THE GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE
SCRIPTURE READING:
Exodus 34:1-4 "The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones,and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.” 4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands."
THE GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE
INTRODUCTION:
We are now on the 34 chapter of the Book of Exodus.
This is the chapter of a new beginning for the people of Israel.
When the new stone tablets will be created so that God could write again the Ten Commandments.
Remember that in the previous chapter, Moses broke it before the people because he was so angry after seeing the golden calf and the people danced before it.
Consequently, the people were almost destroyed because of their idolatry.
But God showed His mercy and compassion.
He forgave His people and gave them another chance.
Moses went up to the mountain to talk face to face with God.
There in the mountain, God renewed His covenant with His people.
That if they will obey the Lord's command, they will be blessed and God will drive out all their enemies from the Land.
God gave them various commands as well with regards it the Sabbath and the first fruit of their harvest.
Moses spent forty days and forty night in the mountain without eating bread or drinking water.
Afterwards, he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant and the Ten Commandments God gave him.
Then, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, he was not even aware that his face was radiant after speaking with the Lord.
Because the people were afraid to come near him, he put a veil over his face.
But whenever he entered the Lord's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out.
God's presence was again seen and felt in the camp because of this second chance from the Lord.
In the same manner, just like the Israelites, we all have failed God miserably because of our sin.
We all have fallen short of God's laws.
We deserve God's judgment and punishment.
We know that there is no hope in this kind of predicament.
But God is a God of the second chance.
That is what the story of God's redemption is all about.
No matter what we have done in the past.
No matter how many times we have broken the Commandments.
No matter where and how far we have wandered from the path of life.
God is offering us a second chance for us to be forgiven.
A second chance to be restored back our relationship with Him.
A second chance to make a fresh start with our lives in following His Words.
God is saying, "Come back. I can take the shame out of your life and make you as white as snow.
I can give you a hope and a future.
All you have to do is to receive it and obey His Words."
And so, today, we will study three things regarding the second chance that God is offering.
First, we will look at the Biblical Lessons from Exodus: How did the Israelites received the second chance?
Then, we will look at the Spiritual Implications of these lessons. What are the significant truths we can learn from all these?
Lastly, we will look at some Practical Applications: How can we apply these lessons into our lives?
1. IMPORTANT LESSONS FROM THE BOOK OF EXODUS:
Exodus 34:1-4 "The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones,and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.” 4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands."
A. GOD HATES THE SIN OF IDOLATRY.
The first thing we could learn from this chapter is that God hates the sin of idolatry.
That is the reason why Moses broke the Ten Commandments right before their eyes.
Moses was angry and furious with the sudden change of heart of the Israelites.
He was not even away for a long time.
Yet, they have suddenly turned away from God's law.
They have trusted their man made idols rather than the True and Living God.
They have failed to obey the Ten Commandments and they have failed to trust God.
It was a disaster of great magnitude.
It exposed the human nature of sin.
There would have been no hope of restoration.
No hope for reconciliation and forgiveness.
But Moses intervened and pleaded to God for mercy.
He pleaded to spare the people from destruction.
And God relented.
He was willing to give them a second chance to life.
And that is what God did.
The second thing we could learn from this story is that
2. GOD RESTORED THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
He restored the covenant relationship.
He wanted the shame and the guilt to be removed from His people.
He wanted them to build once again their trust and obedience on God's Word.
Regardless of what they have done, He is waiting and willing to forgive them.
And so we find in this chapter God giving instructions to Moses to chisel two stone tablets.
God wanted to write the Ten Commandments in these tablets of stone.
If they obey God, they would receive the Promised Land.
Along the way, they must not make any idols of any form.
They must set apart the Sabbath Day as holy before the Lord.
The past is past and a great future is at stake.
They should now learn that God's Word is important and should be followed completely.
This is the second chance that we are talking about.
There are many Biblical characters who were given a second chance by the Lord.
Jonah was asked by God to preach to Nineveh but he did not obey and went to the opposite direction.
