Jan. 6, 2002

The God of Second Chances

Jonah 3:1-3

Those of you that have been here for a while have probably heard Bill Bryant say that he is thankful that we have a God of second chances. I am thankful for that too. Probably we all are. Today I want us to look at second chances, and what happened to some of those people who got them.

If you have your Bibles with you today, and I hope you do, turn to the Old Testament book of Jonah. I suppose even most heathens have heard the story of Jonah, and how he got swallowed by a whale - actually he didn't- the Bible says it was a great fish that swallowed him. But the story is not about a fish, it is about second chances. Jonah chapter one reads: " Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD."

Ninevah was a great city in northern Babylon, present day Iraq. It would be like God speaking to one of us and saying: "Arise, go to northern Iraq, home of Saddam Hussein, and preach against him, because he is a sorry rascal." And we would be saying: "Are you sure this is God speaking? This sounds more like something David Letterman would come up with on his "Top Ten list" of "Bad Ideas."

Anyway, Jonah takes off in the opposite direction, heading for Tarshish in southern Spain, whereupon God ends up teaching Jonah a remarkably creative way to repent. Jonah repents, God delivers him, and then Jonah goes to Ninevah and tells them to repent. And they repented. They got serious, they covered themselves with sackcloth and ashes, they fasted, they turned away from violence and evil. From king to peasant, they begged God for mercy. That's an even greater miracle than a man swallowed by a fish, and burped back up after three days. Really! Imagine a situation where the mayors of Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol all put on sackcloth, and covered themselves with ashes, called on all the people in Sullivan and Washington counties to repent and fast, and everyone did. Think about it! That would be a greater miracle than the parting of the Red Sea.

But unless our God was a God of second chances, none of it would have happened. Turn to Jonah chapter 3 and verse 1: "And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
:2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
:3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD."
God did not have to redeem Jonah from the belly of the fish. But He did. God did not have to send a prophet to Ninevah, or send His Holy Spirit to convict them of sin. But He did. God could have left Jonah to go off on his own, out of the will of God, living a wasted and useless life in Spain. He didn't owe Jonah anything. But He gave him another chance.

God could have very fairly and justly written Ninevah off, they were notorious for being a cruel and barbaric people, He could have just had another nation come and wipe them out. They deserved nothing better. That would have been fair and reasonable. But He gave them a second chance. Every one of us is here today because God gave us a second chance. Some of us were like the people of Ninevah. The people of Ninevah were heathens, idol worshipers, unbelievers, kind of like some of us used to be.
They were cruel, ruthless, barbarians, they had no mercy on the people that they conquered and ruled, they were a throughly wicked and evil people.

And they knew it. Romans 1:18 tells how even the heathen have an awareness of righteousness and judgement; it says: "... the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"
Wicked people know that they are wicked. Ungodly people know that they are ungodly. When Jonah preached in Ninevah, he didn't proclaim any complicated doctrine, he merely cried out: "Forty days, and Ninevah will be overthrown."
And they believed him. The Holy Spirit convicted them. God gave them a second chance, and they took it. They knew very little about the true and living God, but they were obedient to what little bit they did know.

Those of us that are believers have a greater responsibility. Like Jonah, we know what it is to sin, and we know who we are sinning against. Like Jonah, we have been disobedient. We have sinned against God, because we did not do His will. We knew what the Bible said, we heard the Word of God, we read the Word of God, we understood what it meant, but we didn't do it. We rationalized it away. We said that it didn't apply to us. It was for another time and another place. It didn't fit our situation. We had some "extenuating circumstances."

The Holy Spirit took the Word of God and used it to prod and nudge our conscience with, we knew that we were accountable, but we pretended not to notice.We ignored and rejected the Word of God and the will of God, and we knew it at the time. We knew what we were doing. In a manner of speaking, we turned our backs on God, stuck our fingers in our ears, went and found ourselves a boat, and headed for Spain. And yet, we are all here today. We deserved judgement but we got mercy instead. We got a second chance. Both as believers and unbelievers.

Some of you bowed the knee to Christ the first time you heard the gospel. Some of you, like me, got a second chance. Why does God do that? Because like the Apostle Peter says: "The Lord is... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Peter should know. On the night that Jesus was betrayed, Peter denied that he was one of Jesus' disciples. He even denied that he knew who Jesus was. Once Peter realized what he had done, he thought that his spiritual career was history. He thought that God couldn't use him any more. Like Jonah, he went and got in a boat, he figured that since God was probably done with him, he might as well just go back to making a living, just - whatever.

But what happened? The resurrected Jesus came looking for him. Jesus found him out in his boat, not catching any fish, wasting his time and the time of everyone around him, and He gave Peter a second chance. Jesus fixed breakfast for Peter and the others, fixed them bread and fish, and He told Peter that he was going to have a career ministering to Jesus' sheep, being a pastor over those that would come to follow Christ. Peter got a second chance. And he did real well with it. Our God is the God of second chances, all of us here have had the grace and mercy of at least one second chance from God, and some of us have received several second chances.

God's mercy and grace are part of His nature, and His mercy and grace make second chances possible, so that He can give us mercy instead of judgement, give us grace to satisfy His law, give us salvation instead of damnation. That same grace and mercy that saves us to the uttermost, that gives us eternal security, is the same grace that picks us back up out of the mud, cleans us off, and gives us another chance to love and serve our God.

