Jonah 3

GOD'S RELENTLESS, GRACIOUS PURSUIT

SECOND CHANCES

1:1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:

1:17 Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

GOD IS A SECOND CHANCE GOD.

2:1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.

2:10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

I. God continues to pursue.

3:1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

III. We cannot move past our current level of obedience.

• God will allow us to try to run away.

• God will allow us to rebel.

• But God will NEVER conform His will to ours!

1) They recognized their disobedience. (v7-8)

2) They focused on God and called on him. (v8)

3) They changed how they lived. (v8)

Jonah 3:1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

II. God seeks an obedient response.

IV. We are responsible for our obedience, not its results.

Jonah 3

1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:

2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh.

Jonah 1

1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:

2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish.

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

3:9 “Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

1:6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

GOD IS A SECOND CHANCE GOD.

He is a God who pursues.

He is seeking obedience.

We will never grow past our level of obedience.

We are responsible for our obedience, not the results of it.

3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

4:1 BUT . . .