Skip to content God of Second Chances | Jonah 03 | Rev Paul Jeyachandran Dec 28 · 46 min ...more
God of Second Chances | Jonah 03 | Rev Paul Jeyachandran
December 28, 2025 · 46 min
Have you ever felt that your past mistakes have permanently sidelined your calling? Discover why past failures don’t disqualify future usefulness in this powerful study of Jonah 3. Rev Paul Jeyachandran explores the missionary heart of God, revealing how a runaway prophet became a channel for the greatest revival recorded in the Bible. This isn't just a summary; it is an essential elevator pitch for every Christian leader and pastor on the transformative power of the resurrection life. Learn how grace gives you a second chance at the same mission and why clarity in your message always overtakes cleverness. Whether you are seeking church growth or personal mentoring, this lesson provides a biblical roadmap to move from being a prodigal to a redemptive leader. Experience the goodness of a God who relentlessly pursues you to recommission your purpose.#GodOfSecondChances #Jonah3 #ChristianLeadership #SermonSeries #ChurchGrowth #PastoralTraining #BiblicalRepentance #GraceOfGod #Revival #GospelMessage
Series IDMC Movement December 28, 2025 · 46 min · IDMC Movement
Have you ever felt that your past mistakes have permanently sidelined your calling? Discover why past failures don’t disqualify future usefulness in this powerful study of Jonah 3. Rev Paul Jeyachandran explores the missionary heart of God, revealing how a runaway prophet became a channel for the greatest revival recorded in the Bible. This isn't just a summary; it is an essential elevator pitch for every Christian leader and pastor on the transformative power of the resurrection life. Learn how grace gives you a second chance at the same mission and why clarity in your message always overtakes cleverness. Whether you are seeking church growth or personal mentoring, this lesson provides a biblical roadmap to move from being a prodigal to a redemptive leader. Experience the goodness of a God who relentlessly pursues you to recommission your purpose.#GodOfSecondChances #Jonah3 #ChristianLeadership #SermonSeries #ChurchGrowth #PastoralTraining #BiblicalRepentance #GraceOfGod #Revival #GospelMessage ...more Show the full description Show less Have you ever felt that your past mistakes have permanently sidelined your calling? Discover why past failures don’t disqualify future usefulness in this powerful study of Jonah 3. Rev Paul Jeyachandran explores the missionary heart of God, revealing how a runaway prophet became a channel for the greatest revival recorded in the Bible. This isn't just a summary; it is an essential elevator pitch for every Christian leader and pastor on the transformative power of the resurrection life. Learn how grace gives you a second chance at the same mission and why clarity in your message always overtakes cleverness. Whether you are seeking church growth or personal mentoring, this lesson provides a biblical roadmap to move from being a prodigal to a redemptive leader. Experience the goodness of a God who relentlessly pursues you to recommission your purpose.#GodOfSecondChances #Jonah3 #ChristianLeadership #SermonSeries #ChurchGrowth #PastoralTraining #BiblicalRepentance #GraceOfGod #Revival #GospelMessage
Series IDMC Movement
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Rev. Paul Jeyachandran leads the Intentional Disciple Making Church (IDMC) Movement, which is all about calling churches back to its disciplemaking roots. Visit us at idmcmovement.com
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0:00 Shall we give the Lord a clap offering church? Hallelujah. What a joy and a privilege for us to worship the Lord together and to listen to God's Word. We are currently in a sermon0:11 series on the book of Jonah. I'm titling this series, The Missionary Heart of God. And today is part 3, and we're going to focus on Jonah0:23 chapter 3, and I'm titling today's sermon, The God of Second Chances. What a glorious God we have. You know, the gospel is that God0:35 goes after us, people who are undeserving. God grants us the grace to be saved. He delivers us, He rescues us, He0:46 relentlessly pursues us so that He can call us back to Himself. And not only He calls us back to Himself, He recommissions us into the same calling0:58 He had for us. You know, what a beautiful picture that we see in the book of Jonah. You know, in my previous sermon, I left you in Jonah chapter 2,1:10 so we're going to pick it up where we left off. In Jonah chapter 2 and verse 10, the Bible says, And the Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry1:21 land. I already had established this truth that fish was not punishment, fish was provision. In other words, Jonah was not saved from1:33 the fish, but Jonah was saved by the fish. And God had miraculously provided a fish. God appointed the fish, the Bible says in Jonah chapter 1, and1:45 now God preserved the life of the prophet. And now He commands the fish to vomit it out. When did this deliverance happen? In our previous sermon, we had already established that1:57
2:09 vowed, I will pay. When Jonah declared those words, the Lord commanded the fish, spoke to the fish, and the fish, the Bible says,
2:21 vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. Then in chapter 3, verse 1 and verse 2, the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time saying, Arise,
2:32 go to Nineveh. What a beautiful picture. You know, if I were Jonah and I was praying and crying from the belly of a fish, 1 of the things that you got to understand is
2:44 this. In the first chapter, he's a prodigal prophet. In chapter 2, he's a praying prophet. In chapter 1, he never prayed, but in chapter 2, he prayed in
2:56 the heart, in the belly of the fish, he prayed. And the Bible says not only he prayed at that time, he never heard the voice of God. See in chapter 1, in the
3:08 beginning, God spoke to him. After that, God did not speak to Jonah directly. Instead, God was using the circumstances to call Jonah's attention.
