The Promises of God

There Shall Be War - Part 3

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Covenant Theology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2014-10-26

Synopsis: In this sermon, John Weaver continues his series on Exodus 5, presenting two additional principles that flow from a failure to recognize God's sovereignty: (3) God's word will be mocked and He will be held in contempt, and (4) the natural consequences are depression, discouragement, and defeat. He demonstrates from Scripture how men call God a liar by adding to His word, denying sin, or rejecting Christ, and shows that the Israelites' despair came from focusing on circumstances rather than God's sovereignty. The sermon concludes with applications to trust God's testimony, cease looking at circumstances, and remember that obedience, worship, and truth stand or fall together.

[John Weaver] All right, let's open our Bibles today to Exodus chapter five, Exodus chapter five, and we've already covered verses one through eight. I will review momentarily, but today let's read verses nine through twenty three. The title of the message is there shall be war. This is the third part. I will review the first two parts, but notice Exodus chapter five beginning there with verse nine. There shall be war. Here it is.

[John Weaver] Let there more work be laid upon the men that they may labour therein, and let them not regard vain words. And the taskmasters of the people went out in their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go ye, get your straw where you can find it, yet not all of your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters hastened them, saying, Fulfill your works, your daily task, as when there was straw. And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have you not fulfilled your task in making brick, both yesterday and today, as heretofore? Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy service? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick. And behold, thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own people.

[John Weaver] But he said, You are idle, you are idle. Therefore you say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. Go therefore now and work, for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall you deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in an evil case after it was said, You shall not minish from your bricks of your daily task.

[John Weaver] And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh. And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you and judge, because you have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his service to put a sword in their hand to slay us. And Moses returned unto the Lord and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil and treated this people? Why is it thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people, neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

[John Weaver] I hope you remember that the first two messages, I brought two principles, one principle per message, and I hope that these two principles literally have been burned into your hearts. The very first principle is simply this, where the sovereignty of God is not acknowledged and recognized, there will not be any obedience. That's why in Exodus chapter 5 verse 2, and Pharaoh said, who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. I pointed out that obedience actually stems from a recognition and understanding of God's sovereignty. Disobedience stems from a lack of recognition and submission to God's sovereignty. Pharaoh refused to let Israel go. He refused to obey the Lord simply because he did not recognize nor confess or submit to the fact that God and God alone is sovereign.

[John Weaver] Now, the second principle that I dealt with is exceedingly clear and emphatic as well. Where the sovereignty of God is not recognized and acknowledged, not only will there not be any obedience, there will not be any worship of God. Notice, if you would please, Pharaoh said, of course, you're idle, you're idle. Verse three, the God of the Hebrews had met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days journey into the desert and sacrifice of the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with sword.

[John Weaver] And the king of Egypt said to them, wherefore do you Moses and Aaron let the people from their works get you to your burdens? And therefore, he says, you're idle, you're idle. I want you to understand that worship is only tied to obedience. It is also tied to the sovereignty of God. So where God is not recognized as sovereign, not only will there not be any obedience, there will not be any worship. Why in the world would you worship someone who does not have absolute and total sovereignty, power, and jurisdiction? I pointed out last week that hypocritical, ceremonial, and ritualistic worship apart from the heart isn't only condemned in scripture, it is also rejected by God alone. God himself rejects such worship. Therefore, our worship must be from the heart, it must be in the spirit, it must be in truth. We recognize that God alone is sovereign, so God alone must be worshipped. Revelation 4 and verse 11 states this very clearly when the Word of God says, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power.

[John Weaver] For Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. So you see, these principles then, where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, there is no obedience. Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, not only is there no obedience, there is no worship of God. Today we come to principles three and four that are equally clear and delineated just as plainly in Exodus chapter five. What I want you to see is the absolute connection between these four principles.

[John Weaver] I could actually put it like this. These four things stand or fall together. I want you to understand. Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, there is no obedience. Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, there is only no obedience. There is no worship. And today we come to the third point, and that is this. Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, not only will he not be obeyed and worshipped, his word shall be mocked and ridiculed, and he shall be held in contempt.

[John Weaver] If you look in verse 9, Exodus 5 verse 9, Pharaoh said, Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein, and let them not regard vain words. Interestingly, when Pharaoh speaks of vain words, he is talking about what God said in verse 1, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. When you and I hear the word vain, We think normally of our English words useless and worthless. So vain words we normally consider to be useless words and worthless words, words that amount absolutely to nothing. However, the Hebrew word vain here literally means more than useless and worthless. When Pharaoh said, let not the people regard vain words, The word here actually refers to false, lying, deceitful words that are based upon a fraud. So what Zero is doing in reality is he is calling God a liar, a fraud and a deceit.

[John Weaver] Now, you and I would gasp at such a statement. And the first thing that would enter our mind would be a question. And that question would be, how could anyone be so blasphemous to say such a thing? Well, if you don't believe that God is sovereign, if you do not believe that He is God, that He has not all power and jurisdiction, not only would you not obey Him, you will not worship Him, why would you not hold Him in absolute contempt? Do you realize it's not just Pharaoh But men in general refer to God and call God a liar and a fraud. You say, how in the world is that? Well, you have to understand that many people do so on a regular basis. And the way they do it is not necessarily just with their words. Many times it is by their actions.

[John Weaver] I've told you in times past there's a difference between a theoretical atheist and a practical atheist. The theoretical atheist is the man who sits here and says, I do not believe that there is a God because, and he lists all of these reasons. That's his theory. A practical atheist is someone who may admit there is a God, But he lives as if that God had not spoken.

[John Weaver] He just totally ignores his word. And so there are individuals who may say that, yes, God is God. He has all sovereignty and he has all power and all jurisdiction. And yet in their actions, they deny God and they say that his words are vain and that God is a fraud and a deceit and that God is a liar. I want you to hold Exodus chapter 5, but look very quickly in your Bibles to Psalm 4. In fact, we'll look at several passages right here, but look in Psalm 4 and verse 2. Here's a question that is asked by God, Psalm 4 and verse 2. Look at it. God says, Oh, you sons of men, how long will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love vanity and seek after leasing? Now the word leasing there is the word lying. So he says, oh you sons of men, how long will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love vanity and seek after lying? So they are using lying words against God and believing lying words against God.

[John Weaver] They're not only turning His glory into shame, they're seeking after lying words. If you look in Psalm 5 and verse 6, God says it like this. Psalm 5 verse 6, Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing or lying. The Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. So those who lie against the Lord shall be destroyed. One of my favorite verses is found in Psalm 116 and verse 11.

[John Weaver] It is where David said, I said in my haste, all men are liars. I never will forget one of my favorite Bible teachers, Dr. Fred Affman, was teaching on this passage one time and he read Psalm 116, verse 11. He said, David said, I said in my haste, all men are liars. He paused and then said, Now he could slow down and say it didn't still be true.

