Wait a little longer

I have had an item on the website Kijiji for almost a month now. I wanted to sell it, and this is a website that can assist with this, so I posted it.


I posted it and waited. I hoped that my phone would ring off the hook from people who wanted that I was selling. Nothing.

I removed the item that I wanted to sell, and reposted it with a lower price. “This would do it" I told myself.

Still nothing.

Over the last week, I had thoughts of removing this item, thinking this was a lost cause, but I didn’t, and over the last 2 days, I had 3 people looking for this one item!

I'm glad that I left it posted, because I sold it this morning.

Often times, our spiritual life can be like this too. We ask God for something and all we get is a "wait". Or we are going through a temptation, and we want to give up (or give in, whatever the case may be)

God doesn’t want us to give up or give in. most times; victory comes as we wait a little longer. I have experienced this to be true, and I believe that if you wait on God, He will give you what you need, strength.
The Bible says: "Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
²⁹ He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
³⁰ Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. ³¹ But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." (Is. 40:28-31, NLT2)

God may be asking you to wait a little longer. If you do, you will be rewarded.

Purpose of Christmas, Part 1

The following Post, is the first message in this year's Christmas Series called: What is the Purpose of Christmas?" Enjoy.

            Our church has just come through a time of unprecedented and unparalleled period of spiritual growth.

            During our 40 Days of Purpose, we were reminded over and again that we are not an accident; that God has created us for 5 purposes.

We were created for Worship, for fellowship, for discipleship, for ministry and for evangelism.

We now know what our purpose is. We also know what can happen when we fail to obey God and run from Him. We will end up going places that we shouldn’t go, and doing things that we shouldn’t do.

When we move in the direction that God wants us to move in, we will be right where God wants us to be.

Most of us are doing our best to, only by the grace of God, move in the direction that God wants us to move in.

We are not going to remain in the past; we are going to move forward and reach out and take the Greater things that God has planned for us.  

As you may know, today is the first Sunday of advent. Advent comes from the Latin word for coming, and ever since the sixth century, the Church, has taken the four Sunday’s leading up to Christmas to celebrate Jesus’ first Advent and prepare for His Second Advent.

As I’ve been thinking about what I would like to share with you this holiday season, a question has been floating around in my head for the last few weeks. The question is “what is the purpose of Christmas”?

In the interest of full disclosure, this thought comes from Rick Warren’s book called “the purpose of Christmas”. The thought is from Rick, but the words I am about to share with you now, come from the Holy Spirit.

PRAY-

            “What is the purpose of Christmas”?

If I were to give you the opportunity to respond to that question, I am sure the answer would be as varied as the people present in this room today. Some of the answers might even surprise us.

ILLUSTRATION- a Sunday school teacher once asked her class a question: “what is gray, has a bushy tail, collects nuts, and climbs trees?”

            Before anyone else could answer, a 4 year old boy stuck up his hand and said: “I know the answer is Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me.”

            Many people miss the purpose of Christmas. Perhaps you are one of them.

Perhaps you are one person who thinks that Christmas is about one of the following situations:

ILLUSTRATION- Most of us in this room observe holiday traditions. You do things in your homes that you have done for years. Beth and I are no different.  

One of our holiday traditions is watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

While we have seen this show several times, it’s not quite Christmas until I have seen Clark Griswold at his absolute best.

            Maybe you think that the purpose of Christmas is observing family traditions….

ILLUSTRATION- Maybe you think that Christmas is all about the commercials.  Let’s face it; there are some pretty creative commercials on TV this time of the year.

            Check this one out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnUZPBfucAk

            Who wouldn’t like to receive a nice big-screen television, a new digital camera and a blue-ray player for Christmas this year?

Is the purpose of Christmas found in commercials?

ILLUSTRATION- A few weeks ago, my Grandmother asked my family for a Christmas list. She does this ever year, so it wasn’t unexpected.

            She wanted us to flip through the Sears Wish Book and write down the things that we would like to receive.

            At the bottom of my list, I wrote “iPad 2”, because what I would really like for Christmas is an iPad 2. I sent this list off to her.

