MV Students — RUN: Week 3 SECOND CHANCE

Main Text: Jonah 3:1–10 Big Idea: Failure doesn't have to be the end of your story. Main Question: What do I do with the second chance God gives me?

INTRO — “A Second Time”

Jonah 3:1

“The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time…”

Start by briefly reviewing where we've been:

Week 1: God said go. Jonah ran. Week 2: Jonah's running caught up with him, but God rescued him but not in the way we would expect right? It didnt look like a rescue Week 3: Jonah is back on dry ground—and God speaks again.

The phrase to emphasize:

“A second time.”

God could have found another prophet.

Instead, He comes back to Jonah.

Opening question: Have you ever wished you could have a do-over?

1. GOD'S GRACE GIVES JONAH ANOTHER CHANCE

Jonah 3:1–2 “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.””

Compare this with Jonah 1:1–2 “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.””

God's instructions are essentially the same:

Get up → Go to Nineveh → Preach My message.

Jonah has changed, but God's mission hasn't.

Key Thought

Your failure can be part of your story without becoming the end of your story.

Jonah failed pretty badly. I have talked to you all several times about how i have failed nin my own life. but praise God for grace and second chances right?

Yet God isn't finished with him.

Cross References

Lamentations 3:22–23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  — God's mercies are new every morning.

John 21:15–19 “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, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him 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, “Tend my sheep.” 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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.””

 — Peter denied Jesus three times, yet Jesus restores Peter and gives him a mission.

Peter could be a particularly strong connection here:

Peter failed → Jesus restored him → Jesus still used him.

Application Direction

Students can easily begin believing:

"I messed up, so God can't use me."

It’s easy top think this way but thats just the devil talking

God's grace is bigger than our failures.

2. A SECOND CHANCE SHOULD LEAD TO A NEW DIRECTION

Jonah 3:3–4 “So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!””

Jonah 1:3: God says GO → Jonah RUNS

Jonah 3:3: God says GO → Jonah GOES

Same God.

Same city.

Same calling.

Different response.

That's where I'd introduce repentance.

2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

But Jonah shows us:

Repentance isn't simply:

“I feel bad about what I did.”

“If I'm walking toward that wall and realize I'm going the wrong direction, repentance isn't standing there saying, ‘Man, I really hate that I'm going this way.’ Repentance is turning around.”

“You can feel bad about sin without turning from sin.”

Regret: I hate what happened because of my decision.

Repentance: I recognize I was wrong and turn toward God.

Key Thought

Grace doesn't give me permission to keep going the wrong direction. Grace gives me an opportunity to turn around.

3. NINEVEH GETS A SECOND CHANCE TOO

Jonah 3:5–9 “And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.””

This is where the story takes an interesting turn.

At first, we think Jonah is the story.

But now look at Nineveh.

Jonah preaches God's warning.

And:

The people believe God.

Their response moves through the entire city, all the way to the king.

And notice what the king says in verse 8:

“Each must turn from his evil ways…”

There's that idea again.

TURN.

Jonah had to turn.

Now Nineveh has to turn.

Question

What's the difference between saying “I'm sorry” and actually changing direction?

4. THE REAL STORY IS GOD'S MERCY

Jonah 3:10 “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”

Jonah receives mercy.

Nineveh receives mercy.

Neither deserves it.

I talk about obedience a lot and it most certainly would have been better if Jonah had listened the first time. I think that way about my own life too. Wouldnt it have been better if i just listened to God when I was 17 years old and decided to follow him into ministry in stead of doing the things I did but what I don’t want you to hear is

“If I obey more, God will love me.”

That's not the Gospel.

Cross References

Ephesians 2:4–5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”

“But God, who is rich in mercy…”

Key Thought

Grace isn't getting another chance because you earned it. Grace is receiving something you didn't deserve.

And there's an important difference:

Grace doesn't ignore sin.

Grace meets us in our sin and calls us out of it. But thats still no excuse.

Romans 6:14 “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

You have been called to sin no more dont fall into the lie that your just an old sinner. Don’t label yourself that. The bible says in the book of romans that you are “Free From Sin” it does not have dominion over you.

GOSPEL CONNECTION

Jonah needed mercy.

Nineveh needed mercy.

We need mercy.

Our ultimate hope isn't:

“I'll do better next time.”

Our hope is Jesus.

LANDING — WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR SECOND CHANCE?

Jonah 3:1 “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,”

“A second time…”

God gave Jonah another opportunity.

But Jonah still had to decide what he was going to do with it.

So give students two questions:

1. Do i know the Lord Have i recieved the grace he’s offering. Have I given my life to him.

2. Where do I need God's grace?

Maybe there's something from your past that has convinced you:

"God can't use me anymore."

3. Where do I need to change direction?

Because receiving grace and continuing to knowingly run in the same direction misses what repentance means.

End with the Big Idea

Failure doesn't have to be the end of your story.

And I'd leave a little tension unresolved because Jonah isn't finished.

Jonah has changed his direction.

Next week we'll discover that God still has some work to do on his heart.