Today we are in chapter 3 in the book of Job and I want to show you my favorite Bible verse in the entire book. Wait a second. Did I say we were in the book of Job or Jonah? It’s been a long week. Can I start over? Will you give me a second chance?

Hey, today we are in chapter 3 in the book of Jonah and I want to show you my favorite Bible verse from the entire book of Jonah. Jonah 3:1 says, Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time…. What did it just say? The word of the Lord came to Jonah (say it with me) the second time. How many of you are thankful to God for second chances? Which raises the question, did I mess up by accident or on purpose to illustrate we have a God of second chances. Okay, that may have been for an illustration, but if I mess up from here on out, it will be for real.

Before we dive into chapter 3, I want to review where we are in the story of Jonah for those who may have missed the last couple of weeks or who may be new here today.

  • At the beginning of Jonah, we read that the word of the Lord came to Jonah and told him to go to Nineveh because they were very evil and wicked.
  • God told Jonah to GO, and Jonah said NO, then God said WHOA!
  • Jonah starts running from God. Jonah goes to Joppa. Finds a boat that will take him as far away from God as possible (if you want to run from God, the devil will provide a ride), and somewhere along the way the sailors had to throw Jonah overboard and then we get to the end of chapter 1:17 which says, “Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah…” (NIV). This is interesting because God provided a big fish to eat Jonah. Doesn’t sound like provision, it sounds like a problem. We learned last week that what we call a problem, God calls a provision.
  • God provided a fish and it swallowed Jonah up. He is now in the fish and he prays. According to chapter 2, Jonah prayed and the Lord heard his prayer.
  • Nothing happened immediately. He is praying and he is waiting three days and three nights. He is waiting. We learned last week that while you are waiting, God is still working. This is good news because when we pray God hears our prayers and because we don’t see anything change immediately doesn’t mean that God is not doing something. While you are waiting, God is still working.
  • Last week, we ended with the very last verse of chapter 2:10 which says this, “And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land” (NIV). The fish throws up and Jonah comes out of the belly and mouth of the fish, but he is a mess. His salvation is like some of yours. It wasn’t clean. You went through some stuff that was nasty, dirty, filthy, wrong, and disgusting. Your salvation was not clean.

God calls and calls back

Then in chapter 3, it starts with my very favorite verse in all of Jonah. Jonah 3:1 says, Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time… (NASB). Let me ask again, how many of you are thankful that we serve a God of second chances? We don’t serve a God who just calls, but calls back. Some of you may want to pause and tell God thank you. You were like Jonah who was running from God and couldn’t save yourself.

Take a good look at Titus 3:5 says, “[God] saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy…” (NIV). Because we serve a compassionate God, a God of grace, and a God who calls back! We serve a God of second chances. There is not a single person who is saved by their own righteousness and goodness. The Bible tells us that we are not saved by works, but by grace through faith so that no one can brag about it. We are saved by the grace of Jesus, the risen Christ and we can thank God, and it doesn’t matter who you are and it doesn’t matter how dark your life is and it doesn’t matter how much you have messed up, but everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved! Somebody thank God that He is a God of second chances. Our God doesn’t just call, but he calls back. He is the God of second chances.

This in many ways is the story of the Bible. From Genesis all the way to Revelation we serve a God of second chances. I will show you some highlights and let it sink in. There is a lot to look at because our God is a gracious God.

  • Adam and Eve sinned against God, but God made a covering for them (Gen. 3:20). A God of second chances.
  • Moses murdered a man, but God still used him to free Israel from bondage and to deliver the ten commandments (Ex. 3:10). A God of second chances.
  • David committed adultery and then murdered to cover it up, but when he repented God forgave his sins – and didn’t stop calling him a “man after God’s own heart.” (1 Sam. 13:14). A God of second chances.
  • Rahab had lived as a prostitute, but God included her in his plan to protect the spies and in the story of redemption (Matt. 1:5). A God of second chances.
  • Zacchaeus lived a greedy life robbing others, but Jesus came to his home, forgave his sins and save him (Luke 19:9). A God of second chances.
  • Peter denied Jesus three times, but Jesus forgave Peter and used him to help build the first-century church (John 21:17). A God of second chances.

I thank God. I thank God. I thank God for my salvation. I thank God for his grace, after my salvation. I thank God that He is a God of compassion, a God of mercy, A God of second chances. The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. 

Arise and Go

The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. Then verse 2 tells us this, “Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” When Jonah ran from God he went down, down, down. But the Lord says you are not going down anymore. It is time for you to “arise and go.”

The phrase, “Arise and go” or “get up and go” as some translations have it, comes from the Hebrew words qum yalak (sounds like a big fish vomiting!) It means go now! Go immediately! Go today! This is why I want to say to you that whenever God speaks to you through His word, do it now, do it immediately! Do it today!

