The Deeper Death

Saints, I've posted this sermon by Warren Wiersbe front-and-center in this forum because I believe it is worthy of such notice. It is 43 minutes long, and is, I feel, one of the most perfectly balanced and impacting messages I've ever come across. I feel compelled to obey God and share it with others here, knowing there is a precious soul on SI who needs to hear this. For that person I write this: Do listen to the entire message with undivided attention, as it will answer a myriad of unresolved questions and bring peace to the inner turmoil you are experiencing because of a past failure.

O Lord, make us willing to be willing to obey you in all things!

Your servant in Christ,

Brother Paul

http://64.34.176.235/sermons/SID13543.mp3

Would you happen to know if this is in text form somewhere's out there ?

Hi annie,

I checked the internet for a text form and couldn't find any. Why can't you do audio on your computer? Maybe someone here can help you.

Brother Paul

This is an amazing message. Thank you very much!

Thanks for posting this message. It inspired me to go read the book of Jonah and the title, [u]The Deeper Death[/u], made me think about what, exactly, was Jonah's deeper death.

Deeper death is something that I have been seeking after and it has become like I'm in the belly of a whale. As I read through the book of Jonah and came to the end where Jonah delivers the message which God had commanded him, but then became angry because God showed the people mercy, I thought about why Jonah would be angry. In chapter 4, vs 3 of the Living Bible, it says, "Please kill me, Lord: I'd rather be dead than alive [when nothing that I told them happens]."

Jonah was God's prophet who was worried about his own reputation. It reminded me of a one line directive which I have received from the Lord at the beginning of this year. God said to me, "This year, I'm going to teach you to stay focused on me." Now, most of this year has been spent realizing how affected I am by the opinions of men. It rattles me so much when others don't like me or realize that I'm God's prophet. Just last night, my own husband called me crazy and that really hurt. I actually left the house to drive around and cry and the Lord ministered to me that, as his devoted servant, I would not find acceptance from men. I mustn't look to men to know what God thinks about me, and if God likes me, then why do I care what men think?

To me, the deepest death is becoming so secure in God and his calling upon my life, and who I am in him, that [i]nothing[/i] can shake me loose from obeying God, even if it spoils my reputation. I suppose men (and women) who will obey God and who seek God with all their hearts do look crazy. Love, Dian.

I can't do audio at all

Haven't forgotten sister ... forgive me for the slowness. Have a new setup here and might still take some time to pull it all together. Just need some vacation time to get to many things. please send me your address again via PM.

very good sermon, makes me think about my own personal life, and i really liked that this showed so many things usually overlooked. Or just passed by, This sermon touches depth, what spoke much to me was the thing about our prayers... that many of them are recorded "tapes" stored inside that we bring out in prayer meetings and so on :-o

but do we pray as Jonah prayed in the belly? i had a couple of those prayers, that place is not fun to be at, in a belly or where ever it is....when God has gotten us in that place where he shows us things, when we know we are sons because he brings us there, when he could have left us in our 'rebellion' in our stupidity following a 'sidetrack' then in his great mercy and love he brings us to the belly of the fish.

the belly ain't a fun place to be at, but it is where the man of God is shaped and molded into the image of him,

Lord make me willing to be willing.

Christian

"The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings."

This was the statement that really shook me. When I heard it, I immediately recognized it as hand-delivered from the Spirit of God to mine. And then Dr. Wiersbe used Abraham, Jacob, David as illustrations. Such truth is easily forgotten! Have you ever noticed why such truth is elusive? How such truth can so easily be blotted out by the stains of condemnation? Surely Satan does not want man to taste of God's grace...[i]after[/i] salvation. It seems that if the enemy can't foil God's plans to [i]save[/i] by grace, he can sure mess up the idea that God also has awesome grace to [i]keep[/i] one saved.

I used to balk at preachers that continually reminded people that their sins were under the blood, and that if God had forgotten them, so should they. This was because I equated all my sins to the ones prior to my conversion, committed while I was still in my ignorance, doomed to hell. See, I couldn't understand how someone couldn't get past the shame of those deeds. After all, we're all supposed to be new men and women in Christ! The blood had taken away the guilt and feelings of shame. Harping on pre-conversion sin was like denying the efficacy of the blood of Christ.

Well, I didn't understand it back then. But now I see what all those preachers were talking about. The sins committed [i]after[/i] conversion. The falls. How easy it is to forget the sins we committed while in ignorance, obeying the lusts of the flesh...but it's a wholly different story forgetting the ones committed after coming to the knowledge of grace. It was like I was having an epiphany!

Brother Paul

Very good message. This word ought to encourage and hearten anyone who feels they might have blown it.

Jonah first refuses to go to Nineveh "and cry against it." Disobeys God. Ends up "in the belly of hell." Comes to a deep repentance. Turns again to God. God raises him up. And he goes to Nineveh this time not as a preacher, but as one raised from the dead. And is now a "sign" to the Ninevites. See? This is what YOU've got to look forward to!

I see Jonah walking into Ninevah with the "signs" of his experience in the belly of the fish all over his body. "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown," he cries. But people are seeing the burns, the scars: they take one look at THAT message, and know... that man's God means business.

Jonah's message now is even more powerful than it could have been had he gone and preached the first time God called him.

So it's very encouraging that out of the failures and disobediences in our own lives, when there is genuine repentance, God can do even greater things than He could have through us before hand.

...Which, as I think about it, should greatly encourage us all: God is going to judge His own House shortly, as He judged Jonah. (It's already started, I know. "And if it first begin at US..." But it's going to become more pronounced.) And when this happens, and when His "evil neighbours" round about see before their very eyes that God, obviously, is deadly serious about judgment (for they see Him judging His OWN House) ...they will get the message far more clearly than mere preaching ever could. And it will bring repentance to them, and the fear of God, in a powerful way, as it did to Nineveh.

And so out of all the disobedience and foolishness that grieve us so much in His House these days, great GOOD is going to come!

What then, shall we sin that grace might abound? How foolish the thought. God forbid. God's mercy and faithfulness and grace does not glorify our disobedience or failure. It just glorifies His mercy and faithfulness and grace. He is so good.

AD

Great post,
This message opened many new treasures that I had over looked,
(took me out of my study and drove me into Jonah all weekend)
___
It sound's like there was a sermon ahead of it, maybe a 2 or 3 part series? If this is the case, I hope someone can post the links,

It sound's like there was a sermon ahead of it, maybe a 2 or 3 part series? If this is the case, I hope someone can post the links

Yes! If this is any taste of a single [i]course[/i], I'd love to have the entire meal! I wonder if Wiersbe went through the entire Bible like McGee and Poonen.

Found them: (4 part series on Jonah)

A worms eye view of missions by Warren Wiersbe (chapter 4)
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=13283

How to save a city (chapter 3)
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=13298

Deeper Death (chapter 2)

The missing missionary (chapter 1)
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=13319

The one PaulWest posted was CH 2

(ALSO; the scripture ref. to audio sermons that Greg is applying is GREAT; it helped to find these)

(Part 2) of a very compelling 4 part series anyone who was blessed by this sermon should consider listening to the full set as listed in the thread;
I Just finished the last one and was astounded by the depth that this book contains, these sermons will definitely provoke much thought.