Jonah 3:1-10 1. Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
2. "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."
3. Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city--a visit required three days. 4. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned."
5. The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
A young high school foot player realized that his size and ability would limit his chances of earning a "letter,” so he decided to try out for the position of punter. He figured as often as his team punted the ball, he would get in plenty of playing time. On the day kicking tryouts were held, he stood in line with a dozen or so other guys. Each player got one kick; if the coach liked what he saw, the player was called back to kick a few more times.
He was reasonably confident in his skills as a kicker. He thought maybe he had a chance of making the team. When it came his turn to kick, he took the ball in his hands, extended his arms, swung his foot forward and --the ball went off the side of his shoe and landed about six yards away from where he was standing. The coach shook his head and yelled, "Next!” Needless, to say, he was disappointed in his performance. He waved and said, "Hey coach. That one went off the side of my foot. I can do better than that. Give me another shot at it.” The coach looked at him for barely more than a second and said, "Next!” His career as a kicker ended before it started. He had one chance and he blew it.
· There are a number of things we do in life in which we have only one chance to get it right.
o Borrow money from the bank (or from a friend) and don’t pay it back, you probably won’t get another chance to borrow.
o If a job promotion is tied to a certain project that you are doing at work, and you muddle the project, you probably won’t get another chance to do the job right, and you’ll miss out on the promotion.
o If you invited all your friends to your house for a big party, and then when everyone showed up you said, "I decided I didn’t feel like having a party tonight, why don’t you come back another time.” I doubt if any of your friends would come to another one of your parties.
o In any of these cases, if the appeal was made, "I’ll do better next time," more than likely the appeal would be ignored and the second chance would be denied.
· Today, I have one chance to deliver the message that God has laid on my heart this week.
o What if, after I finished preaching this morning, I were to say, "Folks, I think I can do better. Why don’t we all stay an extra 30 minutes and let me preach his message again?"
o How well do you think that idea would go over? How many would stay? Since we came in two vehicles this morning, my family might even leave
o Everyone pretty much expects me to get it right the first time, if I don’t you shake my hand a smile on the way out and say it was good to be here
o There are many situations if life in which we have only one chance, and even if you need a second chance
o You had one shot, you blew it, and that’s all there is to it and there’s nothing you can do about it.
o The good news is that with God, it works differently. With him, we get a second chance. We don’t deserve a second chance, but we get one.
· God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach the word.
o Instead, Jonah got on a boat headed for Tarshish, which is in the other direction.
o In the middle of the sea--- a storm came along and the boat started to sink--the sailors found out that they had a backslidden preacher in their midst and they tossed him overboard
o Being tossed out was Jonah’s own idea.
o He was running from God, and apparently decided he would rather die than repent.
o Everyone thought that was the end of Jonah, but God had other plans.
o A great big fish came along and swallowed Jonah.
o
o (Three days later) (2:10)...the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry ground.
o The next chapter is one of the most encouraging verses in all of scripture.
o (3:1) Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.
o Jonah got a second chance from God—even though he didn’t deserve it
o This is God’s mercy at work---Even if we blow it the first time---God gives us a chance to try again.
o Without exception, we all need a second chance from time to time.
o Let’s look at God’s Radical Mercy at work in our lives
o There’s only one way to interpret Jonah’s behavior---He sinned.
o God said, "Go to Nineveh" and Jonah said, "No."
o We’re not sure exactly why Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh.
· It couldn’t be that bad of a place; it’s not like God was asking him to go to Purdue.
o It boils down to the fact that Jonah didn’t want to do what God told him to do, and he ran away
o God could have given up on Jonah—some may even say God should have given up on Jonah—but God was merciful to Jonah...he gave him a second chance.
o God’s mercy is greater than our sin, and there are simply some things our sin cannot change.
· It is God’s nature to give a second chance.
o He forgives and lets you try again.
· Your boss may not give you a second chance,
· Your coach may not give you a second chance,
· Your spouse may not give you a second chance,
o But God will—he is the God of the second chance.
o His mercy is greater than our sin.
o We make the mistake of thinking that once we have blown it, we can never get back on track—God can never use us again.
o If you have been running from God, and you are now ready to come back, God is willing to pick up where you left off.
o If you have blown it once, it doesn’t mean you’ve blown it forever.
o God’s mercy is greater than your sin; he will bring you back to the place he wants you to be, and he will forgive those sins. Period.
o They become part of the past
o There are some things your past sin doesn’t change.
1. It Doesn’t Change God’s Plans
o (v. 1-2) Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Ninevah and proclaim to it the message I give you."
o God told Jonah to do the same thing in chapter three that he said in chapter one:
o Go to Nineveh and preach.
o Jonah’s disobedience didn’t change God’s plan for his life.
o Ninevah still needed to hear the word of God, and Jonah was still God’s man for the job.
o Once Jonah got his heart right, God was ready to put his plan back into action.
o Repeatedly throughout scripture we see how God was able to use people even after they committed "major" sins.
o Abraham tried to get his wife to commit adultery, and God used Abraham.
o Moses committed murder, and God used him.
o King David committed adultery and murder, and God used him again.
o You may try to run away from God at some point in your life---but once you stop running, God’s plan for your life goes back into effect.
o Some of you may have felt called by God when you were younger to serve him in a special way, and instead of pursuing that call you let your life take a different course, and now it’s time to pick up where you left off and pursue the plan God has for you.
o A man named Richard at the age of 16 recognized that God was calling him to a ministry in music.
o After graduating from high school he began attending a Christian University.
o After a couple of years he decided that a career in music was too speculative, so he changed his major to accounting.