3:20 This is the big difference I want you to catch. In the whole of chapter 2, God did not speak. Instead, the Lord appointed a wind in chapter 1, the Lord appointed a fish in chapter 1, and the
3:32 Lord appointed His redemption in chapter 2. From the belly of the fish when he cried out and the Lord then commanded the fish to vomit him out. Then the word of the Lord
3:44 came to Jonah the second time. I would be so thrilled if God finally spoke to me again. That means He's recognising me as a prophet.
3:56 You know, what good is a prophet if God is not with him and God's Word is not found in him? So the Word of the Lord came to the prophet Jonah and here he is
4:08 affirmed in his calling 1 more time. And then the Bible says, the second time saying, Arise, go to Nineveh. The reason I want
4:20 to study this passage of Scripture, chapter 3, with you is because this is the chapter that is the greatest miracle in the book of Jonah. So the miracle,
4:32 you know, God had already performed so many miracles in chapter 1. He cast the wind, He calmed the sea, He made the lot fall on Jonah, He appointed a fish to swallow up Jonah. He
4:43 preserved Jonah in the fish. And now Jonah is out of the fish and God speaks to him. All these are miracles, but the greatest miracle that you'll find in
4:55 Jonah is in chapter 3. It is the greatest revival recorded in the Bible. In other words, 1 prophet only uses 5 words in Hebrew, maybe 7 or 8 words in
5:07 English, and a mighty revival breaks forth in the whole nation from the insignificant animals to people, to the important ones, the
5:18 Kings, the greatest to the least, the Bible says repented and gave their life back to God. Isn't that beautiful? What a beautiful picture we see. Now, Jesus
5:30 affirms this prophet. I want you to go with me to Matthew 12 and look at verse 38, all the way to verse 41. In Matthew 12 38, Jesus
5:42 says, Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you. This is what the Pharisees came and asked Jesus, Give us a sign. This is the reply of Jesus. Jesus says,
5:54 An evil and a doubtless generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to you except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Listen to the last line. It
6:06 says, the sign of the prophet Jonah. Now you and I need to ask a key question. Jesus said, No other sign will be given to you except the sign of the prophet
6:17 Jonah. A couple of things. Number 1, Jesus with His own lips acknowledges the existence, historical evidence of Jonah's story. Is that right? That's the
6:29 first thing where Jesus utters this. Not only that, Jesus affirms that Jonah is actually a prophet. He's a prophet Jonah. He didn't lose his position before God.
