12 de Julio

Hey, hey, hey, senoras y senores, amen. ¿Cuántos creen que tenemos un Dios que resucitó dentro de los muertos? Ah, no, ustedes no creen en eso. ¿Cuántos creen que tenemos un Dios que resucitó dentro de los muertos, amen? Pues sí, así vamos a cantar. Vamos a declarar que Él sigue siendo el rey. Así es, mi vergüenza me sepultó. Y mi vergüenza me sepultó. Yo buscaba un salvador más superior. Me liberó y muerto estaba en mi interior. Me escondía, me escondía de Ti, mi Señor. Mas su perdón, mas su perdón a mí me liberó. Y todos juntos le decimos su voz. Tu voz me abrió y a la muerte meció. Glorioso día, Tu sangre me rescató. Tu voz me abrió y a la muerte meció. Glorioso día, Tu sangre me rescató. Tu voz me abrió y a la muerte me meció. Y ahora libre soy en Tu amor. Es Su gracia, y es Su gracia la que a mí me sanó. Mas su perdón, mas su perdón a mí me liberó. Tu voz me abrió y a la muerte meció. Glorioso día, Tu sangre me rescató. Tu voz me abrió y a la muerte me meció. Glorioso día, Tu sangre me rescató. Vamos así con las palmas. Todos juntos declarando que nuestro pecado nos rescató. Decimos así, de mi pecado. De mi pecado me rescataste. Con Tu gloria cadenas se rompen.

Vivía solo y sin consuelo. Ahora soy ciudadano del cielo. Tu mesa nace y se ha perdido. Jesús por Tu amor yo respiro. Tengo futuro, ahora veo por qué. Porque Tu voz me abrió y a la muerte meció. Glorioso día, Tu sangre me rescató. Decimos Tu voz me abrió y a la muerte me meció. Glorioso día, Tu sangre me rescató. ¡Aleluya! Señor, hoy declaramos que Tu nombre Señor es glorioso, poderoso. Que no hay nombre como el Tuyo sobre la faz de la tierra. Tú eres maravilloso, Señor. Declaramos de Tu grandeza. Gracias, Cristo. El esplendor de un rey Vestido en majestad La tierra alegre está Cubierto está de luz Venció la oscuridad Y tiemblan a su voz Y tiemblan a su voz Cuán grande es Dios Cántale cuán grande es Dios Y todos lo verán Cuán grande es Dios Día a día Día a día Él está Y el tiempo está en él Principio y el fin

Principio y el fin La Trinidad en Dios Padre, Hijo y Espíritu El Cordero y el León El Cordero y el León Cuán grande es Dios Cántale cuán grande es Dios Y todos lo verán Cuán grande es Dios Cuán grande es Cuán grande es Dios Cántale cuán grande es Dios Y todos lo verán Cuán grande es Dios Cántale Su nombre sobre todo es Él es digno de alabar Y mi ser dirá Cuán grande es Dios Tu nombre es digno Él es digno Él es digno de alabar Y mi ser dirá Cuán grande es Dios Tu nombre sobre todo, nombre Su nombre sobre todo es Él es digno de alabar Y mi ser dirá Cuán grande es Dios Su nombre sobre todo es

Él es digno de alabar Y mi ser dirá Cuán grande es Dios Cuán grande es Dios Cántale cuán grande es Dios Y todos lo verán Cuán grande es Dios Su nombre es digno Su nombre sobre todo es Él es digno de alabar Y mi ser dirá How great Thou art, God How great Thou art, God How great Thou art, God And all will see How great Thou art, God Sing His name How great Thou art, God Sing to Him how great Thou art, God And all will see How great Thou art, God Yes, Lord Lord, You are greater than our problem You are greater than our sin You are greater than our past You are greater than my weaknesses You are greater, dear Lord Than a thousand enemies that surround me You are greater than those generational curses That enslave me

You are greater You are You are God And that is why today Today, Lord, we can walk Rooted in the certainty Of knowing that although the sea roars That although the wind roars That although the storm roars We are anchored In that which is great In that which is powerful In that which sustains In that which does not abandon And His name is above all a name There is no God like Him There is no God like Him Church, sing it Sing it Your name is great Let's sing one last time How great is God Sing it How great is God And everyone will see How great is God Sing it Sing it again How great is God How great is God

Your name I could sing All my life without ceasing In the name of Jesus I will rise For every time I cry out more sweetly Only in the name of Jesus Love, rise with love Only in the name of Jesus Declare it Only in the name of Jesus Makes me sing holy No one like Jesus No one like Jesus No one like Jesus And only you are like this We say you have been my faithful friend You have been my faithful friend And your goodness I will not forget In the name of Jesus I will rise For every time I cry out more sweetly We say Only in the name of Jesus Jesus, me hace cantar santo Nadie, nadie como Jesús Nadie como Jesús Nadie como Jesús Y solo tú eres, dejar el nombre solo Y solo el nombre de Jesús Y solo el nombre de Jesús Y solo el nombre de Jesús Me hace cantar santo

