Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:18] So today, as we look @Jonah, chapter three, we're going to see that God is a God of second chances, which is great news for people like us, like me, like you, who I'm sure often need second and third and fourth and fifth and more chances, right?
[00:00:37] So let me ask you something. Just right out of the gate, let's pause. Let's engage our brain. Let's think through our history. Can you. Can you think of a time where you needed or were granted a second chance?
[00:00:51] Think through your history. Can you think through a time where you needed or were granted a second chance? Now, as I was thinking about this story for myself, one memory from high school came immediately streaming back. See, I played high school basketball.
[00:01:08] I fancied myself quite the player. I worked hard. I was a post guy. Played the four and the five.
[00:01:14] My freshman year, I started.
[00:01:17] Well, at least I started the first half of the season, right? See, what happened was over break, I went to visit my family in Chicago. Now, I had notified the coaching staff I'd put it in writing. I had told all of them.
[00:01:33] But after missing a couple practices in the game, after I returned, I was accused that I hadn't told them. So just like that, I lost my starting spot.
[00:01:44] It was all right. It was fine, honestly. I was getting a little disenchanted with the program.
[00:01:50] I loved the game still, but I was becoming more and more okay with it taking a backseat.
[00:01:57] So I started riding the bench like we do. We had, you know, our little spot. We knew where to sit. We joked about bringing TVs to the games. It was great. We loved the bench.
[00:02:07] Then late in the season, in a game that was already decided, right, which is when they let the bench players play, I got my second chance.
[00:02:15] It was cleanup time. They were letting the bench players in.
[00:02:19] I decided I was gonna go show everybody what I could do.
[00:02:23] All right?
[00:02:24] They had forgotten, and I was gonna remind them.
[00:02:30] So here's what happens. I'm on the block.
[00:02:33] The ball swings to the three guard on the wing.
[00:02:36] I come off a screen, catch the ball around the three point line. Now, as the five, the play is to swing, right.
[00:02:45] All right? But I know better than that. This is my moment. So what do I do? I take the ball. Two dribbles left behind the three. Steph Curry hasn't entered the league yet. I'm not supposed to shoot here, right? I'm a big guy. Nobody's shooting threes. My defender is five, six feet off me, fully uncontested. It's 2003. 2004. Right around the time that the second greatest player, because the first is Michael Jordan, the second greatest player to ever live comes online. LeBron James.
[00:03:17] I grab the ball, I look at the defender.
[00:03:19] Completely unnecessary fade after I say the words, I'm LeBron James.
[00:03:26] Didn't go well, right? The ball graces through the air and just air balls, just like, not even. Not even close. Doesn't hit rim. Immediately called from game. Whoop, whoop, Allen.
[00:03:42] I did not get a third chance.
[00:03:44] All right, so that was. That was a second chance that came to my mind. I did not get to remind them of my greatness.
[00:03:55] Before we get to Jonah's second chance, let's remember his first, right? Jonah 1, verse 2 in your Bibles reads, arise, Go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me, right? This was the word of the Lord to Jonah. This is his assignment.
[00:04:17] Now, quick recap in case this is your first week with us, if you've been here for the series or grew up in the church or know the story, you know Jonah doesn't obey, right? God says, arise. And what does Jonah do? He goes down, right? He goes down to Joppa. He found a ship going the opposite direction. He paid the fare and went down into it. The winds and the rain come against the ship, and Jonah goes down into the boat and laid down and was fast asleep. This is. This is more than just narrative. There's more than just physical, right? This is a spiritual descent of Jonah to rebellion.
[00:05:02] And so if you're like me, you've been walking this series with us. I'm sure that you can see yourself in Jonah.
[00:05:13] You and I, we're disobedient too.
[00:05:17] We don't follow the word of the Lord perfectly. We don't follow his direction as we should.
[00:05:26] And so I'll ask you. I'll pause at the beginning of this portion of the narrative. Just ask again, as we've been considering throughout the series, where today are you with your need of God's grace?
[00:05:43] Where, like Jonah, are you disobedient and needy? Perhaps even this morning, perhaps moments ago, where do you need the grace of God?
[00:05:57] Luckily, Jonah's story doesn't end with the descent, right? He doesn't drown in disobedience. God intervenes, right? Jonah's thrown overboard. He's swallowed by a great fish. He's got three days in the belly. And then, as we heard from Brother Austin last week, Jonah prays, he pleads.
[00:06:19] He turns and is vomited out.
[00:06:24] And Then the word of the Lord comes again.
[00:06:29] It comes again.
[00:06:32] We just read Jonah, chapter 3, verse 1.
[00:06:37] Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, arise.
