A New Start: Embracing Gods Grace After Failure (Jonah 3)

In a world that often gives up on people who make mistakes, our God stands apart as the One who pursues us with mercy and offers second chances. In Jonah 3, we see God giving Jonah—and the entire city of Nineveh—a chance to turn back, obey, and experience His forgiveness. This message dives into the heart of God’s mercy, revealing how He calls each of us to embrace our second chances, respond obediently to His direction, and witness the transformative power of repentance. Just as God extended grace to Jonah and Nineveh, He extends it to us, inviting us into a renewed relationship with Him and a fresh start.

NOTES:

Rockwell Church     Nov 3, 2024     Pastor Chris Teien
God of Second Chances Jonah 3:1-10

#1 Embrace God’s Second Chances (3:1-2)

#2 Act in Obedience to God’s Call (3:3-4)

#3 Witness Transformation and Mercy (3:5-10)

"God never made a promise that was too good to be true." – D. L. Moody

The WELL Faith Podcast offers encouraging, Bible-based messages from Pastor Chris Teien and guests. New sermons are released every Sunday. Replay episodes are marked with an asterisk. Find us online at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.Church in Virginia, MN. Email comments to wellfaith24@gmail.com

Transcript

Chris T 0:00

All right, so Jonah, we are back to the story of Jonah. And we are in Jonah chapter 3. So this is where Jonah gets a second chance to do the right thing. This is where Jonah gets a chance to continue to live, to continue to move on. And I don't know if you have ever needed a second chance. So I'm sure that somewhere in your life you must have made a mistake and you needed to be forgiven so that you could move on. And you know that it just happens in life. So right before I met my wife Julie, when I was working construction as a construction laborer, I was working with a construction crew of guys in Wyzetta, Minnesota, in a very large home that used to be owned by the pop band, the Jets. I don't know if anybody ever heard of them, but anyway, they had turned the place into like a great place to practice with their band or whatever. And then someone from a big industry that was moving from another state bought it. They wanted the whole house gutted and torn apart and then all put back together so it'd be this really nice house for them. So I think he was an executive at Cargill, but nonetheless, so I'm doing the work, getting it done. And so the boss says, Hey, why don't you bring my van around? And so I did, and I went over this overhang, this really nice overhang. I did not realize that there was a wheelbarrow. I saw it actually, but I didn't really think about it. There was a wheelbarrow strapped to the roof of the van. And I went under that overhang and I ripped out a big section of that. So he was mad for a few moments, and then he's like, Well, I guess I did put the wheelbarrow up there and I did tell you to bring the van around, but didn't you see it? I'm like, Yeah, I saw it. He's like, and you didn't think anything about it? I'm like, well, I just I was just doing what you said. And anyway, I needed a second chance to prove that I was not that irresponsible, that I was not that reckless. And so he did give me a second chance. And I saw I worked there for a while. I worked there for a while. I was actually a couple of godly men in my church that owned this business. And then one day they said, We have to let you go. And I said, What did I do wrong? And they said, It's not you, it's us. I'm like, Really? They said, We cannot in good conscience have you working for us when we know that your wife is pregnant, you have a child on the way, and we're paying you what you what we pay you. So we could either pay you more or we could encourage you to find another job, and we've decided to encourage you to find another job. So that's how that worked. But nonetheless, you look for opportunities, you look for chances, you look for second chances. Sometimes people don't step up to the opportunity. So, in that construction year of work in construction, I learned how to do stuff. I learned how to be handy in my own house. And when I went on a missions trip, I was actually able to show and teach other people how to put on siding and put on sheetrock and stuff. God used all that. If I hadn't shown up to that experience, if I hadn't been part of that, I would have missed out. And then, you know, I did make mistakes like ripping off the top of the overhang and all. But, you know, that's just part of life. And you get a second chance until then God changes everything and then says, okay, new chapter in your life, I want you to start working here. I want you to start doing this. And so we stop up with great faith and we say yes to the opportunities that God brings us. We do not know exactly how they were turned out, but when we know it's of God, we show up. And so it was about three years ago that my wife and I showed up here and we didn't know how it would turn out. And