Jonah Running With God

One of the most famous plays in football history happened on New Year’s Day in the 1929 Rose Bowl. Georgia Tech was playing the University of California. A player for California by the name Roy Riegals recovered a fumble but somehow got turned around and ran over 60 yards the wrong way. A teammate by the name of Benny Lom caught Riegals and tackled him just before he crossed the goal line. A few plays later California would attempt a punt deep in their end zone as a result of “wrong way Riegals” run, only to have the kick blocked with Georgia Tech scoring a safety. Those two points would eventually be the margin of a Georgia Tech victory. Riegals’ mishap occurred in the first half. During halftime, Roy settled into a corner draping a blanket around his shoulders. He cried like a baby. The locker room was uncharacteristically quiet. As halftime was coming to an end, California coach Nibbs Price looked at his team and simply said, “Men, the same team that played the first half will start the Second.” Everyone started out of the locker room except for Roy Riegals. The coach approached his broken player and said, “'Roy, didn't you hear me? The same team that played the first half will start the second.” Roy Riegals looked up at his coach and with tears still streaming down his face said, “Coach, I can’t do it to save my life. I've ruined you. I've ruined the University of California. I've ruined myself. I couldn’t face the crowd in the stadium to save my life.” Coach Price reached out and put his hand on the shoulder of Roy Riegals and simply said, “Roy get up and go on back. The game is only half over.” Roy Riegals did get up and go back onto the field to play an outstanding second half of football against the yellow jackets of Georgia Tech.

How many times has a single event, or an unfortunate failure, in a person’s life defined his life from that point on? Why is it that we are so hesitant to extend a second chance, or to let the victories in a person’s life define them instead of their defeats? Fortunately for Jonah and many others in Scripture—and very fortunately for us—our God is a God of the second chance. What God did for Jonah by giving him a second chance at success, He did for a number of other saints in biblical history. And that has been the story of the church through the ages. We have all received a multitude of opportunities to return and serve God. And once God corrected His reluctant prophet, He continued the work He intended. Jonah's third chapter reminds us that authentic revival impacts both the individual and the culture. And He stands ready to do the same for us.

Relentless Love Through Correction

Sometimes it’s easy for us to forget that we can choose to correct our ways. In order for us to correct our ways we must,

Seize our Opportunities

God doesn’t just deliver us from the belly of our fish

He gives us a second chance

When he gives a second chance, its our responsibility to do something with it

Jonah was given a second chance and he seized the opportunity

It’s comforting to realize that even the best of God’s servants have made foolish mistakes, and they were given a second chance

Adam & Eve ate of the forbidden tree

But God provided the opportunity for a second chance to fix their broken fellowship

Lot selfishly chose the best land for himself.

God provided the opportunity for a second chance before Sodom was destroyed

David was the king who had it all before he tried to hide his sin when his lust had gotten the best of him

But God provided the opportunity for a second chance and David went on to the most effective years of his life

Samson also had a lot going for him until he fell into sin

In his last days God provided the opportunity for a second chance

Allowing him to correct his ways before it was too late

Peter denied Jesus not just once, but three times

Jesus later meets him on the shore and provides the opportunity of a second chance.

We could go on and on throughout the Bible.

If God could use people like that again

Surely He can use us again

God’s not through with us yet

But it’s not enough that he provides the second chance, we have to seize the opportunity when it’s presented

Many of us are here today because the Word of God came to us second time, or a third, or a fourth, or even a tenth time

One statistic says that it often takes someone 7 times of hearing the Gospel before it sinks in.

Maybe you’ve gone your own way in life

Like Jonah you’ve disobeyed God and gotten out of His will.

God is giving you a second chance today

Nothing you’ve done is unforgivable, except continuing to refuse to receive His grace

What can one person do?

We can begin by correcting our ways.