6:41 Number 3, He says, The sign will be given to you except the sign of the prophet Jonah. So what is the sign of the prophet Jonah? That means Jesus says, my
6:53 ministry, the sign that my authenticity of my ministry is the same as the authenticity, the sign of the prophet Jonah. What is the sign? Next verse says in verse 40, For just as Jonah was in the
7:05 belly of a fish 3 days and 3 nights, so will the Son of Man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth. Just like Jonah was in the
7:17 belly of a fish, Jesus will be in the heart of the earth. When I read this, my heart is thrilled because Jesus actually says, Jonah
7:29 spent 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a fish. 1 commentator of 1 view, the biblical view, 1 scholarly view would be that
7:40 Jonah actually died and then spent 3 days, 3 nights in the belly of the fish. And then God had to resurrect him and he came back to
7:52 life. It's almost like he was dead and there was a resurrection. Jesus also is likening to his own death. He says, I will also die. I will die for the sin of mankind, but then I
8:04 will be raised back to life. The Bible says, according to 1 Corinthians 15, the gospel is, On the third day, Jesus will rise again. In other words, He died,
8:16 He was buried, and on the third day, He was raised back to life. What glorious sign that is. That means Jesus is actually saying in this context
8:28 that Jonah, when he went in the belly of the fish, it's almost like he died and then he came back to life. There was a resurrection
8:40 that was involved. Why I'm saying this? Why am I beginning my sermon with this? It's because what God expects from you and me is not just a
8:51 temporal repentance, a change of heart, a change of mind, a change of attitude, a change of action, or a change of affection. What God actually
9:03 wants is not just a renovation of our life, but a complete resurrection of our life. Listen to me carefully. In other words, we are dead to the sin, alive to
9:14 righteousness. We are once dead to ourselves and we are alive forevermore for Him. In other words, that resurrection life is what God gives us and that is
9:26 what will change the world. Listen to me carefully. When Jonah came out of the fish's belly and he walked towards Nineveh and he proclaimed a very
9:37 simple message, there was a mighty revival that broke out. And the reason why there was a mighty revival is because the man had an evidence of a resurrection. He
9:49 was completely transformed from a runaway prophet. He is now a redemptive prophet. He comes to declare God's judgment and provide
10:01 salvation through the message he proclaimed. Listen, God's glory is revealed here. Let me take you through the passage now, but I want to give you 3 truths
10:13 about God that I find in this passage that I want us to unpack together. These 3 essential truths about God is what you and I need to anchor ourselves,
10:25 because in any situation you and I find ourselves in, we sometimes fail, we sometimes walk away from the things of God, we
10:37 walk in disobedience, sometimes it's willful rebellion, but God is a God who relentlessly pursues us and he brings us back. And these 3 truths that you find in this passage in chapter 3
10:49 will instruct us in our pilgrimage in God. The first 1 is our God is a good God. The second 1, our God is a great God. And thirdly, our God is a gracious God. These
11:01 3 truths are so simple, yet they are profound. And I want to unpack it 1 by 1 for you. Our God is a good God. In Jonah three:one, the Bible says, Then the word of the Lord came
11:13 to Jonah the second time saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.' 1 of the key things
11:24 I'm thankful for is God's goodness is seen here in how He gives the prophet a second chance. In other words, even though prophet had miserably
11:36 failed, God did not hold that failure against him. Can I give you a principle? Past failures doesn't disqualify future usefulness.
11:48 1 of the things about God is that He constantly uses people who have failed. You know, actually lied about his wife and where he should have
12:00 protected his wife. Indeed, he lied to preserve his own life, but God still calls him a man of faith. You look at someone like Moses, he murdered an
12:11 Egyptian and God still takes him from the wilderness and uses him as a mighty deliverer. The precious king of Israel, David, the Psalmist David, the Bible says he's a glorious King,
12:23 he's a man after God's own heart. Yet the Bible says that he committed a lot of murder. There's blood in his hands and he also failed in adultery with Bathsheba. In other
12:35 words, even though there were failures, God still gave them a second chance. God still did not hold their sin against them, but rather He repurposed them for His
12:47 glory, for the good of His kingdom. Praise God. And this exact phrase, past failures, doesn't disqualify future usefulness. I can see it in the life of John Mark in the New
12:58 Testament. He disappointed Apostle Paul and Barnabas. He left the mission field because he couldn't take it, it was too difficult, and he ran away, went back to his
13:10 mom's home maybe. And then later on, Paul writes, there was such a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas because of John Mark. But
13:22 yet, Paul writes later in his life, Send John Mark to me why he is useful in the ministry. In other words, just because you failed once doesn't necessarily mean that
13:33 God wrote you off. No, God is a God of many chances. He's a God who gives you the second chance, the third chance. And here, the Bible says God went to reach out for Jonah.
13:47 And when Jonah received that second chance, I like that verse 2, it says, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it. He still sends him back to the same mission.