so far, I according to your appreciation cards, you still like me, so we're happy. I hope that you're happy, but we're we're moving forward. Praise God, we answered and showed up. Praise God you called us so we could show up. Jonah was given a first chance. God said to his prophet Jonah, go to the city of Nineveh and tell them that I'm gonna judge them if they don't get their act together and repent. And as you know, Jonah said, Ah, yeah, not gonna happen because I hate those Ninevehes, because they're like Israel's worst enemies, they're the nastiest people, they're the rudest people. I'm gonna know God, I'm not gonna do it. And like I mentioned before, God literally said, Hey, like, go to Chicago and tell those people. And Jonah's like, Yeah, no, I'm going to Alaska, um, as far away as I can get from those people. So Jonah said no. And as you know, then he was on this ship, and there was this big storm, and the people on the ship were concerned that they were gonna die. And then in this conversation, Jonah's like, Well, I think the solution is you throw me overboard. And they did throw him overboard after saying, God, please don't hold us accountable for this man's life. And these guys actually turned and started worshiping the true God, uh, threw Jonah overboard. Jonah thought he was gonna die, but instead he got swallowed by this big fish, in which somehow he survived in this big fish for three days and three nights, and which Jesus even called out, just like Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so I will be. Um so Jesus, uh, you know, you pointed that out as a as a story, a true story. And we even talked about last week what kind of fish that could be, and nobody really knows. One answer is God might have created a special kind of fish or a fish that we don't usually see or something to make it happen, or maybe he died and then came back to life, or I don't know. But here we come to Jonah chapter three. And Jonah has is going to be given another chance to do the right thing. So, and I think after that terrible experience, I think we know he's gonna say, Yeah, I will go. But we'll learn today and actually more next week that Jonah did not do so with a loving attitude. Jonah did not go to the people of Nineveh with a heart of compassion that says, God loves you so much that he wants you to repent so he doesn't have to judge you, so that you will live a life that is true, a life that is worthy, a life that honors him. And you need to quit worshiping this Dagon fish god because it's just weird. Matter of fact, in 1 Samuel, they brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Philistines that captured the Ark of the Covenant and brought it to Dagon's temple at the time. And if you remember that story, so they put the Ark of the Covenant next to this. Supposedly, historians say it was like a merrman, like a half fish, half man kind of statue or whatever. And it it like fell the first night, it like fell over, and then they picked it up, and then the second night it like fell over, and I think its hands broke and stuff like that. And then they started, the Philistines started to get all this sickness, and they're like, it's because of this Ark of the Covenant, we got to get this thing out of here. So then they brought it back. But God showed then and shows now that false gods do not lead to anything good. So this dag on fish god that the Ninevites worshiped, that was important to them, was like the god of obviously the fish, but also of the grain, supposedly. So they looked to this false god for provision. And so we'll see as we go into this a little bit that this experience that Jonah has might have made him even more powerful as a messenger of God after being in the fish. Because in the great fish, they think that stomach acid probably bleached his skin and made him look ghastly white. And it's very possible that the fish showed up near the shore and puked Jonah up while there were people there to see. And so do you have a people that are especially tuned in to the sea god, the god of the fish or whatever, and then they see this man birthed by this fish upon the shore who comes out with a message, and so they're probably like, he's from the gods. And so they were probably much more likely to listen to him. Um he probably stunk, so probably much like more likely to pay attention to him. But as he went through proclaiming God's message, uh, he did not do it with a loving, caring heart. And next week we're gonna see that he literally got himself a front row seat on a big hill while he sat there and waited for God to destroy them. He literally wanted God to wipe them out. He's like, I'm here for the big show, God. But um, instead, uh God relented, the people of Nineveh repented, and Jonah's like, I just knew this was gonna happen. This is why I didn't want to come here in the first place. And so he is the prophet of God that we do not want to be like. We do not want to be one that says no, and we do not want to be one that has the wrong