WEBVTT 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:11.099 Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:15.019 like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:18.100 slash connect. If you feel called to give, go 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.980 to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:23.920 any time you feel called to make a change in 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:29.399 your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:32.520 message. Hey, good morning, everyone. How's everybody 00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:35.759 doing today? You're all looking smiling and beautiful. 00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:37.780 If you're joining us from home, thanks for welcoming 00:00:37.780 --> 00:00:41.100 us into your space. So I need you to be honest 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:44.079 with me this morning. I hung this on my table 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:48.320 for a reason. By show of hands, would you wear 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:53.060 this? Oh, you can't see it? Oh, okay. Here you 00:00:53.060 --> 00:00:57.960 go. Would you put that on? Anybody? It's not 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:02.320 a tie -dye. It's not a tie -dye. It's a stain. 00:01:03.179 --> 00:01:06.019 Okay? For those of you that can't see, maybe 00:01:06.019 --> 00:01:09.400 you need glasses like me. Just saying. Jeez. 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:14.959 I mean, really, let's be honest. It's a nice 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:18.519 shirt. It's got good fabric. Still fits. Still 00:01:18.519 --> 00:01:23.700 has purpose. But there's a stain. And it's funny 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:27.969 how one stain can change everything. Because 00:01:27.969 --> 00:01:30.310 here's the crazy thing. Because it has a stain, 00:01:30.409 --> 00:01:33.409 you don't notice the material. You don't notice 00:01:33.409 --> 00:01:35.689 the design. You don't notice the stitching. All 00:01:35.689 --> 00:01:40.750 you see is the stain. And for some of us, we 00:01:40.750 --> 00:01:44.430 know exactly how that feels. Just being honest, 00:01:44.489 --> 00:01:46.530 we walked in here today and you have unanswered 00:01:46.530 --> 00:01:49.569 questions. You have habits you haven't broken. 00:01:49.650 --> 00:01:51.609 You have prayers that feel like God hasn't heard. 00:01:52.049 --> 00:01:54.310 You have a relationship that's in turmoil. You 00:01:54.310 --> 00:01:56.650 can't pay your bill. Decisions you want back. 00:01:57.640 --> 00:02:00.920 moments we're not proud of, and here's the tension. 00:02:01.980 --> 00:02:05.980 What do we do when our relationship with Jesus 00:02:05.980 --> 00:02:11.280 doesn't look clean, but is actually a mess? Because 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:13.780 if we're honest, real life and real faith is 00:02:13.780 --> 00:02:18.479 often messy. But as people, we tend to take our 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:22.659 shirt and we scrub it and we wash it and we throw 00:02:22.659 --> 00:02:24.919 bleach on it. We try to hide it and cover it 00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:30.389 up. We get a toothbrush going on it. And then, 00:02:30.449 --> 00:02:32.990 if we can't get the stain out, what do we do? 00:02:33.810 --> 00:02:38.150 We don't even donate it. We throw it away. It's 00:02:38.150 --> 00:02:43.789 gone. What good is it? It's worthless. But here's 00:02:43.789 --> 00:02:47.650 the good news. Our God is not intimidated by 00:02:47.650 --> 00:02:51.509 stains. He doesn't look at your life today and 00:02:51.509 --> 00:02:56.900 say, it's ruined. He doesn't throw you away. 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:01.500 In fact, when we have stains, he actually lifts 00:03:01.500 --> 00:03:07.900 you up and puts you back on display for others 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:11.560 to see. Because God specializes in restoration, 00:03:11.819 --> 00:03:16.680 in cleansing, in second chances. And we're right 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:18.919 in the middle of our April series, God's Scandalous 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:22.080 Mercy, a journey through the book of Jonah. And 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:26.370 thus far we have discussed. God called to the 00:03:26.370 --> 00:03:28.930 prophet Jonah and said, go to the city of Nineveh 00:03:28.930 --> 00:03:31.969 and preach to the people. We learned last week 00:03:31.969 --> 00:03:33.849 that they were the sworn enemies and a very, 00:03:33.889 --> 00:03:37.509 very wicked group of people. They hated the Israelites. 00:03:38.550 --> 00:03:41.810 They would torture people, hurt men, women, and 00:03:41.810 --> 00:03:45.669 children, kill entire people groups. They were 00:03:45.669 --> 00:03:50.069 horrific. So God told Jonah to go. And what did 00:03:50.069 --> 00:03:55.349 he say? Yes or no? He said no. He said, no, I'm 00:03:55.349 --> 00:03:57.849 not going. In fact, Jonah went in the opposite 00:03:57.849 --> 00:04:00.210 direction. Let's once again look at our map that 00:04:00.210 --> 00:04:03.990 we took a gander at last week. Jonah was in Joppa. 00:04:05.909 --> 00:04:09.349 God asked him to go to Nineveh, 550 miles northwest. 00:04:10.909 --> 00:04:14.349 Jonah said no and boarded a ship and headed for 00:04:14.349 --> 00:04:16.769 Tarsus, the last known civilization on earth. 00:04:17.550 --> 00:04:23.910 In other words, to the ends of the earth. When 00:04:23.910 --> 00:04:25.850 he was on the boat, God sent a big storm to get 00:04:25.850 --> 00:04:28.350 Jonah's attention, and we found Jonah where? 00:04:28.610 --> 00:04:33.129 Asleep in the boat. The brutal sailors thought 00:04:33.129 --> 00:04:35.589 they were all going to die. They knew it was 00:04:35.589 --> 00:04:37.610 something bigger than just the storm. They knew 00:04:37.610 --> 00:04:41.149 it was spiritual. Once they learned who Jonah 00:04:41.149 --> 00:04:42.889 was, they didn't want to do it, but they ended 00:04:42.889 --> 00:04:48.310 up throwing him overboard. And, of course, those 00:04:48.310 --> 00:04:52.209 sailors would come to believe in God. That's 00:04:52.209 --> 00:04:55.769 when the story gets really weird. At the end 00:04:55.769 --> 00:04:58.310 of chapter one, the Lord provided a huge fish 00:04:58.310 --> 00:05:01.910 to swallow Jonah. And it doesn't sound good. 00:05:01.970 --> 00:05:03.889 It doesn't sound positive. It actually sounds 00:05:03.889 --> 00:05:08.250 like a problem. But then we learned that what 00:05:08.250 --> 00:05:10.389 we call a problem is actually God's provision. 00:05:12.230 --> 00:05:15.829 God provided a fish to swallow Jonah. And he's 00:05:15.829 --> 00:05:20.550 in the belly of the fish for three days and three 00:05:20.550 --> 00:05:24.519 nights. And it's in that belly that he was contemplating 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:27.680 his life choices. Begrudgingly, of course, Jonah 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:31.120 begins to pray for God's mercy. As Jonah was 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:35.579 praying, did anything happen immediately? No, 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:38.579 he had to wait. And we learned another principle 00:05:38.579 --> 00:05:40.579 last week that while we're waiting, God is still 00:05:40.579 --> 00:05:43.500 working. That God works in the middle of our 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:46.800 messes. And if you're in this place today and 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:48.519 you've been praying for a long time, my encouragement 00:05:48.519 --> 00:05:52.100 to you is keep praying. Because when you pray, 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:55.519 God hears your prayers. Even if we don't see 00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:58.000 anything happening, it doesn't mean God's not 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:02.060 working. He is working and desires to impact 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:05.699 and change all of us. So let's open in prayer. 