“REVIVAL” Just the very word should set our hearts on fire.
Oh, that God would allow us as a people to see what happened to the city of
Nineveh during the preaching of Jonah. I
do believe that just as God used Jonah he wants us to see revival during our
days as well. Hold on tight because we will see some great things about revival
in this passage as well as some of its results.
Jonah 3:1 ( ESV )
o
Then-After Jonah got things right with the Lord
and cried out to Him God would use Jonah for His glory. If you are like me I
don’t always like the pruning process of God’s hand in my life but when I yield
to Him then He can use me even more for His glory.
o
Word of the Lord-In true revival the Word of God
will be magnified above all else. Stories, illustrations are great to bring
home the point to others but it is the Word of God ALONE that can save the
soul. God had a message for Jonah to share and he would be faithful in
proclaiming that message.
o
Second time-Did you catch those words? Praise
the Lord that He gives us more than just one chance to be used of Him. I would
be a most miserable human being if our God shouted from the heavens, “Ok you
get one strike and then you are out of here big boy.” No, He craves our
fellowship and wants to put us in service for His kingdom. No matter where we
have been or what we have done.
Jonah 3:2 ( ESV )
o
Arise-There needs to be a time of sorrow over
our sin and our struggles with God. We live in a day where I wonder if guilt is
even a part of our vocabulary any more. Yet, in light of this truth I also
believe that when we have confessed and got right with Him there comes a time
where we need to stand and fight again.
o
Call out against-As messengers of the Most High
we are not always to have a hope you feel so good about yourself message. We
should always offer hope but there must be a cry to our world today like that
of John the Baptist of REPENT. We are sinners first of all who need a savior.
o
Message-As a believer it is our duty to call out
and proclaim the message of God to our loved ones and those lost and headed for
Hell. How will they hear if we do not share with them? Rom. 10:14-15 What a privilege we have in giving out the Word of
God.
Jonah 3:3 ( ESV )
3So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly
great city,£ three days’ journey in breadth.£
o
Arose-There is now no hesitation to Jonah as he
now goes out to proclaim the message that God had put on his heart.
o
Great city-Note what MacArthur states here from
the MacArthur Study Bible. “Text emphasizes not only size but its importance. A
metropolitan city the size of Nineveh, with a circumference of about 60 miles,
would require three days just to get around it.” Some believe that it had 1,200
towers each 200 feet with a population of around 600,000 or more. (Another good
resource tool for Jonah is that of Wilmington’s Study Guide to the Bible
concerning Nineveh.)
Jonah 3:4 ( ESV )
4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he
called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
o
He called out-He had a simple message to share
with the people but what a tremendous effect it had on the listeners. The same
is true of us today; we are all born sinners who deserve the judgment of God in
a place called Hell. We can in no way redeem ourselves by our good deeds for
even they are as filthy rags. We need one who can save us and take our place.
This was none other than Jesus who is God in flesh. When He died and rose again
He offers us eternal life. This life can only be had by putting our faith in
Him and Him alone.
o
Yet-He is the heavy part of the message God will
destroy the city as well as all of those who refuse to receive Him. Once again
my heart is heavy as we even have pastors who now doubt that Hell will be
forever a place of torment for those who refuse Christ. I do not in any way
enjoy telling a man that without Christ he is bound for Hell. Yet, I must
proclaim the truth of the Gospel. At the heart of many of the false teachings
today about Hell is the problem that people really don’t see just how bad there
sin is before God. They want to compare themselves to others instead of the
living God who made them and gave them breath.
o
Overthrown-Has the idea of to turn something
completely over. Used in a similar fashion when talking about Sodom and
Gomorrah in Gen. 19:21,25 and 29 as well as about the Egyptians in the Red Sea
in Ex. 14:26.
Jonah 3:5 ( ESV )
5And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and
put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
o
And the people-Jonah was a sign to these people.
(I wonder at times if any of them had seen Jonah spat up or if his body was
marked by the three days in some fashion or form.) Christ would tell how He
would be buried like Jonah for 3 days in Luke 11:30 and Matt. 12:41. The people believed before the king
even had opportunity.
o
Believed-They were firm about what little they
knew about God and did not want to perish but to trust in Him.
o
Fast-This was an outward sign of their heart’s
repentance. Often in the O.T. it went hand in hand with prayer.
o
Greatest to the least-The revival crossed all
social barriers as it touched all the people and their hearts. No one was
exempt from the Grace of God.
Jonah 3:6-9 ( ESV )
6The word reached£ the king
of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself
with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By
the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor
flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water,
8but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call
out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence
that is in his hands.
o
King-The king and his people were all on the
same level.
o
Laid aside-Note that when revival comes it will
be marked by HUMILITY. He laid aside his robes, he saw himself as lost as any
other. He laid aside his splendor and majesty and placed upon himself the
coarse dark cloths that were unfit to wear and like Job in Job 2:8 he covered
himself with ashes as a sign of his despair.
o
Proclamation-After receiving the message he
wanted others to know about this God of Jonah.
o
Nobles-When people saw the turning of hearts
they wanted this God as well even his nobles.
o
Beast-So great was their repentance that they
even covered their animals in sackcloth. Please God do not judge us and we call
out mightily to your name.
o
Turn-The people repented of their evil ways and
their violence.
o
Who knows?-Now here is the wild part for me and
I do not believe that I am going out on a limb here. They truly saw that they
deserved punishment for their evil and violent ways even without knowing as of
yet if God would show forgiveness. Their hearts were so broken over their sin
and how they had offended God. It was only then that they prayed that God would
show compassion and turn from His fierce anger towards them. We need your
mercy.
Jonah 3:10 ( ESV )
10When 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.
o
When God saw-It was at this moment that God
showed compassion on them and His grace was poured out upon them. Though we just like them deserve punishment
in Hell. He the great and mighty one is willing to give us life through His
son.
I believe that
this is one of the greatest revivals ever recorded in scripture. I want to see
this in my life and in the world that we live in today. Here are just some
observations about this great revival. I know that as you study this passage
you will see more things as well.
REVIVAL
1.
THE MAIN EMPHASIS IN REVIVAL SHOULD ALWAYS BE
THE WORD OF GOD. VERSE 2
2.
THE MESSAGE NOT ONLY SHOULD OFFER HOPE BUT
SHOULD BE CONFRONTIVE ABOUT SIN. VERSE 4
3.
BELIEF IN CHRIST WILL TAKE PLACE. VERSE 5
4.
HUMILTY AND REPENTANCE ARE MARKS OF TRUE
REVIVAL. VERSE 5
5.
WE WILL BE MARKED WITH GODLY SORROW CONCERNING
OUR SIN. VERSE 6
6.
REVIVAL WILL BREAK THROUGH SOCIAL BARRIERS.
VERSE 6 ALL MEN ARE IN NEED.
7.
REVIVAL PRODUCES A WILLINGNESS TO SHARE. VERSE 7
8.
REVIVAL WILL HAVE AT ITS HEART PRAYER AND CRYING
OUT TO GOD. VERSE 8
9.
REVIVAL PRODUCES A TRUE VIEW OF GOD AS BEING
JUST AND HOLY. VERSE 9
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