attitude. We should have a love for people like Jesus has a love for people. Matter of fact, Jesus' love should flow into us and then out of us to the other people. So we should be um compassionate and caring towards all those people that don't understand Christ, don't understand the gospel, don't understand Christianity, and explain it to them in a caring, loving way. So, again, you probably wanted a second chance in life. So sometimes when marriages fall apart, people get a second chance. I actually read in a marriage book that if a marriage has fallen apart and a couple gets counseling and gets back together within seven years, or in about seven years or whatever, many of those couples are in a much better place than they ever were before. Their marriages are much better than they were in the first place because they stuck it out. They chose not to get divorced, even if they had reason to, because uh a second chance was given. Sometimes when you give a person a second chance in a job or a career or a sport or whatever, sometimes they've learned from their mistakes and they will be your most committed, your most reliable, the person who is going to make sure they do the right thing because they know what it's like to do the wrong thing and to suffer from doing the wrong thing and feeling terrible for doing the wrong thing. And when they get a second chance to move forward, they become some of your best employees or your best teammates or your best friends, best neighbors. Sometimes people need a second chance. So that's a pretty long introduction. But let me say also in the God of Second Chances, in the Warren, we're Warren in Warren Weirdsby's commentary, he says, You don't have to read very far in your Bible to discover that God forgives his servants and restores them to ministry. Abraham fled to Egypt where he lied about his wife, but God gave him another chance in Genesis 12. Jacob lied to his father Isaac, but God restored him and used him to build the nation of Israel. Moses killed a man, probably in self-defense, and fled from Egypt, but God called him to be the leader of his people. Peter denied the Lord three times, but Jesus forgave him and said, Follow me. However encouraging these examples of restoration may be, they must never be used as excuses for sins. The person who says, I can go ahead and sin because I know the Lord will forgive me, has no understanding of the awfulness of sin or the holiness of God. But there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared, it says in Psalm 130 in the New King James. God in his grace forgives our sin, but God in his government determines that we shall reap what we sow, and the harvest can be very costly. Jonah paid dearly for rebelling against the Lord. Okay, so I mentioned Jonah is this really or a Nineveh's big city, is not worshiping God. It's an evil city. When they would go to war with people, they were perverse and brutal and hated by the Israelites. So let's look at number one, embrace God's second chances. If God gives you a second chance, embrace it. Follow through. Do it, enjoy it, trust Him for the results. What's sad is that sometimes God doesn't give second chances. There's no guarantee that God will give you a second chance to share your faith with that person. There's no guarantee that God will give you another chance to share your legacy with your family members and talk about your testimony, how God has used, how God has worked in your life and all of those things. Sometimes people wait until they're near death and they can barely speak, and they're like, Yeah, I should probably do that. It's too late. Do it beforehand. You know, get ready to someday die, but you know, share with your loved ones your testimony. Share with people who matter, write things down. Uh as a pastor, it's great. If you've been write down what you would like at your memorial service or funeral, you know, give us your testimony. What songs would you like sung? So one older person who would love to be here today, hopefully he'll get out of the hospital. We should keep praying for him. Read says, Someday when it's my turn, I want an altar call at my funeral. I said, Okay, do you want him to come forward or just raise their hands? And he said, just raising their hands is good. So, but hopefully, hopefully we'll see him soon. So you keep praying for him. But nonetheless, if God gives you an opportunity, take it. If God gives you a chance, do it. If God gives you a second chance, go for it. So in Jonah chapter 3, verse 1, then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you. So Jonah was God's prophet. Jonah knew God's message. Jonah knew what he was supposed to do, but in his reluctance, he said, No, thank you. I don't want to do that, God. Matter of fact, I'm gonna do the exact opposite. Literally, send someone else. And I've done that before. So sometimes you don't know if it's truly a God thing or not. So you might say, Well, send someone else to do it. Have someone else do it. I don't know