Second Chances
Jonah • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Welcome
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I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.
That being said, if you’re new to our church, we are currently walking through the OT book of Jonah.
Pastor Rustan did an amazing job last week as he got to share the the part of the story you were all waiting for. Jonah got in the Water and in the Belly of the Great Fish.
I am not going to recap all of the story so far but over the past six weeks we have seen Jonah
Be Called By God
Run From God
Be Chased By God
Hit Rock Bottom
End up in the Belly of a Great Fish
Three Days later Get Spit out on Dry land.
Last Week Pastor Rustan walked us through what we call Jonah’s Rock Bottom Moment.
As described last week a Rock Bottom Moment is the unfortunate place we sometimes have to go in order to discover our need for God and experience the mercy and Grace of God.
The truth is, we’ve all had rock bottom moments. Moments when the rug got pulled out from under us.
Moments when our disobedeince or sinful behavior brought us to a place of utter defeat, misery, and shame.
And while those are terrible moments. They are moments where repentance can take place and the Grace of God can pick us back up and put us on solid ground once again.
This is exactly what happened to Jonah as in his Rock bottom moment as he repented and cried out to God.
And the good news is, God heard Jonah’s cry. Because as Jonah is in the process of dying in the belly of that whale, the Bible says:
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish,
saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
The writer says as death wrapped itself around him, Jonah cries out in repentance, and God heard his cry. Pretty much a death bed confession if I’ve ever seen one.
So, how did God respond? The writer says:
And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
As Jonah cries out, God hears and responds by commanding the fish to vomit Jonah out on dry land.
Not a very pretty picture, but a graphic illustration of how God delivers us from sin and bondage.
As He pulls us out of the muck and mire of sin and places us on solid ground. The Psalmist puts it like this:
He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
That is how Rock bottom grace works. A grace we can only receive when we come to the end of ourselves, recognize our sin, and put our faith in the grace of God.
So, all that to say, that’s where we’ve been with Jonah.
Today as we come back to Jonah, we now move into the second phase of the story.
As we move back into Jonah, I want to begin by building some framework for this next section, and to do that, I want to begin by asking you a question. And the question is this:
Question - Do you believe in second chances?
Question - Do you believe in second chances?
And by second chances, I’m talking about the opportunity to have a do over or make a wrong right.
For example:
Maybe you received a second chance in your workplace. You messed up, but your boss gave you, a second chance.
Maybe you received a second chances in your finances. You missed the payment but the bank gave you a, second chance.
Maybe you received a second chance in your marriage. You made a big mistake but your spouse gave you a, second chance.
Students, maybe you received a second chance with your parents. You broke curfew, but your parents gave you a, second chance.
The fact is, if we think about it, we believe in second chances because we’ve all received second chances at some point in our life.
And second chances are important.
Because second chances are what allows us to rectify a situation or a relationship.
Second chances are what allow us to find peace once again.
Second chances are what allow us to keep moving forward in a positive direction.
Second chances allow us to demonstrate that we have learned from our mistakes.
The fact is, second chances are important.
I ask you to consider second chances this morning because as we come back to Jonah today, it’s all about second chances as Jonah receives a second chance.
We have two goals today:
First, we are going to walk through the opening verses of this chapter and discover what Jonah’s second chance entailed.
Second, as we walk through the passage, we are going to uncover some principles for how second chances work, especially when it comes to our relationship with God and how that applies to us.
So, with that as our basis, we are going to pick back up in our Jonah study. Beginning in chapter 3:1. We read:
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,
What I want you to notice first, is that as Jonah lays on the beach with fish vomit all over him, the writer says God spoke to Jonah for a second time.
This bring us to the first principle of second chances when it comes to our relationship with God, and it’s this:
Principle #1 - Second chances are based on God’s grace.
Principle #1 - Second chances are based on God’s grace.
The fact is, Jonah does not deserve to be given a second chance. Throughout the entire story he has shown nothing but contempt for God’s plan and purpose in his life.
When God told him to go to Nineveh, he ran in the opposite direction. Sorry God, not going to do it.
When God sent a storm as a warning, Jonah went and took a nap. Sorry God, I’m not listening.
When Jonah was found out, he said, “You know what, throw me overboard. I’d rather die then do what you’ve asked me to do.”
I mean talk about obstinate. Talk about somebody who has been a royal pain. The last thing Jonah deserves is grace.
But isn’t that true of all of us?