            This past Wednesday, while talking to my father, he asked for a Christmas list, so Beth and I sat at the kitchen table, and wrote out a list of things we’d like to receive from my side of the family.

            At the bottom of this list, just before I sent it off, I included the words “iPad 2 from Staples”

            A few weeks ago, I asked my wife what she would like to have for Christmas, and she responded with the usual: “I don’t know.”

After she thought about it for a moment or two, she told me that she would like to have a new coat, or cross country skis for the family.

            She then asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Can you guess what I told her? I told her that I wanted an iPad 2.

            Are gifts the purpose of Christmas?

            No doubt, getting and receiving gifts is a big part of Christmas. It was during the first Christmas that wise men traveled many miles to present their gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh to the new born King.

            But is gift giving and receiving what Christmas is all about? Are gifts the purpose of Christmas?

ILLUSTRATION- Maybe the purpose of Christmas is getting a few days off work. Everyone knows how hard we work, and we all deserve more days off than we currently have, so maybe the purpose of Christmas is extra time off?

            Maybe the purpose of Christmas is sitting around a fire drinking the world’s worst drink—eggnog—and singing “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.” Certainly, this is the message that we’ve become accustomed to today.

            I wonder if we have lost the real meaning of Christmas. While I am not saying that any of these things in and of themselves are bad, I simply wonder if we overlook the purpose of Christmas.

            I would suggest to you today that Christmas isn’t so much about gifts as it is about a Gift, Jesus Himself.

ILLUSTRATION- D.A. Carson once wrote the following:

            If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, He would have sent an economist.

If God had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, He would have sent us a comedian or an artist.

            If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, He

would have sent us a politician.

If God had perceived that our greatest need was health, He would have sent us a doctor.

But God perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from Him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior." (http://rockedbygrace.blogspot.com/2011/07/if-god-had-perceived-that-our-greatest.html)

The purpose of Christmas isn’t a story about commercials; the purpose of Christmas isn’t about what we will give or receive, the purpose of Christmas is about God’s gift to us, the Gift of a Savior.

This gift is described in Luke chapter 2:

“The Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. ² (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

³ All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.        ⁴ And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.

⁵ He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.

⁷ She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

⁸ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.

⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2:1-14, NLT2)

This passage reminds me of what the purpose of Christmas is all about. This passage reminds me that Christmas is about the Gift that was born that night in

the manger so many years ago.

The Purpose of Christmas is so we might receive Jesus, our Immanuel.

You do know that Jesus was given to you, right? Over 400 years before Jesus stepped foot on this earth, the prophet Isaiah said these words:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Is. 9:6, NIV)

Hundreds of years before Jesus breathed His first breath, it was prophesied that He would be given to and for us.

The angel himself, in Luke Chapter 2, reminds us that the purpose of Christmas is threefold:

Christmas is a time to celebrate,

Christmas is a time for salvation;

And Christmas is a time for reconciliation.

Over the next few weeks we want to examine a little closer what each of these statements mean to us, but first we need to notice just exactly who was among the first to receive The Gift of God.

Who were the first people on the scene? Who were the first people to witness the new born King? The shepherds.  

The Good News of Jesus Christ was first proclaimed to lonely shepherds. They weren’t scholars, or superheroes. They were everyday, ordinary people.

God chose to make His entrance known to ordinary people.

Friends, God longs to reveal Himself to you in a fresh new way this Christmas season. God wants to show up in your life in a way you never thought possible.

God still longs to speak to ordinary people.

God wants 4 words to change your life forever…

Show “four words” clip 

http://www.sermonspice.com/product/21564/four-words

            “…The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11, NIV)

            This Christmas Season, we are going to explore the purpose of Christmas, and see how the answer can change our lives forever. 

Jonah #3

Here is the final message in our Jonah series. Next up, Christmas!

 

            Our God is a God of second chances! We see this clearly portrayed in the life of Peter, who was given a second chance after he denied the Name of Jesus.  

ILLUSTRATION- I was given a second chance after I denied the Name of Jesus.

            Jonah was given a second chance as well. He was given a second chance inside the whale and he took that second chance and went to Nineveh to preach repentance.