13:59 Can I give you a principle? Grace gives you another chance, not another command. In other words, grace will give you another chance, but doesn't mean that there is a new command. It
14:11 is the same command, same mission. In other words, God did not change His mind about the mission He wanted you to do. Last time you ran away from that mission, but this time He sends you back on the same mission.
14:23 Nothing has changed. So He has to now go and deliver a message. But then in verse 2, the last line, I like it, it says, The message that I tell you.
14:35 In other words, there is a message that God has for His people in Nineveh. And the prophet has to go deliver that message. You know, John Stott, the theologian
14:47 said this, We are called to proclaim what God has said, not what human beings want to hear. We have no liberty to scratch their itch or pander to their
14:59 likings. I humbly say this? If you're a preacher, you're a Bible study leader, you're a small group leader, you're a pastor, God has given you responsibility and stewardship of
15:10 not only delivering His Word week in week out to people, but if you are someone who is walking with people, listen to this. We are not sent to give a message that
15:22 is popular, that is well received. We are not there to just go and tell what we feel like saying to people. We're not there to go and tell what people want to hear. We are
15:34 there to tell the message that God gives us. And that's exactly what Jonah had to do. The assignment was very simple. You go proclaim the message, I tell you. So verse 3, the Bible
15:46 says, So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, 3 days journey in breadth.
15:58 In other words, 1 of the most important things I find here in this verse is this. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh. What a contrast between chapter
16:10 1 and verse 3. In chapter 1 and verse 3, says, But Jonah flee to Tarshish. He rose and he flee to Tarshish. But here the Bible
16:22 says, So Jonah. So from But Jonah to So Jonah. I love that transformation because that transformation is the goodness of
16:33 God. God has been good to a runaway prophet. God has been good to a prodigal prophet. God has been good to him. And because God has been good to him, that goodness of God has
16:45 led to a repentance in the prophet. And the prophet is now obeying God's command. He says, I will go to proclaim the message that God wants me to proclaim in
16:57 Nineveh. Can I give you a principle? Only changed people become channels of change. God is sending Jonah to change Nineveh, to bring change in the
17:09 community, to bring change in the nation, to bring change and revival among His people. But only changed people can become channels of change.
17:21 So here, Jonah has become the message. The messenger has a message and its own life story, its own transformation. Can I give you another principle?
17:33 The principle is this, your scars become your sermon. See, in life, you don't have to preach many sermons. You don't have to. You just have to live your life
17:45 in a manner that preaches about a God in heaven. Listen to me, you know, 2 people living in the same suburb, 2 families side by side, how they live for
17:56 themselves and how they live with a Master in heaven and a mission on earth that will set them apart. That distinctiveness is what people are looking for. It's not just in your witnessing that people will know about
18:08 God. It's actually you living a life of witness. This reminds me that Jonah, even before he declared the message, I
18:19 believe he was already a message. Let me highlight this. Imagine if you had spent 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a fish.
18:32 The acid in the stomach would have almost bleached the entire skin. Some scholars believe when Jonah was vomited out, his
18:44 skin was fully bleached. That means he would have looked completely white. That would have made a visible sign that this man
18:56 is special. He has a special message for us. Secondly, if Jonah had opened his mouth and said before, you know, what is recorded for us is only 5 words in Hebrew and only 7 or 8 words
19:07 in English, but it could be just a summary statement. So what Jonah might have told them is, hey, listen to me. People might have asked, why do you look so weird? Why are you bleached? He might have said, I was
19:19 just spending time in 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a fish because I disobeyed my God. I didn't want to come here, but I ran away from him. But he appointed a fish for me,
19:31 and the fish swallowed me, vomited me now, and I'm here. Listen to me carefully. Now, why is this so important? Think about this. The Philistines and
19:43 people in that region, including the Assyrians, they actually had many idols that they worshipped. 1 of the idols that they worshipped, or 1 of the regional gods that they
19:55 worshipped, is called Dagon. This Dagon is a fish god. It has the head of a fish. In other words, when Jonah
20:07 comes out of a fish and tells them a fish story and the bleach to Luke and whatnot, it would have truly caught them because now here is a man who has witnessed what has happened in the
20:18 belly of a fish, God has sent him and he has come to declare. So there is some similarities here that I want you to note, why is this so important? Because just the very
20:30 fact that here is a repentant prophet, he didn't even have to say any words just before he even speaks his own life. Maybe it's a
20:42 visible sign that there is a transformation or to see a Jew boldly walking into the Gentile territory. He knows that they all know that the Ninevites can
20:54 kill him anytime. 1 Jew in the midst of hundreds over thousands men, they could have easily killed him, isn't it? But yet, his boldness to
21:06 come in there, it's already speaking about a transformation that has taken place, that resurrection that I talked about before. Now, why is this so important for you and me?