1. Short and simple, he made a decision to live for himself.
o He became a CPA, and his dream of serving God faded away.
o 17 years he had created a stable life for himself economically, but he had no peace, no fulfillment.
o Through a series of events he found his way back to God, and, to his amazement, heard once again God’s call on his life to a pursue a career in music.
o So, Richard picked up where he left off. He went back to school. He’s almost 40 now, and in many ways he is starting over, but he’s God gave him a second change
o I too left the ministry at one point and declared I’d never be back behind the pulpit, but God gave me a second chance
2. Your Sin Doesn’t Change God’s Power
o Jonah went to Ninevah and did as he was supposed to do.
o He walked through the streets of Ninevah and proclaimed the word of God. As a result...
o (v. 5) The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
o Just because Jonah disobeyed God doesn’t mean God’s word lost its power.
o Once he got back into the place God wanted him to be---he began pursuing God’s plan for his life---he was able to experience God’s power.
o While Jesus was facing death on the cross, the Apostle Peter abandoned him and left him to die all alone.
o Not once, not twice, but three times he was asked if he was a disciple of Jesus, and each time Peter denied ever having known Christ.
o As Christ was being led to his death, Peter warmed himself by the light of a Roman soldier’s fire and swore to all who could hear, "I don’t know the man!"
o Jesus heard Peter’s denial; the Bible says when Peter spoke these words The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. (Luke 22:61)
o Peter went outside and wept bitterly.
o Some follower of Christ he was.
o He ran from Jesus at a time Jesus needed him most.
o Peter was supposed to be a leader; and look at the example he set.
o This was a major offense.
o It wasn’t like Peter got caught with his hand in the offering plate, or got caught coming out of an R rated movie.
o Peter committed the worst sin imaginable—he called down curses on himself and denied having anything to do with Jesus.
§ How could he expect to have any credibility as a leader ever again?
§ How could he expect to experience God’s power ever again?
§ How could he expect to be anything other than a second-class Christian, banished to some sort of spiritual exile, never to be seen or heard from again?
o And yet, even after Peter denied Christ, he experienced the power of God in his life in a dramatic way.
§ On the day of Pentecost, Peter spoke and 3,000 people were saved.
§ A few days later as Peter approached a gate at the temple he saw a crippled man and said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” And the man stood to his feet and began walking and praising God.
§ The power of God was so evident in Peter’s life that people brought the sick into the streets where Peter walked so at least his shadow might pass over them (Acts 5:15).
o Peter’s sin didn’t change God’s power.
o When Peter got back on track, he was again able to experience God’s power in his life.
o It was the same with Jonah, and it is the same with you.
o Just because you have failed God in some area of your life doesn’t mean you have forever lost the ability to experience God’s power.
o God’s mercy is greater than your sin.
A third thing your past sin cannot change...
3. It Doesn’t Change God’s Promises
o Nineveh was a sinful city, and God was ready to destroy it.
o He was willing, however, to give them another chance.
o He sent Jonah to Nineveh to make them a promise:
o If you repent, your city won’t be destroyed. The people of Nineveh repented, and the Bible says...
o (v. 10) When God saw that they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion on them and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
o God’s promise is: If you repent, you will be saved. Nothing can change that; it is God’s promise.
o When Jonah preached repentance, the people repented and were saved from certain destruction.
o Amazingly, this made Jonah angry. He wanted to see Nineveh burn (from outside the city limits, I’m sure.)
o Instead, it turned into a revival meeting.
o Jonah didn’t think it was fair. He got mad at God for showing the same mercy to Ninevah that he had shown to Jonah just a little bit earlier.
o Jonah didn’t argue with God when he was forgiven, but he didn’t like it when Ninevah got off the hook.
o That’s because Jonah had suddenly become self-righteous.
o There are some of us who think other people’s sins are worse than our own—that we deserve to be forgiven but other people don’t.
o That’s self-righteousness, and in chapter four of the book of Jonah, God dealt with that sin in Jonah’s life.
o In spite of Jonah’s sin, God’s promise remains the same: If you repent, you will be forgiven.
o This applies to everyone the same. God shows no favoritism.
o There may be times in your life when you are beaten down by your own failure and you think, "I don’t deserve to be forgiven.” Yet, God’s promise is just as true for you as it is for everyone else: If you repent, you will be forgiven.
o There may be other times when you get a little full of yourself and begin to think, "so-and-so is much worse than I am.
§ At those times we must remember that God’s promise is just as true for them as it is for you: If they repent, they will be forgiven.
o Sin doesn’t change God’s promise. It’s as true today as it ever was.
Conclusion
Jonah found that running from God was not a pleasant experience
He wound up in the belly of a fish---Not a pretty sight
He was puked up by a fish---Even worse
But when he came back to God
He saw the power of God working through him
He saw God keep his promise
He learned that when you run from God it doesn’t mean God is finished with you.
When you’re ready to stop running, God will help you pick up where you left off.
God’s mercy is greater than your sin.
It isn’t based on what you deserve to receive; it’s based on what God is willing to give.
That’s why it’s called "Radical Mercy."
When you repent, your sin is forgiven, and those sins become part of the past.
Past sins cannot prevent you from pursuing God’s plan for your life
Past sins cannot prevent you from experiencing God’s power in your life
Past sins cannot prevent you from receiving the benefits of God’s promises in your life.
If you’ve ever run from God, listen closely to me today. The word of God is coming to you a second time. Please, hear it today, and respond with your heart.