            The people of Nineveh heard the message of the second chance. The people of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, and as a result, lives were changed. 

            When the king heard what was taking place in his city, he issued a decree telling people that they were to “…turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence.” (Jonah 3:8b, NLT2)

            The king instructed his people to put an end to their wicked ways. The people obeyed their king and Jonah 3:10 says:

             “When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.” (NLT2)

            Did you catch that? God offered the people a chance to be free, and they took that chance. God offered the people of Nineveh a second chance and they reached out and received that second chance.

            When we move in the direction that God wants us to move in, we will be right where God wants us to be.

            God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh; because God wanted Nineveh to be delivered.

            God wants you to go to Nineveh because he wants you to be delivered. Life isn’t found on the road to Tarshish; life is only found as we move to Nineveh.

            Are you on the road to Tarshishà going in a direction that God doesn’t want you to go in, or are you walking with God on the right path? One of these ways will lead you to destruction; the other way will lead you to find a second chance.

            I wish I could tell you that our study on Jonah ends right here. I wish I could pray our closing prayer and dismiss you to your Sunday afternoon slumber, but I can’t…. I can’t end the story of Jonah here, because God didn’t end the story of Jonah here. We must deal with chapter 4.

PRAY

            This chapter is interesting. It’s interesting because it shows us the reason

Jonah ran to Tarshish and it shows us the compassion of God, which oddly enough, is the reason Jonah ran to Tarshish.

            After God gave the people of Nineveh a second chance, Jonah became frustrated.

The Bible says: “This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.

² So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.

³ Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” (Jonah 4:1-3, NLT2)

Jonah was cheesed off at God because God acted in accordance with His character. Jonah was mad at God because God IS compassionate, loving, kind and just.

Jonah was angry at God because He gave the people of Nineveh a second chance.

My how we have a short memory! We are quick to ask God to ask God to “bless us”; but when He “blesses others” instead of “blessing us”, we turn heal.

We are quick to ask God for a second chance, but don’t give Jon a second chance, because He doesn’t deserve it!  

This world is full of Jonah’s.

We are quick to ask God for a blessing, but when He blesses someone else, we go all Jonah.

We forgot that we work for God, God doesn’t work for us. We forget that God is a God of compassion, that God is a God of grace, that God is a God of second chances.

The Bible says: “O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.” (Psalm 86:5, NLT2)

Friends, God wants all people to receive His grace, mercy and forgiveness.

God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh because He loved them and wanted to spare their lives.

This is the heart of our God. His heart breaks for people. This is why God wanted Jonah to go and share the message.

This is why God wants us to share the message. This is why we are taking the step of faith and hiring a full time assistant pastor.

There are men, women, boys and girls who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and this church is committed to doing whatever it takes to

reach one more for Jesus. 

It’s not enough for us to say “us for and no more”—as Jonah did. Because

God is a God of second chances; because God is a God of 4,756 chances, we must take Him into our community. We must introduce people to Jesus Christ.

ILLUSTRATION- If my figures are correct, from one tip of the Ridge Hill, to the next tip of the Ridge Hill, there are at least 50 people who don’t go to church, there are at least 50 families who are at home at this very hour, there are at least 50 lost people.

            This tells me that we’ve got work to do. This tells me that we’ve got to take the 2^nd chance that we’ve received from God and take it to our community.

            Chances are pretty good that where you live there is at least one person who doesn’t know God.

Chances are that people need to hear the message that the God of the Bible is the God of the second chance.

            And you are the person who will tell them this message. Jesus is the message, but you are the messenger. You are to go and share the God of the second chance with them.

            You see, found people find people. 

Once you have given your life over to Jesus Christ, you are to devote that

life to helping other people find Jesus.

            The Bible says: “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17, NIV)

            A few verses down, we read that: “…we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Cor. 5:20, NLT2)

            God wants us to go to Nineveh and share the news of His love and compassion and grace with anyone who will listen, because found people find people.

            Jonah never got that memo. What he did get was an unhealthy dose of bitterness.

            The Bible tells us that after Jonah exchanged words with God, he went to the edge of town to see what would happen to the city.