I mean think about it. Haven’t we all done some pretty terrible stuff that’s underserving of grace.
For example, check out some of these examples that we might struggle to give grace too:
Somebody leaves a bad tip or no tip. Can you believe this. That’s pretty terrible. Who does that?
Somebody who apparently didn’t learn how to drive. This guy needs to have his license taken away.
This is really bad. Somebody that doesn’t put their shopping cart back. What, were you born in barn.
Now, I’m having some fun. But there are some things that kind of go beyond the limits. Actions and decisions that in many people’s minds are undeserving of grace.
A man abuses his wife. Nope. No second chances for you. We’re done.
A parent abuses their child. Yup, kids need to be taken away. They should never have those kids again.
A friend betrays you. Sorry, our friendship is over. You can go fly a kite.
Your spouse is caught having an affair. Yup, It’s over. I’m filing for divorce. No second chances for you.
Somebody takes a life. You know what, I hope you rot in prison.
The fact is, we’ve all done things that are pretty terrible, but then some have done things that are down right detestable and in many people’s minds, unforgivable.
Which is why,
In order to give somebody a second chance, it always requires grace.
In order to give somebody a second chance, it always requires grace.
This is what God has extended to Jonah. He’s extending him grace even though he doesn’t deserve it.
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok, I get that pastor. I get it. But come on. Jonah didn’t beat on his wife, abuse his kids, have an affair, or kill someone. He just didn’t want to go to Nineveh. Not really a comparison.”
You’re right. Instead, his hope was that an entire nation, 186,000 people consisting of women and children, would die and rot in hell.
His hope was that God would go to Nineveh and wipe them off the face of the planet.
That would have made Jonah really happy. That would have brought joy into his heart. To walk by Nineveh and see nothing but dead bodies and vultures feeding on them. That’s what he was hoping for. That’s what was in his heart.
I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty terrible.
But as terrible as that was, when he cried out to God and asked for forgiveness, God showed grace, and God gave him a second chance.
Why would God do that? Why would God over look what Jonah had done? Why would He even consider giving Jonah a second chance?
Because He’s a God of grace. He’s a God that doesn’t give up on us. He’s a God that pursues us even when we are running from Him.
I love how the Apostle Paul puts it. Concerning God’s love for us he writes:
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Paul says, it’s not even about us being sorry. That God loves us so much that even when we’re not sorry His desire is to extend grace to us. A grace that was extended to us through the death of His Son.
He’s a God of grace, which is why Jonah is now getting a do over. An opportunity to right a wrong. Even though he doesn’t deserve it.
The question then is, “Why is this so important for us to understand?”
Two reasons:
- Just like Jonah, none of us deserve second chances.
The truth is, regardless of how good a person you think you are, the reality is, you have done some pretty detestable things that are undeserving of grace.
You’ve lied, you’ve cheated, you’ve stolen, and you’ve murdered.
You might say, “What are you talking about Pastor! I’ve never done any of those terrible things.”
Well, if you haven’t done it physically, you’ve done it mentally.
You’ve thought about it. You’ve mediated on it. You’ve desired it. You’ve imagined it.
You might say, “Pastor what are you talking about?”
Men, I’m talking about that woman who isn’t your wife, that you’ve imagined sleeping with.
Ladies, I’m talking about the man you’ve imagined leaving your husband for.
You might not realize this, but both of those scenarios are called adultery. And according to Jesus, if it’s happening in your heart, it’s as if it already happened. Jesus puts it like this:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
It’s adultery.
I’m also talking about that person who harmed you. The person you now imagine harm coming to as you contemplate ways to get even.
As you imagine scenarios where they get what’s coming to them.
As you maybe you even imagine great harm coming to them as murder them in your heart. Come on pastor, wishing somebody dead isn’t murder. Really? Jesus would disagree. He says:
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
It’s murder.
That fact is, deep within us all exist some pretty dark and terrible thoughts, ideas, and desires, that quite honestly, are pretty unforgivable.
You see, none of us deserve grace or second chances. The Apostle Paul puts it like this:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Paul says we’ve all missed the mark. None of us deserve the grace and mercy that God offers us.
We are no better than Jonah. We all deserve to die in the belly of a whale.
Which leads us to the second way this applies to us:
- Like Jonah, if we are willing to confess and repent, God is willing to extend grace and a second chance.
The apostle Paul states it like this.
