Preparing for Revival!

Lessons from Jonah

Revival starts tonight!

Preparing for revival!

Don’t just look good on the outside. Jonah was a prophet. People probably looked up to him and were in awe of what God did through him, but the inside was different. Inside he was prideful, bitter and angry at God.

Before you get too hard on Jonah you might should know that the Ninevites weren’t super nice people.

The Assyrians were more savage and merciless than the Babylonians and the other Biblical people. One archeological account said “Assyrians buried their dead with knees drawn up to their chins.”  Dr. Henry H. Halley, one of the foremost Bible scholars, has this to say of the cruelty of the Assyrians:  “They skinned their prisoners alive; or cut off their hands, feet, noses, ears; or put out their eyes; or pulled out their tongues, and made mounds of human skulls, all to inspire terror.” Wilmington, another Bible scholar, said “the cruelty of the Assyrian armies was unparalleled in ancient history.”

2. Obedience is the key to revival.

Jonah 1:1–3 “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”

Revival would never have taken place is Jonah (or another prophet) had not gone to speak the word of God to the people.

3. Your disobedience can keep other people from revival!

4. Your disobedience brings storms for you and for others!

Jonah 1:4 “But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.”

5. Sometimes you can be closer to God in the smelly belly of a fish than you can on dry ground or sleeping in the bottom of a boat.

Jonah 2:1 “Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly.”

Jonah 2:7 ““When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple.”

6. The word of the Lord brings revival.

Jonah 1:1–2 “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.””

Jonah 2:10 “So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”

Jonah 3:1–2 “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.””

7. In order for revival to happen you must be honest with where you really are!

Jonah 2 NKJV

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple. “Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.” So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah 3:8 “But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.”

7. Repentance is at the heart of revival.

Jonah 3:5–9 “So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?”

8. God’s mercy is the driving force of revival.

God’s mercy towards Jonah

God’s mercy towards Ninevah

9. Your feelings, comfort and convenience barriers to revival!

Jonah 4 NKJV

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 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 lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!” Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?