if God's calling me to do that. And then you pray about it and eventually you give in and you know that it's a God thing. So sometimes you say, you know, no, send someone else. Maybe someone else could do it better because you're not sure. There's other times where it's really clear that if you don't do it, it's not going to get done. So when I came, you know, we were doing a wana with another church, and then the kids' ministry program changed. And so we have kids here on Wednesday nights here and learning about Jesus and stuff. And I hope that we invite more and the program grows. And I'm just so thankful for the people that are volunteers in this church that said, I'll I'll help, I'll do it. So, yeah, oh, it's a new program. Yeah, I'll I'll I'll learn it. I'm willing to go with that. So I guess God's calling me to be part of that. I guess God's calling me to lead that. Because if you don't do it, who will? You can't always expect that someone's gonna step in. It would be great if we had more groups for people to go to, life groups in the church for people to go to. Maybe God is calling you to host or to lead a group. Maybe you know that's what God's calling you to do. So step up. But the word of the Lord came to know to Jonah, go to the great city of Nineveh. And so he needed to proclaim God's love. He needed to proclaim the message, he needed to go and to share. In 1 Corinthians 9 16, it says, Preaching the good, yet preaching the good news is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I did not preach the good news. If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment, but I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians. And he wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2, for we speak as messengers, approved by God to be entrusted with the good news. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not just pretending to be your friends just to get your money. So Paul says, My motivation is that I'm serving Christ and I truly care about you. That is my motivation. And John 15, 10, when you Jesus says, When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love. And Jesus says, You're my friends if you do what I command. So we were commanded to go make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We were told to be witnesses as the Holy Spirit came upon us, that we are to do this, that we are to serve the Lord in a wonderful, caring, gracious way. And when it doesn't work out, when people reject us, when we feel that we didn't see the results that we had hoped, we know that while the people rejected our message, while the people rejected us, that God sees and we did it as an act of worship. God sees what we did, God sees how we did it, God sees our compassion. And so sometimes when people say no, they don't mean no forever. Sometimes when people say no to you, that they're not interested in hearing about the gospel or not interested in hearing about Jesus, as time goes on, if you stay in contact, if you stay connected to them, sometimes things in their life change. Sometimes they go through a difficulty, a hardship, they face the possibility of death, they see that you're different, so they get sick of the world's politics and the worldliness and all that stuff, and they they come to you and they ask you, what is it that makes you different? Tell me, tell me what you were trying to tell me before. And so when you have that opportunity, when those people come back and then they have opportunity to hear the message, be prepared to share the message, be prepared to proclaim the word of the Lord. So, number two, act in obedience to God's call. Act in obedience to God's call. God has a purpose for your life. So I wonder what would Jonah's life have been like if he would have just said yes the first time. So instead of being a book in the minor prophets where your prophecies aren't really discussed, we just see your life story about a cautionary tale of the way that we really shouldn't live our lives. You know, it's uh everybody's like, don't be like Jonah. And so, but what if he would have said yes? What if he would have come to Nineveh with God's mighty power and you know, made that proclamation, and those people repented and came to Christ or came to the Lord, eventually Christ, but came to the Lord. Would Jonah have been able to remain there as uh as a leader, as a godly leader for those people? Would God have used Jonah and we would have read about him in the major prophets? So many things could happen if Jonah would have said yes the first time, but the first time was lost, that opportunity was no more, and we'll never know what would happen, what could have happened. We'll never know in our lives what could happen if we would step up and say yes, say yes. And so Jonah needed forgiveness and he needed to forgive himself. Jonah needed to move forward, knowing that you can't change the past, but you can change the future, and that is true for us too. That you and I, we can't change the past, but we