Throughout this story God has gone through great lengths to show that He is the ruler of all things and he has everything at his disposal and uses His power to accomplish his will

His will is motivated by great love

Jonah was not a faithful servant but God saved him and gave him a second chance

Repentance Learned Through Connection

You have to understand that there is major significance for Jonah in this whole situation

The first few verses of chapter three are identical to the opening in which God tells Jonah to go to minister to Nineveh

The most surprising aspect of this entire situation is the fact that Jonah is still alive to have a second chance

In the OT, the office of the Prophet was a very serious thing because they were the voice of God

The penalty of being a false prophet was death

So much so there was an account in 1 Kings 13 in which a prophet was killed by a lion because he disobeyed God

Jonah rebelled and God was gracious and patient with him

God's objective wasn’t just to get the message to Nineveh.

If so, he could have just let Jonah die at sea.

But God wasn’t interested in what Jonah could do for Him, He was interested in Jonah.

He didn’t need Jonah to get the job done.

He went after Jonah because Jonah needed God.

Jonah was a changed man; by the grace of God.

He learned that God is sovereign, that God was on his side, that God had called him and he was now determined to go.

Jonah is obeying God; he has been changed; he's submitting to God.

But we have to be careful how we think about change.

If we're not careful we can start to think of change as perfection instead of change by degree.

Jonah was changed in the fish, not perfected.

He's doing what God called him to do but he lacks the heart of God.

Repentance simply means a complete change of orientation involving a judgement about the past and a deliberate redirection for the future

Jonah repented with his actions but not his attitude or his understanding

One of the things that we are most guilty of is half-hearted repentance with everything in relation to God

Jonah’s heart was not softened toward the Ninevites

He loved God and wanted to act in obedience to Him

But he still didn’t understand God’s desire to show Ninevites compassion or grace

Many of us like, Jonah, don’t recognize it but we have similar attitudes and I think the reason for this is our lack of understanding of God’s grace.

We want grace when it comes to us, but not our enemies. We talk about hating the sin and not the sinner, but our actions often show that that’s just nice talk.

Restoration Lended through Compassion

If Jonah doubted whether after sin like his he would ever be restored to favor and service

He didn’t have to wait long for the answer

The second call of Jonah was divinely given

The prophet might be ready but he had to be certain that God required him to go

If we are willing, we require instruction

The verse is written that Jonah may bear in mind that nothing is to be done without God’s word and command.

The second call was urgent

At the time that this command comes to Jonah for the second time

He was not ready for the work, he was resting in contentment and ease.

The job was imperative

The more quickly we perform, the better for our souls

Delays are signs of distrust and taking of divine wisdom

Take it from someone who knows, it is truly the mercy, grace, and compassion of God that allows for any type of restoration

In every situation there has to be an understanding of that we are not worthy of these things

I think that is something that our culture continues to struggle with. The concept that we are owed a lot of things

If I work and do a job, I am owed compensation (money)

That is a biblical concept

Because of my position as a pastor, there is a level of honor due unto me.

That is a biblical concept

Eventually as a father, there are certain things that are owed to me from my kids

Like mowing the lawn and doing the chores I don’t want to do

As children you are owed to not be provoked to wrath

That is Biblical

But never, not once, in the bible are we shown that forgiveness and compassion are owed to us

Both in relation to God and in relation to others

We take this for granted and truthfully take God and people for granted

We operate with a mindset that there will always be more time, more forgiveness

Know that with God, forgiveness is something that is always offered but must be seized through acceptance and furthermore a turning away of your present issue, your present sin

Illustration: Author and teacher, Dr. Howard Hendricks tells the story of a young man who strayed from the Lord but was finally brought back by the help of a friend who really loved him. When there was full repentance and restoration, Dr. Hendricks asked this Christian how it felt away from the Lord. The young man said it seemed like he was out at sea, in deep water, deep trouble, and all his friends were on the shore hurling biblical accusations at him about justice, penalty, and wrong. “But, there was one Christian brother who actually swam out to get me and would not let me go. I fought him, but he pushed aside my fighting, grasped me, put a life jacket around me, and took me to shore. By the grace of God, he was the reason I was restored. He would not let me go.”

Conclusion: Can I tell you tonight, if you feel like you are this young man, that you are out in the sea, in the deepest of water, faced with trouble, there is one by the name of God who comes unto you and is unwilling to let you go despite all of your fighting. He is the one who will bring you to shore. If you have never experienced that forgiveness, never experienced the power of a second chance, I am here to tell you that, like Jonah, that second chance freely awaits you. Waiting for you to accept it!