The Embarkment for Revival

Jonah 3:1-10

The Embarkment for Revival

Message 1 of 4

Introduction:

True Revival for us today is like a road trip, where we must prepare ourselves before we set out on our journey.

It should be something we desire and want, but if our hearts are not in it, it will not come.

The community around us needs to see the great moving of God, and friends if they are going to see it, we are the ones they need to see it in.

For if the church is not revived, we will see the church close its doors, and retreat from the enemy.

We don’t need to give up anymore ground to the devil, friends it is time that we make the push for God to use us once more fore His glory.

Now tonight, we are embarking for revival, and we are looking at a passage in Jonah that speaks on that very thing.

(Read Scripture)

We are embarking for revival, and friends if we are going to have revival, we need to have an excitement for it.

I remember as a little kid, when churches would have revival, I would almost dread going because we were in church for five days in a row.

We can’t have revival if we are dreading the services. Friend God wants to give us revival if our heart is in the right place.

Now a great revival took place here in this chapter, the Ninevites heard the word of God proclaimed and that repented and turned unto the Lord.

Nineveh was a huge city. It would take three days to cross it, and here is Jonah going through the streets and preaching the Word of God, and people begin to turn to God.

Friends, do you realize that right here in this room is the potential to change Clayton? Now, friends if we want revival there are three things that we need for it to be a great revival.

Point 1 – The Stirring for Revival (vs 1-3)

· Now look back at verses 1-3, God was stirring and he wanted to reach Nineveh, so he calls on Jonah.

· The scripture says that the Word of God came unto Jonah. Friends do you believe that the spirit of God is stirring in this church tonight?

· Do you believe that God wants to bring revival to Powhatan? I believe he does. God is stirring among us right now, pulling on our hearts, calling us for his purpose.

· Now God was calling on Jonah to go to Nineveh and stir the people by preaching the word of God.

· And friend, God is calling on your heart right now as well, you may be here and the Spirit of God is coming on you, stirring on your spirit, giving you a calling that he wants you to respond to.

· What is it that he is saying to you? Is he telling you to go and preach? Is he telling you to go and make amends with someone? Is he telling you to stand up and give testimony? Is he telling you to come and get saved?

· Friend, God is stirring on each one of us tonight, and what we must do, is what we see Jonah do in verse 3, arise.

· The easiest way to stop revival from happening, is to stay seated. If you don’t want to see revival take place, all you have to do is remain right where you are.

· But that isn’t what God desires for you. God wants you to be revived, he wants others to be revived, he wants to see people saved, and we can’t get the word of God out, if we are staying seated.

· Friend revival starts with each of us. If we want a true revival take place, then we each must listen to the Lord and what He is saying.

· Evangelist Gypsy Smith, was asked what the secret of revival is. He said, “Go home. Take a piece of chalk. Draw a circle around yourself. Then pray, ‘O Lord, revive everything inside this circle.’”

· Do you feel your heart stirring for revival? Are we arising from where we were and going to where God wants us to be?

· Listen, God is stirring, it is up to you to respond to what He is saying.

Point 2 – The Sermon for Revival (vs 4)

· Now if we are going to have revival there must be a stirring for revival, but friend here is the second thing, there must be a sermon for revival.

· What was the sermon for the Ninevites? Well, it was a pretty simple message, “yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown”

· Talk about a positive message!

· Isn’t that what we like to hear? Let me hear something good that makes me feel good, but nothing that is convicting.

· Now if would look at the message that Jonah preached, the only positive thing that a person might say about it, was that it was short.

· We preachers can sometimes get a little long winded.

· Well, if we look at this sermon that Jonah preached there are couple of things that we see about it.

· First, it was personal.

· God had a message for each of the Ninevites.

· One of the biggest mistakes we make is thinking that the message being preached isn’t for us.

· If we want revival, we need to hear exactly what the Lord is saying to us personally.

· And what is it that he is saying? Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

· God’s message is a message about change. If the people of Nineveh didn’t personally change, they would be destroyed.

· And if we don’t heed the message God is preaching to us, we will see destruction in the church and in our lives.