[00:06:46] Go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it. The message that I tell you, we do this with our kids at home. When we do Bible time, everyone say, second time.
[00:06:59] Yeah. Do it again. Say second time.
[00:07:02] Yeah. Good. Now you're awake.
[00:07:05] That line alone, the second time, that should stop us in our tracks, right? What. What kind of God gives a second time?
[00:07:15] A God who's merciful, A God who is patient. A God who doesn't abandon sinners after their first failure, or their second, or their third, or. God is a God of second chances, isn't he?
[00:07:30] We see this all over Scripture. Whether it's Cain after killing his brother, or Moses after killing the Egyptian, David after adultery and murder. Peter, who denied Jesus three times. Paul after he persecuted the church, Zacchaeus stole from the poor. The disciples fled in fear. The Israelites grumbled and rebelled.
[00:07:54] And all of these saw, because of God, a chance of redemption.
[00:08:02] What about you?
[00:08:05] Earlier I asked you to consider where you saw yourself in Jonah's sin and disobedience. But now I'll ask, can you see yourself in God's patience towards Jonah?
[00:08:23] Right. We can see our sin often. Do we remember God's faithfulness. Can you see his patience towards you in the story of Jonah?
[00:08:36] For those in Christ, that same patience has been extended to us. Amen.
[00:08:41] God comes again. He gives a second chance. And I want to be really clear. When I say second chance, what I don't mean is, okay, try harder this time and make sure you don't blow it now.
[00:08:56] Right? That's not the gospel.
[00:08:59] What I mean is this. God comes again in mercy. Not because you've earned it, not because you've fixed yourself, but because he's good, because he loves you. Jonah 3:2 says, Arise and go to Nineveh.
[00:09:21] It's the second time the Lord has offered to Jonah to go. It was the original command to arise and go. We know Jonah disobeyed. He went down and down and down. But what does Jonah do now?
[00:09:41] Look at verse three.
[00:09:43] So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord.
[00:09:51] He obeys.
[00:09:53] This time, Jonah obeys. The first time he ran and went down. The second time he arose according to the word of the Lord.
[00:10:04] It's subtle in the text, but it's a big deal. I think Jonah's obedience here is evidence of something even deeper.
[00:10:12] Of grace at work.
[00:10:14] See, God's mercy didn't just spare Jonah's life through the providence of the fish, it transformed his response. This is what grace does, right? It leads us to obedience.
[00:10:31] Not out of fear, not out of shame, but because when you've been rescued, you obey you, you rise, you listen to the word of the Lord and you respond.
[00:10:48] We'll return to this idea of obedience later when we talk about repentance.
[00:10:56] Because true repentance always includes a response. It's more than words, it's action.
[00:11:03] We're going to see that play out. But before we get there, we keep walking through the text and pay close attention to the message Jonah delivers.
[00:11:15] In verse four, we read, Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey, and he called out yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
[00:11:36] That's it.
[00:11:39] That's the whole sermon. At least that's how we get recorded, right?
[00:11:42] That's a scary, short sermon, right? Like, I don't want to be on the other side of that very, very short sermon.
[00:11:52] That's all we get, 40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown. And we know, if you've read the Bible, we know this isn't like hollow rhetoric from Jonah, right? Like, God's got receipts, he'll do this.
[00:12:11] We know what the Lord can and will do, right? We've, we've read about Sodom and Gomorrah.
[00:12:18] It did not go well for them.
[00:12:21] We know that in his holiness, God does judge sin, right?
[00:12:29] He cannot, he will not let wickedness God unpunished.
[00:12:36] And so this very short, scary sermon is spoken to the Ninevites. And it's sobering because it's not just about Nineveh. We're talking about the character, the person of God here. It reminds us that all sin has a cost, right? The Ninevites sin, but my sin, and your sin too. It reminds us that God is holy, that rebellion matters.
[00:13:08] This isn't just an archaic message. This is still true of the person of God today. Holiness matters.
[00:13:19] And yet, even here, in this short, sharp, scary warning, we could see the mercy of God as well.
[00:13:31] Because why even send a prophet?
[00:13:35] Why give a chance?
[00:13:37] Why give a warning unless there's a chance to respond?
[00:13:43] Why declare judgment unless repentance is still on the table?
[00:13:51] As I was reading this, studying this week, I was struck with how similar God's words to Jonah are to Jesus's words to us. In the Great Commission.
[00:14:09] Again, God tells Jonah, arise, go to Nineveh. That great City and call out against it. The message that I tell you and Jesus in Matthew 28 says, God, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
[00:14:42] Right? Do you hear it? Like Jonah was sent to a people with a message.