21:17 Because the Bible actually records in John twelve:nine-eleven. Look at this, When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there,
21:29 they came not only on account of Him, but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. Think about this. They came to
21:41 see Jesus, but not only Jesus, they actually came to witness another person. You know who's that other person? This is the person who died and
21:53 was raised back to life. His name is Lazarus. And the Bible says in verse 10 and verse 11, So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well.
22:05 Why? Because on account of Lazarus, many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. Can you see that picture? On the account of
22:16 Lazarus, many Jews were converting. They were following Jesus. They became believers of Christ. In other words,
22:27 Lazarus did not have to preach a word. There's no record of Lazarus sharing his testimony. There's no record of Lazarus sharing a sermon, sharing a
22:39 devotional. There is no record of Lazarus ever speaking anything. But yet the story is this, just the resurrected life. There is some
22:50 transformation. We know that this man was dead, but now he's alive. The very fact there is a life change, there's a resurrection, there's a life transformation, that very
23:02 fact, people will trust in what you have to say. People will trust that there is a God in heaven. Hallelujah. In other words, that's the beautiful picture here. So
23:13 Jonah walks into Nineveh and Jonah now brings the message. Look at this in verse 4, Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey and he called out yet
23:25 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. As I mentioned to you, it is such a short verse. He only preached a very short
23:37 sermon. Maybe this is just a recorded summary for us, but the summary itself is so beautiful. There is a balance of both grace and truth. Can you see
23:49 that? The truth is that Nineveh will be overthrown. That's the judgment of God. The truth is that you are sinners, your sin is going to be punished and God is going to overthrow Nineveh.
24:01 But at the same time, God says, It's not happening today, tonight, I'm giving you 40 days. That 40 days is a picture of grace. Why would God give them 40 days? God
24:13 is giving them 40 days because 40 days is a divine timing, isn't it? It's a divine testing. It's a season of waiting. And God says in this season of waiting, I'm going to give you that time so that you would
24:24 set your life in order. You will return back to me. Oh, hallelujah. And did those people take it? They absolutely did. So I'm thankful that as I see this,
24:37 I can see the picture of God's goodness. Our God is a good God. He's a good God who gave the prophet a second chance. He's a good God who gives the people a chance
24:49 to repent, not just send judgement, but give them space so that they will repent. They will have national, family, community, can repent and from the
25:00 greatest to the least can come back to Him. You know, when I'm reading this, I'm also impressed that Jonah, you know, did not fuss about, How should I preach this
25:12 sermon? You know, these days, a lot goes on into how you craft a sermon, how do you keep the people entertained, how you keep them hooking them in, and all of that. In other words, the word is important, the
25:24 delivery is important. But can I humbly say this? I don't think Jonah had to trust in any of these things. All Jonah had to do is clearly present the truth.
25:35 The rest, God did the work, because clarity always overtakes cleverness. Listen to me, clarity will always overtake cleverness. We don't have to be
25:47 so clever in, I don't know pastor what to say to those people. I don't know what to say. If the Lord says at the right time, you would know what to say, the Holy Spirit will give you the words. So it's not about, do
26:00 I have what it takes to be able to deliver God's Word? Can I say those things? I don't know what to say. That should not be the focus. Just go say it and trust that the word that God gives you to say
26:13 will produce fruit. Isaiah 5five 11, the Bible says, So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purposed, and shall
26:25 succeed in the things for which I sent it. Isn't it beautiful? That means God's Word will never return void it will accomplish the purpose for which it has been sent. Praise God. So the goodness of
26:36 God doesn't minimise truth, it maximises it. It doesn't mean that because God is good, we can't say those things that are harsh. We can't say the truth as it is. No, no, no.
