criminal's death on a cross. The ultimate in sacrifice as opposed to selfishness.
He was willing to die. And as he hung there, was able to say Tatellist Thai. It is finished. It is finished. And slumped in death.
Having paid the penalty for the sins, Or the why. Easy to forget. Where He once was. And now where he is. The beauty of this passage Is that he is the example.
of how to live a life. We are given the opportunity every day. with choices. We can choose our own way. Or we can Think of others.
We can do what is only best for us. or we can do with what benefits others. Jonah chose the former. Jesus The latter. As a result, Life revolves around the one who gave himself.
that we might know eternal life. Isn't that amazing? He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf. that we might become the righteousness of God. in him The lady and Thomas put it well.
When he said The life that he lived qualified him for the death that he died. And the death that he died qualifies us. for the life that he lived. It would never have been possible. Had he selfishly clung to the glories of heaven and said, I will not go.
But from the moment he became An adult human being on a mission in his ministry. He was maligned, mistreated, hated, despised. And ultimately a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. I think it's beautiful that the Lord established for the church. A memorial.
to his death. It's called the Lord's table. Where there is a little piece of pastry. that reminds us of a body that was given for us. and a small cup of juice.
It is a symbol of his blood. poured out for us. to cleanse us from sin. How beautiful that he has us Hold those in our hands. and of all things Put them in our mouths and taste them.
Assimilate them.
So that we might truly enter into. what it means to remember his death. until he returns. Bow with me, will you please? Right where you're sitting, just bow your heads.
Close your eyes. Receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Right now. Just acknowledge your sinfulness, your selfishness. A lifestyle of pleasing yourself.
And accepting the fact that Jesus can deliver you from that. As you trust in him and him alone. For forgiveness. If you're a believer, make sure that you are walking in the light. even as our Saviour is in the light.
Search your heart. See if you be in the faith. Dear Father, we thank you for the reminder. If we've had before us During these weeks of study, We've seen a man whose life has revolved around himself. And the The experience from one miserable event to another Convince us, Lord, that that is no way to live.
and release our grip. on ourselves. I pray. May we deeply give thanks. for all he has done for us.
Thank you for the cross. Where we first saw the light. And you delivered us from darkness. Our worship is yours and we pray that it will be meaningful. In the name of Jesus.
Amen. You're listening to Insight for Living and message number eight in Chuck Swindahl's nine-part biography of Jonah, the reluctant prophet. This study concludes on Thursday, so be sure to purchase the C D's or MP three audio files and the Searching the Scriptures Bible Study workbook while it's fresh on your mind. You can do that by calling us at 800-772-8888 or go to insight.org slash offer. Here's a quick peek at our next study that begins on Friday.
It's an in-depth study through the letter to the Romans. Chuck refers to this book as our doctrinal constitution because it's the theological foundation upon which our faith rests. In his refreshing style, Chuck illustrates the beautiful union between doctrine and life. and why it's important to put into practice what we believe.
So be prepared for a great exploration of Paul's letter to the Romans. To whet your appetite, Insight for Living is making the first chapter of Chuck's commentary on Romans available as a PDF download. Romans chapter 1 sets the table for the entire feast in Paul's letter. And today, when you become one of our monthly companions, or if you're already a monthly companion, we'll be pleased to give you this download with our thanks. A monthly companion is someone who agrees to give an automated monthly donation in the amount of your choosing.
and you can set this up right now by going to insight.org slash monthly companion. You know, our monthly companions provide stability to the Ministry of Insight for Living. Nonprofit ministries operate on faith, asking God to provide friends like you to give voluntary donations. But we can't predict the ebb and flow of finances. In that regard, our monthly companions are special because they provide predictable income that allows us to move forward with confidence.
Remember, when you become a monthly companion, we'll say thanks by providing the PDF version of Chuck's commentary on Romans chapter 1. Just go to insight.org/slash monthly companion. I'm Bill Meyer. Be sure to hear Chuck Swindahl's concluding message in his biographical series on Jonah beginning tomorrow on Insight for Living. The preceding message Ticked off to the bitter end, was copyrighted in 2018, 2019, and 2025.
And the sound recording was copyrighted in 2025 by Charles Arswindahl Incorporated. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