Nadie como Jesús Nadie como Jesús Nadie como Jesús Nadie como Jesús Y solo tú eres digno No, no hay otro como Él Ni en el cielo, ni en la tierra He probado y he visto que no hay otro Tu nombre es como la luz del sol Que a la oscuridad venció La vida y la resurrección Jesús, tu nombre es salvación Y sanidad Toda tormenta callará Y nunca has fallado y no lo harás Jesús y el pan Partido por la humanidad Enigo no está No sabe quién fue, quién es y quién vendrá Jesús y Él es el Rey De reyes y Señor Que a la muerte derrotó Su nombre se salvó Jesús y vosotros Y solo a Jesús Y solo a Jesús Me matas tú Y solo a Jesús Le damos la gloria Y solo a Jesús

Y solo a Jesús Y solo a Jesús Le damos la gloria Solo a Jesús Y solo a Jesús Y solo a Jesús Le damos la gloria Y solo a Jesús Y solo a Jesús Y solo a Jesús Le damos la gloria Solo en nombre de Jesús Solo en nombre de Jesús Solo en nombre de Jesús Me hace cantarse Y le decía nadie como Jesús Nadie como Jesús Nadie como Jesús Levanta tu voz Nadie como Jesús Solo tú eres Solo en nombre, dile solo Solo en nombre de Jesús Solo en nombre de Jesús Solo en nombre de Jesús Me hace cantarse Nadie como Jesús Nadie como Jesús Dile nadie Nadie como Jesús

Nadie como Jesús Solo tú eres signo Pues has sido fiel Tú has sido bueno con los dos Sin merecerlo Pero sé que tú has sido buen Recuerdo tu bondad Y tu fidelidad Que solo por el nombre de Jesús Es solo por el nombre de Jesús Si él ha sido bueno contigo Si él ha estado ahí en cada circunstancia Es solo por el nombre de Jesús Recuerda hoy Su bondad y su fidelidad Remember, remember all those times that you thought it was the end, that you thought that you were not worthy, that you were not fit to be in the presence of the Lord. Today, we remember all those moments and we sing once again, only in the name of Jesus. And only in the name of Jesus. Only you. Only in the name of Jesus. Raise your voice. Only in the name of Jesus. Raise your voice to heaven. Nobody like Jesus. Nobody like Jesus. Remember all those moments. Nobody like Jesus. Only you. Once again, only in the name of Jesus. And only in the name of Jesus.

Only in the name of Jesus. Only in the name of Jesus makes me sing, Holy. Nobody like Jesus. Nobody like Jesus. Nobody like Jesus. Only you are worthy. Nobody like Jesus. Only you are worthy. Lord, we thank you on this day, Father, because we remember your goodness, your fidelity, Lord. We remember that you are good, Lord. The perfect sacrifice that took place on the cross of Calvary. And deserved. And we thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord, thank you. At this time, we give you this time. Lord, this prayer is for you. We need nothing more than to be in your presence. It is better one day in your atrium than a thousand outside of them. And we thank you for today, Lord, for being with us. For honoring us with your visit, Lord. Thank you for honoring us with your presence this afternoon. We give you this time, Lord, because it is for you, my King. In your name, in the name of Jesus, and all together we say, Amen, Amen, and Amen. Give a loud applause, King of Kings. Give a loud applause, Lord. And thank you for praying with us. Thank you for praying with us. Greet the one who is by your side and can take a seat. Amen. How good it is to be in the house of the Lord. How many say Amen? Give a loud applause, Lord. You all look beautiful, beautiful, beautiful this afternoon. With a desire to worship, to praise your name, and to be able to receive the word of the Lord together. So what you receive, I also receive from the Lord for my life, my heart.

God speaks to all of us. And well, I would like for those who are visiting us today. Who is visiting us today for the first time? Is there anyone here for the first time? Ah, look, no, Bruno, please lower your hand. But there are two or three for the first time. Give a round of applause to those who are visiting us for the first time. We don't want them to feel like they want to make me... No, no, you can stay seated. We are not going to make you stand up. At least to know that in this place, in this house, you are welcome. And this is the place where God brought you, and I think it is never a coincidence. How many say Amen to that? Amen. God bless you, Joni. God bless those who also watch us on the internet. What a blessing to be able to connect with you here, even from the prisons, this week. Now, I want to start with a question that I try to bring to anchor us. To give us the foundation of what God wants to talk about every Sunday. And today, the question that God wants to ask you this afternoon is as simple as this. It's not that simple, but well, let's see. Have you ever gotten angry? Mira, para ahí. Ya, ya, rápido, ¿no? ¿Se han enojado porque a alguien más le fue bien? No me dejo terminarlo. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Hay veces que hay que tener cuidado al terminar la pregunta, por si acaso, ¿no? Pero, ¿alguna vez se han enojado porque a alguien más le fue bien? No mal. Bien.

