Message 29 – Second Chance

Good morning,
Welcome to the Blue Lake Presbyterian church.

Today’s message is titled: “Second Chance” and is based on Jonah 3:1-10

But I like to kick it off with something funny. A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though wales are very large mammals, their throat is relatively small.

Then the little girl said: but Jonah was swallowed by a whale. The teacher repeated: a whale could not swallow a human; it is impossible.
The little girl said, “When I get to Heaven, I will ask Jonah.”
The teacher asked, “What if Jonah went to hell?
The little girl replied: “Then you ask him.”

The theme today is a “Second Chance” in the case of Jonah and often in life that “Second Chance” comes after being rescued or saved.

Let me illustrate this with a story.

Growing up in Holland, vacation meant a trip to the east part of the Country, and spending a week with family at their farm with cattle, pigs and chickens.

I remember one particular time, playing with our cousins outside the barn; there was a large concrete cistern full of liquid manure. Somehow the lid of this underground tank had been removed. While not paying attention, I remember falling backwards into this manure tank.

I was about 5 years old at the time, being submerged in liquid manure, I felt a hand grabbing me and pulling me out, it was my older cousin who rescued me. Thanks to God, I am forever thankful to my cousin for saving me from drowning in this manure pit. I wouldn’t be standing here today if it wasn’t for him being there at the right time.

Speaking of a “Second Chance”,

In 1983 I spotted a job posting in a Dutch horticultural magazine for a Lily grower position in America. The President of the company came to Holland for interviews, and he offered me the job. I applied for a visa to work in America, but the application was denied based on some technicality. I had a meeting with the ranking official at the US consulate in Amsterdam, and eventually a “Second Chance” came when a work visa was granted.

On October 23 1983, I boarded an airplane for America, and the rest is history.

A few weeks ago on New Year’s Day we watched the Rose Bowl. What an epic game, between the University of Georgia and Oklahoma. The game lasted over four hours, resulting in double overtime; a first in Rose Bowl history.

Both teams scored a combined 102 points, a Rose Bowl record. Georgia overcame a 17 point deficit, the largest in Rose Bowl history to win the game. The pivotal moment came when Georgia got the ball back, 6 seconds before half time, and 4 seconds later, the team tried a 55 yard field goal.

Earlier in the game the kicker had attempted a 49 yarder and missed. But he got a “Second Chance” ,,,made history and set a Rose Bowl record for longest field goal ever from 55-yards.

It made me think of the story of the Rose Bowl between Georgia Tec and Cal Berkeley in 1929.

Berkeley player, Roy Riegels recovered a fumble, but became confused and ran the wrong way, eventually resulting in 2 points for the opponent.

At half time the players ran into the locker room, and sat down wondering what the coach would say.

Roy sat by himself, away from the other players, put a towel over his head and cried his heart out.

He was so distraught, he told his coach: I can’t go back. I’ve ruined you, I’ve ruined myself, I’ve ruined the school. I can’t face that crowd.” The coach said “Roy, get up, and go back out there, the game is only half over.”

Roy Riegels played an outstanding second half and became Cal’s football captain the next season. He was an officer in the Army Air Forces during World War II.

In 1991, he was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, and Cal’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

What a marvelous coach giving Roy Riegels a “Second Chance”.

What an awesome God that gives a “Second Chance” to all who repent and humble themselves.

The bible is full of stories where God is merciful in giving a “Second Chance.
Jacob, is a perfect example, Jacob’s name means “deceiver.” And he certainly lived up to his name. In Genesis 32:24 Jacob had an encounter with the Lord that changed his life. And with a changed life, came a new name: Israel.

Moses killed an Egyptian and fled from Egypt, escaping to the land of Midian. The Bible says in Exodus 2:11 God gave him a ‘Second Chance”.
Moses eventually delivered the children of Israel out of the hands of Pharaoh.

Today’s “Second Chance” story comes from Jonah a book in the Bible covering less than 2 pages.

The “Top ten list.com” of most popular bible stories, lists the tale of Jonah at #8, the story is well known, it typically connotes references to a whale.
This week, I asked some people what came to mind, hearing the name Jonah. While most people said a whale, the majority thought the story ended when Jonah was spit out on the beach.

But the second part of the story is every bit as important; this is where the “Second Chance” comes into the picture, and this brings us to today’s reading in Jonah 3:1-10, on page.

3The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2“Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” 3So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across.

4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. 6When the news reached the King of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the King and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. 8Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. 9Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.” 10When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it………….

Folks, the second part of the story of Jonah starts with: The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. The word of the Lord, that saying, repeats itself in the Old Testament over 2000 times. The word of the Lord came to Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, and to the prophets.

The word of the Lord had come to Jonah the first time in the beginning of the story, The Lord had told Jonah get up go to Nineveh that great city,
You may wonder where Nineveh is. The city of Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrians it was the oldest and most-populous city of the ancient Assyrian empire, situated on the east bank of the Tigris River. Nineveh was located at the intersection of important north-south and east-west trade routes.