[John Weaver] And that is a fact. All men are liars. Do you realize that when one doubts the hand of God, the judgments of God and the words of God, he is in essence calling God a liar? I want you to turn in your Bible to Jeremiah, chapter five, Jeremiah, chapter five. And look, if you would, please, at verses 11 and 12. Jeremiah 5, verse 11. Notice, if you would, what the Bible says. Jeremiah 5, verse 11. God says, For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against Me, saith the Lord. They have belied the Lord and said, It is not He.

[John Weaver] Neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword or famine. So go back to verse 12. They have belied the Lord. The word belied literally means to lie against. They have lied against the Lord. Instead, it is not He. Neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword or famine. In other words, God's not really judging us and God's not going to judge us. And so we're going to say that in a judgment that falls, it is not God. And God accuses them of lying against Him. Now, since God is sovereign and since He deserves all worship and praise, do you not think that God will judge those who despise Him and lie against Him?

[John Weaver] And the answer is, obviously, He will do so. All you have to do is look what God did to Pharaoh and what God did to Egypt. Thus, when one doubts God's righteous judgment, when one doubts God's word and casts dispersion upon God by calling Him a liar, then God will destroy them in His holy wrath. Do you understand that multitudes have ruined their own lives by believing their own lies and by believing the lies of others? Most people refuse to believe that God will be as strict as His Word declares. They somehow seem to think that God says one thing, but He acts differently. You must understand that vain hopes of impunity are the deceitful support of all impiety. When envious people think that they can sin and escape God's righteous judgment, They're simply deceiving themselves. And so when we belie God's judgments, when we lie against God's Word and say, God's not going to deal with us the way He says so in His Word, we're actually calling God a liar.

[John Weaver] You know, the Apostle Paul said it like this in Romans 3 and verse 4. He said, God forbid, yea, let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written, that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. So God is going to be just. And Paul said the thing is, God must be found true and every man a liar.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 30, let me show you several ways from the Bible that you can actually call God a liar. Some meaning would say, well, I would never do that. Oh, you may do so by your actions without ever using your tongue. But look in Psalm 30 and verse six. Here's a way some I'm sorry, Proverbs 30, Proverbs 30, verse six. Notice, if you would, what God says, Proverbs 30, verse six. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee and thou be found a liar. Now look in verse five. Every word of God is pure.

[John Weaver] He is a shield of them put their trust in him. Add thou not to his words, lest he repudiate and thou be found a liar. So a good question to ask would be this. Why would anyone want to add to God's words? The answer would have to be. Because they disbelieve him. And they want to say what they believe is the truth and then promote their interpretation of what they determine to be true. So by adding to God's Word, God says you are making Him a liar. When in reality, those who add to God's Word are really the liars. God's Word is complete. It is infallible. It is inerrant. And Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God. Thus, to deny the Word of God and to deny the Lord Jesus Christ is to call God a liar. Now, I want you to turn to Jeremiah chapter 23.

[John Weaver] I want you to see how this works out, not only in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament as well. So, we'll look in Jeremiah chapter 23 first. And let's begin reading with verse 16. Jeremiah 23, and verse 16. Look carefully. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you. Now, he's talking about false prophets. Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you. They make you vain. They speak a vision of their own heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord.

[John Weaver] They say still unto them that despise me. The Lord hath said, You shall have peace, and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. Who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? Who hath marked his word, and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind, it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord shall not return until he have executed, until he perform the thoughts of his heart.

[John Weaver] In the latter days, you shall consider it perfectly. Let me just stop right there just for a moment. I want to point out the fact. What God is saying is this. When individuals prophesy peace to men and women who in rebellion against God, who hate God, who despise God's word. God says those individuals are liars and I'm going to judge them. I'm going to destroy them.

[John Weaver] Now I've already pointed out from Proverbs chapter 30 how you can call God a liar by adding to his word. But look in Jeremiah 23.

[John Weaver] Now let's begin reading with verse 23. Look what he said. Jeremiah 23 verse 23. God says, Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him, saith the Lord? Do not I fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord? I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? Yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart.

[John Weaver] which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams, which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream, and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chapter of the wheat, saith the Lord? Is not my word like a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh a rock in pieces?"

[John Weaver] Ah, look if you would at verse 30. Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words, every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies and by their likeness.

[John Weaver] Yet I sent them not, nor commended them. Therefore, they shall not prophet this people at all, saith the Lord." So here you have individuals who are substituting for the Word of God, they're substituting their dreams, they're adding to the Word of God, they're actually taking from the Word of God, and they're changing the Word of God. And God said, mark it down, I am against them, there shall be war. What you have is this, God's Word versus man's Word.

[John Weaver] That's very clear in Jeremiah 23. It should be very clear in Exodus chapter 5. God came to Pharaoh and said, let my people go that they may serve me. Pharaoh said, who is the Lord? That I should let Israel go. I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. So you have God's word versus man's word. God said, mark it down, there shall be war. The Bible says in Isaiah 40 and verse 8, listen carefully, The grass withereth and the flower fadeth, but the word of the Lord shall stand forever. The grass withereth and the flower fadeth, but the word of the Lord shall stand forever. God said again, my counsel shall stand in Isaiah and I shall do all my pleasure. So when people begin to add to the word of God, take from the word of God, substitute for the word of God, They're calling God a liar. God has revealed his truth. Not to believe that truth is to in action say that God is a liar, if not using those words.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn to First John and let me show you how this works out in the New Testament. The book of First John. And let's begin reading there. In verse eight. I want you to understand that there are more ways than one that you can call God a liar. Here it is, 1 John 1, verse 8. The Bible said, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Now watch that verse carefully. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

[John Weaver] Now, when you look at the word sin in verse 8, the word sin not only refers to sinful acts, but it also refers to our corrupt and vicious inclination, which prompts us to do those sinful acts. So actually, what 1 John 1 and verse 8 would be, would be a denial of our sin nature. It is saying that We're not depraved individuals. We're saying that we do not have personal guilt, that we not stand as transgressors before God. Now, if you do not have a sin nature, then obviously you would not commit sinful acts. If you commit a sinful act, obviously it's evident that you have a sinful nature.

[John Weaver] I think I told you this in times past, but it fits in so good, I will tell you here. Years ago, when I first started preaching, I carried a suit to the cleaners and I knew that the man who owned the laundry was a professing Christian. When I walked in carrying my suit, I said. Isn't it wonderful to be forgiven of your sins? And the man with a straight face looked at me and said, I don't know. I haven't sinned in the last 10 years.

[John Weaver] When I picked my lip up off the floor and gained my composure, I said what you just did. He said, what? I said, you just sinned. Because 1 John 1 says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. I said, because you just lied. You have sinned and you are a sinner.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go further with me. Look in verse 10. Look what he says in verse 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. Isn't that interesting? In verse 8, if we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. That means we are liars. But he says in verse 10, if we say that we have not sinned, that is, if we have not committed actual acts of sin, then we make him a liar and his word is not in us. How can we be making him a liar if we say that we have not sinned? Well, you have to remember Romans 3 verse 23, for all have what? Sin and come short of the glory of God. So what we'd be saying is, well, God, you're a liar. I haven't sinned. I haven't transgressed your law. I haven't committed sinful acts. And the truth of the matter is we commit sinful acts all the time.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain something. You don't have to be an adulterer to be sinful. You don't have to be a murderer to be sinful. How many of you have prayed the way you should have prayed? How many of you have studied the way you should have studied? How many of you have been absolutely honest in every area that you should have been absolutely honest in? Not one. Not one.

