A Second Chance in Life

Harvest messages are brought to you by harvest partners receive free email daily devotions or to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org everyone. Pastor Greg here in Joppa Israel for our Sunday morning message and good morning to all of you when we pray together. Father were thankful for the truth of Scripture, and as I have the privilege now of sending in a place where Scripture actually happened. We pray that you'll speak to our hearts from your word today and that we will discover that you are truly a God of second chances sublessor time in your word. We ask in Jesus name, amen. He, like always, let's turn in our Bibles to on this particular occasion, the book of Jonah chapter 1.

The title of my messages a second chance in life. I would question for you. Have you ever run from the will of God for your life that you know I kid I could never do that. Remember, last Sunday we talked about spiritual gifts what your spiritual gift may be, and how to find your spirit to get well sometimes will say will Lord you can give me this tip. Don't give me that gift, but the Lord decides what gives he's going to give to what person will tell you this after I became a believer I since the God was calling me to preach and you have to understand I was in the person the gun in front of crowds and just started talking. I freaked out like everybody else and I like most people had a serious fear of public speaking. I was more of a behind-the-scenes guy I like to do design and things of that nature, but I had this sneaking fear that one day God was going to call me to preach the reason I didn't want to be a preacher was let's face it, so many preachers are just where there are strange people and I thought I don't want to be that guy I met when I was a kid going to the beast on the ground of the bar in Newport Beach. I'd stand there my board shorts and a T-shirt that see some weird creature. He was dressed head to toe in black even had a wide brim, a black hat and he would tell all the kids that were all going to hell and I thought what is wrong with that guy. I hope I never have to do that. So here I am a preacher but it comes down to this.

It's not so much about. If you have a fear of public speaking or not. The question is do you have something to say. Well I would tell you a story about a man who was called to preach. We all know the story very well. His name was Jonah and he flat out did not want to do it.

You know, you may feel unqualified to serve the Lord to listen to this, God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the call, let me say that again God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the call and the fact of the matter is, God is not looking for ability nearly as much as he is looking for availability and will you look at this man Jonah that actually came to this very place I'm in.

This is Joppa.

This is the city that goes back hundreds of years of practice city has been sacked and rebuilt more times than almost any city in all of ancient Israel are this is city has been ruled by the Egyptians of the Phoenicians, the Persians, the Greeks carried was in control of it at one point, as were the Romans. The Crusaders even Napoleon's armies came here at one time and ruled over Joppa so that Alexander the great.

It's here in Joppa we remember the biblical story of Simon Peter at the house of Simon the tanner now being Simon the tanner that does not mean that he's like the Sunday what it meant was a tenor he dealt with leather you knowingly things out of leather so one day Simon Peter is here right here in Joppa on a rooftop when you look around you'll see a lot of the homes live on the roofs as well as in the home and so he is up there and it's lunchtime and he falls asleep.

Sounds like me falling asleep around lunchtime and he has a vision in this vision, a giant sheet is lowered from heaven somewhere around here a giant sheet and in this sheet are all the little creatures that a good Jewish boy was told to not eat of things that were forbidden under the Mosaic law and he heard the boy say kill and eat. Fear is that I've been reading anything that is unclean and the boy said it was the voice of God. By the way, the Lord said to him, don't call unclean. What I've called clean. There are men downstairs waiting to speak with you. Well, here's what was going on. There was a man named Cornelius over in the place called Caesarea. He was of fear of God he did know Jesus yet but need a pagan men Roman. He did not embrace the false gods of Rome, he believed in the God of Israel, he cheated people well he was seeking God and God promises those that seek me will find me an angel of the Lord appears to Cornelius and says you need to send some guys to get Simon Peter is going to tell you what you need to know so meanwhile Peter after his vision comes downstairs here. These guys have the time to grab them and taken back to Cornelius in this whole story resulted in the conversion of Cornelius Ellis paralleled over the story of Jonah because Joppa is a place where God spoke to people to leave their comfort zone and take the gospel to people they did not necessarily want to take the gospel to. Are you willing to leave your comfort zone and do the same. Simon Peter being a good Jewish man did not really want to take the gospel to the non-Jews or the Gentiles with the Lord showed him here in Joppa that he was supposed to be that well now we come to the more well-known story associated with Joppa and that is a story of Jonah know immediately when you say the name Jonah you think of Jonah and the whale accent enough you know this but there's a worm in the story of Jonah to that comes at the end you don't hear a lot of sermons about Jonah and the worm, but you do hear about Jonah and the whale, there's only three verses in the Bible about the whale that is not the focus of the story and is not the direction of the story, but a place apart in the story, but it's a really cool story. I think of all the stories in the Bible more people probably ridicule the story of Jonah being swallowed by a whale, and any other told him the story before of a young lady who was on the street sharing the gospel and other was a crowd together and run. Listen to her and there was anything he is standing there and he asserted to the back of the crowded after she'd spoken a little bit. The atheist man said he is the young lady I have a question for you. She said yes. He said you believe in the Bible right she said oh yes, I believe that the Bible is the word of God, although he said then you must believe every story that's in the Bible right. She said every story.