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Paul says if we are willing to confess our sins. Confess our lack. Confess our shortcomings, and then ask for forgiveness through faith in Jesus, that God is willing to extend grace and restore us. He’s willing to tell that whale, “Go ahead, vomit them up.”
The Apostle Paul puts it like this:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
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—
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.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Is that not amazing. That if we are willing to confess and repent, God will extend grace. God will give us a second chance.
The fact is, we all need that this morning, whether you’re a Christian or not. Because even as Christians we fail. And yet, if we are willing to confess and repent, God is willing to once again, extend grace, and give us a second chance.
This leads us to a second principle of second chances. Because not only are they dependent on the grace of God:
Principle #2 - Second chances do not eliminate the initial requirement of obedience.
Principle #2 - Second chances do not eliminate the initial requirement of obedience.
What’s important to note here, is that although God extended grace and a second chance to Jonah, it didn’t eliminate what God originally asked Jonah to do.
Another way to say it would be, “Just because God forgives us and gives us a second chance, doesn’t mean we get to stay in or continue in our disobedience.”
And to be honest, I think this is a real problem in the American church as a lot of Christians seem to have this idea that they can experience the grace of God but continue to live how they want or continue to ignore God’s Word.
The Apostle Paul addresses this in Romans 6 as even Christians of his day seemed to misunderstand what receiving grace from God meant. He writes:
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
What Paul is addressing here is this idea that the more a person sins, the more it displays the grace of God. In other words, the greater sinner I am, the more God is glorified.
And to this Paul says, “Are you kidding me?! How can we who died to sin still live in it!?”
Now, you might be thinking, “Yeah, I agree with Paul. That’s stupid pastor. Who would so or say that?”
Well, you might be surprised, because I see and hear Christians do it all the time.
Christians who are living in sin, know they are, and then they say something like, “But I’m so thankful for the grace of God. Because it’s so much bigger than my sin. Praise be to the glory of God.”
Christian couples who are living together unmarried who say, “But God’s grace...”
Christians who gossip and cuss up a storm, but then say, “But God’s grace...”
Christians who are leaning towards alternative thinking and lifestyles, but then say, “But God’s grace...” God’s grace is so much bigger. And my life is evident of that. He’s a God of grace.
To which Paul says, “Are you kidding me!? How can you continue to live in a lifestyle or a way of thinking that God has delivered you from?!”
But it doesn’t end there. Because Paul goes on to say:
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
What Paul is referring to here is the Christian who treats grace like a license to sin. Similar but different to what we just talked about.
This is the Christian who assumes they can live how they want and there is no consequences. Because after all, God is a God of grace.
This is where the idea of once saved always saved gets people in trouble. The idea that there is nothing you could do to lose your salvation. so, might as well live how you want and not be to concerned when there’s stuff in your life that shouldn’t be there. Because after all, He’s a God of grace and second chances.
And to this Paul says:
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
What Paul is saying here is, “Are you a moron? Don’t you know that you’re either a slave to sin or righteousness? That you’re either living on a path that leads to death or a path that leads to life. And if you’re living on the path of intentional sin, then you are walking on the path that leads to death.”
Paul’s not messing around here. He wants us to understand that grace isn’t something to play around with. That it’s given to set us free and put us on a path of obedience, not disobedeince. He writes:
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul says, grace is a gift that sets you free from sin and puts you back on that path of obedience.
In the case of Jonah, that is what God has extended to him. Now that he’s repented and recieved grace, he now has a new opportunity to return to the path of obedience.
And what was true for Jonah, is true for all of us. God’s grace and second chances don’t lead us to an alternative path of continued sin and disobedience. It leads us back to obedience.
Back to Nineveh. Back to whatever it is God has originally called or asked us to do. Because to not return is to keep running. Running back into the belly of a whale.
This leads us to one final principle of second chances.
Principle #3 - Second chances allow others to experience the grace and mercy of God.
Principle #3 - Second chances allow others to experience the grace and mercy of God.
We go on to read:
So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.
Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
The people of Nineveh believed, which led to a second act of repentance:
Second, they declared a fast...
And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
The idea here is that they recognized a need to repent. Which is exactly what it takes to experience God’s grace. We see examples of this all over the Bible.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
The people of Nineveh have reached a place of repentance. And if there was ever any doubt, Jesus verifies it in Luke 11. Jesus says:
The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Jesus says, “They repented when Jonah preached”. This then led to a third act:
Third, they put on sackcloth
And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
In a way this signifies the depth their repentance went to that as a nation, as a people, they humbled themselves and fully surrendered to God.
