Jonah: The God of Second Chances
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Introduction
Introduction
Goodmorning!
We are in week 5 of Jonah
Someone said to me the other day I wish Jonah was longer!
I agree.
But it meant a lot that they said that because it means they caught and understood the grace of God and mercy of God found in the book of Jonah.
And I would like to think that any book of the Bible we study through we also will wish the book was longer!!!
We have seen Jonah journey now from rebellion and we are moving in to chapter 3 this morning and are going to finnish it.
I think next week will be the last week.
so if youve missed a week go back and watch it as this story really does build from week to week.
We serve a God of second chances.
Its really as plain and as simple as that.
We will see God demonstrate this to Jonah as we read through chapter three togtehrt this morning.
But I will start with this truth and I will finish with this truth.
God wants to give you a second chance today.
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:
As Jonah regains his bearings after being vomited onto dry land, God again commands him to go.
These first two verses are nearly identical to the first two verses of chap. 1.
Notice Jonah hasn’t actually paid for his sin,
Jonah hasn’t fixed all the wrong he is done.
“Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
Arise.
He is given a second chance purely based on God’s grace and mercy.
Here’s the thing about 2nd chances: God will take you right back to the place you said “no.”
Jonah’s attempt to flee has only brought him right back to where he started.
He could not stop God’s plan. After Jonah flees and puts the lives of the sailors in jeopardy,
Sometimes you just want to overlook that God doesn’t chsnge his command or call to jonah just because he ran
You and God had what you thought of as an irreconcilable difference and you left for a while so now you want to come back …
but you’d just like to ignore that place you disobeyed God and leave it unresolved.
No. God will take you back, but you go back to the place you said “no” and repent there.
God wants to give you a second chance here today!
God provides him with a second chance to obey.
Not only does Jonah receive a second chance, but he receives it when he had actually not done anything yet to deserve it.
Jonah Simply said in his prayer he would fulfill his vows and that his salvation was found in the Lord.
Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.
Verse 3
“and Jonah arose.” This initial action is identical to his first response
Jonah is the only biblical prophet who had to have his assignment given twice.
So often, however, God’s call is just unreasonable.
In the New Testament Jesus calls fishermen and tax collectors to follow him.
As we read the stories we are amazed by the instant obedience of these people.
Bonhoffer - Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have become widely influential; his 1937 book The Cost of Discipleship is
Died in a concentration camp at 39
When God calls a man he bids him come and die.
The point of the call narratives is that when God calls, the only response is to obey whatever the cost.
Those who follow are called to take up their cross, a symbol of torture and death.
Such a call is surely unreasonable,
God does not, however, negotiate with the prophet to arrive at a mutually agreeable calling.
Certainly the call remained as unreasonable in chapter 3 as it had been in chapter 1.
God does not easily give up on anyone and Jonah, the disobedient prophet, was no different.
Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
Verse 4
Jonah’s speech is marked by an incredible bold statement and a decided lack of creativity.
UNlike the usual prophetic practice in announcing judgment, the destruction of the city is merely announced, with no reason provided.
He’s got an 8-word message: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Actually, in Hebrew, 5 words: Yohd arba-eem venineveh yome nehpa-ket
I think this also shows us clearly where the power and authority came from.
Paul says I did not come with lofty words but with the demonstration
As the Jewish expositor Rashi comments, ‘The word “overthrown” has two senses, good and bad. If they do not repent they will be “destroyed”.
But if they repent they shall indeed be turned over “overthrown”, for they will have changed from evil to good.’
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
Hwew qw aww Jonah literally proclaiming and that is all/
WHen God gives us a task or a calling our lofty words, our additional actions, don’t change or make the impact. It's the power of God and our obedience to do what he has asked us to do.
I know a lot of Christians who don’t think they can make a difference because they don’t know enough of the Bible or feel like they can lead someone to the Lord.
I would say God has given all of us the task of making disciples. So if you lack a skill in an area come speak to me and we will figure out a way to train you!!!
This isn’t like the basketball team where only the starting 5 play and the rest sit and watch.
● I’ve heard a definition of evangelism as: 2 very nervous people talking to each other. You’re nervous, we’re nervous.
Most of us are paralyzed when it comes to evangelism
God uses normal people to do His work.
Welch mission trip.
I want to tell you we are putting in place 2 ways to address the feelings of not knowing enough and how to lead someone to the Lord.
1 we have started Alpha which is a great way to walk someone through the basics of the faith and ask and wrestle with all their hard questions in a safe space.
2 We are starting a Bible study after the next ALpha / And after DNA that we are going to go through the Bible one chapter at a time..
OUr entire church would change if you. Yes you who are sitting there. Led one person to the lord this year and brought them into our community of faith.