[00:14:47] And we have been sent to people with a message.
[00:14:53] What is that message?
[00:14:57] Another very short sermon.
[00:15:02] Mark 1:15.
[00:15:04] Jesus says, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel. This is it.
[00:15:14] Repent and believe. That's the message. Not just for Nineveh, but right. Repent and believe. Whether you have known the Lord your entire life, as long as you can remember, or you are here this morning, perhaps hearing his name for the first time, or don't know, this is the message to you, to us. Repent and believe.
[00:15:43] It brings us to the heart of everything.
[00:15:47] Jesus began his ministry with these words. And it wasn't advice. It wasn't a suggestion. It was a summons.
[00:15:55] Right? The Gospel is not about what we do for God. It's about what God has done for us. In Christ Jesus, the eternal Son of God. He stepped into our broken world, was broken then and still broken now.
[00:16:13] He lived the life we were supposed to live, perfect, obedient, faithful. And then in love, he died the death we deserved.
[00:16:23] On the cross, Jesus took the judgment we had earned.
[00:16:27] And so we receive mercy that we never could.
[00:16:35] Then Christ rose again. He conquered sin, he conquered death, and now offers new life to all who trust Him. That's the gospel.
[00:16:46] Jesus in our place, crucified and risen, calling us not to try harder, but to repent and believe in Him. Amen.
[00:17:00] That's the message that Jonah foreshadowed.
[00:17:03] It's the message we carry. It's not just a warning of judgment, it's an offer of rescue.
[00:17:10] Right? There's rescue on the table. This is amazing news for us. It's not just a second chance, but it's a whole new life.
[00:17:20] Repent and belief.
[00:17:24] If you're here this morning and you aren't a Christian, or you have questions, or you're. You're not sure, maybe you felt far from God, maybe you've been running, maybe you've been doubting, maybe you've been trying to manage life all on your own, the message of Jesus is not clean yourself up and try harder.
[00:17:50] It's this.
[00:17:53] He already knows your sin.
[00:17:56] He already knows your fear. And still he came for you.
[00:18:01] The cross of Jesus says that your failure doesn't get the last word. His grace does.
[00:18:07] So the invitation today, it's simple, but it's not small. Repent, which means that you turn from your sin and you turn towards Jesus and believe, which means that you trust that Jesus lived, died and rose again from.
[00:18:29] You don't have to have it all figured out. You never will.
[00:18:33] You don't need to fix yourself.
[00:18:35] You simply need to come. As we read this morning, come and buy without money.
[00:18:41] Come with your questions, come with your baggage.
[00:18:46] Okay, let's return to the story of Jonah. He delivered his message, his short, scary sermon.
[00:18:55] Let's see how Nineveh responds and what it means for us.
[00:19:00] Again, Jonah said, yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
[00:19:08] What do the Ninevites do?
[00:19:10] How do they respond?
[00:19:14] Verse 5. And the people of Nineveh believed.
[00:19:22] They called for a fast and put on sackcloth. From the greatest of them to the least of them, they repented and believed.
[00:19:32] Let's go. This is great news. That people who should not understand or have hearts pointed towards God can be turned in a moment when the Lord deems it so.
[00:19:50] They repented and believed.
[00:19:54] Now, before we talk more about repentance, want to pause and make something really clear as we consider this story.
[00:20:05] Jesus is the greater Jonah, right? Jonah didn't just foreshadow a pattern of he foreshadowed a person.
[00:20:19] Jesus didn't just preach repentance, he made it possible.
[00:20:27] Right? The good news isn't just that God gives us a second chance. The good news is that Jesus took our place when we failed our first chance.
[00:20:38] Because of that grace, we respond not to earn, but because we have already received.
[00:20:49] Jesus is the greater Jonah, right? So Jonah reluctantly goes to preach judgment.
[00:20:56] God says, arise, and Jonah says, nah.
[00:21:00] Jesus willingly comes to bear judgment.
[00:21:05] Jonah cries out, yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
[00:21:12] Jesus cries, repent and believe and then is overthrown in our place.
[00:21:18] Jesus preaches, Jonah preaches to a wicked city from the outside, needing three days to travel in. And having traveled one, Jesus becomes the outcast, crucified outside the city to bring us in.
[00:21:38] This is what makes repentance possible.
[00:21:41] This is why it matters. Not because we finally get it right, but because Jesus already has. Amen.
[00:21:50] Okay, so let's talk about repentance.
[00:21:54] Because if we misunderstand it, I think we'll either avoid it or we'll try to fake it, or we'll be Christians with a facade, right? Let's look at what real repentance looks like in the life of a believer.
