Jonah: The God of Second Chances

Text: Jonah 3:1-10

Summary:
God proves to be a God of second chances, not only for Jonah but also for the Ninevites.  Jonah preaches a message of repentance, the people turn from their sin, and the city is spared.


Icebreaker: When was a second chance last given to you?  (warning from a police officer, retake a test that you may have failed the first time, boss let you try a project again after you dropped the ball the first time)


#1. Starting in Jonah 1, how many "second chances" do you see in this text?
1:2- God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh but he says no
a. God sends a storm to stop Jonah (2nd chance)
b. The sailors tell Jonah to pray to God (3rd chance)
c. God provides a whale to save Jonah's life (4th chance)
d. God tells the fish to spit Jonah out on dry land (5th chance)

1:5- When the storm was raging, the sailors cried out to their own gods.
a. God spared their life when they threw Jonah over and they started to worship even though they chose their own gods the first time. (2nd chance)

3:4- God tells the Ninevites that destruction is coming
a. They repent and turn back to God, so in 3:10 God spares their life (2nd chance)


So what 2nd chances has God given you in your life?


#2.  So why did God allow Jonah, the Ninevites, and YOU to have a second chance?  Why didn't he just make them pay for their sins?  Why didn't he just find another prophet to use since Jonah was so reluctant?  Why doesn't God just turn His back on us?


#3.  In 3:5-9, we see that the King went ALL-IN on turning back to God.  He even made the animals fast!  Such a harsh message proves a few things:
a. God is very serious about our sins.
b. That we need to take drastic measures to turn from our sin and back to God.

-So why are so few people (including Christians) so nonchalant about their sins?  What are some common reactions to sins in our lives?  (ignore it, blame someone else, pretend like its not really that big of a deal).

-What does "sackcloth, ashes, and fasting" look like for you today?  In essence, what would it look like for you to get serious about your sin like Nineveh did?


#4- Jonah's second chance led to a decision, and his decision to obey God led to life change for the people of Nineveh.  How does it make you feel to know that your YES or NO to Jesus could impact your entire family, coworkers, neighbors, friends, and all of REVO? (sense of urgency, huge responsibility, need to get serious about it, weight on your shoulders)


#5- 3:10 closes with Scripture saying "God SAW what they DID."  Too often, we make verbal commitments to God in our prayers, but don't follow through with them in our lives.  What promises have you made God in the past that you need to put into action this week?  Knowing that everyone has a next step to take, what is your next step this week in lieu of this text?