can we can change the future. What is it about the future that God is calling us to change? All right, so let's look at Jonah again in verse three. It says Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now, Nineveh was a very large city, it took three days to go through it, so it was a pretty big city. Um, I wonder how long it takes to go through the largest city in Minnesota, which I believe is Hibbing, right? Isn't Hibbing the largest city in Minnesota? As far as geographic landmass, not population. So, but um, I'm pretty sure it's Hibbing. But, you know, to go if you were to walk from one point to another, I wonder how many, how many days it would take to go through it. But Jonah was gonna walk through, he was gonna make that proclamation, he was gonna um show that um God was God was angry, God is real, and God is going to judge you. So Nineveh was a very large city, it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day's journey to into the city, proclaiming, 40 more days in Nineveh will be overthrown. And what's even freakier about the smelly, fishy dude with the bleached skin is I have a feeling as he walked through town, he did it with a great smile on his face. So it was not like Jeremiah. He wasn't weeping, saying, you know, oh, it's terrible. But he's like, oh man, I'm so excited. 40 more days, and you will all be overthrown. So I'm a prophet of the Lord, and he has sent me to tell you this message, and this is the best message I ever heard. So me and all my friends back in Israel, woo-hoo, we're so excited about this. And so he walked through and he proclaimed that message. He proclaimed that message that God gave him. There's he's to proclaim the fact of the fact and condemnation of sin, the certainty of judgment, and the utter necessity of faith in the Lord, that they needed to repent, and that God's love and the provision he has made for forgiveness of sin and salvation. So, and that this promise rests on those who truly repent. So that is the same declaration we carry about Jesus. And so Jonah traveled through. Jonah was faithful to share the message. He's like, God, I'm doing exactly what you told me to do. So I am I'm following the rules. You want me to say this? I will say this. So I'm I'm doing what you said. So I want to honor you, I want to follow you. I don't want any more of this this fishy stuff going on. So uh I know you're holy, I know you're powerful, I know you disciplined, I'm gonna do what you said. So then he did it. He did it. So you gotta give him credit for that. Like I said, I think his attitude was wrong. But number three, witness transformation and mercy. Have you had an opportunity to witness transformation in people's lives when they latch onto the mercy of God? Have you seen addicts want to get help, get saved, and be able to uh get out of their alcohol addiction and change their life? Have you seen people's lives change? To witness transformation. Have you been able to see selfish kids that had great aspirations, being a professional basketball player or whatever, get serious about serving Jesus, go to Bible college to be a Christian teacher and a youth pastor, and then contact you and say, hey, I just want you to know that those years ago in youth group, when you didn't think I was listening, I was. And so, and this is what I'm doing. I'm serving the Lord in a place where you used to volunteer. And that is so exciting to hear that kind of stuff, to see people's lives change, to hear people grasp onto the gospel, get saved, get baptized, and serve alongside you in the church. To lead someone into Christ who becomes your friend for life. That's awesome. So, but Jonah 3:5, the Ninevehes believed God, a fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah's warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh. By the decree of the king and his nobles, do not let people or animals, herds, or flocks taste anything. Do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish. When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. So the king heard this message and he realized that this was a serious thing. Realized that this guy, this mysterious guy walking through the streets is serious, and this God stuff is serious. And while we might have been worshiping the fish God, the grain god and everything, we're just gonna fast. We're gonna stop eating, we're gonna give up everything to show God our seriousness, and we're gonna turn from our evil ways, and we're gonna quit doing this stuff, and we're gonna we're gonna move forward and do the right thing. And he calls the nation to fasting. So as we have opportunity to follow the Lord and do his will, sometimes there'll be serious times in our life. Well, I guess it depends who you are. So there are some people who fast all the time. It's just a spiritual discipline and they do it. One of the benefits to fasting is that it helps you with self-control. As you say no to hunger, as you say no uh to the things that you want. Sometimes people fast from