[John Weaver] So that means we're sinners. There are positive sins as well as negative sins. There are sins of omission as well as sins of commission. And God said, if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and the truth is not in us. Thus, when we turn around and deny our sinful nature or our sinful acts, we are calling God a liar. Look, if you would, in 1 John 2 and verse 4. 1 John 2, verse 4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Wow. He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Well, now here's an individual that says he knows God, and yet he constantly and continually violates God's law. What does God say? That man's a liar.

[John Weaver] The truth's not in him. What does God say? Well, God says, if you are mine, you obey me. Man says I'm yours, but I don't obey you. God says it doesn't work like that either. You're a liar. I'm a liar and it's not me. Do you remember what happened in Genesis chapter three when Adam and Eve sinned? What did they do? They ran and hid themselves from God. They violated God's law. And they were hiding. Interestingly enough, men who are sinners always run from God and seek to hide from God. Listen to this verse. 1 Peter 3 and verse 18. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might brings to God.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to see this for me. Here's a picture. drawn for us in the garden. Adam sins, Eve sins, and they run and hide. That's what sinners have been doing ever since the fall. We run from God. We hide from God. But Christ has come and He died, the just for the unjust. Why? That He might bring us to God. So when Christ saves us, what do we do? We come back and we bow the knee to God the Father And we say, you're right, I'm wrong, and now I want to obey you.

[John Weaver] Now, that doesn't mean that we have an absolutely perfect obedience, but it does mean that generally speaking, that our lives are obedient lives and they're not lives of constant and continual rebellion and sin against God. So God says, if we say that we know Him and obey Him not, we're a liar and the truth's not in us. So either man is a liar or God is a liar. Obviously, it is not God.

[John Weaver] I want you to look in verse John 2 and verse 22. Verse John 2 and verse 22. Who is a liar? But he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ. He's an Antichrist that denied the father and the son. Look at that question, who is a liar, but he that denied that Jesus is the Christ. God has decreed that all individuals who say that Jesus Christ is not the Messiah. That Jesus Christ is not the anointed one. That Jesus Christ is not the Redeemer and Savior. That that man is a liar. So who's going to be deemed and discovered and found out to be the liar? Is it going to be man or is it going to be God?

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something, folks. Either Jesus Christ is the Messiah Either He is the Anointed One of God, or He is not. There is no in-between. And if Jesus Christ is not the Messiah, if He's not the Savior, if He's not the Anointed One, then God is a liar, because God has decreed and declared Him to be. But it's not God who's lying. He said it's man who says that Jesus Christ is not God. That's the liar.

[John Weaver] I want you to hold 1 John, but look in your Bibles very quickly at Acts chapter 2. Let me show you. Look in Acts chapter 2 and notice if you would, verse 36. Acts 2, verse 36. Peter is preaching. And he makes this statement. Acts 2, verse 36. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.

[John Weaver] Did you hear what I just read? Watch it. Acts 2, 36, Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that is most certainly and definitely, that God, that is God the Father, hath made that same Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. In other words, He is the sovereign He is the Anointed One. He is Messiah. In other words, God the Father has decreed, God the Father has declared that Jesus Christ is Lord. He has declared that Jesus Christ is the Anointed One. God the Father made Him so.

[John Weaver] And man cannot unmake it. God the Father declared Him to be. And man cannot undeclare it. Thus, when someone tries to say that Jesus Christ is not God, he's warring against God the Father. I told you there shall be war. Those who fight against God. Shall find themselves being fought against by God himself. And the war is over His Word. The war is over His Son. Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ, not only is calling God a liar, but he is identifying himself with Pharaoh.

[John Weaver] That's bad company to be identified with. Just read in Romans 9 what God did to Pharaoh. Read in the book of Exodus what God did to Pharaoh. So men can call God a liar, either with their tongues, with words, or by their actions. Look in 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5, and let's begin reading there with verse 9. This may surprise you. 1 John 5, look in verse 9. Here it is, verse John 5, verse 9. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. Now, let's just stop right there.

[John Weaver] So Henry comes up and tells me. Well, Janet and I have been married 40 years. I know it's longer than that, however long it is. How long is it? Forty two. I wasn't too far off. Janet and I have been married 42 years. Guess what? I believe him. He just gave me the witness, they've been married 42 years, and Janet says, yes, that's true. Why should I not believe him? I have just received the witness of man. Henry could tell me.

[John Weaver] The sun rotates around the earth. Or the earth rotates around the sun, depends on if you want a heliocentric view or Or making the earth a sinner. But if I believe him, I've just received his witness. You understand what I'm saying? So he says, if we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. And look how many times we receive the witness of men. We receive the witness of men all the time.

[John Weaver] In fact, when you tell me something, I assume that you're telling me the truth. Because unless you're a politician, you usually don't go around lying all the time. Occasionally folks lie, but usually we're tellers of the truth. So I'm going to receive the witness of men.

[John Weaver] Now look what he said. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. Because God is sovereign and God is sinless. So the witness of God is greater for this is the witness of God, which he testified of his son. Note that carefully. Here's a witness that God has testified of his son, Jesus Christ. Now, watch verse 10. He that believeth on the Son of God hath a witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar. Because he believeth not the record that God gave of his son, and this is the record. that God had given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life, he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to listen to this. Here's the witness of God. And the Bible says in verse 10, he that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. Now watch carefully. He that believeth not God hath made him, that is God, a liar. Because he believeth not the record that God gave his Son. Well, what is the record? The record is that God has given to us eternal life. And this eternal life is in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So here's the premise. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Watch verse 13. These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. Wait a minute.

[John Weaver] Do I understand this correctly? That my assurance in salvation is based upon God's sovereign testimony concerning Jesus Christ. When the Bible says this is the record, the word record actually means the witness, the testimony, the record, the report. This is the testimony, this is the record, this is the report of God the Father Himself. And God says, He that believeth not God hath made him a liar. Ah, are you listening? Whoever refuses to believe that Jesus is the Christ. And that he alone is salvation and eternal life is in Jesus Christ alone and that we are only saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Whoever does not believe that makes God a liar. Wow. Our assurance in salvation is based upon God's sovereign authority and God's sovereign righteous testimony. What did Pharaoh say? You've been listening to vain words. Fraudulent words, deceitful words, lying words. And he's referring to the words of God. Men make God a liar by refusing to bow to his word and believe his word. Our assurance is based on God's absolute sovereignty.