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:08.720 Invite the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:10.740 to receive his truth today. Holy Spirit, come. 00:06:11.740 --> 00:06:14.160 God, we silence distractions in Jesus' name. 00:06:14.220 --> 00:06:15.740 I pray that you would open our ears, our minds, 00:06:15.800 --> 00:06:18.819 our hearts. to receive your truth. God, may we 00:06:18.819 --> 00:06:21.980 be different than when we walked in. We're grateful. 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:26.220 We're grateful for Jonah. And we're grateful 00:06:26.220 --> 00:06:28.379 that we have the ability to look at our own lives 00:06:28.379 --> 00:06:32.839 and learn from him. Change us in Jesus' name. 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:36.720 Amen. So that recap from chapters one and two 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:39.120 leads us to our first thought. Our relationship 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:43.240 with Jesus can be messy. Look what happens to 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:45.240 Jonah at the end of that chapter two, Jonah chapter 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:47.779 two, verse 10. And the Lord commanded the fish 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:52.459 and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. In other 00:06:52.459 --> 00:06:55.600 words, the fish throws up Jonah on the shore. 00:06:56.240 --> 00:07:01.600 He's alive, but he's a mess. And his relationship 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:05.339 with God is like some of yours. It wasn't clean. 00:07:05.980 --> 00:07:09.519 You've gone through a lot of stuff. Jonah has 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:11.959 been through it all. He finds himself on the 00:07:11.959 --> 00:07:15.600 shore covered in fish guts and bile. It's absolutely 00:07:15.600 --> 00:07:20.360 nasty. And here's the reality. Following Jesus 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:23.660 isn't always easy. It's not predictable. You 00:07:23.660 --> 00:07:25.699 don't have to have it all together. It's often 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:28.439 messy. It's filled with doubts, bad choices, 00:07:28.540 --> 00:07:31.800 slow growth, and moments when we don't get it 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:35.819 right. But the good news is that Jesus has never 00:07:35.819 --> 00:07:39.759 required perfection. He invites us into relationship. 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:43.040 And that's what we have to prioritize. Listen 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:45.500 to David's prayer in Psalm chapter 40, verse 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:48.939 17 from the message paraphrase. And me, I'm a 00:07:48.939 --> 00:07:53.920 mess. I want nothing and have nothing. And I 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:57.259 believe David here is turning us on to something 00:07:57.259 --> 00:07:59.899 that we all need to learn to do. Be honest before 00:07:59.899 --> 00:08:03.600 God. We need to look up to God when we're struggling 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:08.879 and say, hey God, I'm a mess. Empower me. Notice 00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:11.920 what David says, make something of me. You can 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:15.139 do it. Listen to that trust, that faith, that 00:08:15.139 --> 00:08:17.519 hope. You've got what it takes, but God don't 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:22.759 put it off. Those words need to be spoken by 00:08:22.759 --> 00:08:25.620 some of you today. You can do it, God. I trust 00:08:25.620 --> 00:08:29.699 you. Just look at the life of Jonah. God gives 00:08:29.699 --> 00:08:31.959 Jonah a clear call. Jonah runs in the opposite 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:34.879 direction. He boards a ship hoping to hide from 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:38.399 the world. He gets caught in a storm. He admits 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:40.940 his mistakes, gets thrown overboard, ends up 00:08:40.940 --> 00:08:43.759 in the belly of a fish. Church, that's not just 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:48.000 messy, that's rock bottom. And yet, where does 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:50.919 God meet him? He meets him at the end of his 00:08:50.919 --> 00:08:53.980 rope. He doesn't meet him after he fixes everything, 00:08:54.299 --> 00:08:57.299 not after he proves himself worthy. God meets 00:08:57.299 --> 00:08:59.759 Jonah in the storm, in the water, in the fish. 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:04.159 Everywhere Jonah went, God was. God pursued him. 00:09:04.820 --> 00:09:07.860 And that's the good news of the gospel. See, 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:11.620 Jesus isn't intimidated by our mess. He's not 00:09:11.620 --> 00:09:15.600 intimidated by it. He steps into it. He embraces 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:18.200 it. It doesn't matter if it's your questions, 00:09:18.259 --> 00:09:21.340 your struggles, your inconsistency. None of that 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:24.740 disqualifies you. In fact, I believe they're 00:09:24.740 --> 00:09:26.980 often the very place where God's mercy reveals 00:09:26.980 --> 00:09:30.240 itself to you. How do I know that? Well, Jesus 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:34.830 invites us in Matthew 11, 28. Come to me. All 00:09:34.830 --> 00:09:37.889 you are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and 00:09:37.889 --> 00:09:41.129 I will give you rest. And carrying heavy burdens 00:09:41.129 --> 00:09:45.690 equals a mess. God is inviting us to bring our 00:09:45.690 --> 00:09:49.009 messes to him. And why? Because it leads us to 00:09:49.009 --> 00:09:51.570 our second thought. We serve a God of second 00:09:51.570 --> 00:09:55.230 chances. Jonah chapter three, verse one, probably 00:09:55.230 --> 00:09:57.429 one of the most powerful verses in the entire 00:09:57.429 --> 00:10:00.710 book. Notice what it says. And the Lord spoke 00:10:00.710 --> 00:10:05.720 to Jonah a second time. The Lord spoke to Jonah 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:08.679 a second time. And in those two simple words, 00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:11.700 we learned something very important about our 00:10:11.700 --> 00:10:15.379 God. And if you don't take anything else away 00:10:15.379 --> 00:10:18.299 from the day, pay attention and receive this 00:10:18.299 --> 00:10:21.279 truth. Open your ears right now. We serve a God 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:26.139 of second chances. God bless you guys. I knew 00:10:26.139 --> 00:10:28.399 you would love this place. Go home. Go have lunch. 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:37.250 Just kidding. God chased Jonah to the ends of 00:10:37.250 --> 00:10:42.509 the earth to offer a second chance. God sent 00:10:42.509 --> 00:10:44.929 his fish to swallow Jonah so he could receive 00:10:44.929 --> 00:10:47.750 a second chance. God doesn't count our mistakes 00:10:47.750 --> 00:10:51.590 against us. We serve a God of second chances. 