Yes, I believe it was that so said the atheist, then you must believe the story of Jonah being swallowed by a whale. She said yes.

Or, I believe that story will tell young lady. How did that even happen physically, how, and how is it even possible.

A person could be swallowed by a whale and lived to tell the story. She said, so I have no idea when I get to heaven, I will ask God how is that all old Jonah's not in heaven.

She said more than you can ask so I believe the book of Jonah is true for a few reasons.

Number one, it's in the Bible and I believe that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, here's an interesting thought.

Jonah wrote the book of Jonah was that significant because he throws himself under the bus in the last chapter and shows how insensitive and selfish.

He was even after God sent a spiritual awakening that this shows me the authenticity of the book number two. Jesus authenticated the story.

Jesus said, as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish or the whale that we want to call it that, so will the Son of Man speaking of himself, the three nights in three days in the heart of the earth. So not only did Jesus use the story of Jonah and validated by the use it to illustrate his own death on the cross. Let's read together from Jonah chapter 1.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of a metallizing arise and go to Nineveh, that great city and cry out against it for their wickedness is, performing but Jonah arose to flee to Tarsus from the presence of the Lord, and he went down to Joppa so I am right now. He went down to Joppa and he found the ship and as you can see this is still a seaport lots of boats, lots of ships there. He found a ship going to Tarsus.

He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarsus from the presence of the Lord so the Lord said to Jonah go present Nineveh, Jonah's like no and he comes down here. There is a seaport always is been a seaport.

That's why all these various civilizations conquered it because you access the boats bringing materials and bringing troops in bringing other people and so he comes to this seaport and he says let's see what place is.

As far as possible from Nineveh know that would be Tarsus and he pays the bear and gets on the boat. He paid the fare though this it's very expensive to sin.

Listen to this sin will take you further than you want to go. It'll keep you longer than you want to stay in a will cost you more than you want to pay. Notice that it says he went down to Joppa and he went down to about listen to this.

Every step away from God is a step down first.

Jonah went down the Joppa then he went down into the ship. Then he went down into the sea, and then he went down into the fish's belly, which went down to the depths of the sea down down down listen to this sin as a downer. Whatever you're running from God going down baby.

I suggest you not go in that trajectory. So he went down God will always have the last word. God said go Jonah said no. God said oh, so he gets in this little boat off they go. Maybe was a calm day like it is today. Beautiful weather. Hey, this is going to be a great journey. I'm done with Nineveh I don't have to deal with it.

Everything is good, but the Bible says in Jonah 14 for the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so the ship was about to be broken up and the mariners were afraid and everyone cried out to his God. So these sailors on board this ship season sailors. I'm sure were freaking out because this was a storm like they've never seen before they're trying to figure out why the storm is happened so there calling on their various gods and clearly nobody has the right God because the storm is getting worse and they say here. There's that new guy on board who is that guy.

Amazingly, Jonah's underneath the top deck sleeping they bring them up so you know what's going on right here.

God Jonah said well I I am a Hebrew and I serve God. The God who made everything you mean.

They asked your God brought the storm job he did. They're basically saying, why would you run from a God. This powerful illness. Sometimes nonbelievers have a better idea of God than some believers have sometimes nonbelievers have a better idea of our Christian should behave, then Christians have.

But Jonah owned up to a month giving credit where credit is due.

He was running from God, but he admitted he was running from God and God used his flawed testimony shall we say and actually after he told them the storm would stop up they would throw him overboard. The did they all turned to God and believed in him fuzzy of a story from a number of years ago about my wife Kathy.