[John Weaver] I want you to go back in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 5 and very quickly, I want you to see this fourth point. And I want to tie it together for you, please look at it. Exodus chapter five. Actually, this would be verses 10 through 23, I'm not going to read all those verses again. But I've read them earlier, but here it is now, listen carefully, here's the fourth principle, the natural and inevitable consequence. I'm going to make it plural. the natural and inevitable consequences of a failure to believe God's sovereignty, to obey and worship Him, and to trust in His word, the natural consequences are depression, discouragement, and defeat. Wow. Now listen, it is true that God's war was against Pharaoh. It is equally true that God's war was against the Egyptians.

[John Weaver] But interestingly enough, in verses 10 through 23, it's the people of God who were depressed, discouraged and seemingly defeated, at least temporarily. So the question has to be asked, why is that so? Well, you have to understand something. At this point in time, Pharaoh and his minions were riding high. Pharaoh had the upper hand. Pharaoh and his minions were in control and they were exercising dominion over Israel. They had already enslaved Israel. Pharaoh did not believe in God. He did not believe in his sovereignty.

[John Weaver] He certainly was not going to obey him and worship him. Thus, in order to demonstrate his contempt of God and his demands, he even persecuted the Israelites even more.

[John Weaver] Now, listen to what he said. If God's people wanted to go and sacrifice to God and worship Him, it must be because they're idle. That is, they just don't have enough to do. They had to be idle. because they had time on their hands and they wanted to go three days journey and sacrifice and worship God. Therefore, since they're idle, since they have time on their hands, they must be forced to work harder and longer.

[John Weaver] Now, no straw is going to be given to them. They have to get their own straw. And yet they have to make the same number of bricks, and if they don't make them, then they're going to be whipped. they're going to be beaten. And if they complain about being beaten, if they complain about working harder and longer, if they complain that no straw was given to them, it was for their good, because they were idle.

[John Weaver] They just wanted to go worship God. That had to be the point. Well, let's ask a question. Why were the Israelites depressed, discouraged and defeated at this point in time? Here's the answer. Here's the answer why each one of us becomes discouraged, depressed and defeated. Because they were looking at their situation and their circumstances. They were concerned only with their life and their burdens for the moment. They were not concerned with God's sovereignty. They were not concerned with obedience to God. They were not concerned with worship to God. They were not concerned with His truth. They were looking at themselves and their surroundings and they were saying, we work from dawn to dark. We're beaten. When we complain, we're beaten more. Here's what they would say. You don't understand. Times are hard. Living is difficult. Work is impossible. We're just getting by by the skin of our teeth. And if we can make it through the day without being beaten, we're thankful.

[John Weaver] And along come Moses and Aaron. And they're preaching deliverance and freedom. And it sounds too wonderful to be true. And when the Israelites latch their hope, now listen, when they latch their hope upon the words and the preaching of Moses and Aaron, And begin to think that, yes, we're going to be delivered from being slaves. Then things got worse. A lot worse. In fact, if you'll skip down to verse 15.

[John Weaver] Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore, dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say, Thus make brick, and behold, thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own people. But he said, Your idol, your idol. Therefore you say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. Now go therefore and work, and there shall no straw be given you, yet shall you deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in an evil case. After it was said, You shall not minish all from the bricks of your daily task, watch, And they met Moses and Aaron who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh. And they said unto them, the Lord look upon you and judge because you've made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and the eyes of his servants to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

[John Weaver] Here it is stated very plainly. Moses, Aaron, you're preaching and teaching have not delivered us. In fact, we are worse off now than we were when you started preaching and teaching. We now have a death sentence upon us and you aren't to blame. The Lord judged between you and us. Obviously, the Israelites had taken their eyes away from the truth of God's sovereignty, His obedience and worship and truth.

[John Weaver] They were only looking at themselves and they were looking at their circumstances. Let me put it like this. They were walking by sight. And not by faith. And here's an amazing thing. Even Moses and Aaron became discouraged and depressed and defeated. Look in verse 22. And Moses returned to the Lord and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil and treated this people? Why is it that thou sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people, neither hast thou delivered thy people at all." Wow. Look in verse 9 of chapter 6 to show you the state of the people. Exodus 6 and verse 9. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, but they hearken not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage.

[John Weaver] They were in a bad way. Let me ask you. Do you think the fact that most Americans now must have husband and wife working in order simply to exist or get by is an accident? Do you realize in the 1950s? The husband alone could work. And provide for his family. And still have enough left for savings. And there was ample time to be with the family. To have rest, to have recreation, have worship. Do you think?

[John Weaver] That the average American today. Who's working from 60 to 80 hours per week? Has any time at all to think about worship? Or obedience? Or honoring God? I want you to understand something. Pharaoh and his taskmasters were driving the Israelites in the ground purposefully, deliberately to keep their minds away from God and His worship. Are not the American Taskmasters doing the same thing? Exactly. Now, here's a question.

[John Weaver] What will it take to deliver us? Here's the answer. It will take exactly the same thing That it took to deliver Israel out of Egypt. You remember, these elders had gone to Pharaoh and said. Why are you beating us? The faults in your own people, you're not giving a straw. And we're suffering because your people are not functioning. Oh, Pharaoh said, no, no, you're idle, you're idle and you will make the same number of bricks, and if you don't, you're going to be beaten.

[John Weaver] And when they walked out and saw Moses and Aaron, they said, the Lord looked between us and you and judge, because you've made our Savior to be evil in the sight of favor, to put a sword in his hands and in the hands of his servants slay us. You've given a death sentence. Does the Lord look upon you and judge? And then Moses and Aaron got down and said, Lord, why did you even send us? Why are we here?

[John Weaver] You haven't delivered this people. All that's happened is it's gotten worse.

[John Weaver] Look at chapter 6 in verse 1. Now that God has the elders helpless and Moses near and helpless, he says in verse 1, Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand shall he let them go. With a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. God said, Now you're going to see what I can do. Once you realize you can't, You're going to find out exactly what I can do. Had God allowed relief for the elders, they would have thought, we're wise. We did it. Had he allowed it by the hands of Moses and Aaron, they would have said, we're wise. We did it. But what did God do? God brought all of them to the end of their ropes. And when we get to the end of our ropes, When our backs are finally up against the wall and we find out that no humanistic ways and human power will affect deliverance in our lives. Then we're going to understand it's time once again to rely and lean upon the sovereign, majestic, omnipotent, infinite, eternal God of heaven and earth.

[John Weaver] Because he alone is salvation. and deliverance is from Him. He delivered His people in times past. He can deliver His people today. I want you to understand these principles stand and fall together. If you don't believe in God's sovereignty, you'll not obey Him. If you don't believe in His sovereignty, you'll only not obey Him. You'll not worship If you do not obey him and do not worship him and believe in his sovereignty, you will think his words are vain, false, lying, deceitful, fraudulent words.

[John Weaver] And the ultimate result is you will be depressed and discouraged and defeated. These things stand or fall together, you cannot have one without the other. If we do not want to be discouraged and depressed and defeated, we must hold to God's word. We must worship God. We must obey him and recognize his total and complete sovereignty. So here are my applications. The first one is this. Do not call God a liar. Bow to his word, bow to him and obey him and believe and receive his testimony as truth. His witness is faithful.

