Jonah 4:11 Big Idea: God is a merciful and gracious God. His grace doesn’t merely extend to the renewal of our spirits, that renewal effects our lives personally as well as the lives around us practically. The ___________________ blessing of God’s salvation Jonah 4:11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left…” “did not know their right had from their left” = spiritual ______________ and moral ____________ Beloved hear this, just as God had sovereignly raised up the plant to relieve Jonah, just as God sovereignly ordained the worm to eat the plant and cause it to whither, just as God sovereignly appointed the scorching east wind to torment Jonah, God also sovereignly exercised his mercy and grace to the Ninevehites, in pity, and gave them spiritual eyes to distinguish between their moral right hand and their left hand, so that they turned from the violence that was in their hands. Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Galatians 1:15–16 (ESV) — 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; God in the exercise of his grace took off the spiritual blinders from Paul’s eyes and caused him to see himself for who he truly was, a sinner, and Jesus for who he truly is, a savoir. 2 Corinthians 4:3–6 (ESV) — 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus has the power to restore spiritual sight so that we might live as instruments of God’s grace to those around us. Ephesians 2:1–10 (ESV) — 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. The willingness of Jesus to pity the sinner, and the power of Jesus to restore our spiritual sight, so that we no longer walk in spiritual and moral darkness, is the greatest news this world has ever heard! John 3:5-8, 1Pet. 1:23, James 1:18