Bien. Alguien que les hizo daño y ahora está prosperando. Alguien que salió de una cárcel literal o quizás figurada y la gente lo trata como héroe mientras tú sigues cargando lo que te hizo, ¿no? Si alguna vez sintieron eso, ese coraje incómodo, es porque a él sí y a mí no, porque a esa persona sí, porque yo no. Bienvenidos al club y al capítulo más honesto y más incómodo de toda la Biblia. Es incomodísimo y a mí me incomodó esta semana mientras los leía y yo, bueno, hablé con varios hombres y les preguntaba, ¿cómo ven este capítulo? Porque se siente incómodo. Hay una emoción que casi todos hemos sentido y casi nadie se atreve a confesar en la iglesia y es coraje contra la misericordia de Dios. Y usted dice, ¿pero quién tiene coraje por la misericordia y la gracia de Dios? ¿Qué tonto o tonta tendría coraje por eso?

Bueno, ese tonto o tonta quizás comience aquí, conmigo. Nínive se arrepintió. La ciudad más violenta del mundo antiguo de rodillas desde el rey hasta el ganado debió ser el mejor día de la vida de Jonás. ¿No? ¿O sí? Debió ser el día de celebración de la victoria, pero fue el peor. Y tú dices, ¿cómo? ¿Es el capítulo 4 que arranca Jonás furioso, no agradecido? Furioso. Y ese contraste es tan fuerte que casi no lo podemos creer la primera vez que lo leemos. Y se dice, esto no tiene ningún sentido. ¿Cómo este hombre puede sentirse de esa manera? Jonás predicó el sermón más exitoso de la historia y salió de la ciudad queriendo morir. Y fueron solamente ocho palabras que predicó a esta capital de Asiria llamada Nínive. Y algo me parece que no cuadra aquí. Ese algo es exactamente lo que Dios quiere exponer en este capítulo para nuestro corazón en esta tarde.

El capítulo que cierra el libro sin cerrar la historia. Solamente tiene cuatro capítulos, así que fue fácil. Llevamos tres semanas. Hoy es la última. Cerramos básicamente esta serie. Y antes de que termine este mensaje vas a tener que una respuesta real para una pregunta que quizás nunca te has atrevido a hacerle a Dios en voz alta. Recuento rápido. Quisiera traer a aquellos que están visitando por primera vez o quizás que no han podido venir por alguna otra razón estas últimas semanas, vacaciones, esto, lo otro. 60 segundos. Espero yo darte el resumen rapidito. Dios le dijo a un profeta llamado Jonás a la capital de Siria. Jonás dijo que no. Era profeta y dijo que no. Y huyó en barco en la dirección contraria. Y vino una tormenta. En ese proceso hubieron varios conversaciones que usted puede leer en Jonás 1 y 2. Y en ese proceso un pez gigante se lo tragó. No se lo masticó, no se lo comió.

Gracias a Dios. Se lo tragó directo. Y en tres días después lo vomitó en la playa. No quiero darle la gráfica de lo que pudo haberse visto en ese momento. Jonás predica ocho palabras por una segunda oportunidad que tiene. En vez de huirle al Señor, ahora sí lo voy a predicar. Están ocho palabras de juicio a esta ciudad malvada. Y la ciudad entera, desde el rey hasta el ganado, se arrepiente. Los mismos animales ahí como parte del ayuno y el cilicio. Dios los perdona. Sencillo. Debió ser la victoria más grande de la vida de Jonás. Con eso, Jonás diría Dios me usó de una manera gigante. ¿Cuánto hubiesen dicho amén a eso? Yo predicar ocho palabras aquí al frente y todos de FW venían a los pies de Cristo es una gran victoria. Saríamos de aquí todos regociados. Pero no. Para entender por qué Jonás llega a este punto tenemos que escuchar sus propias palabras. And they are more honest and maybe uglier than we would expect from a prophet. And when I read it, I say, oh Lord, I don't know if you chose wrong.

I always choose well, but here it seems to me something strange. So my first point is the most honest and ugliest prayer in the whole Bible. At least from my point of view. Look at what verse 1 says, and I want you to follow me, from Jonah chapter 4. But this displeased Jonah in a great way, and he became angry. This displeased Jonah in a great way, and he became what? Have you ever been angry here in this place? Or am I the only one? Some perhaps, well, in the last two minutes, yes. Not a week ago, no. It doesn't say he became angry. It says he became angry, on fire, burning inside, that inner flame. And then he prays. But it is not a prayer of worship, as one would like. Well, after everything that happened, this is extreme worship. On my knees, thank you Lord. You took me out of the giant fish. I came in obedience, and instead of not seeing the result, I saw it instantly. Thank you Lord. Instead of that, he makes an accusation in the form of a prayer. Look at verse 2. Because I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to anger and rich in what? Mercy. Slow to anger and compassionate. That is why I anticipated to flee to Tarsus. Because I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to anger and rich in mercy. And that you repent of the evil announced. That should be the opposite. And then God answers, not with a reproach, but with a question. In verse 4.