00:10:51.870 --> 00:10:56.470 Titus chapter 3, verse 5. He saved us. He embraced 00:10:56.470 --> 00:10:59.070 us. He met us, not because of the righteous things 00:10:59.070 --> 00:11:01.590 we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed 00:11:01.590 --> 00:11:04.610 away our sins, giving us new birth and new life 00:11:04.610 --> 00:11:08.009 through the Holy Spirit. And see, church, this 00:11:08.009 --> 00:11:09.950 isn't just the story of Jonah. This theme is 00:11:09.950 --> 00:11:13.929 woven through the entire Bible. Our scriptures 00:11:13.929 --> 00:11:17.809 are story after story after story of second chances. 00:11:18.009 --> 00:11:21.649 Moses murdered a man, but God displayed grace 00:11:21.649 --> 00:11:26.149 and mercy and used him to free Israel. David 00:11:26.149 --> 00:11:29.049 committed adultery and then had the husband of 00:11:29.049 --> 00:11:32.600 the woman. killed to cover it up. But God displayed 00:11:32.600 --> 00:11:35.919 grace and mercy when he repented. God forgave 00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:37.840 him and still called him a man after God's own 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:41.960 heart. Rahab was a prostitute, but God displayed 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:44.500 grace and used her to help protect the spies. 00:11:45.059 --> 00:11:47.460 And later in the New Testament, that same woman 00:11:47.460 --> 00:11:50.919 Rahab, we learn is a part of the genealogy of 00:11:50.919 --> 00:11:54.399 Jesus. Think about that. God chose to send his 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:57.120 very own son through the family line of a prostitute. 00:11:57.899 --> 00:12:01.500 We serve a God of second chances. Zacchaeus was 00:12:01.500 --> 00:12:04.259 a corrupt tax collector. He stole from people 00:12:04.259 --> 00:12:07.899 and was greedy. God displayed grace. When Jesus 00:12:07.899 --> 00:12:11.039 came to his home to have dinner and forgave his 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:14.299 sins and made him new, Peter was an angry, foul 00:12:14.299 --> 00:12:16.720 -mouthed fisherman, became a disciple, denied 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:20.779 Jesus three times before his death. But God displayed 00:12:20.779 --> 00:12:24.620 grace and forgiveness to Peter and reinstated 00:12:24.620 --> 00:12:26.879 him and used him to help build the early church. 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:30.879 Paul was a Pharisee who killed and terrorized 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:33.960 Christians. He's the very person who God chose 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:36.360 to be the greatest known missionary the world 00:12:36.360 --> 00:12:41.519 has ever seen. Our God displayed grace, and it's 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:46.740 throughout the pages of the entire Bible. It 00:12:46.740 --> 00:12:50.639 should make us reflect on our own life. It should 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:53.279 make us see what God has done for us so that 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:55.970 we can learn to be gracious. So that we can learn 00:12:55.970 --> 00:12:59.809 to thank God for our salvation. Not just once, 00:12:59.870 --> 00:13:03.889 but daily. We thank God for his compassion, for 00:13:03.889 --> 00:13:06.549 his mercy, for his second chances. And as we 00:13:06.549 --> 00:13:09.090 read through Jonah and discuss these other biblical 00:13:09.090 --> 00:13:11.629 heroes, please understand their lives are meant 00:13:11.629 --> 00:13:15.529 to be mirrors into our lives. The people we read 00:13:15.529 --> 00:13:18.269 about in the Bible reveal to us truths about 00:13:18.269 --> 00:13:22.340 ourselves and about God's love to us. Because 00:13:22.340 --> 00:13:24.379 if we're honest, every single one of us is one 00:13:24.379 --> 00:13:27.379 mistake away. One decision away from needing 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:31.299 a second chance. We are one moment of anger away 00:13:31.299 --> 00:13:34.320 from destroying a relationship. We are one greedy 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:37.340 decision away from ruining our careers. We are 00:13:37.340 --> 00:13:40.840 one moment of weakness away when no one else 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:43.860 is looking. One drink too many. One sin that 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:48.139 we took too far. Every single one of these figures 00:13:48.139 --> 00:13:51.620 are mirrors. And they remind us that every single 00:13:51.620 --> 00:13:54.600 one of us at some point are going to need a second 00:13:54.600 --> 00:13:57.539 chance. A second chance at our marriage or our 00:13:57.539 --> 00:14:00.980 relationship. A second chance with our kids after 00:14:00.980 --> 00:14:04.879 we spoke those words to them. In fact, some of 00:14:04.879 --> 00:14:06.600 you walked in here struggling with shame and 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:09.820 guilt over your past. Past choices, past mistakes. 00:14:09.899 --> 00:14:12.320 And if that is you, dare I say you're in the 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:16.659 right place. Because God spoke to Jonah a second 00:14:16.659 --> 00:14:20.159 time. Let's see what happens with Jonah. Jonah 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:22.399 chapter three, verse two through four. Notice, 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:25.120 get up and go to the great city of Nineveh and 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:28.139 deliver the message I've given you. This time, 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:32.580 Jonah obeyed in the Lord's command and went to 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:35.659 Nineveh, a city so large it took three days to 00:14:35.659 --> 00:14:38.440 see it all. On the day Jonah entered the city, 00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:40.779 he shouted to the crowds, 40 days from now, Nineveh 00:14:40.779 --> 00:14:43.759 will be destroyed. So please understand, let 00:14:43.759 --> 00:14:47.139 me set the picture for you. The city of Nineveh 00:14:47.139 --> 00:14:49.899 was truly great. It was a wonder of the world. 00:14:49.940 --> 00:14:52.559 The capital of the Assyrian nation. The greatest 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:56.139 seat of power in that known world. The Assyrians, 00:14:56.200 --> 00:14:58.179 of course, we learn, were the sworn enemies of 00:14:58.179 --> 00:15:00.600 the Israelites. And as a child, Jonah would have 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:03.059 learned about the brutality and the barbaric 00:15:03.059 --> 00:15:05.759 nature of this group of people. So as he walked 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:09.840 into the city, literally Jonah's worst fears 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:13.860 would have been realized. Remember, it was common 00:15:13.860 --> 00:15:16.100 practice for the Assyrians to skin their enemies 00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:19.100 alive and then to place those skins on the outer 00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:22.820 walls of the city as a sign of their power and 00:15:22.820 --> 00:15:26.279 warning to their future enemies. So imagine Jonah 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:29.259 walking through these gates, a Jewish boy from 00:15:29.259 --> 00:15:34.059 a small town, sworn enemy of the Assyrians, and 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:37.240 as he's walking through, this is what he would 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:40.159 have seen. In the British Museum in London, there's 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.899 actually a replica of an Assyrian gate. And this 00:15:42.899 --> 00:15:45.019 artifact, which you're about to see right now, 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:50.059 is on display. This is a bronze band. It was 00:15:50.059 --> 00:15:52.360 discovered in an archaeological dig in Iraq. 