When God refuses to give up
Updated: Aug 24
Date: 23 August 2026, 9.30 am
Speaker: Eld Sim Chow Meng Sermon Text: Jonah 3:1-10
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TRANSCRIPT
Introduction: Who Deserves Another Chance?
Today, I will continue the book of Jonah, Chapter 3.
Last week, we ended at Jonah 2:10.
In Jonah 2:10, we read, “And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.”
So, we know from here that God was not finished with him. In fact, we get the sense that the Lord was going to give His disobedient servant a second chance.
And that brings us to Jonah chapter 3.
Most of us love stories of second chances, don’t we?
A student who failed but eventually graduated. A marriage restored. A prodigal son or daughter returning home.
Deep inside, we rejoice when someone is given another opportunity.
Let me share the story of someone who received such an opportunity. Rev Don Wong, the founder of The New Charis Mission, became involved in gangs, drugs and crime as a teenager. Beginning at the age of twenty-one, he was imprisoned nine times over twelve years.
He heard the gospel in prison, but for years there was no lasting change. Then, during his final imprisonment, Don reached the end of himself. He recognised the years he had wasted, the pain he had caused and his complete inability to change himself. He surrendered his life to God.
God gave Don Wong more than another opportunity to start again. God gave him a new life and a new mission.
In 2006, Don founded The New Charis Mission to help former drug addicts and ex-offenders rebuild their lives and encounter the transforming grace of Christ.
The man who had been imprisoned nine times became a pastor. The man society had written off devoted his life to helping others whom society had also written off.
He later began the “Unlabelled Movement” with this simple message:
“Drop the label. See the people.”
That is what grace does. Grace sees more than what a person has done. Grace sees what God can make of a life surrendered to Him.
We hear a story like Don Wong’s, and we rejoice.
Yet, if we are honest, it is often easier to celebrate mercy after the transformation has taken place—and when the person has not personally hurt us.
We are often selective about who deserves another chance. What about someone who has committed a terrible crime? A corrupt leader? Someone who has deeply wounded us?
We instinctively draw boundaries around God’s mercy.
Of course, mercy does not make evil less serious. It does not remove the need for justice, consequences, accountability or the rebuilding of trust. But it does mean that no sinner is beyond the reach of God’s grace.
Jonah struggled with that.
Jonah 3 is not merely the story of a disobedient prophet who finally obeyed or a wicked city that unexpectedly repented. It is the story of a God whose mercy is larger than Jonah’s heart—and, if we are honest, often larger than ours.
Jonah 3 is also one of the great missionary chapters of the Old Testament. Long before Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples of all nations, God was already revealing His heart for the nations.
He sent His Word beyond Israel’s borders, through a reluctant messenger, to a people whom Israel feared and hated.
James Montgomery Boice calls this chapter “The Greatest Revival in History.”
That is not an exaggeration. An entire city, from the greatest to the least, is brought low before God.
Yet the deepest wonder is not the size of the response.
Who is the greatest hero?
The hero of Jonah 3 is not Jonah.
The hero is not the king of Nineveh.
The hero is God.
And so, the deepest wonder is the God who made it happen.
Jonah Chapter 3 shows us God’s heart in three ways:
God refuses to give up on His servant.
God refuses to give up on His enemies.
And God refuses to give up being Himself.
1. God Refuses to Give Up on His Servant (vv. 1-2)
Jonah 3:1 begins with a beautiful sentence:
"Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time.”
Let us begin with the first part of the sentence:
“The word of the LORD came to Jonah.”
The initiative came from God. Jonah did not appoint himself. He did not choose the mission, the destination or the message. God spoke, and Jonah was called to respond.
These words deliberately echo the beginning of the story. In Jonah 1, the word of the Lord had already come to Jonah:
“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it.”
But Jonah arose and went in the opposite direction. He went down to Joppa, down into the ship, down into the sea, and finally down into the belly of the fish. His outward journey reflected his inward rebellion. Jonah was trying to flee from the presence and purpose of God.