Do you have a reason to get angry? Do you? Do you see the struggle between God and Judas? Between the God of the universe and an ordinary man like you and me? God likes to ask questions. If I had been God there, thank God I am not God. God likes to ask questions, not because He does not know the answer. He does it because we need to hear it. To come out of our own mouth. The answers. Adam is asked, where are you? As if God did not know, right? To Cain, where is your brother? To Saul, why are you chasing me? Each question exposes. It does not inform, it exposes. And the question of God to Jonah does not seek information here. It seeks confession. Because God sees the whole picture. He is seeing a heart that needs to confess at that moment. So those words were not invented by Jonah. I knew them by heart. It is almost a textual quote of what God revealed to Moses. Centuries before in Mount Sinai. When in Exodus 34, verse 6 says, The Lord, and this word is beautiful. Thank you for this word. Because look, the Lord is a compassionate God. And merciful. Slow to anger.

And abundant, great in mercy. And what? And truth. That would be a verse to memorize every day. Jonah knew perfect theology. He could quote the character of God of memory. Without thinking. He used it as a weapon instead of worship. And here is the most honest confession of the whole book we see. Hidden in verse 2. Jonah did not flee to Tarsus for fear of the Assyrians. Although two weeks ago I said, wow, Tarsus was a place, or Assyria. A place where you did not want to go as a Jew. He had reasons, but the reality here exposes the real reasons of the heart. He fled because he knew from the beginning. That if he preached, the city was going to repent. And God was going to forgive them. And that was precisely what he could not bear. You would say, I would say, what a strange man. No, yo de la misión, huyo de la misericordia. Y aquí hay algo que explica la inestabilidad de Jonas en el libro. En el capítulo 2, dentro del pez, adora a Dios con una oración hermosa. Dos capítulos después, el mismo hombre pide morir. ¿Cómo se explica un cambio de ánimo tan violento? Ahora me siento así, dos capítulos después, así. Yo no sé si en ese tiempo veía a un psicólogo o una psicóloga y le preguntaba cuál es mi problema. Tengo doble ánimo. Tengo un problemita aquí. Jonas servía al Dios verdadero, pero también a un Dios que él mismo fabricó.

La imagen de Dios que él quería ver, su propia idea de justicia. Su rencor contra Assyria. Un corazón que sirve a dos amos termina así. Adorando un día, desmoronándose al siguiente. ¿Cuál es el Dios rival que compite en tu corazón con el Dios verdadero? ¿Tu rencor? ¿Tu orgullo? ¿Tu necesidad de tener la razón? ¿Cuál es ese día? Aquí hay un detalle que se nos escapa la primera vez que leemos el libro. Jonas nunca tuvo miedo de que su mensaje fallara entonces. No. Tenía miedo de que funcionara. Yo no sé que predicador vaya a predicar y diga, Señor, que no funcione lo que vas a hacer hoy. Estoy perdiendo mi tiempo. Aquí al frente, Señor, hoy domingo dos de la tarde voy a predicar, pero que se vayan igual. ¿De dónde? O sea, un profeta que le teme al éxito de su propia predicación. Porque el éxito significaba perdón para gente que él no quería ver perdonada. Jonas mismo había recibido esa misma misericordia en el vientre de un pez. Ahora, cuando se extiende a otros, la reciente. Y él no se la merecía tampoco. ¿Qué pasaría si Dios tratara a Jonas exactamente como Jonas quería que Dios tratara a Ninive? Sentido común, ¿no? Imagínense el momento, un profeta parado a las afueras de una ciudad, salvada, arrepentida, con lágrimas de coraje en la cara tenía este hombre, diciéndole a Dios, prefiero morir a vivir en un mundo donde tú perdonas a esta gente. Jonas salió del vientre del pez, pero nunca salió de sí mismo.

