Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Article: “Jonah Is More Like Us Than We Realize” by Elliot Clark
• Sermon Manuscript: “God Wants to Give You Another Chance” by H.B. Charles Jr.
• Sermon: “Is It Good For You To Be Angry?” by T. J. Betts
• Sermon: “The Tragedy of an Unwilling Missionary” by John MacArthur

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training Podcast. Today we are in Unit 14, Session 2, Repentance, with the core passage of Jonah 3:4-10 and 4:1-2 and 6-11; and with the key concept of: God is merciful to forgive when people repent, and He desires His people to be merciful as well.

Last week we talked about Elisha and he continued to be a prophet through various kings until he died in 2 Kings 13:20. And the kings of Israel continued do evil in the sight of the Lord, even with God sending other prophets like Jonah, mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. But oddly, Jonah was a controversial prophet, he was a prophet of the Lord, but tended to do things his way. In 2 Kings 14:25, he prophesied that King Jeroboam II would be victorious, regaining and restoring the territory from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah. But Amos counters that prophecy, reversing it, saying that Jeroboam II’s wickedness would cause him to lose such territory in Amos 6:13-14 and even lose his life in Amos 7:10-11. So Jonah is a complicated character to which we will find.

Even in the beginning of the book of Jonah, we find that Jonah’s first act was to disobey God. Jonah 1:1-3 state that God told Jonah to go to Nineveh but in disobedience, he tried to flee to Tarshish in a boat, away “from the Lord’s presence.” For those of us who grew up in the church, the story is familiar. A storm came, the pagan sailors woke Jonah and asked him what they should do. He told them to throw him overboard which they hesitantly do. The storm stopped, and the sailors offered sacrifices to the Lord in belief.

Jonah was swallowed by a big fish and stayed there for three days and three nights. He prayed, got spit out, and he eventually decided to obey God, going to Nineveh. Now, Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, a city known for wickedness and brutality that included torture, slavery, child sacrifice, sorcery, and more. You can scan the QR code for the timeline of the Assyrian Empire and its biblical connections on page 78 of the Leader Guide for more historical background. Clearly, Nineveh needed a prophet to warn them of impending doom. Jonah’s “sermon” however is only 5 words in Hebrew that means “in forty days Nineveh will be demolished” in verse 4—literally, “within forty days Nineveh overturned.” The most effective sermon ever, for verse 5 states, “Then the people of Nineveh believed God.” I wish I could say 5 words and a whole capital city turns to the Lord! This word, “overturned” or “demolished” could mean judgment as used in the events of Sodom and Gomorrah as referenced in The Gospel Project Commentary on page 75, but it could also mean turn or transform as in the case of turning the Nile river into blood during the plagues against Egypt. The Commentary writer leans more on the judgment but I would have to say that there is room for both, God’s play on words that though Jonah wanted the Ninevites to be demolished, God wanted them to be transformed and turned from their ways.

What role might the announcement of judgment for sin play in the sharing of the gospel? Sometimes we forget that a warning of danger is an act of love. Thus, a warning of judgment can be an act of love if spoken in the right way. What God meant, and means, as an act of love, a warning of danger, can be transformed into an act of hate in human mouths. Jonah wanted impending doom for the Ninevites and sometimes we share about judgment in the message of the gospel in a condemning way. Yet, it is God’s love that sent His Son to save us from death and destruction and so our message of the gospel must include the warning of danger, out of love not condemnation. We share the whole gospel message because our desire is that hearts turn to God.

Verse 5 states “the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.” It continues stating that the king even covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes and issued a decree for the whole city to do the same. The whole city not only felt in their hearts the need to repent, but they acted on it, fasting, covering themselves in sackcloth and sitting in ashes. Back in the day, signs of repentance and mourning included fasting, wearing sackcloth, and sitting in ashes, leaving oneself uncomfortable to show repentance. The king’s decree included that “each must turn from his evil ways and from his wrongdoing” in verse 8. And what was the motive? Verse 9: the hope that God would “turn and relent” and not destroy them. Their belief, repentance, turning from their ways, and hope in mercy resulted in God seeing their actions and relenting. “He did not do it,” God did not destroy them.

How might you evaluate your own response of repentance to conviction from God’s Word? For me, sometimes I am convicted of sin after reading or hearing God’s Word and confess and am more intentional to turn from my ways. Certain sins, however, like a lack of forgiveness, is harder than others to turn from for me. But your group may have varying answers here.

Jonah’s response here is human. We might give Jonah a hard time but many of us may lean toward justice more than mercy at times like Jonah did. He prayed to the Lord in displeasure and anger, telling God this is why he fled toward Tarshish and didn’t go to Nineveh right away as God commanded in the beginning. His reaction reminds us that knowing that God is gracious and compassionate doesn’t always mean that we want to be the same. Jonah knew God was “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love,” God’s character revealed to His people all the way back in Exodus 34:6-7 to Moses and as expressed to the Israelites themselves. Yet here, Jonah is upset that that is God’s character, one of mercy and compassion.

What are some ways you find yourself at odds with God’s character? Many of us are like Jonah. It’s hard to balance God’s mercy and His justice. We want one when it serves us and not the other, and vice versa when it doesn’t serve us. We want God always on “our side.” But God is so beyond us that we don’t always understand His plans and how He is orchestrating the events of history. Your group may have some personal answers here as well.