[John Weaver] And His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our Mediator. He's the Anointed One. He's the Messiah. He is our salvation and Him alone. Here's the second application. If you do not wish to be depressed and discouraged and defeated, cease looking at yourself and your surroundings and your circumstances. Believe that God is sovereign. Believe that God is in control and that God, according to Romans 8 and verse 28, works everything for our good and His glory.

[John Weaver] You need to take the attitude of David in Psalm 121 and verses 1 and 2, where David said, I will lift up mine eyes into the hills, from whence cometh my help, my help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. God is sovereign. He made heaven and earth. He's our help. So thirdly, we need to remember God's sovereignty. We need to remember obedience and worship and truth stand or fall together.

[John Weaver] Inherent in these things is either our victory or defeat. If we believe them and hold to them, there's going to be ultimate victory. If we do not believe them and do not hold to them, there's going to be defeat. Our lives are immediately touched by these truths, either in war or in peace. When God says there shall be war, He will fight against all of those who fight against Him. God is sovereign. Obey Him, worship Him, believe Him and trust Him.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You that Thou art indeed God. Thou art the Sovereign God of heaven and earth. And besides Thee, there is none other. We bow to Thee. Give us, Lord, grace to worship Thee and to praise Thee for Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.

There Shall Be War - Part 3

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	11415316130
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	The Promises of God
Genre	Sermon
Date	2014-10-26
Dictation Name
Book	Book 061: There Shall Be War — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	74

Formatted Transcript

Opening

All right, let's open our Bibles today to Exodus chapter 5, Exodus chapter 5, and we've already covered verses 1 through 8. I will review momentarily, but today let's read verses 9 through 23. The title of the message is "There Shall Be War." This is the third part. I will review the first two parts, but notice Exodus chapter 5 beginning there with verse 9. There shall be war. Here it is. "Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein, and let them not regard vain words. And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go ye, get your straw where you can find it, yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as heretofore? Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people."

"But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task." "And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."

Review of Principles 1 and 2

Weaver reviews the first two principles: where God's sovereignty is not acknowledged, there is no obedience (Exodus 5:2) and no worship (Exodus 5:3-4).

I hope you remember that the first two messages, I brought two principles, one principle per message, and I hope that these two principles literally have been burned into your hearts. The very first principle is simply this: where the sovereignty of God is not acknowledged and recognized, there will not be any obedience. That's why in Exodus chapter 5 verse 2,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 5:2

"And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go."

I pointed out that obedience actually stems from a recognition and understanding of God's sovereignty. Disobedience stems from a lack of recognition and submission to God's sovereignty. Pharaoh refused to let Israel go. He refused to obey the Lord simply because he did not recognize nor confess or submit to the fact that God and God alone is sovereign.

Now, the second principle that I dealt with is exceedingly clear and emphatic as well. Where the sovereignty of God is not recognized and acknowledged, not only will there not be any obedience, there will not be any worship of God. Notice, if you would please, Pharaoh said, of course, "Ye are idle, ye are idle." Verse 3, "The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword." "And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens." And therefore, he says, "Ye are idle, ye are idle." I want you to understand that worship is only tied to obedience. It is also tied to the sovereignty of God. So where God is not recognized as sovereign, not only will there not be any obedience, there will not be any worship. Why in the world would you worship someone who does not have absolute and total sovereignty, power, and jurisdiction? I pointed out last week that hypocritical, ceremonial, and ritualistic worship apart from the heart isn't only condemned in scripture, it is also rejected by God alone. God himself rejects such worship. Therefore, our worship must be from the heart, it must be in the spirit, it must be in truth. We recognize that God alone is sovereign, so God alone must be worshipped. Revelation 4 and verse 11 states this very clearly when the Word of God says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power."

"For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." So you see, these principles then, where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, there is no obedience. Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, not only is there no obedience, there is no worship of God. Today we come to principles three and four that are equally clear and delineated just as plainly in Exodus chapter 5. What I want you to see is the absolute connection between these four principles.

Principle 3: God's Word Mocked and Held in Contempt

Pharaoh calls God's words 'vain' (false, lying, deceitful), demonstrating that without recognition of sovereignty, God's word is ridiculed.

I could actually put it like this. These four things stand or fall together. I want you to understand. Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, there is no obedience. Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, there is not only no obedience, there is no worship. And today we come to the third point, and that is this: Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, not only will he not be obeyed and worshipped, his word shall be mocked and ridiculed, and he shall be held in contempt. If you look in verse 9, Exodus 5 verse 9, Pharaoh said,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 5:9

"Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words."

Interestingly, when Pharaoh speaks of vain words, he is talking about what God said in verse 1, "Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness." When you and I hear the word vain, we think normally of our English words useless and worthless. So vain words we normally consider to be useless words and worthless words, words that amount absolutely to nothing. However, the Hebrew word vain here literally means more than useless and worthless. When Pharaoh said, "let not the people regard vain words," the word here actually refers to false, lying, deceitful words that are based upon a fraud. So what Pharaoh is doing in reality is he is calling God a liar, a fraud and a deceit.

Calling God a Liar by Actions and Words

Men call God a liar not only verbally but by their actions, such as doubting His judgments or living as if He had not spoken.

I've told you in times past there's a difference between a theoretical atheist and a practical atheist. The theoretical atheist is the man who sits here and says, "I do not believe that there is a God because," and he lists all of these reasons. That's his theory. A practical atheist is someone who may admit there is a God, but he lives as if that God had not spoken. He just totally ignores his word. And so there are individuals who may say that, yes, God is God. He has all sovereignty and he has all power and all jurisdiction. And yet in their actions, they deny God and they say that his words are vain and that God is a fraud and a deceit and that God is a liar. I want you to hold Exodus chapter 5, but look very quickly in your Bibles to Psalm 4. In fact, we'll look at several passages right here, but look in Psalm 4 and verse 2. Here's a question that is asked by God, Psalm 4 and verse 2. Look at it. God says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 4:2

"O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?"

Now the word leasing there is the word lying. So he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 4:2

"O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after lying?"

So they are using lying words against God and believing lying words against God.

Adding to God's Word Makes One a Liar

Proverbs 30:6 warns that adding to God's words results in being found a liar, because it implies disbelief in His pure word.

Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 30, let me show you several ways from the Bible that you can actually call God a liar. Some may say, "Well, I would never do that." Oh, you may do so by your actions without ever using your tongue. But look in Proverbs 30 and verse 6. Here's a way some—I'm sorry, Proverbs 30, Proverbs 30, verse 6. Notice, if you would, what God says, Proverbs 30, verse 6. "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Now look in verse 5. "Every word of God is pure."

"He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." So a good question to ask would be this: Why would anyone want to add to God's words? The answer would have to be, because they disbelieve him. And they want to say what they believe is the truth and then promote their interpretation of what they determine to be true. So by adding to God's Word, God says you are making Him a liar. When in reality, those who add to God's Word are really the liars. God's Word is complete. It is infallible. It is inerrant. And Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God. Thus, to deny the Word of God and to deny the Lord Jesus Christ is to call God a liar. Now, I want you to turn to Jeremiah chapter 23.