[00:22:10] This section of the sermon, and really my understanding of repentance is heavily shaped by things I've learned from a couple authors and pastors, Mike Wilkerson, Jonathan Dodson and my friend Ryan Keeney, who was at the Paradox Church. And there's a season where the Lord really grew in many of us. Just a deeper understanding, a deeper, we had a deeper impression of these things and what repentance really was, right? Not just a one time event, not just a feeling, but repentance as a way of life.
[00:22:54] So here's a working definition.
[00:22:58] Repentance is a profound turning away from sin and toward God, encompassing a change of mind, heart and actions, right? It starts with a moment, but it doesn't ever stay there in the life of a believer. They're think is a first time where repentance and belief produce the fruit of salvation.
[00:23:33] But Martin Luther writes in his very first of his 95 theses, when our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said repent, he intended that the entire life of the believer should be repentance.
[00:23:53] Repentance is not just an entry point, it's not just a gate to something greater, it's the whole path.
[00:24:01] So in his book Redemption, Mike Wilkerson talks about how repentance often takes shape in the life of the believer. He uses six kind of key categories or phases or activities, not as a checklist, but as a description of the kind of work the Lord often does in the hearts and the minds of repenting believers.
[00:24:24] He talks about conviction, confession, repentance, restitution, reconciliation and rejoicing.
[00:24:36] We won't walk through all of these at depth, but I'd like to chat through some of them, right? So conviction.
[00:24:43] Let's start with conviction. Conviction is when you are deeply persuaded by the Holy Spirit working through God's word that you really are guilty of sin.
[00:24:57] That you really are guilty of sin. We, we must be honest with ourselves, right? We must believe that our sin is actually worthy of judgment.
[00:25:09] Remember the tax collector in Luke 18?
[00:25:11] He wouldn't even lift his eyes to the heavens. Instead he beat his chest and he cries out, God, be merciful to me a sinner.
[00:25:20] Conviction means we can stop minimizing sin.
[00:25:24] We can stop justifying it. We can stop comparing ourselves to others who are likely doing much worse than ourselves.
[00:25:33] All of this cheapens Christ's work on the cross. Conviction says, hey, this is my sin and it's real.
[00:25:42] Confession means humbly telling the whole truth about our sin.
[00:25:49] Again, Wilkerson points Out that we often settle for counterfeits. We confess in part. We say the words, but we don't mean them. We shift the blame. We confess, and then end with a but.
[00:26:03] Like, it's.
[00:26:05] It's not that bad.
[00:26:06] We soften it.
[00:26:09] The psalmist in Psalm 32 writes that when he kept silent about his sin, when he refused to confess, his body wasted away.
[00:26:20] He was heavy, he was burdened.
[00:26:24] But then he says, I acknowledged my sin to you, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
[00:26:31] So we confess to God.
[00:26:34] We confess also to one another, to spouses, to children, to friends, to siblings, to neighbors, those you've sinned against. We confess to those who don't know God because it reveals the Gospel to them.
[00:26:53] We confess our sin, and God is faithful to forgive our sin.
[00:27:00] But I think this is critical. True repentance is not merely confession, right? Sometimes we can grow in the practice and understanding of confessing our sin that we think just doing that is good enough.
[00:27:19] I've confessed it. I've spoken it. I've been honest about it.
[00:27:25] But let's return to the story of Jonah for a moment, right? When the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, what did he do?
[00:27:36] Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, right?
[00:27:41] He didn't just say, yeah, I messed up.
[00:27:47] He obeyed. He moved, he changed direction.
[00:27:51] That's repentance. And that's what the gospel does, right? It's. It's good news. The gospel dispels the lie that repentance is despairing. It's not about spiraling in shame. It's not about convincing God to take you back.
[00:28:11] It's not about working harder to try to be worthy.
[00:28:15] The gospel says that conviction is actually God's kindness leading you back home.
[00:28:22] Repentance is the road to joy.
[00:28:26] This is good news for us, maybe for those of you who feel stuck or tired or delayed. The gospel dispels the lie that there's no hope of much growth.
[00:28:38] Christian, you will grow. Repentance is how we become more like Jesus.
[00:28:44] Repentance is turning from idols to the living God. It's turning our worship from creation to creator again. Borrowing Wilkerson's words, he says, repentance is turning your whole heart, your whole person, to God in love, trust, and obedience instead of to idols.
[00:29:09] Wilkerson says it trades hates and loves, hating the sin you once loved and loving the God you hated by your sin.
[00:29:22] In repentance, we forsake our former love.
[00:29:25] We become more enamored with Jesus than Anything else?