  • Whenever the Holy Spirit prompts you to be generous to someone. Do it now! Do it immediately! Do it today!
  • When God says go and make it right with your spouse, your children, that person at work or school. Do it now! Do it immediately! Do it today!
  • When God says end that relationship that is pulling you away from God… do it now! Do it immediately! Do it today!
  • When God says get involved in that ministry… do it now! Do it immediately! Do it today!
  • Whatever God is telling you to do… do it now! Do it immediately! Do it today!

Got up and went

The first time the word of the Lord came to Jonah, he ran from God. This time what did he do? Verse 3 tells us he obeyed. Look at what verse 3 says, So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out…. Jonah goes to Nineveh and this was a very large city. It was massive. He was going to these people whom he hated, for good reason, they were extremely wicked. It took him three days to go through the city proclaiming God’ s message. What comes next is the sermon that God wanted him to deliver.

Before I show the message that he delivered, I want to pause and recognize where we are. He is one man in enemy territory. His life is in danger. He hated them and they hated him. And he didn’t want to be there. He didn’t like them and thought they wouldn’t really listen to him anyway.

I have always been taught, and I teach that if you are going to teach a Bible study or preach a message do an opener that is creative and that will get their attention, like pretend like you mess up and then tell them God is a God of second chances. That’s intentional to help bring you in. Or you may want to speak to someone’s felt need. Like, you are valuable and significant and what your past says about you doesn’t define you, but what God says about you defines you.

Jonah did not do any of that.

Short but powerful

Let me show you what he did. Here is Jonah’s sermon at the end of verse 4, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Forty more days and this city will be destroyed. That’s his sermon. Forty more days and you all will be wiped out. That’s what he said. He probably said more about repenting and God, but to summarize Jonah’s message in one concise statement it would be, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Why is he doing this? Well, that’s what God told him to say. He is probably thinking this is a bunch of hog wash. These people hate God. They hate me. They are not going to listen and there is no way this is going to work.

Some of you are a follower of Jesus and you have someone in your life and there is no way they will ever meet and embrace the love and grace of Jesus. You think they are so far from God and there is no way they would ever turn from their sins and surrender their lives to Jesus. And I want to say specifically to you, never underestimate what God might be doing inside someone’s life. You might have someone in your life, like your dad and you think, no way. Maybe it’s a friend or one of your children and you think there is no way they would ever come to Jesus. Don’t ever give up hope, because Jonah preached this very short and very blunt sermon and what happened?

The people believed in God

Verse 5 says, Then the people of Nineveh believed in God…. What? These wicked, horrible, and evil people believed in God!? They believed in God! This is not talking about believing simply in the existence of God. It means they were putting their faith, trust, and belief in the one true God! James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder” (NIV). This is not a demonic faith that only believes in the existence of God, but a divine faith that surrenders to God. There are a lot of people who believe there is a God, but they don’t believe in God.  

When you believe in God, truly believe in Him, it changes you and it changes how you live. Faith produces works! Faith produces change! Verse 5-6 goes on to say, Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, removed his robe from himself, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the dust. There belief in God, their trust in God had an immediate impact on their life.  

This is interesting. When God’s Word reached the king’s heart, he did four things. They are all symbolic what happens when a person repents and turns to God.

  • First, he got up from his throne. When you turn to God, you will get up off the throne of your life and acknowledge Who needs to be on it. When you get off the throne of your life you are saying, “I’m no longer the Lord of my life and I’m going to turn away from my sins and turn to God!”
  • Second, the king removed his robe from himself. A king’s robe was garment of authority. It was like his crown. By removing his robe he was removing his authority. It was another act of humility. We need to remove our own robes of authority and pride and give God all the authority over our lives.
  • Third, the king covered himself with sackcloth. This was another act of humility that represented grief and repentance. The rough and uncomfortable fabric of sackcloth signified discomfort that comes from recognizing what you have done in your sin and how you have hurt you and others and God with your sin.
  • Fourth, the king sat on the dust. Another act of humility. It is associated with grief, mourning, repentance and deep distress.

What you have here is a wicked and evil king who heard God’s message and chose to repent of his sin and turn to God! If this wicked king can be transformed by the power of God’s Word so can the people in your life who you are praying for!

A call to repent

Then look at verses 7-9, And he issued a proclamation, and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: No person, animal, herd, or flock is to taste anything. They are not to eat, or drink water. 8 But every person and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and people are to call on God vehemently, and they are to turn, each one from his evil way, and from the violence which is in their hands. 9 Who knows, God may turn and relent, and turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

The king is calling for national repentance. He is repenting and turning to God personally and he is now calling upon his people to do the same. That’s what happens when you encounter the true and living God, you want others to do the same!