            As Jonah was resting, a “leafy plant” (Jonah 4:6, NLT2) began to grow and provided him much needed shade, and lowered his internal temperature.

            Jonah was enjoying life under this plant, that is until God caused a worm to come and eat the plant.

            Again, Jonah expressed his frustration, and God came to Jonah with a life lesson:

            “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly.

¹¹ But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” (Jonah 4:10-11, NLT2)

            Jonah was frustrated that this plant—that he had no hand in creating—was destroyed, but was indifferent to the fact that 120,000 people would have died without God’s intervention in their life.  

            Jonah missed the point of God’s calling. He missed the deliverance that God wanted to bring.

            Let’s not miss the deliverance that God wants to bring to our community, to our family and to our friends.

Unless we take specific steps to reach the unsaved people in our community they will go to a Christ-less eternity.

            You see dear friends, God cares for all people, and He wants found people to find people.

              In Ezekiel 18, God asked a question: “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die?….Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.” (NLT2) 

            God doesn’t want people to spend eternity separated from Him. He wants people to take the second chance that He longs to give them.  

            This is why Jesus came to earth. Our sin separated us from Almighty God, so the God-Man took our sin upon Himself and His resurrection makes it possible for us to find life.

            “God made him who had no sin to be a sin offering for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21, NIV)

            You see dear church it’s our job to go to Nineveh. It’s our job to ask God for changed lives. It’s our job to share the Good News with the people of Nineveh.

            It’s not our job to go all Jonah on God when He acts in accordance with His character—God is a gentleman, and He will not force Himself on anyone, but He does want us to share the message of the 2^nd chance with everyone.

            God wants us to go to Nineveh; God wants us to proclaim His love, mercy and forgiveness.

            The story of Jonah teaches us that God uses messed up people to reach messed up people.

            So who are you praying for, hoping that they will come to faith in Jesus? Who are you asking God to change?

            The message of Jonah chapter 4 is that God’s heart breaks for people. The

Bible reminds us that God does not want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9b, NIV)

People might not change, but it’s not because God doesn’t want them to. God has given us free will; it’s up to us to choose whether we come to God or not, but if we don’t, it’s not because He didn’t want it to happen.

You see church, God’s heart breaks for people. Jonah’s heart should have broken for people, instead of a silly leaf.   

I wonder what breaks your heart? Are you crying out to God for lost people? Are you asking God to change lives?

Jonah was upset that 120,000 people received a second chance from God. Don’t fall into the same boat.

The God of the Bible is a God who loves people, a God who wants people to spend eternity with Him.

God wants us to take the second chance that we’ve been given and share it with the people who don’t know Him.

So, who will you share the message of the 2^nd chance with?

Who will you show Jesus to?

Who will you invite to church?

            “At the end of the day, we do not have a program, plan, platform, or

product to help the world. We have a Savior. We do not point to success, knowledge, pleasure or power. We point to the cross.” (Ortberg, 2010, 253)

            Those of us, who have received a second chance from God, have a responsibility to take that second chance into the world.

            As the band comes and prepares to lead us in our closing song, I want you to know that God is sending you to Nineveh. If people are going to find Jesus, it will be because of us.

Begin crying out to God for lost people. God wants you to share the message of the second chance with the people he has placed in your life.

If you have never accepted Jesus into your heart, this is the time and this is the placeà God wants you to receive a second chance.

Jonah #2

Here is the message from Sunday, November 13.. I really enjoyed speaking this one,and being reminded that God is a God of second chances... enjoy!

            Last Sunday, we began looking at the book of Jonah. We said that the main theme of this book is deliverance. God wanted to deliver Jonah, and God wants to deliver each of us.

One main principle that the book of Jonah teaches us is that: When we move in the direction that God wants us to move in, we will be right where God wants to be. This is a phenomenal life principle; one that bears repeating again and again. (REPEAT)

You know that the opposite of this life lesson is also true, too. When we move in the direction that God doesn’t want us to move in, we won’t be where God wants us to be.

Both of these statements were true in Jonah’s life; both of these statements are true in my life, and chances are pretty good that both of these statements are true for your life as well.