Fue algo quizás externo, parece. Conocer la literatura de memoria, la Biblia, las Escrituras, no garantiza un corazón alineado con ella, una conexión. Puedes citar el carácter de Dios perfecto, Dios es proveedor, es amoroso, es fiel, Dios es todo, y seguir odiando a quien Dios ama. ¿Cuántas veces hemos hecho lo mismo con Jonas, o igual que Jonas, y no nos damos cuenta? ¿Alguien nos hizo daño de verdad? ¿Un padre que no estuvo? ¿Una pareja infiel? ¿Un hermano que te dejó solo? ¿Un jefe que te apatalló? Y la lista puede ser larga, porque no quiero llenarla de hoy, yo creo que Dios puede decirte exactamente lo que ha pasado por tu mente o por tu corazón. Y con el tiempo esa persona se reconcilia con Dios, y empieza a ir a la iglesia y dice, ay, que se siente por allá, en otro lado. Y en vez de alegrarte tienes coraje, sientes el coraje, porque a Él sí lo perdonaron tan fácil. Esa reacción tiene nombre, se llama la oración de Jonas. Se llama la oración de Jonas, no es que no conozcas a Dios o su carácter. Jonas lo conocía perfectamente, mejor que la mayoría de nosotros. El problema nunca fue teología, o su teología. Fue que su teología nunca bajó de aquí, aquí, al corazón. Y puedes tener la doctrina perfecta, ¿no? Porque habláis de la doctrina sana, doctrina. Puedes tener la doctrina perfecta y el corazón todavía en guerra con la misericordia. ...of God. One thing is relationship, one thing is knowledge. You can leave prison, hospital, crisis of the country that you leave behind and go on in prison. And God doesn't leave Jonas alone with his anger, He takes him to a more uncomfortable choice. How can you make this more uncomfortable? Well, yes, look, more uncomfortable. One that starts with a simple plant.

A little plant, the plant that expelled what the city couldn't. Look at what verse 5 says, and you can help me here. It says, Then Jonas left the city and sat to the east of it, until he saw what would happen in the city. You can leave it there, thank you. I like trees. Jonas still has hope, not that Ninive is saved, but that God changes his mind and destroys her in fire. So he goes to a corner and sits to wait for the fire. Something God is going to do, because these people are evil, they were very bad. He builds his own shelter, first, a place to rest and human effort against the heat of the desert. And it's not enough. Look at what it says, And the Lord God arranged for a plant to grow over Jonas so that he would cast a shadow, and Jonas rejoiced greatly because of the plant. I don't know how God did it, because he probably did it, I've never seen a plant grow in 24 hours, that fast. But I know a God who is capable of doing anything. So God supplied him in a desert, with a lot of heat, the opportunity to shelter him. And the interesting thing is that out of that anger, it looks like it was bipolar, I don't know, but out of that anger, out of nowhere, now with that provision from God, he became happy. And it says, he rejoiced greatly.

He rejoiced, sadness, anger, joy, sadness, a whole combination in one chapter. The same man who did not shed a single tear for 120,000 people, rejoices greatly because of a little plant. Look at the pattern, God had already arranged a fish to save Jonas in chapter 1. Look at that. Now he arranges a plant, he says first a worm, then a wind. So in the desert, God is in charge of taking care, protecting and loving Jonas. The prophet, the Hebrew verb is manah. Have you heard the word manah before? To designate something with a purpose, with whom he counts and takes care. God does not improvise with Jonas in that journey. Each element is calculated on purpose. But none of those four things was the true project of God. That was not the most important. The fish, the plant, the worm, and the wind. You say, this is beautiful, these are miracles. Sometimes you focus on those miracles, that for you, wow, God, wind in the moment, a whale that protected me. Lord, all this, and what God was really preparing, with so much care, it was not a plant, it was a prophet. Maybe it is you and it is me. And if God took so much work to form the heart of a single man,

stubborn. Imagine how much care he is putting in yours. Today in 2026. Look at what verse 7 and 8 say. God arranged for a worm to attack the plant, and it dried up. A suffocating wind from the east and with all his soul he wished to die. There is the version. And it happened that when the sun rose, God arranged a suffocating wind from the east and the sun hurt Jonas' head, so he passed away. And with all his soul he wished to die. And he said, Death is better for me than life. I brought this umbrella, just so you realize. There are times when we, with the sun, we cover ourselves from the sun. God arranged precisely a plant, for what? To protect him and give him shadow. It was not the same, God did it. Sometimes you look for this, because you don't want to lose it. to have control of that necessary shadow, a sun of 95, 100, 105, and maybe if you go to Arizona and other places of 120 close, almost close to the temperature of a place that we do not want to continue in the future, very far I want you to close your eyes for a moment a second, there, where you are, on the bench, in the seat, in his house, in his cell, there from the prison, wherever you are, looking, another country, wherever think, it's dawn, Jonas sleeps under his plant, the only good thing that has happened to him in the whole book supposedly