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:54.860 And of course, it was originally on a gate in 00:15:54.860 --> 00:15:56.419 a city in Assyria. And what do you see there? 00:15:56.620 --> 00:15:59.620 You see an Assyrian soldier literally cutting 00:15:59.620 --> 00:16:04.129 off the arms and legs of his enemies. Then you 00:16:04.129 --> 00:16:07.309 see one of the enemies being impaled on a pole 00:16:07.309 --> 00:16:10.029 where if done right, those people could survive 00:16:10.029 --> 00:16:14.090 for three to four days, baking in the sun, crying 00:16:14.090 --> 00:16:17.470 out for mercy. And then once they die, they cut 00:16:17.470 --> 00:16:18.990 their heads off and put them on top of their 00:16:18.990 --> 00:16:26.929 cities. The point, this is who the Assyrians 00:16:26.929 --> 00:16:30.110 are. They're a brutal, horrific group of people. 00:16:30.190 --> 00:16:32.570 And this is how they would have treated Jonah's 00:16:32.570 --> 00:16:35.419 people. This is what the Assyrian people did 00:16:35.419 --> 00:16:39.259 to the people of God. And sending Jonah to Nineveh 00:16:39.259 --> 00:16:41.580 is the modern -day equivalent of sending a Jewish 00:16:41.580 --> 00:16:44.940 rabbi into the streets of Berlin at the height 00:16:44.940 --> 00:16:48.259 of Nazi Germany, proclaiming that the Nazis would 00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:54.440 fall. Except the Assyrians would make Nazi Germany 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:58.519 look compassionate. That was the setting, Jonah 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:02.129 chapter 3. Jonah's walking through the gates 00:17:02.129 --> 00:17:03.789 of the city, which leads us to our next thought. 00:17:04.970 --> 00:17:07.690 Our Jesus story is revealed through how we live 00:17:07.690 --> 00:17:11.049 and what we say. And I believe in that order. 00:17:11.690 --> 00:17:13.589 Jonah chapter three, verses four through five. 00:17:13.609 --> 00:17:15.730 On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted 00:17:15.730 --> 00:17:18.250 to the crowds, 40 days from now, Nineveh will 00:17:18.250 --> 00:17:21.509 be destroyed. Now, when we read that, we think 00:17:21.509 --> 00:17:23.369 no big deal, but that very well could be the 00:17:23.369 --> 00:17:26.930 worst sermon ever recorded in the Bible. And 00:17:26.930 --> 00:17:29.349 this translation, the New Living Translation, 00:17:29.549 --> 00:17:32.289 is actually being generous. In the original Hebrew, 00:17:32.789 --> 00:17:38.190 Jonah preached five words. Forty more days than 00:17:38.190 --> 00:17:42.509 of a burn. That's all he said. That's the entire 00:17:42.509 --> 00:17:45.609 message. And what do you see in that? Notice 00:17:45.609 --> 00:17:50.789 Jonah wasn't even trying. Wasn't even trying. 00:17:51.430 --> 00:17:54.190 He doesn't tell the people what to do. He doesn't 00:17:54.190 --> 00:17:56.569 point them to God. He doesn't mention mercy or 00:17:56.569 --> 00:18:03.549 grace. 40 days, Nineveh, burn. That's it. He 00:18:03.549 --> 00:18:07.390 wanted them to burn. He wanted them to perish. 00:18:08.410 --> 00:18:10.789 Now all of us have seen something similar to 00:18:10.789 --> 00:18:13.230 this when we see a message like this in downtown. 00:18:16.789 --> 00:18:21.349 Or we see it on the TV. Or we see it on the news. 00:18:22.250 --> 00:18:25.170 And here's the reality. All of us cringe when 00:18:25.170 --> 00:18:27.769 we see that. We think, why are you holding that 00:18:27.769 --> 00:18:30.250 sign up? You're hurting people more than helping 00:18:30.250 --> 00:18:36.049 them. But this message, this message is a lot 00:18:36.049 --> 00:18:39.930 more powerful than what Jonah did. At least this 00:18:39.930 --> 00:18:42.769 person is giving the people a choice, turn or 00:18:42.769 --> 00:18:49.630 burn. You know what Jonah said? Burn! All of 00:18:49.630 --> 00:18:56.170 you, burn! At least Turner Bird gives you an 00:18:56.170 --> 00:19:02.329 opportunity to respond. So think about it. God 00:19:02.329 --> 00:19:05.630 gave Jonah this opportunity. God gave him a second 00:19:05.630 --> 00:19:10.190 chance. And now all he does is say burn. Like, 00:19:10.190 --> 00:19:12.950 Jonah, you can do better. Put a little effort 00:19:12.950 --> 00:19:18.289 behind it. That's what I wanted you to do. Yet 00:19:18.289 --> 00:19:21.849 through all of this, listen to what God does. 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:26.380 The people of Nineveh believed God's message, 00:19:26.420 --> 00:19:28.259 and from the greatest to the least, they declared 00:19:28.259 --> 00:19:31.299 a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow. 00:19:34.180 --> 00:19:38.140 See, we have to understand, this was one of the 00:19:38.140 --> 00:19:39.940 worst people groups in the history of the known 00:19:39.940 --> 00:19:42.720 world, coupled with one of the worst sermons 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:46.359 ever spoken, and all of that equals revival. 00:19:48.430 --> 00:19:50.509 Now that word gets thrown around a lot, and people 00:19:50.509 --> 00:19:52.769 want it, and people desire it. Here we have two 00:19:52.769 --> 00:19:54.690 of the worst things that ever happened, and it 00:19:54.690 --> 00:19:59.730 equals revival. How? Well, the interesting thing 00:19:59.730 --> 00:20:02.990 is, behind the scenes, God is working. It was 00:20:02.990 --> 00:20:05.009 known that the Assyrian people worship a god 00:20:05.009 --> 00:20:08.450 named Dagon, and this god was part man, part 00:20:08.450 --> 00:20:14.250 fish, and part little mermaid, if you will. As 00:20:14.250 --> 00:20:18.049 you can see. The Assyrian god was actually the 00:20:18.049 --> 00:20:21.250 embodiment of water, sea creatures, and man. 00:20:21.930 --> 00:20:24.730 And you can actually see in the next one, there 00:20:24.730 --> 00:20:28.069 was a stone carving that was discovered as part 00:20:28.069 --> 00:20:31.069 of the archaeological dig. And it's interesting, 00:20:31.130 --> 00:20:36.210 the Hebrew word for fish is dag. Just like Dagon. 00:20:36.309 --> 00:20:40.529 So a dag, Dagon, swallowed Jonah, and then the 00:20:40.529 --> 00:20:44.430 fish threw him up on the shore. And then suddenly 00:20:44.430 --> 00:20:47.849 this preacher shows up in Nineveh. The Assyrians 00:20:47.849 --> 00:20:50.609 and all the people in the city at this point 00:20:50.609 --> 00:20:52.650 would have heard the story about this man being 00:20:52.650 --> 00:20:58.789 swallowed by a Dagon. Fish smell is nasty. If 00:20:58.789 --> 00:21:00.690 any of you have ever fished before, any fishermen? 00:21:01.210 --> 00:21:05.309 Like your hands smell rank for three days. Just 00:21:05.309 --> 00:21:08.769 from dealing with fish. Jonah spent three days 00:21:08.769 --> 00:21:13.299 inside a fish. So there would have been no doubt 00:21:13.299 --> 00:21:17.099 that the people would have smelled Jonah coming 00:21:17.099 --> 00:21:22.579 from a long way away. And it's interesting, some 00:21:22.579 --> 00:21:24.880 scholars have noted that after three days in 00:21:24.880 --> 00:21:27.039 the belly of a fish, Jonah would have been bleached 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:31.779 white from intestinal juices. The things that 00:21:31.779 --> 00:21:38.559 make you go, hmm. So imagine now, imagine you're 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:41.789 an Assyrian Dagon worshiper. And this man walks 00:21:41.789 --> 00:21:44.250 into your town looking and smelling like a fish. 00:21:45.789 --> 00:21:49.309 You're going to listen. Because it's obviously 00:21:49.309 --> 00:21:52.250 clear that this man was sent by God with a message. 