When we obey God, we end up right where He wants us to be; but when we fail to obey God, we end up sleeping with the fishes.

Fortunately, our God is a God of Second chances.

ILLUSTRATION- Have you ever received a second chance? I have.

In fact, I think I have received 4,576 second chances. (Not that I’m keeping track…)

            With the exception of a handful of people, no one has ever heard what I am about to tell you now. This illustrates second chances.

            The first time I went to Elizabeth’s house, it was a disaster. Her younger brother, Andrew, had asked if I wanted to go 4-wheeling with him in the gravel pit just below their house.

            Always wanting to do something fun, I agreed, and the two of us went zipping up and down plies and plies of rock.

            As we were coming home, something happened. As we approached the garage door, and I firmly believe, even to this day, that I hit the break—but it turned out to be the gas; and I smashed into the garage door and crumpled it up like a tin can.

            Did I mention this was the first time that I was at Beth’s house?

            After Andrew peeled me out of the wreck, we went inside and the first words out of my mouth were: “we’re all saved in this room, right?” which was immediately followed by: “why.”

            I no doubt left an impression on her folks that day, but thankfully, I was given a second chance to make a first impression.

            Everyone loves second chances! I have been on the receiving end of 2^nd chances my entire life, not only with my family, but also with my God.

            The story of Jonah is all about second chances.

            The Bible says: “The Lord gave this message to Jonah…

            ² “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” (Jonah 1:1-2, NLT2)

            Jonah often received words from God, because he was in the business of hearing from God; he was a prophet.

            God would speak to Jonah; Jonah would relay the message and life would be grand. But not this time.

Verse 3 says: “…Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.”(Jonah 1:3, NLT2)

Jonah ran in the opposite direction. He wasn’t planning on being gone for a day or two. His plan was to never come back!

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hau6xWg8pUQ)

            He boarded a ship that was going in the complete opposite direction of where God had wanted Him to go. He had no plans to go to Nineveh. Ever.

            The Bible says: “…he went aboard (the ship) and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.” (Jonah 3:3b, NIV)

            Jonah’s plan was to get as far away from God as possible. Tarshish was in the opposite direction of where God wanted Jonah to go.

              But why? Why would a man who regularly received messages from God, turn his back on God?

            Because Jonah had received his copy of the Nineveh Times and Transcript and he didn’t like what he read.

            According to the OT book of Nahum, Nineveh was a wicked city.

            Nahum chapter 3 tells us that Nineveh was a “…city of murder and lies…” (Nahum 3:1m NLT2)

In verse 3 we read: “…There are countless casualties, heaps of bodies—so many bodies that people stumble over them.” (Nahum 3:3b, NLT2)

            God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh because she was a wicked city.

God wanted to deliver Nineveh, but Jonah didn’t want to go, so he boarded a ship that was going in the complete opposite direction.

            You know the storyà Jonah runs from God; gets into a raw deal with some sailors, ends up walking the plank in a violent storm; becomes fish food; meets God inside the fish, the fish gets indigestion and spits Jonah out on dry ground

and then God speaks to Jonah one more time.

            ² “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.” (Jonah 3:2, NLT2)

            God told Jonah the same thing He told him just a few days earlier. God didn’t bring up the past; He didn’t say “I told you so”.

He didn’t remind Jonah of his past failures, He simply asked Jonah to go and preach repentance to the Ninevehites. 

            ^“This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh….” (Jonah 3:3a, NLT2)

            God gave Jonah a second chance, and Jonah took that second chance and made it count.

He went to the city of Nineveh and proclaimed God’s message, and the people of Nineveh turned to God.

            Jonah received a second chance to make things right. The Good News of Jesus Christ is that we can receive a second chance to make things right.

            Perhaps God has been asking you to address a Nineveh in your life for years, but you’ve been running from it. “This time” you can address it.

            Perhaps you’ve been dealing with a burden too great for you to deal with; “this time” you can come to God and receive His healing touch.

            The story of Jonah reminds us that our God is a God of second chances.

            ^“This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command….” (Jonah 3:3a, NLT2)

ILLUSTRATION- If I could summarize God’s involvement in my life, it would have to be “second chances”.