Which is again, exactly what it takes. Because for true repentance to take place, there has to be a humbling. In 2 Chronicles 7 the God puts it like this:
if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Repentance requires humility. A willingness to not not just admit sin, but fully surrender to God and turn from sin.
In a way, this is why water baptism is so important. It’s the putting on of sackcloth. It’s the public declaration that the old you is now dead, and a new has been born.
Not that baptism saves you, but it is further demonstration of your repentance, the work God has done in you, and a commitment to a new life.
Now, you might be wondering, “Ok Pastor, that’s great. I’m glad the people of Nineveh repented. But what does this apply to me?”
What we need to understand, is in order for them to repent and receive God’s grace, Jonah had to be in a place where he could deliver the message.
In other words, for Jonah to preach grace, he had to have received grace himself.
In fact, what I’d like to suggest, is that had Jonah not had the whale experience, he would have not been able to preach the message he preached.
Because now Jonah understands grace. Now he understands how far God will go to save us. Now he understands how lost he was. Now he understands he’s no better than them. Now, Jonah has a heart to extend grace.
And what was true for Jonah is true for us. You see, what prepares you to preach and extend grace is the your experience with grace.
Because the fact is, once you’ve experienced the grace of God, there should be a desire to extend it to others.
The Apostle Paul states it like this:
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Paul says as the Lord has forgiven us, we are to forgive others. We are to extend the same grace to them.
In fact, I would say this, until you experience God’s grace, it will be difficult you to extend grace to others.
Now, when I say that, some might say, “Pastor, are you saying I have to give people a second chance no matter what?”
No, what I’m saying is no matter what, you need to extend grace. And then you need to be willing to go where that grace leads you.
And yes, it may mean giving that person a second chance. It might lead to giving your spouse a second chance.
It might lead to you restoring a friendship.
It might lead to an opportunity for you to demonstrate the same grace that God has shown you.
Now, does that mean that every marriage will be restored? No. Because showing grace doesn’t mean suffering more abuse.
Does that mean every friendship will be reconciled? No. Some friendships aren’t every going to be healthy.
What it does mean though is that by extending grace, you will demonstrate the love and mercy of God, which may lead somebody to repentance and the grace of God, as your life now becomes a testimony of Grace. A testimony of mercy. A testimony of forgivness. A testimony of a changed life.
Because the fact is, the Jonah that walked into Nineveh is not the same Jonah that ran from it the first time. He is now a man that has experienced the grace and mercy of God. It’s written all over him.
And it was so powerful that a wicked city repented and turned to God.
And what was true for Jonah must be true for us, if we truly want to reach our Nineveh.
Like Jonah, we have to not only have experienced the grace of God, we need to be willing to now extend it to others.
As we close this morning, my prayer is that you would be willing to do that. But for that to happen, we might need to be willing to ask ourselves a couple of questions:
Question #1 - Have you experienced the grace and mercy of God?
Question #1 - Have you experienced the grace and mercy of God?
In other words, have you put your faith in Jesus and made Him Lord of your life?
Because to do that is to experience the grace and mercy of God. And the fact is, God wants to extend it to you.
But in order to receive it, you have to come to a place of repentance. You have to be willing to admit your need for God, be willing to turn from your sin, and put your hope and faith in Him.
Question #2 - Who do you need to give a second chance to?
Question #2 - Who do you need to give a second chance to?
In other words, who do you need to be willing to extend grace to?
The fact is, if we want to see people come to Jesus. If we want to see people change. If we want to see relationships restored. It starts with grace. It starts as we extend grace to a person or a situation and in doing so demonstrate the love and mercy of God.
Now, as I said, showing grace doesn’t mean putting yourself back in a place of abuse or suffering. But it does mean being willing to stop hating. Stop blaming. And to start forgiving. To start showing that person who Jesus is through the grace and mercy you extend to them.
And who knows, maybe God will do something you didn’t expect. Maybe like Nineveh, he will restore something you never dreamed could be restored. Or He’ll save somebody you never thought could be saved.
And it all happened because you were willing to extend grace.
I want to end with two final things.
We are going to begin handing out Communion.
If you have never been Baptized or you feel that you need to openly renew that public repentance I want to invite you to be Baptized next week.
Let’s Pray