00:21:53.509 --> 00:21:58.450 And the crazy thing is, Jonah didn't need to 00:21:58.450 --> 00:22:02.470 show up and perform a sign like the Old Testament 00:22:02.470 --> 00:22:07.109 prophets. He was the sign. He became the sign. 00:22:07.710 --> 00:22:11.779 Are you following me? So my question to you today 00:22:11.779 --> 00:22:15.039 is, what does your life look like to those in 00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:16.640 your sphere of influence who are not following 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:26.299 Jesus? Is it an example of Jesus to them? Or 00:22:26.299 --> 00:22:30.480 is it a compromise? Is it make them wonder, I 00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:33.500 thought you said you go to church. Why do you 00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:36.000 talk that way? Why do you live that way? Why 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:39.160 do you drink so much? See, your life is your 00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:42.619 story. And that's why Jesus said in Matthew 5, 00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:45.059 16, in the same way, let your good deeds shine 00:22:45.059 --> 00:22:47.359 out for all to see so that everyone will praise 00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:50.660 your heavenly Father. Do people see good in your 00:22:50.660 --> 00:22:55.000 life? When they look at you and how you live, 00:22:55.240 --> 00:22:59.539 do they see you serving? Do they see hope? Do 00:22:59.539 --> 00:23:01.680 they see love? Do they see joy? Do they see peace? 00:23:01.700 --> 00:23:03.519 Do they see meaning? Do they see forgiveness? 00:23:03.740 --> 00:23:07.940 Do they see grace and mercy? Because if they're 00:23:07.940 --> 00:23:11.470 not, They don't want anything to do with you. 00:23:14.289 --> 00:23:18.470 The point of following Jesus, the point of living 00:23:18.470 --> 00:23:21.329 on mission, is to be an example of him to the 00:23:21.329 --> 00:23:24.589 world. It's not to blend in. It's not to hide. 00:23:24.849 --> 00:23:28.269 It's to stand apart. It's to go against the grain. 00:23:29.829 --> 00:23:32.950 It's to live that life for other people to see 00:23:32.950 --> 00:23:36.609 the light, if you will. And what about your words? 00:23:37.930 --> 00:23:41.849 Do you speak life, hope, meaning, to your family, 00:23:41.950 --> 00:23:44.869 friends, coworkers, classmates, to our community? 00:23:46.109 --> 00:23:49.329 Do they hear about Jesus through your life? 1 00:23:49.329 --> 00:23:51.710 Peter 3 .15, instead, you must worship Christ 00:23:51.710 --> 00:23:54.410 as Lord of your life. Prioritize your relationship 00:23:54.410 --> 00:23:56.950 with Jesus. And if someone asks about your hope 00:23:56.950 --> 00:23:59.109 as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 00:24:00.309 --> 00:24:03.740 Are you ready to explain it? Do you look for 00:24:03.740 --> 00:24:06.480 opportunities to speak meaning and life into 00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:09.819 the lives of others? I mean, some of you play 00:24:09.819 --> 00:24:15.339 golf. You got four hours. Four hours of a captive 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:22.099 audience. Do people ever hear Jesus? Or do they 00:24:22.099 --> 00:24:28.720 only hear about your favorite sports teams? Our 00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:32.920 God is a God of second chances. And he's constantly 00:24:32.920 --> 00:24:36.299 giving them to us. But we have to begin to step 00:24:36.299 --> 00:24:38.740 out and believe that God will use us to impact 00:24:38.740 --> 00:24:42.859 the lives of others. We can't be ashamed. We 00:24:42.859 --> 00:24:46.480 can't beat ourselves up over past mistakes. We 00:24:46.480 --> 00:24:48.680 can't look at our lives and say we're not worthy 00:24:48.680 --> 00:24:50.599 or we're not ready, which leads to our final 00:24:50.599 --> 00:24:53.500 thought. See, we have to realize our mess becomes 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:58.740 our message. Our mess becomes our message. A 00:24:58.740 --> 00:25:01.599 mistake in God's hands. can become a miracle. 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:06.019 That's because our God is a God of second chances. 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:09.279 Remember, Moses was a murderer, turned into a 00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:12.000 liberator. Rahab was a prostitute, turned protector. 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:14.920 Peter denied Jesus, but became the rock of the 00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:18.640 church. Paul persecuted and murdered, and then 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:20.220 would go on to be the greatest missionary for 00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:25.319 God. What you and I see as a setback might actually 00:25:25.319 --> 00:25:27.740 be a setup for God to do something great in your 00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:35.039 life. And I believe it's happening today. If 00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:38.299 you allow God to use you, especially your messes, 00:25:38.299 --> 00:25:41.119 to point others to him, giving them hope, meaning, 00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:44.420 and significance, that's all you'll want to do 00:25:44.420 --> 00:25:47.039 with the rest of your life. And please understand, 00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:49.740 God doesn't disqualify. He calls you to go out 00:25:49.740 --> 00:25:52.460 and to live an abundant life for others. And 00:25:52.460 --> 00:25:54.500 this is exactly what was happening in Jonah's 00:25:54.500 --> 00:25:57.950 life. God was using his disobedience to change 00:25:57.950 --> 00:26:00.849 the hearts of the Assyrians all the way from 00:26:00.849 --> 00:26:03.710 the very least to the greatest and those in charge. 00:26:03.730 --> 00:26:06.809 Let's continue in our story. Jonah 3, 6 through 00:26:06.809 --> 00:26:09.109 9. When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah 00:26:09.109 --> 00:26:10.930 was saying, he stepped down from his throne. 00:26:11.009 --> 00:26:14.789 Notice he stepped down. He took off his royal 00:26:14.789 --> 00:26:17.670 robes. Why? Symbolically saying he was no longer 00:26:17.670 --> 00:26:20.819 in charge. He dressed himself in burlap and sat 00:26:20.819 --> 00:26:23.259 on a heap of ashes. And you say, Chris, what's 00:26:23.259 --> 00:26:27.759 that all about? That's all about remorse. That's 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:29.579 all about going to God and seeking forgiveness. 00:26:30.140 --> 00:26:32.400 Then the king and his nobles sent this decree 00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:35.799 throughout the city. No one, not even the animals 00:26:35.799 --> 00:26:39.039 from your herds and flocks may eat or drink anything 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:41.799 at all. People and animals alike must wear garments 00:26:41.799 --> 00:26:44.240 of mourning and everyone must pray earnestly 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:46.960 to God. They must turn from their evil ways and 00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:50.380 stop all their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps 00:26:50.380 --> 00:26:53.220 even yet God will change his mind and hold back 00:26:53.220 --> 00:26:56.900 his fierce anger from destroying us. You say, 00:26:56.960 --> 00:26:58.500 Chris, what does that look like in modern day 00:26:58.500 --> 00:27:01.099 life? Imagine in a second if a street preacher 00:27:01.099 --> 00:27:04.319 from Iran somehow made his way into the White 00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:06.019 House and got to sit down with the president. 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:10.000 This street preacher walks into the Oval Office. 