God had to use a great fish to swallow Jonah.
And there, he came to his senses and learned obedience the hard way.
When he came back, he preached with power and such authority that Nineveh repented.
He was given a second chance and he accomplished his purpose.
The apostle Peter denied Christ three times during his weakest moment of personal crisis.
But Christ gave him a second chance.
He was forgiven, reinstated and became the pillar of the first century church.
He too preached powerfully and boldly than before in his witness for Christ.
He was given a second chance and he accomplished his purpose.
Like them, we all deserve a second chance.
And so, what are some spiritual implications of all these?
2. SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS:
A. WE ARE ALL SINNERS.
The Bible tells us that we are all sinners because our heart is deceitful.
Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV) "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
Our evils hearts prompt us to commit sin and wickedness.
Because of that, we have completely disregarded God's law.
God gave us the Ten Commandments and we decided to scorn it.
In fact, people nowadays are not willing to listen to the Ten Commandments.
They even took it away from the Supreme Courts of the land.
We are not able to obey and fulfill it's demands.
We deserve God's anger and punishment.
We deserve eternal condemnation.
There is a second thing we could learn from this chapter.
B. GOD IS FORGIVING AND COMPASSIONATE.
Exodus 34: 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
This is His true nature and character.
He is forgiving and full of grace and mercy.
God is filled with love and compassion for His people.
Psalms 86: 15 (NIV) "But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
He is the One taking the initiative to reach us so that we could be restored back to Him.
He sent His only Son, Jesus to die for our sins and give us eternal life.
This is what the grace of God is all.
This is unmerited favor.
This is God's redemption to the fullest.
God hates sin and it must be punished severely.
Through Christ, all our sins have been dealt with and forgiven.
God wants to forgive us our sins and give us a second chance to a blessed life.
He is giving us the Ten Commandments so that we will learn to obey Him fully.
He is giving us His Word from the Bible so that we can experience joy and prosper in life.
He is an amazing God.
His is not only the God of the second chance, but He is the God of another chance.
Every time we failed, He keeps on offering His hand of forgiveness.
Micah 7:18 (NIV) "Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy."
So what do we do when God is offering us a second chance?
We must not harden our hearts.
We must humbly enter into the very presence of God and be restored back to fellowship with Him.
Let Christ's love and forgiveness cleanse your very soul.
Now that we have learned some lessons from Exodus and discussed the spiritual implications of these lessons.
We will not learn some practical things for us to do.
3. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:
A. WE MUST RECEIVE HIS FORGIVENESS.
We must receive it, accept it and acknowledge it for ourselves.
You can only be forgiven if you come to Him with a humble heart.
Confess your sin and you will receive His forgiveness.
Isaiah 1:18 (NIV) "“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
Have you received Christ into your heart?
B. WE MUST NOT DWELL IN THE PAST.
Dwelling on the past will not get you anywhere.
You will just be going about in circle without any destination.
And so, we are commanded to forget the former things now that we have committed our lives to Christ.
To forget means not anymore to remember, to obliterate, to leave behind.
That means we move on with life.
We move forward in faith.
We look at life differently now compared to the past.
We change our ways and put on new perspective in living.
We change our attitudes for the better.
Take one step at a time so that you will fulfill God's will for your life.
Isaiah 43:18 (NIV) “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past."
The past is past and should not be repeated.
The shame and guilt of sin will be washed away by His blood.
You can make a fresh start with your life.
C. WE MUST LEARN TO OBEY HIS WORD.
We must acquire more knowledge from God's Word.
We must gain understanding and study it's principles for life.
We must learn the value of obeying God above all.
This is the source of God's wisdom that will guide your life to success.
Proverbs 4:5-6 (NIV) "5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. 6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you."
Hold on to God's Word tightly and this will protect and watch over your life from now on.
D. WE MUST OFFER A SECOND CHANCE TO OTHERS.
Now that we have understood and received God's Word, we must offer a second chance to others.
There might be people who have hurt you in the past that you have not yet forgiven.