26:49 God's goodness doesn't diminish or minimise the truth. It only maximises it. As much as people need the grace of God, they also need the law to convict them of their
27:01 sin so that grace can be given. Listen. So our God is a good God. He gives second chances. He transforms lives and He speaks clear truth. That's
27:12 why I boldly declare that our God is a good God. The second truth that I see here is our God is a great God. From verse 5 to verse 9, the Bible actually
27:24 records how the people responded to Jonah's message. Look at verse 5. And the people of Nineveh believed God.
27:36 I'm so grateful the Bible says that they believed God, not believed Jonah. In other words, they believed what God has done in Jonah and what God has said through Jonah
27:48 and they believed in God. And the Bible says they called for a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them to the least of them. And then verse 6, the Bible says,
28:00 The word reached the King of Nineveh and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he
28:12 issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles. Let neither man nor beast nor herd nor flock taste anything. Let them not feed or drink
28:24 water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let them call mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. What a beautiful picture of
28:36 repentance. Look at that. The Bible says, as soon as the people heard the message that Jonah presented, the people believed in God. They started to fast. They put
28:48 on sackcloths and what did they do? They sat in ashes. They didn't even let any of their beasts, their pets, their livelihood, livestock,
29:00 to eat. They said everybody is on fast. Why? Because we are going to repent for our sin. That's what they did. Then the Bible says, the king heard it. Now this is the
29:12 king of Nineveh. He is the most fearsome king right now, isn't it? Because that's the enemy of Israel. Jonah was afraid of him. Now this king dethrones himself,
29:23 removes himself from the throne, removes his clothes, applies the ashes and sits on ashes, he's fasting. And he declared a decree in the nation.
29:35 Everyone, including the animals, should fast and cry out to God. Now, I'm glad that the king was the second 1, not the first 1. The people
29:46 responded first, then the king, and then the decree came. Otherwise, this repentance may not be genuine, isn't it? Because the people would fear the king and they will act like
29:58 they're repenting. But the Bible says the people believe God first, then the king responded, and then it became a national thing. But what a glorious picture of repentance here.
30:10 Now, want you to listen to me. Jonah had returned off these people. He said, these people don't deserve to be saved. These people are hard nuts. They cannot be cracked. You know, sometimes
30:22 God says to us, go share the gospel with these people. You would say no, but I don't think they would listen. I don't think they would even respond. I don't think they would even see a need for God.
30:34 We give ourselves a lot of excuses for why we don't do what God calls us to do. So can I give you a principle? The principle is this: Never write off who God has written into His
30:46 story. Don't write off people. Don't assume on behalf of someone else. You have to deliver the word that God gives you and let God do the rest. Hallelujah. And what
30:58 a beautiful picture here of repentance. What is repentance? There are 3 things I find in this. Number 1, there's a confession. Number 2, there's a conversion. And number 3, there's a
31:10 conduct change. Let me repeat these 3. There's a confession. They say, we got to turn from our wicked way and we need to let go of violence that is
31:22 in our hands and turn from evil ways and cry out to God. That's the confession, we need God. We are evil people, we need your mercy, confession. What is
31:34 the conversion? The conversion is in their heart, in their attitude. They're saying we need to turn away from evil. We can't just verbally say we want to turn away from evil. We also
31:45 want to at a heart level change and transform and look to God. And then there's also followed by the conduct. So can I give you 3 things that needs to change in our
31:57 repentance? 1, there must be a change of attitude. Number 2, there must be a change of action. And number 3, there must be a change of affection.
32:09 Even your heart, what your heart longs for, there will be a change. And then the Bible says in verse 9, Who knows, God may turn and
32:20 relent and turn from His fierce anger so that we may not perish. See, the entire nation hoped that God would relent from His fierce
32:32 anger. Who knows? They hanged everything on these 2 words. Who knows? That means they were not sure enough. Can I give you a
32:43 principle? You don't need certainty to repent, just humility to repent. They just humble themselves, they're not sure, but yet they humble themselves from the king to the
32:55 dogs, everything humbled themselves. And they said, We need God's mercy. Who knows, maybe God will relent and turn from His fierce anger towards us. You
33:07 know, they were operating from a place of uncertainty, but for you and me today in the Gospel, we have certainty because of what Jesus did. We have the assurance that
33:18 God indeed hears us when we turn to Him. They that call upon the Lord will be saved. Hallelujah. They that run to Him, He will no way cast them out, but He will welcome
33:30 them in. In other words, run to Him, praise God. Our God is a great God because He convicts hearts. He humbles Kings and He inspires saving
33:42 faith. Can you say amen? Praise God. The third thing is our God is a gracious God. The Bible says in verse 10, When God saw what they did, how they
33:54 turned from the evil way, God relented of the disaster that He had said He would do to them, and He did not do it. I love this picture.
