Confident in God’s Grace

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
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Title: Confident in God’s Grace ------------------- Date: 3/5/2002
Keywords: "confession" "grace"
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Passage: Jonah 3:1-6, 10*

1. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,

2. "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you."

3. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk.

4. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown."

5. Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.

6. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes…

10. When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

Questions

1. What do you think Jonah hoped would happen when he preached the message of judgment to Nineveh, one of the wickedest cities of the ancient world?

 

2. What did the Ninevites actually do in response to Jonah’s message?

 

3. What did God do when the Ninevites turned to God?

 

Practical help

Convincing most of us that we are sinners in need of mercy from God is not usually a great challenge. We know our own hearts. We know that we are sinful. Convincing us that God is willing to forgive and cleanse us when we confess to our sin is another matter.

When you sin — either through a moral lapse or through words you might say — does your conscience scream at you? Does it scream so loudly that you cannot hear the mercy of God?

The citizens of Nineveh were notorious for their violence, pagan idolatry and immorality. Yet, when they turned to Him, He withdrew the judgment He had said He would bring against the city — and He did not do it.

Do you think that God will not do the same for you? Are you feeling so guilty from your involvement with porn that you have come to believe it is pointless to ask for cleansing from God? Don’t buy that lie from the enemy!

If He forgave Nineveh, He will also forgive you. He’ll give you a fresh start, cleanse your guilty, accusing conscience, and restore to you a sense of His unfailing love and grace. The move is yours — Go to Him and imitate the Ninevites. Come clean, and He’ll cleanse you!

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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."