I want you to see how this works out, not only in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament as well. So, we'll look in Jeremiah chapter 23 first. And let's begin reading with verse 16. Jeremiah 23, and verse 16. Look carefully. "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you." Now, he's talking about false prophets. "Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD."

Denying Sin Calls God a Liar

1 John 1:8-10 teaches that claiming to have no sin or not to have sinned makes God a liar, since all have sinned.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:8-10

Now, when you look at the word sin in verse 8, the word sin not only refers to sinful acts, but it also refers to our corrupt and vicious inclination, which prompts us to do those sinful acts. So actually, what 1 John 1 and verse 8 would be, would be a denial of our sin nature. It is saying that we're not depraved individuals. We're saying that we do not have personal guilt, that we do not stand as transgressors before God. Now, if you do not have a sin nature, then obviously you would not commit sinful acts. If you commit a sinful act, obviously it's evident that you have a sinful nature. I think I told you this in times past, but it fits in so good, I will tell you here. Years ago, when I first started preaching, I carried a suit to the cleaners and I knew that the man who owned the laundry was a professing Christian. When I walked in carrying my suit, I said, "Isn't it wonderful to be forgiven of your sins?" And the man with a straight face looked at me and said, "I don't know. I haven't sinned in the last 10 years."

When I picked my lip up off the floor and gained my composure, I said what you just did. He said, "What?" I said, "You just sinned. Because 1 John 1 says, 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' I said, because you just lied. You have sinned and you are a sinner."

Now, I want you to go further with me. Look in verse 10. Look what he says in verse 10. "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." Isn't that interesting? In verse 8, if we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. That means we are liars. But he says in verse 10, if we say that we have not sinned, that is, if we have not committed actual acts of sin, then we make him a liar and his word is not in us. How can we be making him a liar if we say that we have not sinned? Well, you have to remember Romans 3 verse 23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." So what we'd be saying is, "Well, God, you're a liar. I haven't sinned. I haven't transgressed your law. I haven't committed sinful acts." And the truth of the matter is we commit sinful acts all the time.

Now, let me explain something. You don't have to be an adulterer to be sinful. You don't have to be a murderer to be sinful. How many of you have prayed the way you should have prayed? How many of you have studied the way you should have studied? How many of you have been absolutely honest in every area that you should have been absolutely honest in? Not one. Not one.

Rejecting Christ Calls God a Liar

1 John 5:9-13 states that not believing God's testimony about His Son makes Him a liar, because eternal life is in Christ alone.

So Henry comes up and tells me, "Well, Janet and I have been married 40 years." I know it's longer than that, however long it is. How long is it? Forty-two. I wasn't too far off. "Janet and I have been married 42 years." Guess what? I believe him. He just gave me the witness, they've been married 42 years, and Janet says, "Yes, that's true." Why should I not believe him? I have just received the witness of man. Henry could tell me.

"The sun rotates around the earth." Or "The earth rotates around the sun," depends on if you want a heliocentric view or making the earth a sinner. But if I believe him, I've just received his witness. You understand what I'm saying? So he says, "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater." And look how many times we receive the witness of men. We receive the witness of men all the time. In fact, when you tell me something, I assume that you're telling me the truth. Because unless you're a politician, you usually don't go around lying all the time. Occasionally folks lie, but usually we're tellers of the truth. So I'm going to receive the witness of men.

Now look what he said. "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater." Because God is sovereign and God is sinless. So the witness of God is greater, "for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son." Note that carefully. Here's a witness that God has testified of his Son, Jesus Christ. Now, watch verse 10. "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." Wow.

Now, I want you to listen to this. Here's the witness of God. And the Bible says in verse 10, "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." Now watch carefully. "He that believeth not God hath made him," that is God, "a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son." Well, what is the record? The record is that God has given to us eternal life. And this eternal life is in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So here's the premise. "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Watch verse 13. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." Wait a minute.

Do I understand this correctly? That my assurance in salvation is based upon God's sovereign testimony concerning Jesus Christ. When the Bible says "this is the record," the word record actually means the witness, the testimony, the record, the report. This is the testimony, this is the record, this is the report of God the Father Himself. And God says, "He that believeth not God hath made him a liar." Ah, are you listening? Whoever refuses to believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that He alone is salvation and eternal life is in Jesus Christ alone and that we are only saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, whoever does not believe that makes God a liar. Wow. Our assurance in salvation is based upon God's sovereign authority and God's sovereign righteous testimony. What did Pharaoh say? "You've been listening to vain words." Fraudulent words, deceitful words, lying words. And he's referring to the words of God. Men make God a liar by refusing to bow to his word and believe his word. Our assurance is based on God's absolute sovereignty.

Principle 4: Depression, Discouragement, and Defeat

The Israelites' focus on their harsh circumstances rather than God's sovereignty led to despair, and even Moses and Aaron became discouraged.

I want you to go back in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 5 and very quickly, I want you to see this fourth point. And I want to tie it together for you, please look at it. Exodus chapter 5. Actually, this would be verses 10 through 23, I'm not going to read all those verses again. But I've read them earlier, but here it is now, listen carefully, here's the fourth principle, the natural and inevitable consequences. I'm going to make it plural. The natural and inevitable consequences of a failure to believe God's sovereignty, to obey and worship Him, and to trust in His word, the natural consequences are depression, discouragement, and defeat. Wow. Now listen, it is true that God's war was against Pharaoh. It is equally true that God's war was against the Egyptians.

But interestingly enough, in verses 10 through 23, it's the people of God who were depressed, discouraged and seemingly defeated, at least temporarily. So the question has to be asked, why is that so? Well, you have to understand something. At this point in time, Pharaoh and his minions were riding high. Pharaoh had the upper hand. Pharaoh and his minions were in control and they were exercising dominion over Israel. They had already enslaved Israel. Pharaoh did not believe in God. He did not believe in his sovereignty.

He certainly was not going to obey him and worship him. Thus, in order to demonstrate his contempt of God and his demands, he even persecuted the Israelites even more. Now, listen to what he said. If God's people wanted to go and sacrifice to God and worship Him, it must be because they're idle. That is, they just don't have enough to do. They had to be idle, because they had time on their hands and they wanted to go three days' journey and sacrifice and worship God. Therefore, since they're idle, since they have time on their hands, they must be forced to work harder and longer.

Now, no straw is going to be given to them. They have to get their own straw. And yet they have to make the same number of bricks, and if they don't make them, then they're going to be whipped, they're going to be beaten. And if they complain about being beaten, if they complain about working harder and longer, if they complain that no straw was given to them, it was for their good, because they were idle. They just wanted to go worship God. That had to be the point. Well, let's ask a question. Why were the Israelites depressed, discouraged and defeated at this point in time? Here's the answer. Here's the answer why each one of us becomes discouraged, depressed and defeated. Because they were looking at their situation and their circumstances. They were concerned only with their life and their burdens for the moment. They were not concerned with God's sovereignty. They were not concerned with obedience to God. They were not concerned with worship to God. They were not concerned with His truth. They were looking at themselves and their surroundings and they were saying, "We work from dawn to dark. We're beaten. When we complain, we're beaten more." Here's what they would say. "You don't understand. Times are hard. Living is difficult. Work is impossible. We're just getting by by the skin of our teeth. And if we can make it through the day without being beaten, we're thankful."

