God is a second chance God. - Rev. James Meeks

Jonah 3:1-10 KJV

And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.

Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,

Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”

We all love happy endings. We’re supposed to live happily ever after.

In this story, we get a chance to see the attributes and traits of a wonderful God. We get to see God’s love, mercy, grace, and forgiving nature.

Because of our imperfections and mistakes, God gives us second chances. The Bible is filled with people who messed up, but God gave them another chance.

• Noah got drunk and was naked

• Abraham lied about his relationship with his wife

• Moses killed a man

• Peter cussed people out and

We know them today because they took advantage of their second chance.

When we learn our lesson, God puts us back on the right path and allows us to start over.

Jonah’s second chance started just like the first one.

I. Everything We Do in the Kingdom Starts with a Word

Jonah 1:1 says, “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah…” 3:1 says, “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time…”

• God does not work independently of his word.

  • Genesis 1 repeatedly says, “And God said.”

• Before God involves us, he tells us what he wants us to do.

• He speaks in three ways:

  • Our inner man - when you’re born again, the Holy Spirit lives in you and speaks to you. When you’re not used to talking to God, you’re not used to hearing from God. That’s why prayer is so important.

  • In his word - while you’re reading the Bible, God speaks to you.

  • Through a preacher or teacher - if you can’t hear God clearly, the preacher or teacher becomes the most important person in your life.

Nineveh’s word will come through Jonah because they don’t have a direct connection to God.

If God isn’t speaking in your life, you aren’t doing anything new. Your life can only be impacted if God said.

Jonah has been to hell and back, and he learned that his arms are too short to box with God.

• God is hoping that we won’t ever want to feel the pain and burden we experienced when we walked away from him.

II. You Take Advantage of Your Second Chance Based on Whether or Not You Believe the Word You Heard

Jonah gave an 8 word message and the Ninevites believed God. They didn’t even know the messenger.

We miss our second chance because we don’t believe something will happen. Everything in the kingdom is based on a word. Every result is based on whether you believe the word or don’t believe the word.

• John 3:16-18 shows the importance of belief.

• If we believe something, we’ll act on it.

The people of Nineveh believed.

III. We Must Enter a Period of Consecration

The Ninevites immediately fasted and humbled themselves before God.

When God lets us know that we aren’t where he wants us to be or behaving how he wants us to behave, we have to humble ourselves and just say I’m sorry.

• James 4:7 says if we draw nigh to God, he draws nigh to us.

We have to have a period of time where we’re spending time with God.

• No social media, no TV. No noise.

• People recite 2 Chronicles 7:14 but miss the part where it says “seek my face.” When do we seek God’s face?

• The perfect time to seek God’s face is in the middle of him giving you a second chance.

• We are so in love with God’s hand that we miss his face.

  • His hands are what give us every good and perfect gift.

  • Sometimes we need to seek his face based on our love for him and our relationship with him.

The king in Nineveh called on the people to stop what they were doing.

Verse 10 says God saw their works. We can’t take advantage of a second chance if we don’t give God something to see.

• Will he see you reading your Bible, praying, turning away from certain things?

Pastor Meeks wrote a special ending for this sermon:

August 18, 2024

James Meeks preached about the benefits of a second chance to the people of the Progressive Baptist Church. The people of Progressive heard the word, and they believed God. They believed that every area of their life should be in the will of God. They believed that every area of their life should be pleasing to God. Every area of their life that was not pleasing to God, they surrendered it to God and turned from any evil in their life. And they all lived happily ever after.

Reflection Questions

1. How have you responded to the second chances God has given you in your life?

2. In what ways can you better position yourself to hear God’s word through prayer, scripture, or teachings?

3. Are there areas in your life where you need to humble yourself and seek God’s face instead of just His hands?

4. How can you cultivate a deeper belief in God’s word, so that your actions reflect your faith?

Watch the full sermon.