Yet when we come to chapter 3, the word of the Lord comes to Jonah again.
Notice that God’s commission had not changed. In verse 2, God said:
"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you”
The city had not changed. The mission had not changed. The authority behind the message had not changed.
Jonah was still being sent to the very place he had tried to avoid.
God did not rewrite the original commission to suit Jonah’s preference.
We sometimes hope resistance will make obedience easier or less costly. Let me repeat, we sometimes hope resistance will make obedience easier or less costly
But God’s wisdom does not bend to our delay. He may discipline and humble us, but He remains Lord.
Now we come to the second part of the sentence:
“The second time.” Those three words are filled with grace.
Jonah had heard God’s Word and disobeyed, yet God did not abandon him. Through the storm and the fish, God disciplined and reclaimed His servant. The discipline was severe, but it was not cruel.
God could have chosen another prophet. He did not need Jonah’s talent, experience or personality. Yet He spoke to Jonah again. God still chose Jonah. This grace did not excuse Jonah’s rebellion: the consequences were real, and repentance was necessary. Grace does not call evil good; it means that failure need not have the final word. God mercifully pursues the sinner, brings him to repentance and calls him back to obedience.
We learn here that God is in the business of using unlikely people for His purposes. God did not discard Jonah aside. God didn’t tell Jonah, your career as a prophet was over. Yes, our God sometimes uses the most unqualified people for His purposes.
Jonah verse 3 now gives us the contrast with chapter 1:
"So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD."
In chapter 1, Jonah arose and fled away from the presence of the Lord.
In chapter 3, Jonah arose and went, according to the Word of the Lord.
It is a simple sentence, but it marks a great change: Jonah obeyed at last.
But his heart was not yet fully right. Chapter 4 will make that painfully clear. In obedience, his feet had reached Nineveh, but his heart was not fully transformed. God's compassion had not yet filled his heart. Yet God still used this imperfect, still-maturing servant.
That is both comforting and searching.
It comforts us because none of us serves God from a place of strength and perfection. In Luke 22, we read that Peter denied Jesus three times, yet the risen Lord recommissioned him: "Feed my sheep." And in Acts 13, we read that John Mark once withdrew from missionary service, yet later Paul called him useful. God is able to restore those who have failed. That is comforting to us.
And this truth also searches us. A second chance is not permission to treat sin lightly. It is a summons to renewed obedience.
Here, I want to say something about careful pastoral balance. In the life of the church, forgiveness, spiritual restoration, restored trust and restored responsibility are related, but they are not identical. Genuine repentance should be welcomed with hope, but grace does not make accountability, healing, wise safeguards, or the patient testing of fruit unnecessary. We must avoid both graceless condemnation and careless sentimentality. The God of mercy is also the God of truth.
Perhaps you have failed, and you have quietly concluded, "God can no longer use me." Do not make your failure bigger than God's grace. I feel this is important to say again, do not make your failure bigger than God's grace. Bring your sin fully into His light. Receive His discipline and forgiveness. Turn again to Christ. Then obey the next thing God has clearly placed before you.
And as a church on mission, remember this: God delights to use people who know that they live by mercy. Mission is not carried by spiritual celebrities. It is carried by forgiven sinners who have heard the Word of the Lord and say, "Yes, Lord. I will go."
2. God Refuses to Give Up on His Enemies (vv. 3-9)
Jonah 3:3 tells us that Nineveh was “an exceedingly great city.” It was great in both size and significance - a center of Assyrian power. To Israel, Assyria represented violence, oppression and danger. Nineveh was not an attractive mission field. It was enemy territory.
That is why Jonah did not want to go. His problem was not that he doubted God’s power to save Nineveh. Chapter 4 tells us that Jonah knew the Lord to be “a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”
Jonah understood God’s character. So what was his problem?
His problem was that he feared God might actually save the people of Nineveh. He simply did not want God’s mercy extended to them. He hated them so much. In fact, John MacArthur, a Bible teacher and commentator, called Jonah a racist. But God refused to give up even on His enemies.