00:27:10.059 --> 00:27:12.680 He's not wearing a suit and tie. His clothes 00:27:12.680 --> 00:27:15.960 are tattered, ripped, dirty, and smell like fish. 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:21.119 His overall demeanor is a little sketchy. With 00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:25.380 all the cameras and the world watching, he looks 00:27:25.380 --> 00:27:27.880 President Trump in the eyes and says, I have 00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:33.819 bad news, Mr. Trump. You're going to burn. Now, 00:27:33.900 --> 00:27:37.420 I don't know about you, but I've read a lot about 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:42.059 our president. And I believe his response is 00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:46.849 going to be outrage, insult. And he would throw 00:27:46.849 --> 00:27:51.630 him out of his office, bound in chains to disappear 00:27:51.630 --> 00:27:57.990 and never be seen again. Yet, that didn't happen 00:27:57.990 --> 00:28:01.650 in Nineveh. The Assyrian king, the most powerful 00:28:01.650 --> 00:28:06.049 person in the known world, why would he fear 00:28:06.049 --> 00:28:09.230 the God of an already conquered people? Because 00:28:09.230 --> 00:28:12.809 notice, he changed his heart. He heard the truth, 00:28:12.930 --> 00:28:18.349 declares a fast. In the entire city. Imagine 00:28:18.349 --> 00:28:20.710 hundreds of thousands of men, women, children, 00:28:20.930 --> 00:28:26.329 even animals, turning back to God. The revival 00:28:26.329 --> 00:28:30.589 was so great, it reminds us that no one is too 00:28:30.589 --> 00:28:33.670 far gone from the God of second chances. No king, 00:28:33.750 --> 00:28:37.190 no slave, no nobody. None of you are too far 00:28:37.190 --> 00:28:39.950 gone to experience the mercy of God. Doesn't 00:28:39.950 --> 00:28:43.049 matter what you've done, what you said. It doesn't 00:28:43.049 --> 00:28:45.829 matter how many times it happened just this week. 00:28:46.309 --> 00:28:50.529 You cannot out -sin God's grace. Our God is a 00:28:50.529 --> 00:28:55.069 God of second chances. Now see, one of the mistakes 00:28:55.069 --> 00:28:57.609 that we constantly make about this book, unfortunately, 00:28:57.670 --> 00:29:00.750 is that everybody talks about the miracle of 00:29:00.750 --> 00:29:03.849 the fish swallowing Jonah. How does that happen? 00:29:03.930 --> 00:29:05.930 How does he do it? Chris, is it true? Is it not 00:29:05.930 --> 00:29:08.190 real? Is it just a story? Is it even possible? 00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:11.759 That's what everyone focuses on. When in reality, 00:29:11.859 --> 00:29:16.279 the miracle of the fish pales in comparison to 00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:20.920 the miracle of revival in Nineveh. Scholars estimate 00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:26.640 that anywhere from 120 ,000 to 600 ,000 people 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:31.480 turned back to God that one day. For reference, 00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:35.700 the first great spiritual awakening, arguably 00:29:35.700 --> 00:29:38.539 the greatest revival in American history, was 00:29:38.539 --> 00:29:41.759 estimated to reach 30 ,000 to 50 ,000 people. 00:29:42.660 --> 00:29:46.799 That's one -tenth the size of what you just heard 00:29:46.799 --> 00:29:52.380 about in Nineveh. There's not a revival in the 00:29:52.380 --> 00:29:56.559 history of this world of this magnitude. The 00:29:56.559 --> 00:29:58.779 turning of Nineveh may very well be the greatest 00:29:58.779 --> 00:30:03.359 miracle in the history of mankind. It was a move 00:30:03.359 --> 00:30:08.880 of God so large and so big That has inspired 00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:11.940 me to realize if God can do it in Nineveh, he 00:30:11.940 --> 00:30:16.839 can do it in the tri -state area. I don't know 00:30:16.839 --> 00:30:18.579 if you heard this or not, but God has given our 00:30:18.579 --> 00:30:23.019 community of faith an extra large vision. We 00:30:23.019 --> 00:30:26.119 believe that God wants to use us to see the tri 00:30:26.119 --> 00:30:28.180 -state area invaded with the kingdom of God in 00:30:28.180 --> 00:30:31.880 a non -traditional way. Simply meaning this. 00:30:32.940 --> 00:30:37.630 We believe God wants to use you and me. to saturate 00:30:37.630 --> 00:30:39.170 the lives of our neighbors with the good news 00:30:39.170 --> 00:30:43.450 about Jesus. In fact, we believe God wants to 00:30:43.450 --> 00:30:46.210 use this community of faith to release revival, 00:30:46.349 --> 00:30:48.170 if you will, through the hearts of the people 00:30:48.170 --> 00:30:52.750 living in the quad state area from Virginia to 00:30:52.750 --> 00:30:54.589 West Virginia into Maryland and all the way into 00:30:54.589 --> 00:31:01.769 PA. We believe what God did in Nineveh, he can 00:31:01.769 --> 00:31:06.069 do right here today. Because I know for a fact 00:31:06.069 --> 00:31:07.910 that no one is too far gone for the God of second 00:31:07.910 --> 00:31:11.269 chances. Because listen to what God did. Jonah 00:31:11.269 --> 00:31:13.970 3 .10. When God saw what they had done and how 00:31:13.970 --> 00:31:16.710 they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed 00:31:16.710 --> 00:31:19.150 his mind and did not carry out the destruction 00:31:19.150 --> 00:31:24.529 he had threatened. Nineveh repented and God relented. 00:31:25.529 --> 00:31:28.750 He gave them a second chance and showered them 00:31:28.750 --> 00:31:33.470 with mercy. And for many of us, We struggle with 00:31:33.470 --> 00:31:35.430 believing that God gives us a second chance. 00:31:38.809 --> 00:31:41.609 We are harsher critics of ourselves than God 00:31:41.609 --> 00:31:44.849 ever is. That's the worst part about it. That's 00:31:44.849 --> 00:31:48.569 just how we think. And that mentality, if you 00:31:48.569 --> 00:31:51.049 believe that, leads you to thinking that God 00:31:51.049 --> 00:31:53.750 is up in heaven somewhere looking to punish you 00:31:53.750 --> 00:31:56.369 when you make a mistake. And that's just simply 00:31:56.369 --> 00:31:59.720 not true. Because if you're in a relationship 00:31:59.720 --> 00:32:03.059 with Jesus, God is living inside of you. He's 00:32:03.059 --> 00:32:05.140 not somewhere up in heaven. He's living inside 00:32:05.140 --> 00:32:10.240 of you and desires to draw close to you and constantly 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:14.819 release his mercy and grace. We read this in 00:32:14.819 --> 00:32:18.380 Romans 116, for I am not ashamed of this good 00:32:18.380 --> 00:32:20.319 news about Christ and his power of God at work, 00:32:20.359 --> 00:32:23.380 saving everyone who believes, the Jew first and 00:32:23.380 --> 00:32:26.640 also the Gentile. So if God is at work in our 00:32:26.640 --> 00:32:33.160 lives every day, You have to be willing to step 00:32:33.160 --> 00:32:37.920 out. You have to be willing to not be ashamed 00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:43.440 of Jesus and his good news. We have to be willing 00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:49.299 to serve, to volunteer, to be the light to this 00:32:49.299 --> 00:32:53.500 community. I mean, believe me, I serve a lot. 00:32:55.700 --> 00:32:57.839 I mean, one of the biggest struggles right now, 00:32:57.880 --> 00:33:00.869 think about this. I've shared with you before 00:33:00.869 --> 00:33:03.829 about our local little league. I happen to be 00:33:03.829 --> 00:33:10.009 the president and a coach and an umpire. But 00:33:10.009 --> 00:33:13.829 the biggest struggle that we're facing right 00:33:13.829 --> 00:33:18.250 now, listen to this, is for parents to volunteer 00:33:18.250 --> 00:33:24.150 in a concession stand one time. One time for 00:33:24.150 --> 00:33:29.380 a four -month season. How many times? One time. 00:33:30.740 --> 00:33:33.200 And they argue with you. And they say, we're 00:33:33.200 --> 00:33:35.940 not going to do it. And they say, have high schoolers 00:33:35.940 --> 00:33:38.900 do it. Pay someone to do it. We don't want to 00:33:38.900 --> 00:33:46.799 do it. And I'm like, and I don't want to judge 00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:48.799 them, but it's like, that's just our culture. 