And along come Moses and Aaron. And they're preaching deliverance and freedom. And it sounds too wonderful to be true. And when the Israelites latch their hope, now listen, when they latch their hope upon the words and the preaching of Moses and Aaron, and begin to think that, yes, we're going to be delivered from being slaves, then things got worse. A lot worse. In fact, if you'll skip down to verse 15. "Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task." Watch, "And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us."

Here it is stated very plainly. "Moses, Aaron, your preaching and teaching have not delivered us. In fact, we are worse off now than we were when you started preaching and teaching. We now have a death sentence upon us and you are to blame. The Lord judge between you and us." Obviously, the Israelites had taken their eyes away from the truth of God's sovereignty, His obedience and worship and truth. They were only looking at themselves and they were looking at their circumstances. Let me put it like this. They were walking by sight and not by faith. And here's an amazing thing. Even Moses and Aaron became discouraged and depressed and defeated. Look in verse 22.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 5:10-23

"And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."

Wow. Look in verse 9 of chapter 6 to show you the state of the people. Exodus 6 and verse 9.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 5:10-23

"And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage."

God's Deliverance When Human Strength Fails

God brought Israel to the end of their resources so they would rely on His sovereign power, promising to act with a strong hand.

Look at chapter 6 in verse 1. Now that God has the elders helpless and Moses and Aaron helpless, he says in verse 1,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 6:1

"Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land."

God said, "Now you're going to see what I can do. Once you realize you can't, you're going to find out exactly what I can do." Had God allowed relief for the elders, they would have thought, "We're wise. We did it." Had he allowed it by the hands of Moses and Aaron, they would have said, "We're wise. We did it." But what did God do? God brought all of them to the end of their ropes. And when we get to the end of our ropes, when our backs are finally up against the wall and we find out that no humanistic ways and human power will affect deliverance in our lives, then we're going to understand it's time once again to rely and lean upon the sovereign, majestic, omnipotent, infinite, eternal God of heaven and earth.

Because He alone is salvation. And deliverance is from Him. He delivered His people in times past. He can deliver His people today. I want you to understand these principles stand and fall together. If you don't believe in God's sovereignty, you'll not obey Him. If you don't believe in His sovereignty, you'll not only not obey Him, you'll not worship. If you do not obey Him and do not worship Him and believe in His sovereignty, you will think His words are vain, false, lying, deceitful, fraudulent words.

Applications: Trust, Focus, and Remember

Applications include not calling God a liar, ceasing to look at circumstances, and remembering that sovereignty, obedience, worship, and truth are inseparable.

And His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our Mediator. He's the Anointed One. He's the Messiah. He is our salvation and Him alone. Here's the second application. If you do not wish to be depressed and discouraged and defeated, cease looking at yourself and your surroundings and your circumstances. Believe that God is sovereign. Believe that God is in control and that God, according to Romans 8 and verse 28, works everything for our good and His glory.

You need to take the attitude of David in Psalm 121 and verses 1 and 2, where David said, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." God is sovereign. He made heaven and earth. He's our help. So thirdly, we need to remember God's sovereignty. We need to remember obedience and worship and truth stand or fall together. Inherent in these things is either our victory or defeat. If we believe them and hold to them, there's going to be ultimate victory. If we do not believe them and do not hold to them, there's going to be defeat. Our lives are immediately touched by these truths, either in war or in peace. When God says there shall be war, He will fight against all of those who fight against Him. God is sovereign. Obey Him, worship Him, believe Him and trust Him.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Sovereignty of God

Summary: Recognition of God's absolute sovereignty is foundational to obedience, worship, trust in His word, and spiritual victory.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'where the sovereignty of God is not acknowledged and recognized, there will not be any obedience' and ties all four principles to this theme.

The Integrity of God's Word

Summary: God's word is pure and true; to doubt, add to, or reject it is to call God a liar and invite His judgment.

Evidence: Pharaoh calls God's words 'vain' (false, lying), and Weaver cites Proverbs 30:6 and 1 John 5:10 to show how men make God a liar.

The Deceitfulness of Sin and Self-Trust

Summary: Denying one's sin nature or sinful acts is self-deception and makes God a liar; human inability must be acknowledged for divine deliverance.

Evidence: Weaver explains 1 John 1:8-10 and illustrates with the laundry man who claimed sinlessness, then shows how God brought Israel to helplessness.

Christ as the Exclusive Savior

Summary: Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the only source of eternal life; to deny Him is to call God a liar and align with antichrist.

Evidence: Weaver expounds 1 John 2:22 and 5:9-13, emphasizing that God's testimony about His Son is the basis of assurance.

Spiritual Depression from Circumstantial Focus

Summary: Looking at difficult circumstances rather than God's sovereignty leads to depression, discouragement, and defeat, as seen in Israel and Moses.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'They were looking at their situation and their circumstances... they were walking by sight and not by faith.'

War Between God's Word and Man's Word

Summary: There is an inherent conflict between God's truth and human lies; God actively opposes those who oppose His word.

Evidence: Weaver declares, 'God's Word versus man's Word... God said, mark it down, there shall be war.'

Key Arguments

Obedience and worship are impossible without acknowledging God's sovereignty.

Summary: Pharaoh's refusal to obey and let Israel worship stemmed directly from his denial of God's sovereignty.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'obedience actually stems from a recognition and understanding of God's sovereignty' and 'where God is not recognized as sovereign, not only will there not be any obedience, there will not be any worship.'

To reject God's word is to call Him a liar.

Summary: Pharaoh's dismissal of God's command as 'vain words' was a direct accusation of fraud against God, and Scripture shows multiple ways men do this.

Evidence: Weaver explains the Hebrew word for 'vain' means false, lying, deceitful, and cites 1 John 1:10, 5:10 to show how denying sin or Christ makes God a liar.

Adding to or altering God's word is a form of calling God a liar.

Summary: Proverbs 30:6 and Jeremiah 23 show that those who add to God's words or substitute their own dreams are liars whom God opposes.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'by adding to God's Word, God says you are making Him a liar' and cites Jeremiah 23:30-32 where God is against false prophets.

Denial of personal sin is a direct contradiction of God's testimony.

Summary: 1 John 1:8-10 teaches that claiming sinlessness makes God a liar because Scripture declares all have sinned.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us' and illustrates with the laundry man anecdote.

Rejecting Jesus as the Christ is the ultimate lie against God.

Summary: 1 John 2:22 and 5:10 declare that anyone who denies Jesus is the Christ is a liar and makes God a liar, because God has testified concerning His Son.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?' and 'he that believeth not God hath made him a liar.'