What a great goal to have! Ask God to give you someone to encourage and speak to about him!
The story of Jonah testifies to the power of the word (Heb. root, dbr) of God and to the reaction it brings about
The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
Verse 5
What made them believe like this? Jonah’s message doesn’t appear to be that persuasive. 5 words long.
He doesn’t even invite them to repent (you notice that? They just did it).
He’s got an 8-word message: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Actually, in Hebrew, 5 words: Yohd arba-eem venineveh yome nehpa-ket
I think this also shows us clearly where the power and authority came from.
When Jonah’s warning 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.
Verse 6
and he got up … and took off … covered … and sat.
This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.
Why the animals?
Well they share the same fate as the people.
and also God spared noah and the animals as well.
But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
This statement of who knows is a bold statement.
We will turn from our wicked ways, we will repent, we will put on sackcloth and “Who knows if God will turn”
They did this and had no assurance of if they would be spared. And they were met with grace and mercy,
I’ve got something incredible to share.
We know! They when we turn from our wicked ways and call upon the Lord. He will turn!
And this is good news for us sharing the gospel.
ANyone can call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.
● So, how many people are you praying for right now to be brought into the kingdom?
● Here’s a question: If God answered, in one fell swoop, every prayer you prayed last week, would anybody new be in the kingdom?
● Are you keeping people from experiencing the grace that could be theirs by your failure to pray for them and get the word of God to them?
Jonah wasn’t praying for the Ninevites, but Jesus was. What I thought of this week was Jesus’ prayer on the cross, “Father, forgive them.” Forgive the Ninevites for what they’ve done. And God granted it.
If you understand that salvation belongs to God, then you’ll pray like crazy. If you understand that Jesus prayed for you when you were His enemy, that will move you to pray.
The king’s call that all Nineveh should cry to God for deliverance echoes the same hope in the ‘who knows?’ or ‘perhaps’ of the mariners in 1:6 and 1:14,
At another time, when the nation of Israel was being devastated by locusts, the prophet Joel urged the people:
… rend your hearts and not your garments.
Return to the Lord, your God …
Who knows whether he will not turn and repent,
and leave a blessing behind him?’
God was their only hope.
This was bold belief indeed.
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
The Bible doesnt say that God saw the men of Nineveh, “And God saw their sackcloth and their fasting,”
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but “God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way.” ’
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God’s action here corresponds to Nineveh’s ‘turning from evil’ (3:8). This is shown by an exact parallel in the words used:
A Let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands. (v. 8b)
B Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not? (v. 9)
A1 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, (v. 10a)
B1 God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it. (v. 10b)
When Jonah’s warning 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.
Point 1: Arise and turn toward God
Point 1: Arise and turn toward God
Point Number 1: Arise and turn toward God
Get Up. / Arise
Get up! Wake Up! Go!
Scripture Reference: Jonah 3:6 – "When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne..."
There is something deliberately dramatic about these words:
The action begins with him rising from his throne and ends with him sitting in ashes.
The king's action is set against other kings’ responses, like Jehoiakim who cut Jeremiah’s scroll and threw it into the fire.
The King’s Action:
The king rose from his throne, signifying a readiness to act upon hearing God's warning.
Comparison with Jonah and David:
Jonah arose for a different reason, initially fleeing from God’s call (Jonah 1:3).
David arose immediately after hearing God’s judgment, indicating readiness to move forward after repentance (2 Samuel 12:20).
Jonah Arose for a different reason then the king
Getting up signifies action and readiness.
In our walk with God, we must be ready to respond to His call promptly.
Comparison with David:
Scripture Reference: 2 Samuel 12:20 – "Then David arose from the earth..."
David's response after hearing God's judgment was also immediate, indicating readiness to move forward after repentance.
Point 2: Take off your pride
Point 2: Take off your pride
Point Number 2: Take Off your Pride
the opening of “The Wide World of Sports” television program illustrated “the agony of defeat” with a painful ending to an attempted ski jump.
The skier appeared in good form as he headed down the jump, but then, for no apparent reason, he tumbled head over heels off the side of the jump, bouncing off the supporting structure.
What viewers didn’t know was that he chose to fall rather than finish the jump. Why?
As he explained later, the jump surface had become too fast, and midway down the ramp, he realized if he completed the jump, he would land on the level ground, beyond the safe sloping landing area, which could have been fatal.
As it was, the skier suffered no more than a headache from the tumble.
To change one’s course in life can be a dramatic and sometimes painful undertaking, but change is better than a fatal landing at the end.
The King’s Action:
Taking off his royal robes symbolizes humility and removing self-importance.
