This is a synopsis of a series on Jonah that was presented at summer camp.
Part 4 of 7:
VOMIT: Fresh Beginnings (Jonah 3:1-5)
Out of failure comes success. The beauty of the gospel is that it catches us by surprise and brings us up short--and amazed. I am convinced it's why we love stories about miracle upsets and finishes. Movies like Hoosiers and Miracle strike a chord within us because they are a reflection of our own stories.
We all carry the burden of sin. Our shortcomings and failures are only to obvious for many of us. The beauty of the gospel is that in our weakness Jesus is strong. The weak receive power, life is achieved through His death, grace is extended to the undeserving.
Simply stated, the more aware we are of our sin, the more amazing and compelling is God's grace. He let's us come to the end of ourselves, not to punish us, but to give us what we need. Which is more of Him and less of us.
Jonah is a great example of this. Yet it is also a reminder of how stubborn our hearts really are and how continually we need to trust on Jesus' grace to us. John Calvin said, "we need to be saved every day and in every way."
GRACE FOR RUNNERS
In light of Jonah's earlier disobedience, it is stunning the God would stay with Jonah and offer him a second chance. Who loves like that? It is mind boggling that someone so proud and arrogant, so disobedient and stubborn would get a second chance. The amazing thing about God's grace is that His response to great sin is GREATER MERCY. To those who are finally turned around God ALWAYS welcomes back a truly humble sinner. The cross of Jesus is God's guarantee to us that this is true.
FIXED BY GOD
Jonah hears God's call to go to Ninevah a second time. When a divine message was repeated it meant that it was assured to happen. Genesis 41:32 says, "And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about."
The amazing thing is that despite Ninevah's great sin and Jonah's great disobedience nothing will stop God from giving Ninevah his message. What great news for sinners!
This time Jonah responds and goes to Ninevah with the message God has given him. The fact that Jonah gets a second chance in spite of his blatant disobedience is a testament to God's gracious character.
God's grace should always put us in a place of healthy tension between being humbled and being encouraged. We should be humbled by the reality the God has to show us grace and we should be encouraged that he chooses to act in such a manner. We become humble without being distraught, we are encouraged without being arrogant. It is in the gospel reality of these two tensions that we are really free to live for Him.
GOD'S CHARACTER
Finally we see three things about God's character in this episode.
1. God doesn't hold grudges-This is good news for believers. He doesn't count our sins against us because he has already dealt with them in Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:21) He doesn't treat us as we deserve, he treats us unfairly.
2. God doesn't budge- God doesn't lower his expectations of us or lighten the load. He is consistent and won't compromise our comfort for his kingdom purposes. Malachi 3:6 says, 'For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob are not consumed." Only God is able to take you beyond what you could ever become on your own. It is wonderful news that God demands us to be perfect. This is wonderful because the demands of perfection have been met for us in Jesus. It is not about what you do, it is about what Jesus has done. His death covers your sin, but the perfect life He lived, is also yours in faith. This is what makes Christianity absolutely unique. God is the one who both makes and meets the demand to be perfect. Have you responded to this thankfully and thoughtfully?
3. God cares about You!
God doesn't give up on Jonah or discard him for someone else. He stays with him because Jonah needs God.
We are all like Jonah and need to be saved from the power, presence and penalty of sin. The great news is that Jesus loves you and me and Jonah enough to set us free. He didn't give up on Jonah and He won't give up on you.
The truth of the matter is this:
You are A LOT WORSE OFF than you think you are, BUT IN JESUS YOU'RE FAR MORE LOVED than you could ever imagine!
Thankfully we have a God who can make great things and fresh starts out of what begins as vomit. Amazing as that is, it is only the start.
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