An Unlikely Revival

AN UNLIKELY REVIVAL

Jonah 3:1-10

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: SHE WENT THE SECOND MILE

1. Actress Carol Burnett got out of a cab one day and caught her coat in the door. The driver was unaware of her plight and slowly began to edge out into traffic.

2. To keep from being pulled off her feet, the comedienne had to run alongside down the block. A passerby noted her predicament and quickly alerted the driver. He stopped, jumped out, and released Carol’s coat.

3. “Are you all right?” he asked anxiously. “Yes,” she gasped, “but how much more do I owe you?” Bits and Pieces, November, 1989, p. 6

B. SETTING OF THE SCENE “try to imagine the scene”

1. It's 862 BC. An ancient city awakens to a rosy dawn.

2. It's moated walls/ramparts soar 100 feet in the air, dotted with 1500 lofty towers. It's circumference stretches over 60 miles.

3. Already the Gates are open for the early traffic, and conspicuous among the crowd, a stranger enters.

4. The stains of travel are on his clothes, and he looks with curious awe at the figures of winged colossal bulls that keep silent guard over the gate under which he passes.

5. The markets fill, the bazaars come alive with crowds.

Soldiers and war chariots clatter in the streets. Barbaric wealth and power are everywhere as luxury, corruption,

lust, violence and idolatry fill every sight. Smoke arises

from 100 altars as sacrifices are offered and idols worshiped.

6. The stranger is deeply moved. Surprise gives way to horror – and righteous anger

7. With trumpet voice and eyes of fire he utters the words of DOOM, "Forty Days, And Nineveh Will The Destroyed!"

8. Through streets and parks, neighborhoods and markets, he shouts his doleful message.

9. It’s met with unbelief, then with alarm. News spreads like wildfire, and with it, panic. It penetrates to the King

upon his throne. It moves society to its depths.

10. We're going to look at a people, very similar to us, who should NOT have been sensitive or open to the Holy Spirit, but were, and we should consider whether WE are as challenged and open as they were!

C. TEXT

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

D. THESIS

1. God is speaking to us about right hearts and right lives. We all know that America needs revival. Maybe

there’s a clue to revival FOR US in this account about the Ninevites -- how they listened and responded to God.

2. Title of this message: “AN UNLIKELY REVIVAL.”

I. AN UNLIKELY REVIVAL

This revival was the greatest one in biblical history, maybe all time. But it was also a very unlikely, because:

1. No Nice Building, no comfortable seats; No Music, or humor; no Carpet, Lighting, or altars to pray at.

2. There were no dramas or skits; nothing “listener-

friendly.” There was nothing cool or trendy; the preacher wasn’t friendly. There was nothing about this revival that made it comfortable or easy to accept.

A. EVANGELIST: ONE OF CONQUERED ENEMIES

1. To the Assyrians, Jonah was from a third world country, uneducated; come to tell the most advanced people what to do! It's a marvel they would listen.

2. Jonah's God hadn't been able to stop their armies before, so how could He overcome them now?

3. Hostile nations in those days always claimed their gods would destroy their opponents. So why should they listen?