You have been physically, emotionally and mentally injured.
Your spirit has been crushed.
You have maintained that bitterness and deep seated agony in your mind an spirit.
God said forgive them.
Give them a second chance.
If you have truly received God's forgiveness, you can offer the same forgiveness to others.
But if you have not received God's forgiveness, you have nothing to offer.
That is why you can only offer them a second chance because God gave you a second chance in life.
Since God has trusted you, you must learn to trust others in return.
We must give them a chance to restore their trust.
But of course, they must prove themselves worthy of trust.
Eph. 4:32 (NIV) "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
If someone is truly repentant, then we are obligated to forgive him.
It does not matter how many times he has sinned; twenty, thirty, a hundred fold.
What matters most is the condition of the repentant heart humbly seeking for forgiveness and reconciliation.
Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[g]
God is not only the God of second chances.
He is the God of another chance, even third and fourth chances.
Then, we must follow His example.
Illustration:
Let me tell you the story of Michael Vick, a professional American football player who fell from grace and had been given a second chance.
I took this testimony from CBN.com
Vick was born to two unwed, teen-aged parents struggling to make ends meet.
Growing up, he spent a lot of time at the local Boys and Girls Club.
He loved sports, and they helped keep him off the streets.
He was selected for a scholarship at a prestigious university, and while there, became one of its most popular students.
After graduating from college, he landed a job that made him a millionaire.
But, even though he was several hundred miles from the rough neighborhood he grew up in, he made frequent trips home.
He now financially supported several members of his family and kept close ties to his old friends.
The place he worked connected him with a local minister to try and help mentor him.
However, his ties back home with friends who were living wayward lifestyles, were still a major influence in his life.
Despite his success since college, he was still loyal to his friends—a loyalty so deep that it would eventually cost him everything.
When he was 27, the police started investigating some of his friends back home for illegal activity, and they started to question whether he was involved too.
Scared and afraid of losing everything, he lied about his involvement.
But, when the authorities offered his friends a deal for a lighter sentence, he was implicated.
He received more prison time than any of his old friends—the same friends he left the home of his new job to visit on a regular basis.
He expressed the guilt he felt after putting his family, friends, and the people who stood by him through the pain of watching him go to prison.
Vick pleaded guilt to federal felony charges and served 21 months in prison, followed by two months in home confinement.
Hurt financially by the loss of his NFL salary and product endorsement deaqls, combined with previous fianncial mismanagement, Vick filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2008.
Gone was his job with its millionaire salary (he was now defaulting on other financial commitments after paying for legal fees).
Gone was his popularity.
He went from being a success story in his old neighborhood, his college, and his new job, to being hated by the people.
Describing the time leading up to his fall, he said, "I just reached the point in my career where I just totally lost touch with my Lord and Savior. And I thought I could do it on my own. And I couldn't."
Michael Vick’s crime was horrendous—he killed dogs and facilitated brutal dog fights.
But within a matter of weeks, he not only faced losing his job, his friends, and his all of his money—he also faced the judgment and scorn of the whole world.
When the details of his crime emerge, people wrote terrible, at times unspeakable things, about him.
"The first day I walked into prison, and he slammed that door, I knew the magnitude of the decision that I made,” Vick said.
“And, you know, it's no way of explaining the hurt and the guilt that I felt. And that was the reason I cried so many nights.”
There in prison, he found God.
He said later, "It's the only way I made it through prison. It's the only way I could live life is having faith and believing in the higher power, believing in God."
However, after serving his term in prison and receiving a fresh touch from God, Vick signed with another NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
He has been met with both cheers and jeers.
But this time around, he was a different man.
During the play, Michael Vick put on one of the greatest performances by an NFL quarterback ever, throwing for four touchdowns, and rushing for two more.
In front of millions of viewers, Vick proved that he still had the talent to perform at the highest level.
All because he has received the mercy and compassion of God.
Thank God we all don’t get what we deserve. Instead, we all get second chances.
That is what the grace of God is all about.
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