Kathy became a Christian when she was 14 years old and she had an amazing transformation by Christ and believe it or not even at that young age she had only been getting the drugs and getting into a lot of trouble, but she sort of drifted away in stop going to church and stop reading the Bible. One day she was sitting with one of her friends who was not a believer in and they saw some Christians walked by, carrying their Bibles and Kathy said oh yeah I used to be in that that I used to be a Christian and a prince and you were. She said oh yeah I had a Bible we went to church and I had to tell you it was wonderful in the piece inside of my heart that God was at work and he was changing me and it was just fantastic and her principal.

Why did you walk away from it. Kathy said Oksana really sure why I did enter Princeton.

How can I become a Christian.

So Kathy told her friend how to accept Christ, and then she ended up leaving her friend to the Lord. So here's my point here is Kathy, not even walking with the Lord of the moment who talks to a lady that doesn't know the Lord and ends up leaving her to the Lord and Kathy made a rededication of the same time at the story of what happened with Jonah he he's running from God. These guys call them out. He tells them what's happening. He tells them it's the power of God, and they end up turning to the Lord. So they throw him overboard and we read he was swallowed by a great fish as is very important. The Bible never says Jonah was swallowed by a whale on that scene. He wasn't swallowed by a whale. Maybe he wants as an example, the sperm whale can be grow very large though over 50 feet are. They've cut open sperm whales and found 40 foot long giant shrimp weighing the 440 pounds outstrips quit. That was a pretty big shrimp, no squid weighed 440 pounds so the point is a good a man fit into the stomach of a sperm whale yes it's like a small appetizer by the way, this is sushi eating in reverse and set of men eating fish dishes eating math right. All Jonah needed was some soy sauce and was sobbing. Or maybe that's all the fish needed actually the word that is used in the Bible for this fish is great fish or another translation is sea monster, so it may have been a creature that exist today like a whale. It may have been a creature that was a one-off creation, God made just to accommodate Jonah and maybe a sea creature that is extinct today. I really don't think it's a big deal. Quite honestly, as I already said, the focus of the book of Jonah is not about the will of the great fish.

It's about God. We spent too much time talking about the great vision we don't talk about the great God of the story. Here's the real message of the book of Jonah. God give second chances and because Jonah finally got around to obeying the Lord, probably the greatest spiritual awakening in human history took place.

So Jonah is thrown over the side of the boat again.

Remember, tumultuous ocean waves fixing overhead, even though great fish is going to swallow me just that I'm dead.

That said, I disobey God and this is what happens in this creature just swallows him whole and now is inside of the belly of this massive beast, you know storms come into our lives as Christians use the word storm is a metaphor, calamity, hardship, a medical issue a marital problem a legal issue. The list goes on. Maybe you're in the storm right now as I told you before there are three kinds of storms that's to bring three kinds of storms we face as Christians. There are protecting storms correcting storms and perfecting store of perfecting storm is one God allows hardship in your life to make you stronger. Spiritually, Job went through a perfecting storm. The Bible says the testing of your faith produces endurance. God allows us he will grow stronger spiritually maybe arena perfecting storm. Here's the good news about storms they have a beginning, middle and end.

Maybe your storm is been raging for a while but you know what you might be at the end of it. So don't give up. Told her so. And then there are protecting storms.

That's the kind of storm that the disciples experience when they were in the sea of Galilee and Jesus had just performed his most popular miracle debate the feeding of the 5011 miracle because a raising people from the dead.

Awesome.

Restoring siding hearing incredible free lunch now or talking so you know everyone that this great meal we read in the Bible they wanted to make him king by force.

Sort of like you're going to be our king. If you want to be or not. Jesus said to his disciples get into the boat were headed out here. He delivered his disciples from what would've been a lot of adulation and would create a lot of problems. It was a protecting storm. But then there's correcting store. These are storms we effectively bring upon ourselves. What we reap the consequences of our actions. Jonah was in a correcting storm. It was his fault, he brought it on himself, and now he is in the belly of this massive creature, but the Bible tells us he prayed from the fishes belly reminds is that you can basically pray anywhere or in any position you can pray publicly. You can pray privately. You can pray verbally. You can pray silently, you can pray with your eyes closed you can pray with your eyes open you know we have a tradition will be close her eyes only pray that the good thing sort of takes other things out of our view. We can focus but have you ever been praying with some people and maybe open your eyes and somebody else was opening their eyes, and you make eye contact or sort of a bear is sort of like you're cheating in prayer. It's okay, you can open your eyes on your pray. You can pray anywhere you can you can pray in the church. You can pray in a street corner are you can pray driving your car.