· Second, it was pointed.

· The message that is preached may not be what we were expecting.

· Nineveh was being called out. Now people don’t like being called out. But friends if we are going to have revival we have got to change.

· Dr. John R. Rice, a great evangelist now with the Lord, was asked to conduct a revival meeting at a Baptist church in Woodbine, Texas. Divisions and strife had broken the heart of the pastor until he had resigned and left. The county missionary, hoping to see the church revived and God’s work made prosperous, asked Dr. Rice to come and preach the revival services. He found the whole community divided. One or more deacons had had fist fights in the quarrel that had reached nearly every home. Many had taken a vow never to return to the little church.

Dr. Rice never did find out most of the details of the division. But with a burden in his soul, he preached against sin, urged God’s people to clean up their lives, and pleaded with them to make peace with their neighbors. Night after night he preached. Those who had been angry at others were now angry with him.

One morning, a woman in the community started to make a telephone call to tell Dr. Rice just what she thought of all his meddling in their affairs. But her nineteen year old son stopped her and said, “Mother, you are wrong! I have just been out in the woods to pray. I know Brother Rice is right. If we Christians do not get right with each other, we can never have a revival. I for one am going to try to get right.” His mother did not make the phone call.

In the next service, Dr. Rice called for a time of testimony. With tears streaming down her face, one woman rose to beg forgiveness of another woman with whom she had quarreled. The other woman swiftly rose and came to meet her. They put their arms around one another and wept in the aisle. Confessions came from all parts of the building. The deep moving of God was upon the people as they began to make restitution, ask forgiveness, and seek Christian fellowship again.

That afternoon the news went like wildfire. That night the little church building was crowded. People came to church who had not been there in months—some who had vowed they would never enter the building again. From the very beginning of the service the Holy Spirit was there. Dr. Rice preached the Gospel, and at the invitation men and women accepted Jesus as their Saviour with tears streaming down their faces. Dozens of people were saved, hundreds of Christians were revived, and people came from miles to fill that little church for the rest of the meeting that lasted four weeks!)

· We must listen to what the Lord is saying through his Word and take action.

Point 3 – The Sacrifice for Revival (vs 5-10)

· Now we have seen the stirring for revival and the sermon for revival, but there is a third thing we must do if we are going to have revival and that is the sacrifice for revival.

· What do we find in verses 5-10? We find a nation who is repenting. We find people who are giving up things that was keeping them from serving the Lord.

· The king got off his throne and sat in ashes. People and animals fasted. They gave up things they thought they needed for something more important.

· You know why revival isn’t happening for many? It is because there are things that we refuse to lay down for the Lord.

· We give excuses. I have to get up early. I have young children. I have had a long day. We have a ball game we are playing. Oh preacher your meddling, am I?

· We say we want revival, but we are unwilling to put down some things, because we say they are too important.

· Do you know what the 3 necessities of life are? Food, water, and shelter. The Ninevites fasted from food and water. Those are important things.

· Listen, if we are going to have a true revival, that might mean you have to sacrifice something you love for the Lord.

· Giving up ourselves is what we are called to do!

· Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

· The king sacrificed his pride. He was the king of a great city, but he realized that God was more important than his pride.

· Can we agree that pride is perhaps the biggest hindrance for revival?

· A person will hold onto their pride before saying I’m sorry or admitting that we have done wrong.

· Friends, pride will send you to Hell if you don’t let go of it. We must deny ourselves and follow Christ.

· Now we must let go and let God, and when we do that, you know what will happen?

· God will send revival. God will renew us and move on us. We will see God turn from destroying us and instead blessing us.

· Friends, God cares about you, and he doesn’t want to see us perish. He wants to see us saved.

· But friends, that can’t take place if we stay right where we are at.

· We must be willing to sacrifice ourselves to the Lord, if we are to have the revival we crave.

Closing

An unknown monk once said -

· When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.

I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.

When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.

Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

· Think about that, if we want a revival that changes the world, it first has to start with you and I.

· Will you embark for revival tonight, by listening to what the Lord has said to you? Will arise and follow Him?