Embracing the God of Second Chances

Intro

Good morning. I have often found in my journey with God that He offers chance after chance for me to course correct.

Kendall shared with me this past week that Geri grew up in church, but at some point she stepped away from church and it wasn’t until she was an adult that she came back to church.

I was speaking to another member of the church the other day and they told me they too at one point stepped away from church…but then added “but I didn’t step away from God.”

I believe that was Geri too. She may have stepped away from the church, but she didn’t step away from God.

She had heard the truth of the Word of God and that stuck with her into her adult years. I don’t know the details of her life and what she did or did not do…although seeing her with purple hair as an adult leads me to believe she did not have a boring life.

Even though she left the church, God still loved her. God still had a plan for her. God still accepted her when she came back.

Too often people paint God as this big mean narcissistic god, when in fact He is not at all. He is a God who is filled with grace and mercy who offers to people a second chance no matter how far we stray from Him or His church.

1. Jonah's Journey Begins

I am reminded of a couple of people that I and maybe you too can relate to. I think of Jonah. Jonah is a famous story in Scripture where God was calling Jonah to a specific task and Jonah being like most humans did not want to complete that task. I know when I was growing up I didn’t always do what my parents asked of me and usually I did what Jonah did…I ran.

Jonah 1:1–3 NASB95

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

Jonah was asked by God to go to Ninaveh and like all children do at least one time in their life is he said NO. He ran. Got on a boat and went in a different direction.

This is where many people are today. We run from the one who created us, who loves us, and desires to have a relationship with us.

And just like God, despite Jonah’s disobedience, despite his running away and going in the complete opposite direction and plans that God had for him, God still pursued Jonah and offered a second chance.

Our failures in this life is not the end, instead it is an opportunity for God’s redeeming grace.

In our story Jonah was swallowed by a giant fish. Some say it was a whale, other say it was just a giant fish, some believe it was all metaphorical. Either way, Jonah found himself in a dark place in life.

Maybe that is you today. Maybe you are in a dark place. Even though you are surrounded by people, you feel like you are alone in a dark place.

Just like Jonah, God won’t leave you there. God still pursued Jonah and he realized he messed up and needed to get back to God’s plan for his life.

2. Jonah's Prayer of Repentance

Jonah 2:1–2 NASB95

1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, 2 and he said, “I called out of my distress to the Lord, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice.

I love the story of Jonah because even though Jonah messed up…he must of really messed up to be swallowed by a fish…he cried out to God in his distress. From the darkest place of his life he cried out and God heard his voice.

God heard him. This is all we have to do when we find ourselves in the dark places in life…even if you don’t know God or ever even spoke to God…you can cry out to Him and He will respond.

God responded to Jonah’s prayer and rescued him from this dark place in life. This is divine mercy. It is divine mercy because it was Jonah’s actions that led him to this place to begin with. Too often we blame God for our choices.

I am sure that when Geri stepped away she didn’t always make the right choices and even when she came back to the church…she didn’t always make the right choice. But God because of His mercy, gives a second chance. Not just a second one, but a third, fourth, fifth. In fact as long as we are still breathing we have a chance to get right with God.

3. Peter's Purpose Restored

When you flip over and read out of the New Testament, we see God still giving people a second chance.

There was a man named Peter who walked with Jesus. Followed Him everywhere. Seen the miracles He did. And when they arrested Jesus and brought him before the high council, Peter denied him not once, but three times.

Here is someone who followed Jesus, heard his life changing message, seen the miracles or people being healed, raised from the dead, feeding of thousands of people not once but twice, and when asked if he knew him he said “Nope, I don’t know the guy”.

Fast forward a bit. Jesus died. Was buried. Then raised from the dead and appeared to His disciples while they were fishing.

It was here that Jesus not only giving Peter a second chance, but reinstating his purpose.

John 21:15–19 NASB95

15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep. 18 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” 19 Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”

Jesus symbolically reversed Peter’s three denials by asking him do you love me. In that Jesus told him to take care of those who follow Him and this was His purpose.

You see if God can give a second chance to someone like Peter who denied he even knew Jesus, how much more will He give you and I a second chance.

Not only restoring you back into a relationship with Him, but reinstating your purpose in life.

4. Isaiah's Invitation to Grace

God is extending an invitation to you today. Even though we are gathered here to remember and celebrate the life of Geri, He invited us back for a second chance…just like Geri.

Isaiah 55:6–9 NASB95

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

God invites us to seek Him and be pardoned for our sins.

I know many might not think they have sin in their life, but they do and may not even know it.

Sin is simply missing the mark. The mark meaning the direction that God has for your life.

When Geri stepped away from the church, it is easy to miss the mark. Why? Because you don’t have anyone their to say “Hey! Watch out!” as if you were about to be hit by a car.

Church doesn’t save you and really you don’t need church to know God or walk with Jesus. You also don’t need a parachute to jump out of a plane either. But like the parachute, church helps.

This passage in Isaiah is a reminder of the grace that is waiting for those who return back to God and that His mercy is greater than our failures. No matter how far you think you have gone, it is never out of the reach of God.

Gerri loved God, loved her family, loved (spoiled her dog), loved church, and loved life.

Gerri is no longer with us, she is with her Savior, purple hair and all. Her legacy lives on in our hearts and conversations.

Let us pray.