“The God of Second Chances”
October 17, 2012
Jonah 3:1-10; 4:1-11
Tom Watson, Sr. founded IBM and guided Big Blue for over forty years. One of his most impressive moments in leadership occurred when a junior executive lost an enormous amount of money for the company. The promising young man had been involved in a very risky venture for IBM and ended up losing over $10 million dollars in the gamble. Watson called the man into office and the nervous junior executive blurted out, "I guess you want my resignation?" Watson replied, "You can't be serious. We've just spent $10 million dollars educating you!"
How would you like to work for a boss like that? What a wise man! I would bet that junior executive went on to become one of IBM’s best employees.
God is a God of second chances. I pretty sure if I took the time to interview each one of you – every single one could testify to second chances in their life. Maybe not 10 million dollars worth – but we have all blown it in some way and have been given a second chance. God gave some second chances in this event of Jonan and Nineveh.
First of all there was Jonah’s second chance. In chapter one God gave Jonah a command. Jonah got some instruction from the Lord. The only problem was that he didn’t want to do it! He ran away from the Lord. BIG mistake! How many of us have learned the hard way that to run from the Lord or disobey the Lord results in pain and unpleasantness? Probably ALL of us!
I think Jonah must have been a young man. He was so impatient; so prideful; so angry. I think he had a problem with his own importance and seemed to be more concerned with himself and his reputation, and how he looked to the world, than he was with obeying God and the welfare of the people.
He was kind of cold inside. I came across a poem called “The Cold Within” in my research for this message. Nobody knows who wrote it, but it has an important message to it.
“The Cold Within:
(unknown)
Six humans trapped by happenstance in black and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood (or so the story’s told).
Their dying fire, in need of logs, the first woman held hers back,
For on the faces around the fire, she noticed one was black.
The second, looking across the way, saw one not of his church,
And couldn’t bring himself to give the fire his stick of birch.
The poor man sat in tattered clothes; he gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use to warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store
And how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black man’s face bespoke revenge as the fire passed from his sight,
For all he saw in his stick of wood was a chance to spite the white.
And the last of this forlorn group did not accept for gain:
Giving only to those who gave was how he played the game.
The logs held tight in deaths’ still cold hands was proof of human sin.
They didn’t die from the cold without; They died from the cold within.
Jonah was cold toward the thousands of people in Nineveh. More than 130,000 of them were innocent babies. That’s pretty cold. It reminds me of how cold we are as a nation allowing 20 million babies a year to be killed through abortion. We ought to be upset about it. But we have grown cold. We ought to march in “Right to Life” marches and vote only for those politicians who oppose abortion. That is one of my litmus tests of a Politian. Is he for or against abortion? The Declaration of Independence says we all have a God-given right to life. The Bible declares it. But we have grown cold. It hardly bothers us.
So Jonah runs from God and suffers for it. Make a mental note here. Running from God is not a good thing! Running from God will result in pain. To resist God is to open yourself up to God’s correcting hand – and that can be a very unpleasant experience.
But after getting thrown into the ocean, swallowed by a fish, and puked up, Jonah gets a second chance. This time he obeys – but he obeys reluctantly.
I wonder how his message was delivered? He said, “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” (v4) One version says he ‘shouted’ to the crowds.
I can see this angry prophet, caring less about the people, shouting angrily at them that they are going to be destroyed, and the people shocked – listening to what he said. The bible says,
“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” Proverbs 29:2
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
Proverbs 14:34
The Ninevites must have had a pretty wise ruler. The Bible says the Ninevites believed God. They believed what Jonah was saying. When the king heard the news, he rose from his royal throne, took off his royal robes and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the dust. What a picture of sorrow and remorse! What a picture of repentance. He issued a proclamation that no human or animal is to taste or drink anything. He told them to pray and turn from their wicked ways. Sounds like Elisha. Remember what he said?
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
This is a Godly principle you can count on. If you humble yourself and pray; if you seek God’s face and turn from your sin – God WILL hear! He WILL forgive your sins! He will restore His blessings in your life.
And God SAW. They turned from their wickedness. The result was that our compassionate God did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened. God not only gave Jonah a second chance – He gave the city a second chance as well.