in the silence, without anyone seeing him, a tiny worm begins to eat the stem without thunder, without storm, just a quiet work, all night it dawns, the plant that covered him yesterday was bent, withered, gray, and before he could process it, he feels the wind not a fresh wind, a desert wind, hot as if it came out of an oven, loaded with sand, that dries his throat with each breath now the sun hits him directly in the head, and his legs fail him and there, lying down, weak, he says the same words as before, death is better than life the man who saw an entire city repent, reduced to this, wishing to die for a plant open your eyes if you haven't opened them yet he cried more for a plant, than for an entire city that was never the plant, it was never close to the plant, it was close to him it was about his situation, about his heart, and what anger does when we let it rule air out, but what does the word say? he didn't know that part maybe I want you to look at the three movements of Jonah in this chapter because they are exactly what he, without solving it, does to any of us in our walk, first, he renounces death is better than life he says it twice in the chapter, not once, and when he repeats it twice, he is telling you that's what he was constantly thinking second, he isolates himself he leaves the city, he moves, he sits far away only the furthest from the people that God has just saved, delivered, helped in the process and third, he becomes a spectator he sits to see what would happen looking from afar, instead of participating in what God is doing he renounces, he isolates himself, he becomes a spectator I don't have the call anymore, I don't have that sensitivity I don't know if it has happened to someone, someone who is in the first love who sees himself clearly giving himself to the Lord, giving everything and from the moment something happens, how is this?

he renounces, he isolates himself, he becomes a spectator that's what the enemy wants in your life and in my life to isolate ourselves, to renounce, to become spectators that's the path that the heart takes, that doesn't release the anger not suddenly, but step by step, like the worm working at night without anyone noticing and the most uncomfortable part of the text is this God didn't take away the plant from Jonas to punish him He took it away to teach him the loss didn't create the problem of the heart of Jonas, he only brought it to light I was there, hidden under the comfortable shadow what hurts you the most is to lose it tells you in what you really had put your heart it's the reality do you cry more for your community? comodidad que por la gente que Dios ama y tú todavía no perdonas no se preocupe es el último capítulo de jonas de la semana que viene otra cosa creo que dios ha estado martillando nuestro corazón en estas cuatro semanas en esta dirección una no responde esa pregunta todavía en cambio dios se la vuelve a hacer y esta vez el silencio de jonah se convierte en el final de todo el libro la pregunta que dios nunca cierra y ahí donde estaba mi dilema cuando yo hablaba con varias personas esta semana y yo necesito que me ayude a ver porque cada libro que uno lee uno espera tener una conclusión y le pregunta tienes acaso razón para enojarte por causa de la planta tengo mucha razón para enojarme hasta la muerte le respondió con dios tu te apiadaste de la planta por la que no trabajaste ni hiciste crecer está diciendo dios a jonas y no he de apiadarme yo de ninive la gran ciudad en la que hay más de 120 mil personas que no saben distinguir entre su derecha y entre su izquierda y también muchos animales creo que te fijas en la última frase de todo esto la que casi nadie predica y

también muchos animales es casi cómico que el libro termine así o sea así termina con la pregunta la última palabra que sale es que animales se acabó vamos al próximo libro de la biblia exactamente pero no es un chiste en ganado aquí es el eco final de un cuidado que empieza en el primer libro de la biblia un dios que desde génesis uno se preocupa por cada criatura que hizo su creación el hizo todo lo que vemos a nuestro alrededor la naturaleza no sólo a las personas importantes no si a dios le importa hasta el ganado de una ciudad pagana imagínese cuánto le importas tú que estás aquí que dice nadie le importa a mi vida que quizás todavía tenga la pregunta dónde está dios me da sólo fuerzas y sólo bajada dónde está dios y ahí termina el libro sin respuesta de unas sin entonces y sin una y entonces se entendió y se volvió todo feliz no hubiese sido añadido el señor por favor añade esa frase al menos diga y jonas entendió todo lo que dios le dijo amén ya yo diría ese libro está completo pero no silencio total de todos los libros proféticos de la biblia este es el único que termina con una pregunta abierta sin resolución eso no es un accidente de escritura porque dios no comete errores y menos de esta índole es el punto entero del libro y si fuera lo único que te recordarás todas estas cuatro semanas es esto el libro no termina termina en ti y termina en mí la pregunta es para nosotros quizás 26 o más siglos después jesús contó una historia parecida a siglos después también es así como eso se aplica para mí hoy sencillo un padre tiene dos hijos el menor le pide su herencia en vida básicamente le dice para mí ya estás muerto no te acuerdas se va derrocha todo termina cuidando cerdos muerto de hambre ya no más acabó vuelve a casa sin nada que ofrecer sólo una disculpa y