Just keep your eyes open in the Bible. Daniel prayed in the lion's den. David prayed in the field. Peter prayed on the water. Usually, then he prayed under the water and wanted Jonah pray he prayed in the gods of the sea monster. And guess what is prayer was heard is that the Bible says in Ephesians 618, pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere. So let's look at the prayer of Jonah know for a few moments turnover the Jonah chapter 2 verse one then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish and he said I cried out to the Lord of my great trouble and he answered me. I called to from the world of the dead, O Lord, and you heard me you threw me into the ocean depths and I sink down to the heart of the sea I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves, and then I said, Lord, you've driven me from your presence will I ever again see your holy temple. I sink beneath the waves and death was very near the waters closed in around me. The seaweed wrapped itself around my head.

I sink to the very roots of the mountains I was locked out of life and imprison in the land of the dead. Yet Lord, you have snatched me from the yawning jaws of death. Listen to this in verse seven of Jonah to what I had lost all hope. I turn my thoughts once more to the Lord and my earnest prayer went out to you and your holy temple.

Now he is sort of a little conclusion. Jonah says those who worship false gods and turn their backs on God's mercy, but I will offer sacrifice was songs of praise and fulfill my bowels for salvation comes from the Lord alone.

I want you to notice something Jonah prayed the word of God eight times it is prayer in the fishes belly wrapped in seaweed.

He quoted Scripture and specifically he quoted from the Psalms and I think it's a really good idea when you pray to quote the Bible you say why does God need the hero's own word, no. But you do and I do princess on Sam's set. So instead of just in O Lord, heal me all insensate Lord, you told me in Scripture that if there is any sick among us we should go for the elders of the church that will pray for such a person in the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man will accomplish much. So Lord based on that, I ask you to heal me or Lord Iva financial needs on sentencing Lord provide for me financially. I would say father you promised in Scripture that you would supply all of my needs according to your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. So because of that promise. I pray this scene shows the Jonah and memorized the Bible.

He had it in his heart.

That's a very good thing to do. Take time to memorize Scripture. But here's another thing about Jonah. We don't want to miss. He was beginning to lose hope because of Jonah chapter 2 verse seven he says when I lost all hope. I turn my thoughts once more to the Lord in my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy temple is beginning to lose so you know there's a lot of people in our culture today that are starting to lose hope. They say that one of the reasons that suicides are so high is because people have lost hope. I hope you're not losing hope. I don't know what kind of a situation that you're in right now but don't give up to get to get through whatever you're going through. I love the acronym hope HOPE holding on with patient expectation. So I'm encouraging you to hold on hey, if God got Jonah out of a fishes belly Ruben wrapped in seaweed God to get you out of whatever you're facing right now and so he called on the Lord, I want to the notice something Jonah did not have any promise to being delivered from the belly of the beast, but he gave thanks to the Lord while he was there.

Jonah 29 all offer sacrifices to you was songs of praise fulfill my bow menu going through a hard time writing on you say don't feel like giving thanks to God I give thanks to God when I get through my problem. No give thanks to God. Now there were Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for preaching the gospel and what we read at midnight Paul and Silas began to sing praises to God, the Bible says give thanks in the Lord for he is good and his mercy endures forever. It does not say give thanks to the Lord only when you feel good or give thanks to the Lord when circumstances are good. No give thanks to the Lord for he is good, so whatever you going through right now. Don't lose so give thanks to God for God's in control. God is sovereign God's gonna get you through whatever your facing okay so this message is about second chances. There's one final movement in our story.

Look at Jonah chapter 2 verse 10. So God spoke to the fish in and vomited Jonah on the dry ground in the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, arise, and go to Nineveh, the great city and preached with the message that I will give you.

Listen to this, God gave Jonah a second chance. Jonah experienced a Personal Rd., Bible and the belly of the great fish and then God used him to bring as I said earlier, probably the greatest revival in human history and the wicked city of Nineveh.

The reason Jonah did not want to preach to the Ninevites is because they were they were just horrible people aren't. They would just torture people. They would conquer. They would tear this skin off of people's bodies in and they would bury them up to their heads in the sand and leave them to die in the sun they would gouge out the rise they would take their skulls and stuck them in monuments they were crazy. There were words the Nazis are ices evil on another level. So God says no preacher, no, not a Jonah or Nineveh go for Friesen known about, that's Jonah preaching and about anyway yeah go preach there is like no way why because he didn't want them to repent.

