WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET ANOTHER CHANCE

JONAH 3:1-10

“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah A SECOND TIME!” Jonah 3:1 

GOD DELIGHTS IN SHOWING US GRACE & MERCY

“A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. BUT if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.” Proverbs 28:13 (LB) 

“The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! It is his mercy that has kept us from complete destruction. His faithfulness is great and his mercies begin afresh every new day.”Lamentations 3:22-23   

EVERY NEW DAY  

is another chance from God. 

WHAT DO I DO WHEN GOD GIVES ME ANOTHER CHANCE?

1.  

I need to live with profound gratitude.  

“Jonah told God, ‘I will sing my thanksgiving to you, and I will sacrifice to you. and I’ll do what I’ve promised you to do, because salvation comes from you Lord!’ Then God ordered the fish to spit up Jonah onto the beach, and it did.”Jonah 2:9-10 

o  

I sing my thanks to God.  

TO GOD

“It is good to say thank you to the Lord and sing praises to Him. Every morning tell him, ‘Thank you for your kindness!’” Psalms 92:1-2 (LB)   

o  

I give my offering

IN THANKS TO GOD.

“The people who honor me are those who bring me offerings to show thanks. And I save those who obey me.” Psalms 50:23 (NCV)   

o  

I surrender my life  

TO GOD’S MISSION FOR ME

“ . . . Give yourselves completely to God--every part of you--for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes.”Romans 6:13 (LB)   

2.  

I make my life mission my top priority.  

“Do not let the grace that you received from God be for nothing!” 2 Corinthians 6:1 (NCV)   

Paul: “I don't care about my own life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God's grace.”Acts 20:24 (NCV)   

“Then the Lord spoke to Jonah again: ‘Go to that great city, Nineveh and WARN THEM of their doom, as I told you to before!” Jonah 3:1-2   

Circumstances may change me but  

they never change my mission. 

“God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn; he will never go back on his promises!” Romans 11:29 (LB) 

3.  

When God gives me a second chance, I won't delay, but obey today. 

“This time Jonah immediately headed to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord.” Jonah 3:3a 

Delayed

obedience is disobedience.

4.  

When God gives me another chance, I will accept my responsibility to warn others.  

This is one part of your Life Mission

“Now the city of Nineveh was so big that it took three days to walk around it. But after walking for a day, Jonah WARNED the people. . . ” Jonah 3:3b-4 (CEV)  

A WARNING: cautionary advice about a danger, trap, or problem

“For 3 years I never stopped warning each of you night & day with tears!” Acts 20:31 (NIV)   

“Jonah warned the people ‘In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!” Jonah 3:4b (NCV)   

We are to humbly accept warnings & lovingly give warnings

WHEN?

1. WHEN PEOPLE ARE  

thinking wrong. 

2. WHEN PEOPLE ARE  

acting wrong.  

5.     

I will expect God to use me.  

“The Ninevites believed God… They humbled themselves putting on sackcloth... even the King sat down in the dust! Then the King proclaimed a public fast . . . Then let us all pray urgently to God, and let us turn from our evil ways and let us stop all our violence! Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.’ When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not do what he had warned he’d do.”Jonah 3:5-9-10 

“Warn each other every day, because it’s still called ‘today’, and so that your heart isn’t hardened against God by the sin’s deceit. We will share in all the belongs to Christ if we hold firmly till the end . . . SO IF you hear God’s voice today, listen and don’t be stubborn!”Hebrews 3:13-15 

WHAT TO DO WHEN IT FEELS HOPELESS

7 STEPS FROM JONAH 2:1-10

1.  

When you hit bottom, you look up to God.  

“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.” Jonah 2:1 

The disciples privately asked Jesus, ‘Why couldn't we drive that bad spirit out?’ Jesus answered ‘This kind can only be forced out BY PRAYER.’”Mark 9:28-29  

2.  

Pray passionately.  

“Jonah said ‘In my distress and deep trouble I CRIED OUT to the Lord and he answered me.’” Jonah 2:2 

3.  

Identify the cause of my hopelessness.

“You cast me into the deep water, and I sank to the bottom of the sea. Everything was churning around me, and I was engulfed by powerful waves that overwhelmed me. Then I thought ‘I’ve been banished from God’s Presence and I’ll never get to see your holy temple again.’ I was scared to death, afraid I was drowning with water choking me and seaweed wrapped all around my head. I kept sinking down to mountains that rise off the ocean floor. I felt locked in a prison forever . . .”Jonah 2:3-6

8 CAUSES OF HOPELESSNESS

CHECK any that you may be feeling

• FEELING  
  
  I'm over my head.
  
  
  “You cast me into the DEEP water”
  
  
• FEELING  
  
  I've hit bottom. 
  
  
  “I sank to the bottom of the sea”
  
  
• FEELING  
  
  Out of control and powerless.  
  
  
  “Everything was churning around me”
  
  
• FEELING  
  
  Overwhelmed.  
  
  
  “I was engulfed by powerful waves that overwhelmed me.”
  
  
• FEELING  
  
  Rejected or lonely.  
  
  
  “Then I thought ‘I’ve been banished from God’s Presence’
  
  
• FEELING  
  
  Remorse and regret.
  
  
  “and I’ll never get to see your holy temple again.”
  
  
• FEELING  
  
  Crushing fear.  
  
  
  “I was scared to death, afraid I was drowning with water choking me and seaweed wrapped all around my head.”
  
  
• FEELING  
  
  Trapped.
  
  
  “I felt locked in a prison forever”
  
  

4.  

Ask God for specific help.   Pray the Word of God.  A. The Complaints.  B. God's Truth.  C. The Promises.

“From the deep in the world of the dead I ASKED FOR HELP and you listened to my cry.” Jonah 2:2b 

“Call to me in your times of trouble. I will save you, and you will honor me." Psalm 50:15 (NCV)   

5.  

Focus on the goodness of God to me.  Change the channel of my mind. 

“When I had LOST ALL HOPE, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your Holy Temple.” Jonah 2:7 (NLT)   

6.  

Reject false fixes and accept God's grace.   Whatever you think about more than God is an idol.  

“Those who look to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” Jonah 2:8  

“You, O Lord, saved me and brought my life back up from the pit.” Jonah 2:6b 

7.  

Express gratitude to God in advance.  

“I will sing a song of thanksgiving, and I will sacrifice to you, and I will do what I have promised you to do because salvation comes from the Lord!”Jonah 2:9 

1. Through  

singing.

2. Through  

giving back to God.  

3. Through  

through surrendering to our mission.   

“For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29 (NIV)   

“So the Lord ordered the great fish to vomit Jonah onto a beach.” Jonah 2:10 

NEXT WEEK: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET A 2ND CHANCE