34:06 The Bible says, When God saw what they did. In other words, God was able to see a transformation, a change of
34:17 life, a change of conduct. You know, there is a 180 degree change, isn't it? They have changed completely. They have made a U-turn.
34:30 And the Bible says, God relented of the disaster. This is where I want to give you a principle. When man repents, God relents. When you think of the word God
34:42 relents, some might think, Did God change His mind? You have to understand the immutability of God. In other words, our God is a God who changeth not.
34:53 He's not a God who changes His mind. He's not a God who changes His character or His nature. So when God had said to them that they will perish in their evil, and now
35:05 He relents, doesn't mean He changed His mind? No. God always stays the same. His heart is always to show mercy first. His heart is always for them to
35:17 repent. And when he sees that they have repented, he stays the same to show them compassion. Look at another scripture with me. Jeremiah eighteen:seven-eight If
35:29 at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, And if that nation concerning which I have spoken turns from its
35:41 evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. What does God say? If He sees the nation repenting, they have
35:52 changed, they are turning from the evil. See, that's the whole idea of God. God wants people to come back to Him. God wants them to turn from the evil ways and run to Him.
36:04 And whenever they run to Him, He will relent. You know, from our point of view, it will always seem like God relented. But from God's point of view, no,
36:16 you changed. In other words, when we change, God stays the same. He always wants to show mercy. He always wants to show grace. He always wants to be favourable to us. He always wants to
36:28 show us His goodness, His grace and His glory. So when we move from evil to good, when we turn, when we repent, when we come back to Him, all we are doing is we are changing. Therefore,
36:40 God relents. It seems like God has relented when man repents. Praise God. So let me come back to this. The Bible says that God is not only a good God, He's a
36:52 great God, but here's a picture, He's a gracious God. How gracious He is, you know, that He not only sent Jonah to Nineveh, but He actually sent
37:04 His Son to you and me. He sent His Son for you and me. The Bible says in Matthew 12 1, In Matthew 12 41, The
37:16 men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah and behold something greater than Jonah is here. What Jesus was saying
37:27 is, He was comparing that they were asking for sign and Jesus said, You want a sign? The sign will be the sign of Prophet Jonah. Just like he spent 3 days and 3 nights at the belly of
37:39 a fish, the Son of Man will spend 3 days, 3 nights in the heart of the earth. And this is the sign. But when Jonah preached, when Jonah went and preached, the whole
37:51 city turned to God. They repented. But when Jesus came to preach, His own did not receive Him. They rejected Him. That's why He said, These men of Nineveh will rise up 1 day and
38:03 they will condemn this generation. They will pass judgment on this generation. Why? Because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, but someone greater than Jonah is here. Who? Jesus.
38:15 And they didn't repent. In other words, someone greater than Jonah, who is greater than Jonah? It's Jesus. See, 1 of the most beautiful things that you got to know is that Jonah ran away from his
38:27 mission. Jesus ran towards his mission. Jonah was thrown in the sea for his own sin. Jesus was thrown into the sea of God's judgement for your
38:38 sin, my sin. Jonah spent 3 nights in the belly of a fish. Jesus spent 3 days, 3 nights in the tomb on the heart of the earth.
38:51 Jonah came back to life. He was resurrected and this resurrected Jonah came to preach the gospel. Jesus came to preach the gospel. Listen to me. Jonah
39:03 declared a message of judgment. Jesus took all the judgment and He gave you a message of grace. In other words, what Jonah
39:15 was offering the Ninevites was a temporary reprieve from God's judgment over them. But what Jesus came to give is an eternal redemptionShow more
Paul Jeyachandran
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