different things. So sometimes people go without eating. You should always drink at least water. I've heard people on, you know, I'm on a coffee fast, I only drink water and coffee. But sometimes people fast from food. Sometimes people fast from the media, like, okay, well, I'm gonna do a one-month T, whatever it is that takes your time. TV fast, Netflix fast, social media fast, those types of things. What you're trying to do is you're trying to find more time to worship the Lord. So by fasting, especially in Jesus' day, from food, you are able to save a lot of time that you would have had to go find your food, prepare your food, eat your food, clean up after your food. And so by not having to do any of that, you'd have more time to pray, more time to seek the Lord. And so fasting can be a really great thing. Sometimes people will find themselves in a crisis and they'll they'll fast for a spiritual breakthrough. They'll be like, Lord, I'm so serious about this, I'm not gonna eat while I will I during this time, while I pray, while I cry out to you. Now, some people fast, and but it's not really they miss the spiritual part. So they're fasting and they're going without food, but they're not praying, they're not putting God first, they're not taking that time and putting their focus on the Lord. So it's more like a dietary fast, which I guess is good for you also. But the true results come in when you are putting off the things that have gotten in the way of you and God so that you have more time to pray, to worship, and to commit yourself to Him. Fasting can be a really good thing. So you don't have to fast to be a Christian, but it can be a good thing. Um, you can't force other people in your life group or your friends or whatever to fast. You have to get them to agree with you. Like, this is such a serious thing, this is such a big problem, this is such a need. I'm going to I'm going to pray and fast. Would you like to pray and fast with me? Together, we can pray and fast and hold each other accountable as we do it. And then you set it set a time, you know, and how how long that you will you will go for. Um, so I have a friend, I have some friends who have prayed and fasted for 40 days. So, but um I think they were doing more than just a water fast. So Elmer Towns writes a book. I think it's called Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough. It's a pretty good book. But I'm gonna show you a video clip about fasting and just you know discuss fasting for just a moment, and then we're gonna have communion. But really, the God of second chances is a God of graciousness and forgiveness. And so, whatever it is that you've done in the past that what might have been a big mistake, God might be able to use that actually. Like he used Jonah's mistake to be more effective to the people that worship the fish. God, God might be able to use that to help you to reach some other people that might be harder to reach. God might be able to use you if you would repent, turn to him, follow his ways, realize your past mistakes were mistakes, that you can't change your past, Jesus can with forgiveness, but you can change your future as you walk forward in the Lord. So let's watch this video clip.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Throughout Scripture, the people of God repeatedly observe the practice of fasting, a time set aside to abstain from food so that they might lean further into God. As the practice of fasting was a means of God's grace to his people then, it is still a means of grace for his people today. When trials weigh us down, fasting reminds us to pray. The hunger of our bodies reminds us to pray for wisdom in the challenges we face. It reminds us to pray for strength, that we could endure the obstacles ahead of us. And it reminds us to pray for God's deliverance because we know it's not the things of this world that will ultimately deliver us, but God. And when tragedy interrupts our lives, fasting invites us to bring our grief to God. The groans of our hungry body joined together with the groans of our soul, crying out for God's restoration. And these physical needs are an opportunity to express our spiritual needs, saying, Lord, we need you to comfort us, and we trust that you will. When temptation threatens to pull us into sin, fasting strengthens us to live for righteousness. Our hunger serves as a constant reminder to resist the devil and draw near to God. As our body aches, we recall the mortality of our flesh and we turn to God in dependence, acknowledging our weakness, because his strength is made perfect in weakness. In every temptation, tragedy, and trial, fasting is an opportunity for every Christian to live out the words of Scripture. Man must not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Chris T 30:19

Alright, I'm gonna pick this up next week when we look at Jonah chapter four to see how Jonah responded and to see um what God thought of that and how that applies to our lives, learning from God's compassion.