el padre que lo estaba esperando corre a recibirlo por ahí voy por ahí voy viene mi hijo viene mi hijo mata el mejor becerro vamos a hacer fiesta ahí llegó vino de regreso el hijo mayor el que nunca se fue el que siempre deció todo bien derechito el que el que se quedó trabajando mientras su hermano gastaba todo llega del campo y escucha la música y pari cuando le gusta las fiestas aquí no no se hagan los que no que no le gusta se entera de la fiesta y se enoja no quiere entrar y mira lo que dice el lucas 15 25 al 29 al 30 mira por tantos años te he servido y nunca he desobedecido ninguna orden tuya pero cuando vino este hijo tuyo mataste para el becerro engordado What an injustice! And the father goes out, not to scold him, but to beg him. He begs him and answers him something that God could also have said to Jonas. It was necessary to party and rejoice because this, your brother, was dead and has now returned to life. Why not party? Why? Jonas is the older brother of the Old Testament. Same heart, same questions without answer. The text also does not tell us if the older brother joined the party. Jesus, a thousand years after Jonas, still had to tell the same story because the human heart has not changed. We may have to tell it again in 2026 for the same reason. And if we think about it, the whole series of Jonas has brought us here. To the culminating point, I believe, of an afternoon of ministration to our hearts. We saw a man flee from God. We saw God persecute him with love, with tenderness, even in a storm. We saw an entire city repent with just eight words. And now, at the end, we discover that the true obstacle was never Nineveh. It never was. The true obstacle, all this time, was preached by the heart of the prophet. That should make us a little anxious this afternoon. Because it means that one can know God, serve God, perhaps preach about God.

And even so, carry a heart that is not yet like God's. I have to constantly evaluate my heart. Nineveh was not an isolated case, it is God's complete plan. Thousands of years before Jonas, God had told Abraham, Hey, listen to this. God told him that through him all the families of the land would be blessed. Nineveh was one of those families. It was a pagan city. It was a pact that was fulfilled in real time. Long before the church existed. Even before the Great Commission existed. And for the whole world to preach the Gospel. And the book of Revelation lets us see where all this is going. A great multitude that no one could count. Imagine that. I want you to imagine. Of all the nations, tribes, peoples, tongues, standing in front of the throne of God. How many nations do we know here? And we speak Spanish, imagine how many more. Because if you are here, perhaps because you understand Spanish or you want to learn. All the nations of Central, South America, the Caribbean. Nineveh, born in the United States, first, second, third generation. That includes the Hispanics who are listening right now. In Dallas, in Fort Worth, in Puerto Rico, in Mexico, in Central America, in South America. Nineveh was not a divine exception. God wanted to reach them. It was a small sample of a plan that continues to run to this day. And that includes you. The objection that no one says out loud is clear. Some of you are thinking something that you don't dare to say out loud. That today God wants to speak to the heart.

A God who forgives genocides. What silence. A God who forgives tyrants. A God who forgives abusers. It doesn't sound fair to me. That is often what we think. It sounds very weak of God. Why? That is an objection. It is not a foolish objection. It is the objection of Jonas. In other words, and it deserves a real answer. Not one that ignores it in the process. God, why do you do this? It hurts me to forgive the one who has hurt my life. God, I don't see that fair. There is something here that doesn't make sense to me. And generations later, I want you to pay attention to this detail. The prophet Nahum announces the final destruction of that same city. God did not bring down the guard with justice. Because sometimes you read a story and say, it's over. No, no. Yes, the story. He gave time to mercy first. God worked with the heart. He told them. But there is something even more precise to say here. And it doesn't mean that they should escape. It is the cross. God did not have to choose between being fair and being merciful. And maybe what I am going to say here is a little deep. It was both at the same time.

...completely, so that he may be just, and may be the one who justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3.26. And what do you want to say with all this, Arnaldo? Justice did not disappear from the cross. When we talk about justice, it is what the human being deserves. The payment for sin is what? It fell on Christ. That is why God can forgive you, and Ninive, and the person you do not want to forgive, without ceasing to be just. Why? Because someone paid. Because someone surrendered. But there is an even deeper answer. And it is this. The justice that Ninive deserved, and that you and I deserve, did not disappear from the cross. It fell on Christ. That is what we talk about when we talk about the meaning of the cross. Why do you see crosses everywhere? It is this. God's mercy has never been cheap. Someone always pays. On the cross, God himself paid. He surrendered. He died in our place. What Jonas could not do, Jesus did. He did it. Jonas could not bear for God to forgive his enemies. He sat outside the city, wishing to see the fire fall on the same people who just repented for their preaching. Now look at Jesus,

hanging on a Roman cross, clad in soldiers, who were laughing at him, surrounded by religious lines that had condemned them for jealousy. And he still says, Father, forgive them. Because they do not know what they are doing. The forgiveness is still there. This is the exact opposite of Jonas. Where Jonas asked to die, because God forgave his enemies. Jesus was dying, to be able to forgive his enemies. And I am one of them. An enemy of God. I have been, and thanks to his grace, I am standing here today. Jonas wanted to die, because God forgave his enemies. How sad. But you and I, before Christ, we were Nineveh, far away, confused. And instead of a resentful prophet, God himself came, and carried our sentence. This is the meaning of the Gospel.