In Jonah 3, verse 4, Jonah entered the city and preached:
"Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”
The message recorded for us is astonishingly brief. In English, it is only a few words, and Boice notes that in Hebrew it is shorter still—just five words:
“Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
This may have been Jonah’s entire proclamation, or it may have been a summary of a fuller message. Scripture does not tell us. What is clear is that Jonah delivered an urgent and uncompromising warning: Nineveh was under God’s judgment, and its time was running out.
Jonah made sure that his message was clear, direct and faithful.
This is an important reminder for the church today. We are often told that times have changed, culture has changed and people’s needs have changed. Therefore, some conclude that simply preaching God’s Word is no longer enough. The church must do more to capture people’s attention.
We must be careful and always ensure that our methods serve the message. They must never obscure or displace God’s Word. In our desire to attract people, we must not soften or omit difficult truths about sin, judgment and repentance.
The church’s calling is not to make God’s message more acceptable, but to proclaim it clearly, faithfully and lovingly.
Look at Jonah 3, verse 5. What, then, did the people of Nineveh believe? Verse 5 does not say, "The people of Nineveh believed Jonah." It says:
"And the people of Nineveh believed God."
Their faith did not finally rest in the messenger but in the God who spoke through the messenger.
That is a vital lesson for mission. We are responsible for faithful witness, but we cannot manufacture conversion. We may explain the gospel clearly. We may answer questions carefully. We may love our neighbours patiently. We may cross cultures, learn languages, support missionaries, welcome strangers, and pray for years. But only God can open a human heart.
This should humble and encourage us, because the results do not depend upon our brilliance.
God can use even a few words of faithful proclamation to shake a city
Look at how the response spreads. The people believe God, fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. Even the king leaves his throne, removes his royal robe and sits in ashes. Before the King of heaven, he has nothing to boast about.
The king commands everyone to call urgently upon God and turn from evil and violence. The outward signs matter only because they express an inward change.
Biblical repentance is more than regret, embarrassment or fear of consequences; it turns from evil and toward God.
Verse 10 says God saw ‘that they turned from their evil way.’ Their actions did not purchase mercy, but showed that their response was genuine. The king’s cry, ‘Who knows? God may turn and relent …?’ contains no presumption or bargaining. He casts the city upon God’s mercy. That is where every sinner must come: empty-handed, without excuse, trusting only in the mercy of God.
Brothers and sisters, the church must never become more exclusive than God. We do not decide who deserves to hear the gospel. God sent His prophet to Nineveh, and Jesus sends His church to all nations.
Who is our Nineveh?
It may be a people group we know only through frightening headlines. It may be people whose beliefs offend us, whose culture confuses us, or whose politics anger us. It may be a neighbour who has repeatedly rejected us, a colleague who mocks the faith, or a family member for whom we have stopped praying.
Missions begins when God's compassion crosses the boundaries of our comfort.
This does not mean pretending evil is harmless. God's message to Nineveh was a warning of judgment. Nor does mercy toward wrongdoers mean indifference toward those who have been harmed. God's justice matters, truth matters, protection matters, and evil must be named. Yet judgment was not Jonah's private possession to enjoy, and mercy was not his to withhold.
The gospel is not, "They are wicked, but we are worthy." The gospel is, "All of us stand under judgment, and only in Christ God offers mercy to the undeserving."
Do not give up simply because you see little response. Psalm 126 pictures the sower going out weeping and returning with joy. We may pray, speak and sow for years without seeing fruit, but the harvest belongs to God. So keep praying, loving, speaking and sowing. The God who reached Nineveh can still reach the hardest heart.
3. God Refuses to Give Up Being Himself (v. 10)
Jonah 3, Verse 10 brings us to the climax:
"When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”
Some readers stumble over that statement. Did God change His mind? Did Nineveh's response teach God something He did not know? Did the holy Judge become less holy?
No.
God's purposes are not unstable, and His character does not change. Scripture says that God is not a man who lies or changes His mind as fickle human beings do. Yet Scripture also speaks truly when it tells us that God relented.