The old city and ruins of Nineveh today are surrounded by the city of Mosul, in Iraq. In 2015 it was in the news, as ISIS militants destroyed artifacts in this ancient city and ruined some of the old city gates.

When the Lord called the first time, Jonah didn’t want to hear him, he wasn’t about to be a preacher in a city full of wicked and mean people, his life wouldn’t be safe, telling these people to repent from their sins, so instead he went to Joppa, just south of Tel Aviv, bought a ticket to go to this beach resort in Tarshis, far away.

We all know what happened next: the Lord brought a storm, the sailors were terrified and eventually threw Jonah over board, but the Lord wasn’t done with Jonah.

He had much bigger plans for him, so Jonah gets saved and spent 3 days in the belly of a big fish.

There is much speculation if this really could have happened. Well, the truth is, it did:

Records of the British Admiralty show a story about a man named James Bartley, an apprentice seaman on a whaler was swallowed by a whale in February 1891, two hundred miles east of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. He spent 2 days in the stomach of the whale and survived to tell about it, but his skin was bleached white from the experience.

So Jonah, survives to tell about it as well, he get thrown onto the beach, he stands there, still dazed, pulling some sea weeds out of his hair. And here comes the word of the Lord the second time. Get up, go to Nineveh that great city and proclaim the message that I tell you.

This time, he goes as fast as he can, when he gets to this huge city, he gives the shortest sermon ever given. At the top of his lungs he shouts 8 words: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overthrown”.

But this shortest sermon sets off the largest revival in history of mankind. To Jonah’s surprise the people are listening, they are starting to fast and they are putting on sack cloth, Jonah can’t believe his eyes.

Then the King of Nineveh hears about it, and rather than throwing Jonah out of town, for causing a nuisance and disrupting the city, he gets of his throne, takes off his robe, puts on the sack cloth himself and makes this proclamation of a city wide fasting , and repentance.

He wants to show God, that the people of Nineveh mean business. But in an interesting twist God repents as well, he changes his mind and he spares the City.

So first Jonah gets a “Second Chance” to redeem himself, and assumes the role of prophet as God had instructed him in the first place. But secondly the King and the people of Nineveh get a “Second Chance”.
What can we learn from this in today’s world?

Let me illustrate this with an example: For the last few years we have a small group of “Teen Challenge” students working at the farm. One of the students asked, if I would give a message at their weekly worship service this Wednesday night in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church in Eureka.
I did, and what an amazing experience it was to attend a church service with these students. The spirit of the Lord was present. It was the most engaged group I have ever addressed, taking copious notes.

These students got a “Second Chance” in life, they went through the dark valley, for a while, they were ensnared by the evil one. But like the people in Nineveh they repented, they acknowledged that they were on the road to destruction, and the Lord provided a “Second Chance”.

The facilities in Eureka host 70 students; it is a “Christ Centered” one year program. 83% of graduates, 5 years later are free from drugs and alcohol, higher than any other program.

They run a coffee shop and bookstore called Club 5:17. Inside is a huge sign with 2Corinthians 5:17: This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.

I can’t think of a better way to describe a “Second Chance”. What a blessing to have this great organization, this beacon of hope, in the midst of our community.

John Newton, the author of “Amazing Grace” saw his share of darkness. At age eleven he went to sea, sailed six voyages before he was pressed into service by the Royal Navy. At one point he tried to desert and was punished in front of the crew of 350.

Following that disgrace and humiliation, he contemplated killing the captain and committing suicide by throwing himself overboard.
Later he transferred to a slave ship and got involved in the slave trade. This headstrong kid did not get along with the crew.

They left him in West Africa with a slave dealer. He then was abused and mistreated just as the other slaves. He was rescued and on the voyage back to England the ship encountered a severe storm and almost sank.

As the ship filled with water, he called out to God. The cargo shifted and plugged the hole, and the ship drifted to shore safely. Newton marked this experience as the beginning of his conversion.

He began to read the Bible and made a point of avoiding profanity, gambling, and drinking. He became an ordained evangelical Anglican cleric. Newton eventually became a prominent supporter to end the slave trade and helped to see England’s abolition of slavery in 1807.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I am found, was blind but now I see. This is the ultimate hymn depicting a “Second Chance”.

Friends, we don’t have to allow the mistakes of the past to hold us captive. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13, “. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,
God is giving us a “Second Chance” to change our ways and to ask him to come into our lives.

The word of the Lord came to Solomon in 2 chronicles 7:14: over 200 years before Jonah, and the message was identical.

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Friends, humble our hearts to the Lord, and turn away from evil.
Ask Jesus to come into our lives, and to accept him as Lord and Savior.
Are we ready to make that commitment, to put our trust in the Lord?

Take that “Second Chance”, this may be our last chance.
Commit ourselves to Christ and he will lead us on that narrow road to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thank you,
God Bless you,
Amen,

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