00:33:49.660 --> 00:33:53.839 No one wants to do anything. No one wants to 00:33:53.839 --> 00:33:55.700 do anything. And you know the worst part about 00:33:55.700 --> 00:33:58.099 it? I'm going to step on your toes in a second. 00:33:58.879 --> 00:34:03.039 Just warning you to prepare your heart. Half 00:34:03.039 --> 00:34:09.920 of you don't do anything. I know. Because I know 00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:16.420 who serves in our church. So we laugh about volunteers 00:34:16.420 --> 00:34:19.539 in the local little league. And we don't even 00:34:19.539 --> 00:34:23.480 volunteer here. We don't even serve here. And 00:34:23.480 --> 00:34:25.340 I've said all along, if you can't serve here, 00:34:25.539 --> 00:34:28.590 your light's not going to shine out there. You 00:34:28.590 --> 00:34:33.849 might want it to. But if you're not serving in 00:34:33.849 --> 00:34:36.710 here, this is gonna be your light out there. 00:34:38.389 --> 00:34:43.969 And you know what that is? That's religion. And 00:34:43.969 --> 00:34:48.150 I want nothing to do with it. I want nothing 00:34:48.150 --> 00:34:51.690 to do with that. I wanna be a people that serves 00:34:51.690 --> 00:34:55.409 and that are lights to the world. And I wanna 00:34:55.409 --> 00:35:01.880 invite you. Stop making excuses. Get involved. 00:35:02.500 --> 00:35:08.639 Do something. Because we need you and the world 00:35:08.639 --> 00:35:12.960 desperately needs you. And it doesn't just start 00:35:12.960 --> 00:35:15.239 with serving, Colossians 4, 6. Let your conversation 00:35:15.239 --> 00:35:18.159 be gracious and attractive so that you will have 00:35:18.159 --> 00:35:21.599 the right response to everyone. See, I believe 00:35:21.599 --> 00:35:24.000 God, the Holy Spirit orchestrates opportunities 00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:27.610 for us to share our messes with others. Our mess 00:35:27.610 --> 00:35:29.750 has become our message so that others can relate, 00:35:29.929 --> 00:35:32.369 identify, connect, and then come into a loving 00:35:32.369 --> 00:35:34.769 relationship with Jesus. But we have to be willing 00:35:34.769 --> 00:35:38.849 to talk. And you say, Chris, what do I talk about? 00:35:39.230 --> 00:35:43.230 Talk about your mess. You don't have to say anything 00:35:43.230 --> 00:35:45.789 about the Bible. You don't have to quote scripture 00:35:45.789 --> 00:35:49.869 to tell your story. And you say, how do I do 00:35:49.869 --> 00:35:52.989 that, Chris? Well, you talk about your mess. 00:35:53.960 --> 00:35:56.579 How you got to a point in your life where you 00:35:56.579 --> 00:36:00.000 met Jesus, what that experience was like, and 00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.139 how your life is now. And then as you tell that 00:36:04.139 --> 00:36:08.139 story, that mess is attractive because people 00:36:08.139 --> 00:36:12.900 relate to it because everybody's in a mess. Are 00:36:12.900 --> 00:36:15.519 you willing to step out and be obedient? Which 00:36:15.519 --> 00:36:19.079 leads us to our one action step. What is God 00:36:19.079 --> 00:36:22.440 trying to show us through all this? Well, here's 00:36:22.440 --> 00:36:27.079 the reality. Every chance from God demands a 00:36:27.079 --> 00:36:31.139 choice from you. Every chance given to us from 00:36:31.139 --> 00:36:34.099 God demands a choice from us. When God saw that 00:36:34.099 --> 00:36:36.239 they had done and how they had stopped their 00:36:36.239 --> 00:36:38.139 evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry 00:36:38.139 --> 00:36:41.019 out the destruction he had threatened. They turned. 00:36:41.599 --> 00:36:44.159 So God relented and didn't bring on the destruction 00:36:44.159 --> 00:36:47.599 that he had threatened. It's incredible. Remember, 00:36:47.739 --> 00:36:50.460 one of the greatest miracles to ever be recorded 00:36:50.460 --> 00:36:53.539 in the Bible. They repented and it simply means 00:36:53.539 --> 00:36:56.079 they turned from their ways and God relented. 00:36:56.619 --> 00:37:00.840 And whenever they turned to him, God took back 00:37:00.840 --> 00:37:04.519 his threat to destroy them. And in the very same 00:37:04.519 --> 00:37:07.360 way, he reveals his mercy and grace to us when 00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:11.380 we mess up again and again and again. How many 00:37:11.380 --> 00:37:16.199 of you have a mess up again story? Okay, a few. 00:37:16.579 --> 00:37:20.480 Can the rest of you take off your halos and be 00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:26.679 honest? You know that. God, I'm never going to 00:37:26.679 --> 00:37:29.719 swear again. Only to have someone cut you off. 00:37:29.960 --> 00:37:36.079 You know. Put your hand up. God, I'm never going 00:37:36.079 --> 00:37:40.360 to yell at my kids again. Yep, put your hand 00:37:40.360 --> 00:37:44.860 up. Only to lose your temper. God, I'm not going 00:37:44.860 --> 00:37:47.420 to listen to those negative voices telling me 00:37:47.420 --> 00:37:50.880 I'm worthless and no good. Only to be in a month 00:37:50.880 --> 00:37:56.369 -long depression. God, I'm not going to be hateful 00:37:56.369 --> 00:37:58.289 or negative and then you catch yourself on social 00:37:58.289 --> 00:38:05.409 media. God, I'm never going to be critical. I'm 00:38:05.409 --> 00:38:07.570 not going to do it anymore. I'm not going to 00:38:07.570 --> 00:38:09.269 look at that. I'm not going to be mean to my 00:38:09.269 --> 00:38:12.170 spouse. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. What 00:38:12.170 --> 00:38:17.269 are we doing? What are we doing? Scrubbing the 00:38:17.269 --> 00:38:25.010 stain. Oh, for those of you who can't see. Here's 00:38:25.010 --> 00:38:29.610 the great news. When you mess up, Jesus joins 00:38:29.610 --> 00:38:32.969 us in that mess. Isaiah chapter 30. So the Lord 00:38:32.969 --> 00:38:35.409 must wait for you to come to him so he can show 00:38:35.409 --> 00:38:37.250 you his love and compassion. If you're in relationship 00:38:37.250 --> 00:38:39.590 with him, go to him. For the Lord is faithful. 00:38:40.889 --> 00:38:44.329 Blessed are those who wait for his help. Remember, 00:38:44.489 --> 00:38:46.369 our God is a God of second chances. And in the 00:38:46.369 --> 00:38:48.550 New Testament, we read about another preacher 00:38:48.550 --> 00:38:51.449 from a small town in Galilee sent on a rescue 00:38:51.449 --> 00:38:54.480 mission, but this time for all humanity. Jesus 00:38:54.480 --> 00:38:56.980 came from heaven to earth to die for you and 00:38:56.980 --> 00:39:00.119 me. Not for some cleaned up version of yourself. 00:39:00.260 --> 00:39:03.440 No, he came and died for you just as you are. 00:39:04.420 --> 00:39:07.139 God paid the price for our sins so that we can 00:39:07.139 --> 00:39:11.280 be accepted and welcomed into God's family. And 00:39:11.280 --> 00:39:13.420 there was this moment in Matthew 12 when Jesus 00:39:13.420 --> 00:39:16.059 was trying to explain the significance of this 00:39:16.059 --> 00:39:18.340 moment to the Pharisees. And he says this in 00:39:18.340 --> 00:39:21.829 Matthew 12, 41. The people of Nineveh will stand 00:39:21.829 --> 00:39:24.550 up against this generation on judgment day and 00:39:24.550 --> 00:39:29.090 condemn it. For they repented of their sins at 00:39:29.090 --> 00:39:32.010 the preaching of Jonah. Notice what Jesus says. 00:39:32.170 --> 00:39:36.650 Now someone greater than Jonah is here, but you 00:39:36.650 --> 00:39:40.070 refuse to repent. See, Jesus is challenging the 00:39:40.070 --> 00:39:43.269 Pharisees and the people of Nineveh responded 00:39:43.269 --> 00:39:46.920 to one of the worst sermons ever recorded. And 00:39:46.920 --> 00:39:49.860 now you're hearing truth spoken from the very 00:39:49.860 --> 00:39:53.400 mouth of God. Will you respond? And it's the 00:39:53.400 --> 00:39:57.300 same question that he says to us when we gather 00:39:57.300 --> 00:40:00.719 together. Jonah preached death and destruction. 