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Jonah Series
The Deeper Death
Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe | April 9, 1978Selected highlights from this sermon
Everyone knows that Jonah ran away from God but eventually returned. But what you might not know are the four stages he went through during this time: disobedience, discipline, dedication, and deliverance.
Jonah refused to do the will of God and in turn, God disciplined Jonah to bring him back and ultimately deliver him. In many areas of our life, we are the same as Jonah, running from the will of God, and if we are His children through Christ, God is disciplining us to get us to turn back to Him.
Transcripts for Dr. Wiersbe's sermons are forthcoming. Below is an outline of his message.
Jesus used the story of Jonah as an illustration of His death, burial, and resurrection.
You understand a person’s character when you know what they laugh at, weep over, get excited about, and will sacrifice for.
But the real test of a person’s character is what they pray about when everything around them is falling apart.
Four stages in Jonah’s experience with the Lord:
- Disobedience
- Jonah prayed when he was in trouble.
- Jonah was disobedient because he forgot the Lord. He didn’t bring God into the circumstances of life.
- When we leave God out of the decisions of life, we head toward trouble.
- Jonah neglected prayer and stubbornly refused to do the will of God.
- Jonah believed the lies of the world.
- No one has ever gained anything by disobeying God.
- Jonah lost God’s voice, his spiritual energy, and his testimony
- Discipline
- God disciplined Jonah to bring him back into His will.
- God rebukes and corrects us because He loves us.
- If no chastening comes when you sin, you’re not saved.
- God disciplines us because He loves us, wants to perfect us, to remind us of His Word, and to remind us what it’s like not to be a Christian.
- We should respond to God’s chastening by submitting.
- Dedication
- Jonah rededicated himself to the Lord.
- Our God is a God who gives us another chance.
- The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.
- Deliverance
- God changes circumstances when character changes.
- Jonah had been delivered from death, and you could see the difference.
- Jonah had to die to himself.
