12 AMAZING WORDS
(Story of Jonah)
October 18, 2020
Intro:
We all know the story of Prophet Jonah, - the man who swallowed by a big fish. But if we could interview him in an intimate-round-chair-session; this will be his story.
“God asked me to go east – I choose to go west.
He told me to go land – I choose to go by sea.
He asked me to live for others; I made choices for only myself.
He asked me to go to Nineveh (part of Mosul, Iraq, I set out for Tarshish. (Southern Spain)
God asked me to rise up and speak for him, INSTEAD I TRIED TO HIDE.”
I thought I knew better than God – but of course I didn’t.
But I’m here to tell you…..
“GOD ALWAYS GIVES US A SECOND CHANCE”
Wow… a second chance! After all that Jonah had done – God offered him another opportunity. That is something that we should give each of us HOPE. And Jonah’s statement to us reminds us today about the 12 most amazing words contained to this story.
Jonah 3:1 New International Version (NIV)
3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time
I. GOD GIVES US A SECOND CHANCE BECAUSE WE NEED IT.
When Jonah was called to preach to the people of Nineveh – he tried to get away from God and his calling by jumping aboard to a ship and heading to Tarshish… and we all know the story goes. The storm came and threatened to sink the ship – and in order to save the others on board, he asked them to cast him into the sea.
Jonah was in a deep-life-and-death situation and GOD GAVE HIM A SECOND CHANCE. He saved Jonah by providing a great fish to swallow him.
The Bible is full of people and with their mess-ups. You will find stories after stories revealing their mistakes and THEIR NEED FOR GOD’S GRACE. (Moses, Gideon, Sarah, David, Peter etc..)
We cannot run far enough, disobey long enough, or do anything wrong enough
that God does not want us back. - Copied
II. GOD GIVES US A SECOND CHANCE BECAUSE OTHERS NEED IT.
God loves us and wants us to be able to begin again, but He also gives us a second chance because of what it can do for others.
In Jonah’s day, Nineveh was a city of 120,000 people. (4:11) But the city was wicked and violent, and Jonah knew it. He didn’t want God to save those people. He didn’t want the Ninevites to receive a second chance.
But God wanted to give it to them. He always does. He gave the Ninevites a second chance. He gave the sailors on board the sinking ship a second chance, and He gave Jonah the disobedient a second chance.
Jonah 1:13-16 International Children’s Bible (ICB)
13 Instead, the men tried to row the ship back to the land. But they could not. The wind and the waves of the sea were becoming much stronger.
14 So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don’t let us die because of taking this man’s life. Please don’t think we are guilty of killing an innocent man. Lord, you have caused all this to happen. You wanted it this way.” 15 Then the men picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea. So the sea became calm. 16 Then they began to fear the Lord very much. They offered a sacrifice to the Lord. They also made promises to him.
Jonah 3:5 International Children’s Bible (ICB)
5 The people of Nineveh believed in God….
10 God saw what the people did. He saw that they stopped doing evil things. So God changed his mind and did not do what he had warned. He did not punish them.
I’m grateful for the second chances God has given me. He has always forgiven me when I’ve done wrong.
If you ask God to give you a second chance, it is not an entirely selfish act. You have no idea how many people you may help if you seek God’s forgiveness and obey His calling on your life.
III. GOD GIVES US A SECOND CHANCE BECAUSE HE IS GOOD.
The bottom line is that it is God’s nature to love us, extend us grace, and offer us a second chance. We may fail God, but He will never fail us.
The Bible is filled with promise after promise and story after story of God’s faithfulness, mercy, and grace when we fall short.
When we feel tired, God says He will give us rest.
When we believe we can’t go on, God says His grace is enough.
When we have trouble forgiving ourselves, God says He forgives us.
When we don’t know how we’ll make it, God says He will supply all our needs.
When we can’t figure things out, God says He will give us wisdom.
When we can’t make a decision, God says He will direct our steps.
When we feel overwhelmed, God says we can cast all our cares on Him.
For every doubt we have or failure we experience, God has an answer for it that will lead us to a second chance. And though our words to God may fail, God’s Word to us does not.
Lessons from Jonah:
a. It is possible to DO the RIGHT thing with the wrong attitudes.
Jonah 4:1-3 International Children’s Bible (ICB)
4 But Jonah was very unhappy that God did not destroy the city. He was angry. 2 He complained to the Lord and said, “I knew this would happen. I knew it when I was still in my own country. It is why I quickly ran away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a God who is kind and shows mercy. You don’t become angry quickly. You have great love. I knew you would rather forgive than punish them. 3 So now I ask you, Lord, please kill me. It is better for me to die than to live.”
Noah obeyed God, and also, hated the people of Nineveh. And he was bitter and angry when the Ninevites repented and God gave them a second chance.
Sometime like Jonah - we are always obedient on the outside, but we still rebellious on the inside.
Jonah should have celebrated the fact that an entire city received the same grace and loving-kindness he had received. He should have changed his attitude. Instead he went on the opposite way.
In the light of Grace the message for us is to able to see people the way God sees them. Let us value them as God does. And let us love people the way God loves them. All of us matter to God – and so as Grace Family we should accept everyone.
b. Be grateful that God Uses IMPERFECT people.
This is a good for us – that God can use anyone—and He does. Even the IMPERFECT ONE like in the adventure of Jonah’s story. Of all the things that Jonah did, God demonstrate the power of his Love and Grace and gave him a second chance.
Of course, there were others who could have delivered His message. Certainly there were better people among the Israelites who would have obeyed God the first time. But God wasn’t looking for a better person.” - “God was looking for the right one, the person He wanted.
And Jonah, in spite of his problems, in spite of his disobedience, He was the person God wanted.
And for me that message is humbling and I am so grateful – he gave me a second chance.
CHALLENGE:
When you get a SECOND CHANCE – MAKE IT COUNT.
If God gave you a second chance it means you failed the first time. We never get another first chance.
In the mind of Jonah - What might his life have been like if he had obeyed the first time? What privileges had he lost? What opportunities had he missed? What impact had he lost? Might God have asked him to go to another city? Might others have been saved? I’m sure this were the questions came rushing in his mind that time. And as these questions continue popping in his mind – He became aware of how desperately he needed God’s Grace.God spared Jonah. He had not given him what he deserved.
When you get a second chance, make it count! No matter what you did in the past, it’s not too late for you. If you allow Him to, God will still use you—as imperfect as you are. If God was able to use me with my disobedience, bitterness, and bad attitude, just think what He might be able to do with you.
God bless!!!
acknowledgement: learning form the giants by John C. Maxwell