From there, Jonah was so upset, he wished he would die, and God asked him if it was right for him to be angry. No response. Then Jonah left the city and sat where he could see what would happen. God in His mercy appointed a plant to grow and provide him shade and Jonah “was greatly pleased.” When dawn came the next day God made a worm kill the plant and his shade was gone and the sun beat down and Jonah almost fainted and again, Jonah wanted to die. Again, God asked if it was right for him to be angry that the plant died. This time Jonah responded yes! Jonah felt it was right for him to be angry at God killing a plant that shaded him, but also felt it was right for him to be angry at God for showing mercy to the Ninevites. Maybe Jonah was just an angry guy.

God responded to Jonah. You care about this plant that you did nothing for and that literally just survived one day, it came and went, and you’re angry that it died? How much more should I care for more than a 120,00 people, made in My image, in this city? I added the “made in my image” but it’s implied there. And the curtain falls. The book ends. The reader or listener is left to side with God, of course. Of course God’s mercy for the people of Nineveh out compares Jonah’s mercy for the little plant. Of course God’s choosing to relent on destroying Nineveh overshadows Jonah’s desire to see them destroyed. I’m reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 2:3-4: “3 Do you think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

God’s kindness was meant to lead the Ninevites to repentance and it did. It was also meant to lead Jonah to repentance, and we don’t know any more of the story. We thus are left to ask ourselves, will God’s kindness lead us to repentance? Will we be merciful and compassionate like God, or angry and spiteful like Jonah?

How are you showing others God’s heart of care, mercy, and forgiveness? Especially those who might have different beliefs than you? Some may say through hospitality, through leaning into conversations, through listening more, through sharing the love of Christ and the message of gospel salvation, through serving in the community.

As the Gospel Connection states, God is compassionate and will forgive when people repent. All who believe in Jesus Christ and repent of their sin will be saved.

Onto the Group Experience then, start with the icebreaker, “When have you experienced a situation that seemed unfair at the time?” Go into the Context reviewing that Jonah was a prophet during Jeroboam II’s reign, that he was a controversial prophet, and wasn’t always obedient.

Recap asking your group’s thoughts on Jonah’s character and any other highlights they might have. Transition, letting your group know that we will look into other examples of God’s mercy.

Into the Group Activity, divide your group into 3 groups and give each one a different instance of repentance: one gets David, another the Samaritan woman, and the other, Saul. Have each group read their verses and write down how God showed mercy and how the people responded. Call out each group and their responses.

For example, David’s Repentance shows how God used Nathan to reveal David’s sin to him. David confessed his sin and God relented on killing him.

For the Samaritan woman, though she was a Samaritan and had multiple relationships, Jesus still revealed Himself to her. And she believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, and told the town who also believed.

For Saul, though he persecuted Christians, Jesus revealed Himself to him and called him out as an apostle. After being blinded and getting his sight restored, he responded in getting baptized and learning from the disciples and proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God.

Invite someone to read Jonah 3:4-10 and answer as a group how God showed mercy and how the people responded. God first showed mercy by sending Jonah to warn them of possible doom. They responded in fasting, wearing sackcloth, and sitting in ashes and turning from their wicked ways.  

Then compare the similarities between these various events: All of the main characters had sinned; all of them were sent a messenger; all of them responded in belief and/or repentance. What opposition arose against the mercy extended to these people? David really didn’t get any opposition because he was king. The Samaritan woman had minor opposition in that the disciples were amazed Jesus was talking with her in John 4:27. For Paul, he also had minor opposition in that they were surprised he was proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God because, previously, he was persecuting Christians seen in Acts 9:21. And for the Ninevites, Jonah was angry that God relented.

Have someone read Jonah 4:1-11 and ask, “What are some ways Jonah revealed his hard heart toward God and the Ninevites? (Answers are on top of page 84). “How might we struggle to align our hearts with God’s mercy?” Loving sinners but not the sin is easier said than done. It’s a platitude we might say often but when confronted with those who have harmed us or have opposing beliefs, it’s easy to be like Jonah and be angry. Sometimes it really is a struggle to align our hearts with God’s mercy. But in the end as holy people, we need to. We need to live in love and mercy, in kindness and gentleness. The world needs a lot more gentleness than ever before.

Summarize and pass out Pack Item 8: The Better Jonah. We have seen Jesus be the better king, the better Elijah and Elisha, and now, the better Jonah. Christ is always our best model to follow in life.

Head into the Head, Heart, Hands section, answering the Heart question if time is limited: What are some ways you struggle to reflect God’s merciful heart, for which you need to repent? Your group will have personal answers. We all have people in our lives that are hard to love. Maybe follow up with the question on how to deal with that struggle. Answers may include having a “thanksgiving” journal or a “ways that God has shown me mercy” journal. Maybe having a consistent prayer of asking the Spirit to help you be more merciful.

Challenge your group with Next Steps and close with prayer requests and praises, including praying through Psalm 88:1-7 if time permits, thanking God for His mercy, forgiveness, and salvation.

Hey thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Reach out at [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!