The answer is that God did not stop being Himself. He remained perfectly consistent with His revealed character.
God is holy, so He confronts Nineveh's evil.
God is just, so He warns of judgment.
God is merciful, so He receives those who turn from sin.
God is sovereign, so His Word accomplishes the purpose for which He sends it.
The warning itself was an act of mercy. God could have judged Nineveh without notice. Instead, He sent a prophet across borders and gave the city forty days.
Judgment announced was mercy offered.
And when Nineveh repented, God did not become merciful for the first time. He showed the mercy that had always belonged to His character. This is the God who declares in Exodus 34:6 that “He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,” while affirming that He “will by no means clear the guilty”.
Mercy and justice are not competing personalities within God. He never shows mercy by becoming unjust, and He never executes justice by becoming unloving.
In Psalm 85:10, we read in the KJV, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”
God refuses to give up being Himself.
That raises the deepest question of the chapter. How can a just God spare guilty people?
Jonah 3 points us forward to Jesus Christ, the One greater than Jonah.
Jonah entered Nineveh reluctantly. Jesus came into our world willingly.
Jonah was delivered from the deep because of his own disobedience. Jesus entered death because of our disobedience.
Jonah preached that judgment was coming. Jesus went to the cross and bore judgment in the place of sinners.
Jonah emerged after three days and carried a message to one great city. Jesus rose on the third day and sent His disciples with the gospel to all nations.
At the cross, God did not ignore sin. He dealt with it. The judgment we deserve fell upon Christ, our willing substitute. At the empty tomb, God declared the victory of His Son. Therefore, God can be both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
This is why Christian mission is not merely a call to become nicer people. It is the announcement of what God has done in Christ. The risen Jesus offers forgiveness and new life to His enemies. He commands that repentance for the forgiveness of sins be proclaimed in His name to all nations.
The mission of the church therefore begins in the character of God. We do not invent mission to keep the church busy. We join a mission already flowing from the heart of the Father, accomplished by the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
That means we can go with confidence. We may feel weak, but the gospel is God's power. We may meet resistance, but God opens hearts. We may see slow fruit, but the Lord of the harvest does not waste faithful labour. And sometimes, in His sovereign mercy, He may do far more than we dared to ask - even turning a Nineveh toward Himself.
Conclusion: Will We Join the God Who Refuses to Give Up?
Jonah 3 reveals a God greater than our failures, more compassionate than our prejudices, and more faithful than our fears. He restores His servants, extends mercy to His enemies, and remains true to His holy and merciful character.
This Missions Month, our response can be very practical. The grace we have received should shape the GRACE with which we respond.
Let’s -
G | GIVE so that the gospel can go where we ourselves may not be able to go. |
R | REACH OUT: AND GO whether over the seas, across the street, or across the room to someone you have avoided. |
A | ASK GOD: PRAY regularly and specifically for missionaries, unreached peoples, and those near us who do not know Christ. |
C | COMMUNICATE: SPEAK because faith comes through hearing the Word of Christ. |
E | EMBRACE: WELCOME because God has brought the nations into our neighbourhoods, schools and workplaces. |
Give. Reach. Ask. Communicate. Embrace. Let us respond to God's mission with GRACE.
Let me end where we began with Rev Don Wong.
Society saw a repeat offender who had been imprisoned nine times. But God saw a life He had not given up on.
And when Don surrendered his life to Christ, grace did not merely give him a second chance. Grace gave him a mission.
The man society had written off became a pastor. The recipient of mercy became a messenger of mercy to others whom society had written off.
That is what the grace of God does. It finds us, restores us, and then sends us.
Brothers and sisters, may the grace that has reached us never stop with us.
The God who pursued Jonah, spared Nineveh and transformed Don Wong is still gathering a people from every tribe, language, people and nation.
May our hearts never be smaller than His mission.
May we never withhold the gospel from those for whom Christ died.
And may it be said of us, as it was finally said of Jonah:
“They arose and went, according to the Word of the Lord.”
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