He wanted them to face judgment but God changes heart and the belly of the beast.

He had a revival that he brought a revival.

Listen to this. Nothing can happen through you until it first happens to you.

Maybe you need a personal revival and no Jonah did the God gave him a second chance the Bible still of the stories of people to God give second chances to we all know how David fell into a sin of adultery with Bathsheba, how he tried to cover it up. Having her husband Uriah effectively murdered with the Lord gave to David a second chance will know the story of Samson that he man with a she.

Weakness almost like a superhero, except he was a real good vanquishes enemies in battle, he killed a thousand philistines. On one occasion with a bony picked up off the ground.

The guy was amazing but in a vulnerability and with women, and of course the double got them to the wicked Delilah and Samson strength was symbolized by his long hair.

By the way, the Bible never says he was physically Bob you know it's interesting because it says that of David and of Joseph a note of Samson would be was a scrawny little dude and it was a supernatural power out enough. Whatever was I know this. His strength was symbolized by long hearing in them strength in longhair because if you would strength from longhair, I would be in serious trouble right now, but they here was a symbol of his commitment to God.

So when Delilah cut off his hair. He had no strength left. But the second chance story of Samson is the Bible says the hair of his head began to grow again.

I don't know what you're going through right now you've messed up you say there is no hope for me will listen. God can give second chances. So Jonah repents there comes a whale. All this time he's been moving not in the direction he wanted to move that whales unedited charges from the get go. It seems to me that whale was headed destination. Nineveh, because that's where God called him so the whale cruises up to the shore. He opens up his mouth and he regurgitates Jonah so Jonah was not believing in bars righteous in row.

He was no called again to bring the message any did in a revival happened and I wonder if God is not calling some of us today to leave our comfort zones and go to people we don't want to go to.

Just remember everyone is loved by God. Aren't you glad someone prayed for you, even when your heart against the Lord, you may have resisted it, but they kept praying for you and now here you are believing you know people like this as well. Let me conclude with this thought Jesus himself took the story of Jonah illustrate his death and resurrection. Jesus said, as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of your he said this in response to the Pharisees that said show us a miracle to assign something to impress as he says, no sign will be given to you because a wicked generation seeks after assign the only sign you guys are getting is as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly that there's been three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. I think sometimes we may think all men of I could just perform miracles. Everybody would believe not necessarily Jesus perform any miracles.

He raised Lazarus from the dead that everyone believe after that no not only do they not believe they plotted on how they could kill Lazarus again for guy and here's the point. What's our sign to our culture today. Our sign if you will. Our message is Jesus Christ crucified and risen and still able to change human hearts Jesus Christ who can bring hope to the hopeless Jesus Christ who can bring a second chance the person who needs it.

As I wrap up this message in the ancient seaport city of Joppa were Jonah ran to to try to escape from the Lord to a remote mind you of this.

You cannot get away from God and you should not want to you can go no place for the Lord is not there before you and to me it's reassuring to know that wherever I go in life or whatever.

A face in life.

God is with me. Jesus said, I'll never leave you or forsake you. Don't try to run from God instead run to God and if you need a second chance today when we pray together and let me lead you in a prayer we are asking God for a second chance.

Maybe some of you have never believed in Jesus Christ. Yet you don't know him as your Savior and Lord, why don't you pray with me today and make a commitment to Jesus. Okay, let's all bow our heads and pray together father. First of all I want to pray for any person that is watching this or listening to this wherever they may be that they don't have a relationship with you. If they don't know you. Help them to see their need for Jesus and that they can be forgiven and they can find the hope they're looking for in life, in order heads of God. Her eyes are closing were praying. If you need this relationship with Jesus. Why don't you just pray this simple prayer after me you can print out loud if you like.

Just pray Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and I know you're the Savior, and you died on the cross for my sin. I turned from that sin that I choose to follow you from this moment forward, the father we pray that you will extend a second chance to anybody listening know that needs one.

They've messed up.

Help them to get up again and learn from their mistakes and move forward.

Lord I pray your restore hope 21 that is lost, it we thank you that you keep your promises, as were reminded from this very spot in understanding and now this place called Joppa. We ask all of this in Jesus name, amen