God Of A Second Chance
Gtcotr/ss050105
Later this morning we will be reading from The Book of Jonah
Key Scripture: 2 Peter 3:9 ¶ The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Reading through the bible we find repeated references by various authors attempting to describe God.
Just as there is no one word to fully describe any one of us, there is certainly no single concept which would give us a complete picture of who God is or what He is like.
For this reason the bible continually adds pieces to this puzzle in efforts to give us an image of God which can be understood from a human perspective.
In some scriptures, God has described Himself as:
The Great I Am, Eternal and Always Existent
The God of the living and of the dead
Psalms 68:5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.
A Heavenly Father
A Judge
A Land Owner
A Shepherd
A Doctor/Healer
One God and A God of all other gods
God has shown Himself through His word to be:
Jealous
Mighty
Gracious and Merciful
Psalms 7:11 God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.
Angry
Forgiving
Holy
Vengeful
An all Consuming Fire
Writers of the various books of the bible, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, have said:
Psalms 59:17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy.
He is a Rock, a Fortress, a Shield, a Tower, a Refuge, a Defense
God is Light, Life and Love
God is not a man nor does He think like mankind thinks
God is a Spirit
God is Able to do all things, even the impossible
God is Good
Psalms 46:1 ¶ God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
He is a very present help in the time of trouble
The nature of God can even be seen in the Names of God translated from Hebrew in our Old Testament writings. Descriptive names like:
Jehovah Nissi - The Lord God is Our Victory
Jehovah Shalom - The Lord God is Our Peace
Jehovah Jireh - The Lord God is Our Provider
Seeing all of this, how can one expect God to put up with the likes of us. We are certainly not perfect and often times we disappoint God, we disobey Him and fall far short of His expectations.
Yet the bible gives us the picture that God wants to be and in fact is continually with us; that He loves us and calls us His family.
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
Even when we disappoint Him, He never leaves us nor forsakes us.
Hebrews 13
5 For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
6 So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
Without regard to where you are in life today; perhaps you are on the upside or maybe you are on the downside of life. Whether you are facing adversity or embracing victory; on the mountain top of life or down in the valley …
Allow me to speak a true word of God to your mind and comfort your soul.
God loves you.
He cares about you.
He wants you to succeed.
He will help you if you will turn to Him and do it His way.
Deuteronomy 30
9 "The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the LORD will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers,
10 "if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
This is what so many people in the bible and in our day have found.
People like David and Bathsheba, Rahab, King Nebucadnezzar, the prophet Elijah, the Apostle Peter, John Mark, Saul of Tarsus and even Me. We have all found that God forgives, restores and blesses again.
Have you found the book of Jonah yet?
Jonah 3
1 ¶ Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,
2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you."
When it’s all said and done, I am so glad that:
God is the God of a second chance!
Perhaps you or someone you know is in need of a second chance.
Today is a good day to begin again.
How can we begin again? How can we get another chance?
Just like Jonah did … Like Jonah:
#1: Recognize your need for God’s help.
You can’t do it on your own & no one else can fix it.
Jonah 2:8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
#2: Call upon God right where you are.
Don’t wait hoping to get to a better place in life.
Jonah 2:1 ¶ From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
#3: Recommit your life to God’s will.
Rededicate yourself to the original vision God gave you.
Jonah 2:9 But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD."
If you are sincere,
God will forgive you; He will help you and He will give you another chance.
God is willing to take another chance on you right now.
Will you give Him another chance in your life today?