I’ve been on the receiving end of a “2^nd chance” from God for most of my life. God has bailed me out of some messed up situations—all of my own making.

I wanted to go my own way and do my own thing. God allowed me to go to Tarshish.

            On one of these occasions, I was this close to losing it all. By “it all”, I mean “it all”

My education; my life with Elizabeth; my career in the ministry. I was going to lose it all, all because I wanted to go to Tarshish.

            It was after a violent storm in my life, that I finally obeyed God and got serious about doing what God had asked me to do…

            ‘This time Pastor Nick obeyed the Lord’s command….’

            I wonder today, how many of you need to see God as the God of second chances?

            While it’s true that it’s always better to follow God first, the reality is that

we are all like Jonah, and we all need a second—or a 5000^th--- chance. 

            Peter did. He sold out Jesus, not once, not twice, but three times.

            Three times he swore that he didn’t know Jesus. Three times he said that he wasn’t one of Jesus’ followers. Three times Peter traveled to Tarshish.

            After Jesus’s death on the cross, after His burial and resurrection, an angel of the Lord appeared to the 3 women at the tomb and said:  

            “Don't be alarmed…You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.

7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"(Mark 16:6-7, NIV)

I’m fascinated by the words: “…and Peter…” (Mark 16:7b, NIV)

Do you know what those words are? A second chance!

God gave Peter a 2^nd chance, and the course of human history was changed forever.

Peter, because of his second chance, was able to preach boldly and clearly, about the resurrected Christ, and what He can do in a life fully devoted to God.

Peter’s life was altered because of a second chance.

ILLUSTRATION- My life has been altered because of a second chance.

            Your life can be altered because of a 2^nd chance.

            But first, you must stop running. You can’t run to Tarshish and expect God to bless you. If you want a second chance from God, you’ve got to go to Nineveh.

            You’ve got to do whatever it is that God is asking you to do. You’ve got to give up whatever it is that God is asking you to give up.

God is a God of second chances, but you must stop running from Him.

Jesus said these words in John 14: "If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15, NIV)

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.” (John 14:21a, NIV)

“If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching….” (John 14:23a, NIV)

Love for God is expressed best through obedience: doing what God asks us to do.

While it’s always better to obey God first, I want you to know that the God of the Bible is the God of second chances. He invites you to come to Him and receive grace, mercy and pardon.

“…Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NLT2)

Jesus invites us to come to Him and receive a second chance. He invites us to come to Him to receive a 100^th chance.

It matters not how many times you come to Jesus, it only matters that you come.

Have you been running from God? Has God been asking you to go to Nineveh but you are on the first ship to Tarshish? God doesn’t want you to run from Him, He wants you to run to Him.

 Please don’t think for a minute that church folk are immune to running from God.  Jonah was a prophet… he was in the God business.

There isn’t a soul on this earth that doesn’t need a second chance from God.

            The Bible tells us about a man, sent to earth by God to perform a task—to tell people about God.

But something happened to that man, a sort of death, and he’s down and out for 3 days, and then miraculously he’s back to life and walking around and the people he comes in contact with have their lives changed because of the grace of God.

            This is the story of Jesus, but it’s also the story of Jonah. It’s the story of deliverance, obedience, and repentance. And this message is for us today. (Rev. Mark Brewer)

            Repentance, you know, literally means turn around.  To go in the opposite

direction.

            It is no coincidence that Tarshish and Nineveh were in the complete opposite direction. For Jonah to receive a second chance, he had to turn around and go to Nineveh.

            In order for us to find a second chance, we are going to have to turn around. We are going to have to turn from Tarshish—whatever it might be in your life—and head toward Nineveh.

            God can and wants to meet you in Nineveh. You will find your second chance there.

            If God has been speaking to you today, this is your opportunity to turn around, this is your “this time.”

            You can turn around and find the God of the second chance.

            If you need to do business with God today, if you need to address a Tarshish in your life, I want to invite you to come to the front and kneel, stand where you are, or sit in your seat and talk to God as the Band comes and plays an invitation song.