Is God Really Good? Week 5

Exodus 34:6 NLT

6 The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,

Joel 2:13b NLT

Return to the Lord your God,
for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He is eager to relent and not punish.

Jonah 1:16 NLT

16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

1. My circumstances, your circumstances (the things happening in your actual life right this very minute) and how we feel about them do not determine the goodness of God.

Jonah 1:17 NLT

17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:5-6 NLT

6 “I sank beneath the waves,
and the waters closed over me.
Seaweed wrapped itself around my head.
6 I sank down to the very roots of the mountains.
I was imprisoned in the earth,
whose gates lock shut forever.
But you, O Lord my God,
snatched me from the jaws of death!

Jonah 3:4-5 NLT

4 On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” 5 The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.

Jonah 3:10 NLT

10 When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.

Jonah 4:1-11 NLT

Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Mercy

1 This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. 2 So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. 3 Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”

4 The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”

5 Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.

7 But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. 8 And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.

9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”

“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”

10 Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. 11 But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness,[a] not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”

Jonah 4:2b NLT

I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.

Jonah 4:4 NLT

4 The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”

2. God is sovereign. That means he has complete rule and reign over everything. He is the ultimate authority and has the ultimate power.

Matthew 5:44 NLT

44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

Romans 5:6-8 NLT

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

3. If we have experienced the mercy and compassion of God in our lives, we must be willing to accept that His mercy and compassion extends to our enemies as well.

He is the God of compassion and mercy! He is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. He is eager to relent and not punish.

John 3:16 NLT

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

COMMUNITY GROUP MEETING OUTLINE

Where your faith intersects with real life!

Connect:

Each person shares a recent high and low from their life.

Explore:

Use the following questions to explore what God may be saying to you through this message.

Big Idea:

What if we love God more than we hate people?

Choose one or two questions for your group to discuss as time allows.

▶ Read Exodus 34:6 and Joel 2:13b. Which of those words of who God is, sticks out to you the most personally and why?

▶ Heather summarized Jonah 1 and read Jonah 2:5-6. The story and experience of the sailors and Jonah is not necessarily how we imagine God’s compassion and mercy. Share a story of the Goodness of God that wasn’t how you imagined.

▶ Is God really good? Yes. How will you trust God today with the outcome of your circumstances?

Activate:

Spend a moment in silence to consider your response, then share your decision with the group.

Read Matthew 5:44. If we have experienced the mercy and compassion of God in our lives, we must be willing to accept that his mercy and compassion extends to our enemies as well. Who is God asking you to love and pray for today?

Pray:

Thank God for the highs shared and lift up the lows.

Pray that we would all be filled with God’s love and compassion for others and experience his goodness.