Arise O Sleeper [the Needed Awakening Of God’s People]

TEXT: JONAH 1:6

TITLE: ARISE O SLEEPER [THE NEEDED AWAKENING OF GOD’S PEOPLE]

AUTHOR: JACK WOODARD

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INTRODUCTION

Jonah’s story begins with him receiving a summons from the Lord to go to the great city of Nineveh to warn them of the Lord’s soon coming judgment and His gracious call for them to repent as their only means of escaping it. The Lord had been long-suffering with this evil nation, but they had pushed Him to His limit, and now the Lord had chosen to Judge them, but before doing so He is going to send His Prophet Jonah to give them one last warning and opportunity to repent and avoid the Lord’s judgment.

JONAH AVOIDING HIS SUMMONS

After receiving his summons Jonah immediately decides to avoid the Lord’s Summons by taking off to Joppa. He disliked the evil Ninevites and he had rather see them judged by the Lord than to be forgiven by the Lord, as He surely would, if they repented and turned to Him. Jonah was soon to learn that you cannot run and hide from the Lord. He would also learn that no one can try to deliberately avoid the Lord’s Summons without running straight into the chastening of a God created storm.

JONAH ASLEEP IN THE STORM

Jonah boards a ship headed for Joppa and soon there is a great storm, and while everyone else is fighting for their survival, backslidden Jonah is seen as being Asleep in the Storm; indifferent to every danger that is taking place around him. He would soon be in the belly of a great fish saying what the Apostle Paul would say in years to come: "...WOE IS UNTO ME, IF I PREACH NOT THE GOSPEL!" [1 Corinthians 9:16]

JONAH AKIN TO THE SAINTS

In [MATTHEW 25:1-13] the Lord describes the last day Church as being like the 10 virgins that would be sound asleep when He returns. Five were asleep to the fact that they were lost, and the five who were saved, were also asleep to the fact that half of the people in their little Church was lost, until it was too late to help them. In this crucial midnight hour the Church needs an Awakening. An Awakening to the fact, that there are many in the Church that are just as LOST as those un-regenerates outside the Church. Awakened to the fact that we have strayed from the Lord’s side, awakened to the fact that our Nation is about to be lost forever to the judgment of the Lord if we do not repent and turn from our wicked ways and pray and seek the Lord’s face before we feel the back of His hand across the face of this nation.

The Church today is Akin To Jonah, as we see all around us sleeping saints. We too, as the Church have been summoned by the Lord to warn the Lost, of the Lord’s Coming Judgment, and His command for them to Repent and Receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior as the only means of saving themselves from the Lord’s sure and swift judgment that is soon to fall, and an eternal @#!*% that is awaiting them at the end of a Christ-less life. But like Jonah of old, we too are sound asleep and At Ease in Zion, as our nation and the world of lost humanity stand on the brink of judgment and eternity.

The Church needs an Awakening. The 20th Century ended without seeing a Spiritual Awakening, the first Century in our history not to experience a National Revival. Our Nation today is in the midst a life threatening storm which can only be avoided if the Church Awakens, and has a real heaven sent revival. We must have a Revival that will turn us from our wickedness, and once again bring the Lord’s Church back into His favor. A revival that will cause us to Arise and once again become faithful to the Lord and to His Summons to us to go and preach the Gospel, warning the wicked of the coming judgment and the Lord’s command for them to Repent and Receive Jesus as their only hope of avoiding judgment and an eternity in @#!*% .

Satan is just as satisfied to see a Christian or a Church "Go to Sleep" as he is to see them "Go Astray."

An Enemies Army would be just as satisfied to see their foes night sentry Fall Asleep at his post as to see him abandon his post, the devastating results would be the same.

The majority of the people who are members of a local church have either abandoned their post or fallen asleep at their post. Our nation is plagued with an epidemic of Sleeping Sentry’s.

Let’s look at Jonah and see if we too may be Avoiding Our Summons and Asleep In The Storm of the Lord’s judgment that is falling all around us, and threatening our very existence as a Church, as a Nation, as a Person.