00:40:00.780 --> 00:40:04.179 Jesus said, I'm going to die for you. Jonah preached 00:40:04.179 --> 00:40:06.739 without hope. Jesus says, I am the hope of the 00:40:06.739 --> 00:40:09.679 resurrection. Jonah's message didn't mention 00:40:09.679 --> 00:40:13.260 a second chance. Jesus is all about second chances. 00:40:14.139 --> 00:40:17.539 And he's offering the same to us today. Your 00:40:17.539 --> 00:40:20.840 past doesn't define you. Your mistakes just this 00:40:20.840 --> 00:40:24.300 past week is not who you are. Jesus joins in 00:40:24.300 --> 00:40:29.940 our mess and gives us a second chance. Will you 00:40:29.940 --> 00:40:43.320 stand with me? So listen, we're gonna pray a 00:40:43.320 --> 00:40:46.360 simple prayer and it's not that prayer. It's 00:40:46.360 --> 00:40:49.780 another prayer. I want to lead you through a 00:40:49.780 --> 00:40:53.119 simple prayer where you can lay down whatever 00:40:53.119 --> 00:40:56.380 it is that you brought into this place. Because 00:40:56.380 --> 00:41:01.659 I believe God wants to release, dare I say, a 00:41:01.659 --> 00:41:06.460 spirit of revival in our people. Because see, 00:41:06.460 --> 00:41:11.119 so many of us, listen, so many of us, we become 00:41:11.119 --> 00:41:15.880 crippled in our faith because of this. We allow 00:41:15.880 --> 00:41:19.920 the stains in our life to influence and impact 00:41:19.920 --> 00:41:22.659 our relationship with Jesus. And then we're useless. 00:41:24.119 --> 00:41:30.360 Because we constantly focus on the stain. And 00:41:30.360 --> 00:41:35.480 the Bible very clearly tells us that God forgives 00:41:35.480 --> 00:41:37.400 us as far as the East is from the West. That, 00:41:37.400 --> 00:41:40.360 you know, though our sins are like crimson, now 00:41:40.360 --> 00:41:45.800 they're what? White. And I'm not telling you 00:41:45.800 --> 00:41:47.900 to justify your actions to go out and just keep 00:41:47.900 --> 00:41:49.780 sinning and ask for forgiveness. I'm not telling 00:41:49.780 --> 00:41:51.820 you that. I'm telling you to stop beating yourself 00:41:51.820 --> 00:41:55.639 up when you make a simple mistake. When you fall 00:41:55.639 --> 00:41:58.420 into temptation, when you say the wrong word, 00:41:58.500 --> 00:42:01.179 when you just quickly go to God, ask for forgiveness 00:42:01.179 --> 00:42:03.000 and go to the person and extend them forgiveness 00:42:03.000 --> 00:42:05.139 and receive forgiveness and then move on in your 00:42:05.139 --> 00:42:06.800 relationship with Jesus and change the world. 00:42:09.699 --> 00:42:13.280 Stop being stuck in your seats. That's boring. 00:42:15.800 --> 00:42:20.219 Seat sitting is boring. Like, let's get out there 00:42:20.219 --> 00:42:26.320 and get dirty. Get our hands dirty. Right? See, 00:42:26.400 --> 00:42:28.800 the prisoner's set free and the blind healed 00:42:28.800 --> 00:42:33.480 and the lame walk. Like, that's Jesus' mission. 00:42:33.559 --> 00:42:35.639 He's living inside of us. Let's go be that mission 00:42:35.639 --> 00:42:41.420 to the world, church. Stop making excuses. I 00:42:41.420 --> 00:42:44.139 don't want to hear them. I hear enough from my 00:42:44.139 --> 00:42:46.219 softball team and my baseball team and everything 00:42:46.219 --> 00:42:54.820 else. Stop making excuses. All right. So we're 00:42:54.820 --> 00:42:56.639 going to pray a simple prayer, and I'm going 00:42:56.639 --> 00:42:59.500 to leave a blank where you can lay down where 00:42:59.500 --> 00:43:02.820 you need a second chance, whatever that is. Let's 00:43:02.820 --> 00:43:09.739 pray together. Jesus, I choose as an act of my 00:43:09.739 --> 00:43:23.840 will. To lay down. Forgive me, God. I believe 00:43:23.840 --> 00:43:29.559 and receive your grace and your forgiveness. 00:43:30.460 --> 00:43:36.340 Empower me to move on and change the world. In 00:43:36.340 --> 00:43:47.039 Jesus' name. There you go, you're free. You're 00:43:47.039 --> 00:43:49.619 free. Oh, it's that easy, Chris? Yeah, it's that 00:43:49.619 --> 00:43:54.179 easy. You can do that at home on Wednesday when 00:43:54.179 --> 00:43:59.280 you need a second chance. Just saying. Now we're 00:43:59.280 --> 00:44:00.960 going to pray a simple prayer as I always do 00:44:00.960 --> 00:44:03.539 because I believe people need to be given the 00:44:03.539 --> 00:44:05.119 opportunity to come into a relationship with 00:44:05.119 --> 00:44:08.059 Jesus. We all prayed it together. It's a safe 00:44:08.059 --> 00:44:09.500 place. We're not going to ask you to raise your 00:44:09.500 --> 00:44:10.739 hand. I'm not even going to ask you to come up 00:44:10.739 --> 00:44:14.139 front. I'm just going to pray with you and I'm 00:44:14.139 --> 00:44:15.719 going to welcome you into our community of faith. 00:44:15.780 --> 00:44:17.809 Welcome home. Those of you who pray this prayer, 00:44:17.889 --> 00:44:21.769 let's pray together. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full 00:44:21.769 --> 00:44:27.630 of doubt, shame, regret, sin. Change me. Forgive 00:44:27.630 --> 00:44:33.070 me. I believe you're God's son. I believe you 00:44:33.070 --> 00:44:37.949 died for me. I believe you're alive today. Make 00:44:37.949 --> 00:44:42.030 me new. Set me free. Fill me with your spirit. 00:44:42.909 --> 00:44:47.079 Help me, God, to serve others. In Jesus' name, 00:44:47.239 --> 00:44:51.099 amen. All right, listen. Hold on before you go. 00:44:51.340 --> 00:44:55.340 Two things. If you struggle understanding the 00:44:55.340 --> 00:44:58.820 love of God, Rudy is doing a class tonight, 5 00:44:58.820 --> 00:45:04.019 o 'clock, 5 to 6 .30, month -long class on the 00:45:04.019 --> 00:45:06.719 love of God and walking and experiencing that. 00:45:07.599 --> 00:45:09.559 Okay, so if you're looking for that, want to 00:45:09.559 --> 00:45:11.300 experience that, be here tonight at 5. There 00:45:11.300 --> 00:45:13.710 are several words of knowledge. You have shoulder 00:45:13.710 --> 00:45:16.469 pain in the outer part of your right shoulder. 00:45:17.570 --> 00:45:20.449 You have painful upper part of the femur bone. 00:45:20.909 --> 00:45:23.309 I don't even know what that is, but whatever 00:45:23.309 --> 00:45:27.389 that is. You have swollen tonsils. You have hip 00:45:27.389 --> 00:45:30.550 pain in your left hip. You're a pain in the neck. 00:45:35.969 --> 00:45:38.469 That could mean a lot of things for a lot of 00:45:38.469 --> 00:45:42.429 you. So in other words, some of you really need 00:45:42.429 --> 00:45:50.110 prayer. Wow. And you currently are battling and 00:45:50.110 --> 00:45:53.429 struggling with the temptation of homosexuality. 00:45:54.329 --> 00:45:56.429 So if any of those are you, our prayer team will 00:45:56.429 --> 00:45:58.610 be on my left and my right to pray with you and 00:45:58.610 --> 00:46:02.269 agree with you in prayer. I close out Jonah next 00:46:02.269 --> 00:46:04.809 week with Jonah chapter four. And this week, 00:46:04.909 --> 00:46:07.719 listen. I want to invite all of you, our entire 00:46:07.719 --> 00:46:09.659 community of faith, to go through a devotional 00:46:09.659 --> 00:46:12.159 on the book of Jonah. It's seven days. You can 00:46:12.159 --> 00:46:14.980 scan the QR code on your chair or talk to them 00:46:14.980 --> 00:46:17.099 at the Welcome Hub to be a part of it. I think 00:46:17.099 --> 00:46:18.760 it would be powerful for us all to go through 00:46:18.760 --> 00:46:21.440 Jonah together. Amen? All right. See you guys 00:46:21.440 --> 00:46:35.159 next week. God bless you guys. Turn water into 00:46:35.159 --> 00:46:37.340 wine Please fix my heart and the things inside