Good News. He prayed for our forgiveness, while we crucified him. And this is the reason why you and I can let go of our resentment. There is no other. Today, we can do it. Yours was already absorbed on the cross. Because if God lived with resentment for your sin and for my sin, we would not be here. I love it when you say your mercy is renewed every time. And this book does not end with Jonas, because it was never only about Jonas. It is simply a mirror. And I want everyone to see themselves in it. Those who are listening to me today, I invite you to stand on your feet with me. And now you will imagine that what is in front of you is a mirror. And perhaps, closing your eyes, I will not fall asleep on my feet, that is the good thing. Closing your eyes, I want you to imagine that you are looking at a mirror right now. You are looking at me from a cell.

Right now, your body may be behind a fence, but your soul, your soul, does not have to be there. Listen carefully. The freedom that God offers never depended on the walls that surround you. You can be in prison and be freer inside than many who walk down the street carrying years of resentment. God was merciful of a whole city of confused people. He can be merciful of you too. Today, in that cell, and of the people with whom you are still angry too. And if you are here in the temple, in complete freedom from the outside, and you say, I know that I am going to a restaurant to eat a steak while others cannot. But you are still carrying years of resentment towards someone, you have a house, family, health, and you are still as imprisoned as Jonas, sitting under his blanket waiting for something to go wrong, someone who hurt you or someone you don't love. We know what it's like to work double shifts. I know a lot of people who are not here today precisely because they have to work in restaurants, work hard, raise children away from their grandparents, carry the pressure to move forward. Sometimes when people come to our land, many of us think that they are doing well there, but they don't realize that there are two or three jobs here. In Costa Rica, people still say, pure life. And who says pure life here?

When life is so fast, so busy, so busy, and today is the day to let it go. That real fatigue can turn into bitterness, just like the heat turned Jonas' fatigue into a desire to die. Perhaps someone has said here, Lord, I don't want to live anymore. And if you don't see from another country, just far away from everything you know, from your family, from your language, from your land, the same God who said to Nineveh that he had 120,000 people who don't know how to distinguish between right and left, is the same God who is there with lost people, confused, far from Him, and God is still pitiful. God still says, I am here with you. I have mercy on you. I love you. You are my son. You are my daughter. Thank you, Isaac, for sharing last week. And thank you for every testimony that is here, that if I opened the altar to share stories, all of us would be Jonas' or Nineveh's, saying, Lord, thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your truth. Close your eyes with me. If the Holy Spirit of God is here, as we know He is, He will begin to seal this word in every heart, in every life, closing this series, asking the Lord to free us from all the bitterness we may have over the years. We can be Christians living in bitterness that enslaves us, that has us chained, that we need the health of the spiritual body, emotional, bitterness with previous partners, bitterness with children, bitterness after divorce, bitterness with bosses, bitterness with... I don't know. You call Him. You know exactly where your heart is. And God is saying, as I am working with you, I want to work with all the families on earth, even when you think they don't deserve it. God wants to free hearts today. You know that when you forgive, many times, even if you don't see the quick result of another person coming, doing something, changing, your forgiveness frees you. It helps you walk in your eternal purposes. Period. And God wants you to walk free in Him. Free and free and free in Him. Let the Holy Spirit do it today. There is no other way to live. There is no other way. You have to let go. You have to let go. You have to let go. If you want to let go, start letting go. Say, Lord, I let go. Maybe even let go of the government that you hate, from here or from your country. Don't let hatred hurt your heart. Don't let go of that. If there is someone here who wants to give up in front of the Lord, the altar is open. We will be here to pray with you. We are here to pray with you. We are here to walk with you. If there is someone here who says, Lord, I need to give up my hatred. I need to give up my bitterness in front of you. If there is someone here who says, Lord, I need to give up my doubts in front of you. Lord, I need to give up my heart that has tied me to my circumstances. Amen. Amen. Amen. Give up in front of the Lord. Give up. Don't leave this place. Believe me, in the end I will celebrate. I won't be like Jonas. He preached and the result came. God is the one who does the work, the Holy Spirit. Let Him complete the work that He has already started in you. Let Him. If there is someone here who says, Lord, I need to give up my bitterness in front of you. Let Him complete the work that He has already started in you. Let Him. Amen. Amen. Amen. Someone else, someone else, in front of the Lord. You know your heart. It can be on the bench where you're sitting, but also if you want to come here. Because we're here to hug you, to support you, to say we're with you. Someone here who needs to come in repentance. I'm the Niniveh of my time. Lord, I need to come in repentance in front of you. Do it in front of Him. Believe me, a heart built and humbled, God accepts, opens the heart in a special way and touches life. In the name of Jesus. Come, come this way and let's respond in worship. In front of the Lord.