  • One of the things he is asking them to do is to call on God vehemently. When you are calling on God vehemently there is a sense of urgency and intensity to it. Don’t waste time. Call on God now. Cry out for his forgiveness, his mercy, and his grace. Don’t wait for later, call on Him now! Some of you are putting off completely calling on God. You want to, but you don’t want too. I will wait for a better time. I will wait until I’m older. I will wait until I have less problem. I will wait till I deal with some of my sin. No! Call on God now! Call on God vehemently with urgency and intensity. When it comes to sin, we are not playing a game with God. This is a matter of life and death. You need God now! You need His grace now! You need His power now! You need His mercy now! You need His Holy Spirit now! You need his love now! You need His strength now! The King is saying call on God now!
  • Another thing he calls them to do is to turn, each one from his evil way. The King is also saying repent! Don’t let the crazy guy on some street corner yelling repent or wearing some cardboard sign saying repent mess this word up for you. The word repent… re means to turn and pent means to move up (like the penthouse). When you are repenting you are not going down, down, down, but up, up, up to God! It’s a turn of a heart. It’s a beautiful thing! To truly repent is to change your mind so deeply it changes you completely. I’m changing my mind and I’m saying that I’m not the Lord of my life. I’m no longer on the throne. It’s no longer about me. My wishes. My desires. What I want. I surrender everything to you God! Repenting is about surrendering.

Verse 10

Jonah delivered the message. The Ninevites repented. So, how did God respond when the Ninevites repented? Don’t hate me. I happen to be a pastor and a human being. I’m a regular dude. Long before I was a pastor, I used to be a man. If I am God and everyone should be glad I’m not. If I’m God and they are repenting, I’m saying, “Prove it. Let’s see if this last. I want to see if you really mean it. I’m going to give you a year and see if you are on good behavior. I’m not going to let you repent for one day and go back to exactly what you were doing. I want to see that you mean business.” If I were God that’s what I would do. Thank God, I’m not God.

Verse 10 says this, When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil way, then God relented of the disaster which He had declared He would bring on them. So He did not do it. I love this. Whenever they repented, God relented. When they turned to Him, God turned His wrath away from them. And He showed them compassion.

In the very same way, that when you mess up again. How many of you have a mess-up-again story? I’m talking to the people who are real. You have that thing you don’t want to do, but you do it again. I’m not going to lose my temper at the kids again, but you do. I’m not going to use pornography again, but you do. I’m not going to get drunk again, but you do. I’m not going to lie to my partner, but you do. I’m not going to be hateful, I’m not going to be critical, I’m not going to hold a grudge, but you do. You are not going to get into another sinful relationship, but you do.

The good news is that when you sin and you are selfish and you turn to Him in repentance, the word of the Lord comes to you again. And God shows compassion to you. In fact, God’s Word says in Isaiah 30:18, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion” (NIV). The Lord longs to, He desires to, He wants to, He longs to be gracious to you! He’s not trying to find you doing something wrong, He is looking for an opportunity to show you grace. He wants you to feel that grace and compassion and mercy and love He has for you when you turn to Him. When you repent, He relents. He shows you compassion.

Conclusion: What is God trying to show you?

The word of the Lord is coming to someone today. The question I want you to ask yourself is this, “What is God trying to show you?” When you look at your sin, your selfishness and God’s grace in your life, what message is he sending your way?

When God is talking to you, it will be usually about one of two things

  • Some sin that God is trying to save you from.
  • Something God is calling you too.

When God is talking to you, it will be about a sin that is displeasing to Him and harmful for you and others. Something that is dangerous to you. Something outside of His will that hurts His heart, hurts others, and hurts you. It’s a sin. Its selfishness showing up in your life because of your own pride. It’s a sin that he wants to remove from your life.

When God is showing you something, it could be something he is calling you to. It’s to be generous. It’s to serve. To be a voice of encouragement. To pray with someone.

It’s usually a sin He is trying to save me from or an opportunity He is calling me too. What is the Lord trying to show you? The good news is that the Word of the Lord is coming to you again and he has given you a second chance. He has given you a second chance. He has given you a second chance. The word of the Lord is coming to you and He is giving you another chance.

Remember this, every chance from God demands a choice from you. The word of the Lord is coming to you again and every chance from God demands a choice from you.

  • Some of you, you have brushed God off. You have taken him for granted, but He is coming to you again.
  • Some of you, you were close to God, but you drifted from him and He is coming to you again.
  • Some of you, you have never really known him or been close to him, but he grab attention a time or two through out your life, he is coming to you again.

Think about the compassion of God. God did not turn his back on Jonah. God did not turn his back on the sailors who were far from Him. He didn’t give up on the King that was evil and wicked. God did not give up on the Ninevites. And God has not given up on you. Our God is a God of second chances. If you screwed up in your life the word of the Lord is coming to you again. If you feel ashamed and stuck in the same old sin, the word of the Lord is coming to you again. If you are in a place where you feel like you have lost all hope, the word of the Lord is coming to you again.