Calvary Chapel of Orange

The God of Second Chance Weekly Scripture: 7/16/12 Jonah 3:1-2 1. Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2."Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you."... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pastor David: What a wonderful truth. Notice who the word of the Lord came to the second time. It was the rebelling prophet Jonah. A Man that was running from the call of God on his life with all of his might. But after God’s discipline, he was again called by God to go. Notice also that the message was the same, go to Nineveh and preach the word of the Lord. The same place he sought to run from was the same place he was sent to again. I can’t help but think of Peter in the New Testament, the apostle who denied our Lord three times. However, after being forgiven and restored he was once again sent back to be a fisher of men. How wonderful God’s grace is to us today as children of God. So often the world discards and rejects those who fail, but not so our Lord. Maybe today you’ve failed as Peter or rebelled against God’s call on your life as Jonah. You may feel as though God can’t use you again. Be encouraged with this thought. God not only can forgive but he will forgive and use your life once again for his glory. Simply yield to him. And you’ll see. The word of the Lord will come to you again the second time. See more

Weekly Scripture 7/9/12 Jonah 4:1-2 1. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2.So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You [are] a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, One who relents from doing harm. ---------------...--------------------------------------------------------- Pastor Dave: What an amazing passage. Jonah was fully aware of the wonderful character of God. But the sad truth is simply this. Although he knew the character of God and was himself a prophet of God, he did not have that same character of God manifested in his own life. He was actually angry that God forgave the people of Nineveh and did not judge them. Sometimes as Christian we can fall into the same trap as the prophet. It’s possible for us to have the intellectual knowledge of God’s wonderful love, mercy and grace, but not display that character in our lives. No matter how deep a person has gone into sin and wickedness, God is always willingly to forgive and restore a person who repents. Let’s not make the same mistake as Jonah but rather rejoice in God’s wonderful mercy. If he forgave the wicked Assyrians, he surely will save all that call on his name. See more