[00:29:31] Right. It includes confessing our sin, remembering that Christ is better, and turning again to Jesus. And in that turning, declaring that Christ is better than all of the substitutes that we could put in his place.
[00:29:51] And so some helpful examples.
[00:29:56] Lust says, long for what you cannot have and you'll be happy.
[00:30:03] For the Gospel says, rejoice in what you do have, and in Jesus you will be truly happy.
[00:30:11] Pride says, find and cherish compliments, and then you'll be confident.
[00:30:18] The gospel says, your confidence comes not from your sufficiency, but from God who has made you sufficient in Jesus.
[00:30:26] This is how we practice repentance and putting Jesus in his place. Turning from our idols, we consider the things that would lead us astray, and we speak the gospel to them that Jesus is better. Yeah.
[00:30:43] This is what we want to teach our children.
[00:30:46] This is a really good practice. Just as Christians, this is what we want them to know. Not just behavior, not just rules, but repentance of the heart that leads to fruit.
[00:31:00] A heart that turns from substitutes and false promises and turns towards Jesus, the true treasure. So Katie and I have the joy and honor of teaching some of your kids at vacation Bible School in just a few weeks. And we're really excited.
[00:31:17] I love kids. And we're just really excited and honored to get to share with them the good news of Jesus. The theme of the week is Treasure island, and the primary message is this, that Jesus is our true treasure.
[00:31:33] We'll practice again. Everybody say true treasure.
[00:31:37] I love this. I've never done this before, but it works. Throughout the week, we're going to help kids discover who Jesus is, why he came, how to find him, and why we need him.
[00:31:53] We're also going to talk about something that I call fake treasures.
[00:31:57] Right? Things that seem to offer happiness or security or love, but ultimately leave us empty.
[00:32:06] We're going to teach our kids how the gospel speaks directly to those lies. Right?
[00:32:12] Let me tell you what I mean. So we'll teach your kids about the fake treasure of comfort, right? And the lie says, you should always feel good.
[00:32:26] And we'll teach your kids and we'll say with them, I don't need to feel perfect. Jesus heals my heart.
[00:32:35] We'll teach your kids about the fake treasure of being liked by everyone that the world will speak to the lie. Speak the lie to them. That if everyone likes them, then they matter.
[00:32:46] Friend will teach your kids to respond saying, I don't need everyone to like me. Jesus knows me and loves me still.
[00:32:57] We'll teach your kids about the fake treasure of control that says, I'm only safe if I'm in charge.
[00:33:03] We'll teach your kids to say, I don't, I don't need to be in charge. Jesus leads me, your kids, about the fake treasure of fear and that the world lies, you don't matter, you're not safe and will teach your children to say, I don't need to be afraid because Jesus gave everything for me.
[00:33:30] These truths aren't just for kids. I get choked up thinking of my children, your children, learning and understanding these things. But these things are for us as well, right?
[00:33:43] We fall privy to these things as well. These are truths that we all need. And so this is the invitation to child and adult, to young and old, to Christian and those hearing it, perhaps for the first time, to let go of fake treasures, to name the idols for what they are, and to say again and again, Jesus is better.
[00:34:09] This is what repentance looks like when it bears fruit.
[00:34:15] It turns outward, not just inward.
[00:34:19] It moves towards others in love, it rejoices in the mercy of God.
[00:34:28] And then quickly, we'll briefly talk about things that come after repentance. Wilkerson points to restitution, making wrongs right, reconciliation, healing what's been broken, and rejoicing because we've been shown mercy. This is why we say that joyful repentance is one of our community group wins.
[00:34:56] So we'll close with this.
[00:34:59] The Hope of Jonah 3 is not simply that God gives second chances, it's that God gives himself.
[00:35:10] Jonah was given a second chance to preach.
[00:35:14] Nineveh was given a second chance to repent. But you and I, we've been giving something even greater. Jesus didn't just come to warn us of.
[00:35:28] He came to bear it himself.
[00:35:31] He was overthrown so we wouldn't be.
[00:35:35] He took on our sin, our running, our disobedience, and gave us his mercy in return. So, yes, arise, yes, obey, yes, repent. But don't do it trying to earn God's love. Do it because in Christ you already have his love.
[00:35:56] And that's the good news.
[00:35:58] That's the gospel. And so the invitation this morning, whether for the first time or the millionth, is to turn to Christ again.
[00:36:07] Not towards shame, not towards fear, not towards sin, not towards morbid reflection, but towards a Savior who still comes to you, still speaks to you, and still calls you His. Amen.
[00:36:24] Let's pray.
[00:36:47] Sam Sa.