I pray it would be so for our nation. I pray for a Godly leader to be elected in this coming election. I pray all of our politicians that are elected would be godly and urge people to turn from their wickedness. I know no one is perfect. You can find fault with everyone. They even found fault with Jesus – the perfect human. So don’t expect perfection. What is their stand on the right to life and what is their stand on same sex marriage. We have to make a change. To continue to go in the same direction we are going will end in destruction.
History will record that our nation, at this time, is pro abortion; pro homosexuality; anti-prayer and anti-God. But it is not too late. If we will humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from our wickedness – God’s blessing will again return to our land. The end may be averted. Destruction may be postponed.
Our God is a compassionate God. He sees the innocent babies. Even the cattle are important to Him. Jesus taught the birds of the air and the flowers of the field are important to Him. He asks, “Aren’t you much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26) Of course you are!
I want you to know that YOU are important to God. I don’t care what your sin is; I don’t care what your sin was; I don’t care how far you have fallen or how messed up your life has become. God is a compassionate God. He sees you. He loves you. He longs to bring healing and blessing into your life. All He asks is that you would turn to Him and turn away from your sin. If you do – every day will be a new surprise of God’s blessing.
Aren’t you glad God can restore broken pieces? Aren’t you glad He can make beauty out of ashes? Aren’t you glad He can pull you off the manure pile of life and set you up among princes? (Psalm 113:7-8) He can! And He does!
Poor ol’ Jonah! I wonder what it was in him that God loved so much. I wonder if it was just that he was a child of God. He was so cold; so thoughtless; so unconcerned for people. And yet God apparently called him to preach. God was so patient with him. Jonah sounded like a selfish, spoiled little boy at times. He pouted, “I’m so angry I could die!” THREE times he just wanted to die.
It reminds me of when Julie was in the hospital with Monica. She had a difficult time and woman after women would come in, have the baby, and leave. Finally one woman was having a difficult time and kept screaming “Lord, just let me die!” Over and over she screamed – finally one nurse had enough and screamed, “Let’er die, Lord! Let’er die!” She quieted down after that.
But there must have been something appealing in Jonah. The sailors really didn’t want to throw him overboard and only did so at his request and as a last resort. God gave him chance after chance even though after every little difficulty he wanted to die.
This book ends with a question. It is almost as if half of it is missing. God asks, “Should I not be concerned about that great city?” There is no answer. Funny way to end a book. But we all know the answer – “Of course You should!”
Shouldn’t Jonah have been concerned, too? Shouldn’t we be concerned about our world; our country; our community, too? YES, of course we should. But sometimes, like Jonah, we are more concerned about our point of view or our calling or what we want to say, instead of being concerned about people. May God grant us compassion and love. May we be motivated to stand up for the innocent and the needy. May we give a voice to those who have no voice.
Sometimes we are concerned for the wrong things. God told Jonah, “You have been concerned about this vine...” He wasn’t concerned about the people. He wasn’t concerned about the babies. He wasn’t concerned about the animals. He was more concerned about his own comfort. May we not be guilty of that.
Do you need a second chance this morning? Jonah said angrily to God,
“I KNEW You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” (v4:2)
Jonah was angry about it because it made him look bad as a prophet. He said they would be destroyed – they weren’t. But I say WE ought to thank God for His loving nature. He is gracious and merciful. He is compassionate. He is slow to anger. He is abounding in love. He does spare us from the consequences of our bad choices sometimes. THANK GOD!
If you need a second chance – God is willing to give it to you. If you need a second chance – you need but to humble yourself and pray. Jesus said, “ASK –and it will be given to you. (Matthew 7:7) If you need a second chance – you just need to seek God. Jesus said, “Seek and you will find.” The Bible says to TURN from our wicked ways. Jesus said that we need to ‘repent’. (Matt. 4:17)
I don’t know what that means to you. To Nineveh it meant dressing in burlap and sitting in the dust and praying to God for mercy. For some it means to come publicly to an alter of prayer. If you need another chance; if you need God’s mercy; if you need a special blessing from God this morning – come, humble yourself and come. Seek God. He is here. Let’s bow our heads. If you would like to come and kneel at this alter of prayer – come.
Pray a like this.
O Jesus, I come to You this morning for Your help; for Your touch. I come for a miracle. I know I deserve nothing from you. But I ask for mercy. I ask for forgiveness. I have sinned. I have made wrong choices. Forgive me.
Jesus, I plead for Your blessing. Father, let Your face shine upon me. Heal me; restore me. Give me grace that I can walk with You from this day one.
In Jesus Name,
SONG
