Second Chance

Second Chance - Jonah 3:1-4

Jonah 3:1–4 NKJV

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

May God Bless The Reading Hearing & Understanding of his Precious Word!

Prayer

Confession of Faith

I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith! In Jesus Name

Intro: Today, we start an amazing trip into one of the most interesting and thought-provoking chapters in the Bible: Jonah Chapter 3! So Get ready for an epic story about how God gives second chances, how people change in surprising ways, and how powerful forgiveness is.

Now, Imagine for a moment a complicated world (hint) where bad people and violence are everywhere and hope seems like a faraway dream. In the middle of all of this chaos, we meet Jonah, a prophet who doesn't want to do what God wants him to do. The last time we saw Jonah, he was running away from the job God had given him. He got on a ship that was going to Tarshish. But he had no idea that his running would be the start of a big show of God's unfathomable kindness.

When we get to chapter 3 of Jonah, we see a stunning story twist that will leave us in awe of how hard God works to find His people. Here, we learn the hidden story of how Jonah was saved and how a whole city, which was known for being evil and lost in the grip of darkness, was miraculously changed.

As we read through the pages of this chapter, be prepared to find deep truths that test our ideas and make us want to look deeper! Think deeper, and desire more in terms of forgiveness. We will see that God's forgiveness is so big that even the most broken and disobedient people can get a second chance. We will see the power of true repentance, where hearts are turned from darkness to light and lives are changed forever. And most importantly, we will find the heartbeat of God's saving love, a love that follows us even when things look the darkest.

I need you to keep your minds and hearts open as we go through the story of Jonah in chapter 3. As we go through this - think about how God has given each of us a second chance! think about in your life - right now the parts of your life that need real change! Think about the love that is waiting for us in the arms of our Heavenly Father. Because Jonah's story is like a tapestry of grace and a tapestry of redemption! This story has the threads of grace all through out the fabric of our hearts!

Whatch this - we are about to see the power of God bring a city out of darkness and into the light?

We get to meet the God of second chances - who wants to change your entire life! As we go through this, ask God to show redemption in this story and in our lives !

New Beginnings

Jonah 1:1–2 NKJV

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

The Lord gave the prophet Jonah a second chance. Our God is the God of second chances, Our God is the God of new lives, and Our God is the God of fresh starts. People can start over in life if they do what Jonah did

Repent

I mean, change their minds. After going through one of the worst punishments you can think of, Jonah was humbled and pushed to serve the Lord with new energy. God accepted Jonah's apology out of love and brought back His beloved prophet.

Now, You don’t have to read very far in your Bible to discover that God forgives His servants and restores them to ministry. Remember,Abraham fled to Egypt, where he lied about his wife, but God gave him another chance.

Even Jacob lied to his father Isaac, but God restored him and used him to build the nation of Israel.

Moses killed a man and fled from Egypt, but God called him to be the leader of His people.

Peter denied the Lord three times, but Jesus forgave him and said, “Follow Me”

let me say this - No matter how inspiring these stories are, they should never be used as an excuse to sin. If you think "I can go ahead and sin because I know the Lord will forgive me" you have no idea of how bad sin is or you have no idea of how holy God is.

Psalm 130:4 NKJV

4 But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

God's grace, God’s kindness forgives our sins, but God's rule says that we will reap what we sow, and that can be very high price to pay! Jonah paid a high price for going against God.

Jonah 3:2 NKJV

2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”

Once the Lord restored Jonah, He talked to Jonah again, this is the second time and told him to go to Nineveh. Here we are - God giving second chances! Jonah was to go there to proclaim God’s message to the people. The important thing is Jonah was not to give his personal thoughts or opinions, Jonah was not to give the opinions of anyone else Jonah was only to preach the Word of God to the Ninevites.

That’s a lesson for me and everyone who proclaims the word of God! My opinion does not matter - the only thing that matters is the Word Of God!

My job is to proclaim to preach God’s Holy Word and His Word alone. God’s Word must not be tampered with, added to, nor taken away from—not by any of us.

Paul says in

1 Corinthians 9:16–17 M:BCL

16 If I proclaim the Message, it’s not to get something out of it for myself. I’m compelled to do it, and doomed if I don’t! 17 If this was my own idea of just another way to make a living, I’d expect some pay. But since it’s not my idea but something solemnly entrusted to me, why would I expect to get paid?