Think about it: if the salvation of Christ is so perfect that it covers all our sins, does it not also cover the sin of our failure? Yes it does. If His salvation is so full and complete that we can add nothing to it, if our works cannot make it even the tiniest bit better, can our failures make it any worse? Can our shortcomings diminish it? No, not really.
That same salvation that is not a probation, but a full and genuine salvation, will it not also provide for restoration? Yes it will.

Does that mean that we can presume on the grace and mercy of God and sin wilfully and recklessly? Beloved, it is really stupid to presume on the grace and mercy of God, or think you can sinfully take advantage of it. There is no quicker way to get God to take you to the woodshed and totally wear you out. Do not presume on the grace of God.

When we think of the grace and mercy of God that saves us completely, restores us when we slip, and holds us up when we fall, it ought to remind us of what a great price that was paid for our salvation.
As part of our service today, we are remembering the Lord Jesus in His death, and as part of that remembrance, would you take your hymn books and turn to # 105. "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded."

The Bible tells us that all believers are a kingdom of priests unto God. In the Old Testament priesthood, one of the duties of a priest was to take the Word of God to the people, and we have a responsibility to take the Gospel to those around us.

The other main duty of a priest was to present worship and praise to God, and this is a wonderful time to praise and worship the Lord Jesus Christ, as we remember the price that He paid for our salvation. If there is someone that has a word of praise or worship to God, remembering Him in His death, now would be a good time to offer it to Him. We will wait for a few moments, and then we will continue.

In the Apostle Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth, he tells them concerning the Lord's Supper: "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
1Cor. 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."
Every believer in Jesus Christ has the privilege and honor to gather to the table of the Lord and remember Him in His death, proclaim His death until He comes again. This ordinance is not for the unbeliever. The person who has never personally received Jesus Christ as Savior has no part in this communion, it is intended for believers only.

Also the Apostle says that we should judge ourselves. If we are living a life that is trusting in the grace and mercy of Christ to put away our sins, and we are living faithfully to that call and walk, we can eat and drink with glad hearts. Thankful hearts. But if we are living carelessly, if we think that the grace and mercy of God is a license to live a sinful life, and then we casually partake of the Lord's Supper; we stand in danger of the judgement of God. The grace of God is free, but it is not cheap. It cost the Lord Jesus His very life, and if we think that we will profess to enjoy the benefits of salvation without the responsibilities of holiness, then we know very little of the nature of God. If we will not judge ourselves, then God will judge us.

Could we all bow our heads and ask God the Holy Spirit to speak to us, bring to our hearts and our minds anything that needs to be judged in our lives, that we might have a good conscience before Him? Could we do that now?

(Give thanks for the bread)
Would you take your hymnals and turn to #109? "Blessed Redeemer"

Before we give thanks for the cup, is there anyone else who has any worship or praise to the Lord?

(Give thanks for the cup)

Let me ask you a question: if God is willing to give us a second chance in so many areas, how willing are we to give others a second chance? If I were to ask you to sit down and write out all the times that God has given you a second chance, or a third chance, or however many more chances, how good are you at giving second chances to others?

If God is the God of all grace, and we are His children, if we are supposed to be being conformed to the image and likeness of Jesus Christ, is it not necessary for us to be showing grace and mercy to those around us? Are we not just as responsible to be extending grace and mercy, giving second chances to others as God has done to us? This next week, or this next year, how many second chances would you like for God to give to you in the various areas of your life? So how many second chances will you be willing to give to those around you?

Before I finish this message, it would probably be good to make sure we balance things out evenly on both sides. Just because our God is the God of second chances, that is no excuse not to do things right the first time. Even though God redeemed Jonah from the belly of the fish, and Jonah received a great miracle blessing, I wonder what effect his three days soak in the digestive juices of an animal did for his complexion and his long term health? I suspect that after all was said and done, Jonah probably wished he had been obedient the first time.

God's second chance to Jonah was the salvation of Ninevah. What if Jonah hadn't gotten a second chance? The people of Ninevah were probably very thankful that God gave Jonah a second chance. If not, they would have really missed out, wouldn't they?

What if God calls on you do something and you refuse, who will miss the blessing? If you miss an opportunity to do God's will, is there any guarantee that you will get a second chance? No. Is it possible that someone will miss out on a blessing because of your disobedience? Yes.

When God's Word gives you a plain instruction, when you know it applies to you, it is simple doctrine and the Holy Spirit has stuck His finger in your face and told you to get with it; then it is not your responsibility to analyze God's will or analyze His Word, but to obey it.

God's will may contradict your logic; God's will may contradict your background or your previous experience, God's will may contradict what your peer group thinks. Get over it.

Your social reputation in your own eyes may not be such a big deal in God's eyes, and He may plan to bring you down a notch. You do God's will, and He'll take care of your reputation.

Don't delay in doing God's will. Procrastinating always makes things more difficult. Obedience is never easier when we put it off.

God is always gracious. God is always merciful. God gave Jonah a wonderful second chance. God has given all of us at least one second chance. Don't take it for granted. Sometimes our second chance is our final chance. Sometimes it is our last chance. If God is showing you His mercy and grace today, don't wait for tomorrow, do the right thing today. Let's pray.