The pagan king of Nineveh knew that outward signs of repentance alone were insufficient. He urged the people to turn from their evil ways and violence (v. 8).
Comparison with Jonah and David:
Jonah took his pride with him to Tarshish (Jonah 1:3).
David washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes after his period of mourning, indicating humility and restoration (2 Samuel 12:20).
The king took off his pride. Jonah took his pride with him to tarshish
Take off your pride.
We must shed our pride and self-reliance to fully depend on God.
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Comparison with David:
Scripture Reference: 2 Samuel 12:20 – "...washed, and anointed himself,
David's actions show a transition from mourning to preparing for worship, highlighting humility and restoration.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Every year for more than a decade, The Parachutist, which is the official publication of the United States Parachute Association, has published an article called their “fatality summary.”
License, A,B,C,D, - 200+ jumps for d license
In the 1993 fatality summary an alarming statistic. Fifty-nine percent of all parachuting fatalities were suffered by elite jumpers, those with a D license.
A graph accompanying the article shows a dramatic upward spike for fatalities among those with two hundred to one thousand jumps. The line on the graph falls again for those with more than one thousand jumps.
The lesson is clear.
Just because a person is mature doesn’t mean he or she is invulnerable.
Is it possible that some parachutists with between two hundred and one thousand jumps got overconfident and perhaps prideful?
Point 3: Cover yourself with grace
Point 3: Cover yourself with grace
Point Number 3: Cover yourself with Grace
JOnah was covered in seaweed ( The situation he got himself in ) Jonah was covered in seaweed due to the situation he got himself into (Jonah 2:5).
The kings repentance was covered in Grace.
Application:
Sackcloth was a sign of mourning and repentance.
True repentance involves a heartfelt turning away from sin and seeking God's forgiveness.
Practical steps: Regular self-examination, confessing sins, making amends where necessary.
Comparison with David:
and changed his clothes." David’s repentance involved mourning and seeking God's mercy, paralleling the king of Nineveh's act of covering himself with sackcloth as a sign of repentance.
Grace is undeserved. But freely given.
In The Grace of Giving, Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution, Peter Miller, who lived in Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington.
In Ephrata also lived Michael Wittman, an evil-minded sort who did all he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor.
One day Michael Wittman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. Peter Miller traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor.
“No, Peter,” General Washington said, “I cannot grant you the life of your friend.”
“My friend!” exclaimed the old preacher. “He’s the bitterest enemy I have.”
“What?” cried Washington. “You’ve walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in a different light. I’ll grant your pardon.” And he did. Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to Ephrata—no longer an enemy, but a friend.
Put on the full armor of God.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Point 4: Sit in God’s presence
Point 4: Sit in God’s presence
Point Number 4: Sit in God’s presence
Both end up in different places. Resting in Gods presence.
One is resting in Gods presence.
There is nothing better then sitting in the presence of God.
St. Augustine says that our hearts are restless until they rest in him.
That restlessless can divert our energies into all kinds of good causes, but each may become a diversion from the real thing.
An example for many of us may be to maintaining ‘Church-ianity’ rather than to living ‘Christ-ianity’.
Example of hearing you children speak but having no idea what they said.
Verses sitting intently and waiting on them to speak.
Loving every word. Just to be near them.
Scripture Reference: Jonah 3:6 – "...and sat down in the dust."
The King’s Action:
Sitting down in dust represents surrender and waiting on God.
The king's call for the people to cry to God for deliverance echoes the hope seen in other biblical cries for mercy (Jonah 1:6, 1:14).
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Application:
Sitting down in dust represents surrender and waiting on God.
After repentance and humility, we must trust in God's plan and timing.
Comparison with David:
After changing his clothes, David went to the house of the Lord and worshipped (2 Samuel 12:20).
This indicates his acceptance of God's will and his continued faith in God, despite the painful judgment.
David began to worship God. m
What The King did willingly and easily (accepting Gods grace) Jonah did the hard way by running from God.
Sermon Recap
Sermon Recap
Sermon Recap
Arise and turn toward God
Take off your pride
Cover yourself with grace
Sit in God’s presence
Believing
It is interesting to see that when the writer says ‘they believed God’ in verse 5, he uses the same Hebrew word for ‘believed’,
In describing Abraham’s response to the Lord binding himself to the promise Genesis 15:6 reads, ‘And he [Abraham] believed the Lord;
--- Perhaps one of the most wonderful truths lying at the heart of the book of Jonah is that God turns to those who turn to him.
Even more wonderful is the truth that he does not turn away from those who, like Jonah, turn away from him.
God wants to give you a second chance this morning.
The truth which the Ninevites recognize is God’s readiness to be merciful.
They cast themselves on his mercy and discover that he is merciful. ‘