Focus on circumstances rather than God's sovereignty produces despair.

Summary: The Israelites' depression and even Moses' complaint arose from looking at their harsh situation instead of trusting God's sovereign plan.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'They were looking at their situation and their circumstances... they were walking by sight and not by faith.'

God brings His people to helplessness to display His power.

Summary: God allowed the situation to worsen so that Israel and Moses would realize their inability and rely solely on His strong hand for deliverance.

Evidence: Weaver explains Exodus 6:1: 'Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh... Once you realize you can't, you're going to find out exactly what I can do.'

Sovereignty, obedience, worship, and truth are inseparable.

Summary: These four principles stand or fall together; rejecting one leads to the collapse of all and results in spiritual defeat.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'These things stand or fall together, you cannot have one without the other.'

Scripture References

Exodus 5:2

Context: Pharaoh's denial of God's sovereignty and refusal to obey.

Exodus 5:3-4

Context: Pharaoh's refusal to allow worship, calling the people idle.

Exodus 5:9

Context: Pharaoh calls God's words 'vain' (false, lying).

Psalm 4:2

Context: Men love vanity and seek after lying, turning God's glory to shame.

Psalm 5:6

Context: God will destroy those who speak leasing (lies).

Psalm 116:11

Context: David said all men are liars.

Jeremiah 5:11-12

Context: Israel belied (lied against) the Lord, denying His judgment.

Romans 3:4

Context: Let God be true and every man a liar.

Proverbs 30:5-6

Context: Every word of God is pure; adding to His words makes one a liar.

Jeremiah 23:16-32

Context: False prophets speak lies, steal God's words, and God is against them.

Isaiah 40:8

Context: The word of our God shall stand forever.

1 John 1:8-10

Context: Denying sin makes God a liar; all have sinned.

1 John 2:4

Context: Claiming to know God but not keeping His commandments makes one a liar.

1 John 2:22

Context: Who is a liar but he who denies Jesus is the Christ?

Acts 2:36

Context: God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ.

1 John 5:9-13

Context: Not believing God's testimony about His Son makes Him a liar; eternal life is in Christ.

Exodus 5:10-23

Context: Israelites' oppression increases; they and Moses become discouraged.

Exodus 6:1

Context: God promises to act with a strong hand to deliver Israel.

Exodus 6:9

Context: Israel did not listen to Moses because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

Romans 8:28

Context: God works all things for good to those who love Him.

Historical References

Pharaoh and Egypt's oppression of Israel

Context: The historical context of Exodus 5 where Pharaoh increased the Israelites' labor and refused to let them worship.

1950s American family economy

Context: Weaver contrasts the 1950s when a husband could provide alone with today's need for dual incomes, implying a modern 'taskmaster' system.

Important Quotes

where the sovereignty of God is not acknowledged and recognized, there will not be any obedience.

Significance: States the foundational principle of the series, linking sovereignty directly to obedience.

where God is not recognized as sovereign, not only will there not be any obedience, there will not be any worship.

Significance: Extends the principle to worship, showing the inseparable connection.

let them not regard vain words.

Significance: Pharaoh's dismissal of God's command as false and deceitful, illustrating contempt for God's word.

Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Significance: Key verse showing that altering God's word makes one a liar.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Significance: Direct statement that denial of sin is a direct affront to God's truthfulness.

He that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

Significance: Central argument that rejecting Christ is the ultimate way of calling God a liar.

They were looking at their situation and their circumstances. They were concerned only with their life and their burdens for the moment.

Significance: Diagnosis of why the Israelites fell into depression and discouragement.

Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

Significance: God's promise of sovereign deliverance once human helplessness is acknowledged.

Discussion Questions

How does Pharaoh's question 'Who is the LORD?' reveal the root of his disobedience and contempt?

Context: Weaver explains that obedience stems from recognizing God's sovereignty; Pharaoh's denial led to all subsequent rebellion.

In what practical ways might Christians today 'call God a liar' by their actions, even without using words?

Context: Weaver discusses practical atheism and how living as if God had not spoken is a form of denying His truth.

Why does adding to God's Word make one a liar, according to Proverbs 30:6?

Context: Weaver argues that adding to Scripture implies disbelief in its sufficiency and purity.

How does the denial of personal sin contradict God's testimony and make Him a liar?

Context: Based on 1 John 1:8-10, Weaver explains that claiming sinlessness rejects God's declaration that all have sinned.

What does it mean that our assurance of salvation is based on God's sovereign testimony about Christ?

Context: Weaver expounds 1 John 5:9-13, showing that faith rests on God's witness, not human feelings.

Why did the Israelites become depressed and discouraged, and how can we avoid the same pitfall?

Context: Weaver points to their focus on circumstances rather than God's sovereignty as the cause of their despair.

How does God use human helplessness to display His power and bring deliverance?

Context: Weaver notes that God allowed the situation to worsen so that Israel and Moses would rely solely on Him.

What are the practical implications of the statement that sovereignty, obedience, worship, and truth 'stand or fall together'?

Context: Weaver concludes that these four principles are inseparable; rejecting one leads to spiritual defeat.

Applications

Do not call God a liar

Summary: Bow to God's word, obey Him, and receive His testimony as truth, especially concerning His Son.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Do not call God a liar. Bow to His word, bow to Him and obey Him and believe and receive His testimony as truth.'

Cease looking at circumstances

Summary: To avoid depression and defeat, stop focusing on self and surroundings; trust God's sovereignty and His working for good.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you do not wish to be depressed and discouraged and defeated, cease looking at yourself and your surroundings and your circumstances.'

Remember the interconnected truths

Summary: Recognize that God's sovereignty, obedience, worship, and truth are inseparable; holding to them brings victory.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'we need to remember God's sovereignty. We need to remember obedience and worship and truth stand or fall together.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:23:28Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T07:05:11Z

Clean Transcript

There Shall Be War - Part 3

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

All right, let's open our Bibles today to Exodus chapter 5, Exodus chapter 5, and we've already covered verses 1 through 8. I will review momentarily, but today let's read verses 9 through 23. The title of the message is "There Shall Be War." This is the third part. I will review the first two parts, but notice Exodus chapter 5 beginning there with verse 9. There shall be war. Here it is.
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"Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein, and let them not regard vain words. And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go ye, get your straw where you can find it, yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as heretofore? Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people."
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"But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task."
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"And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."
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I hope you remember that the first two messages, I brought two principles, one principle per message, and I hope that these two principles literally have been burned into your hearts. The very first principle is simply this: where the sovereignty of God is not acknowledged and recognized, there will not be any obedience. That's why in Exodus chapter 5 verse 2, "And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go." I pointed out that obedience actually stems from a recognition and understanding of God's sovereignty. Disobedience stems from a lack of recognition and submission to God's sovereignty. Pharaoh refused to let Israel go. He refused to obey the Lord simply because he did not recognize nor confess or submit to the fact that God and God alone is sovereign.
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Now, the second principle that I dealt with is exceedingly clear and emphatic as well. Where the sovereignty of God is not recognized and acknowledged, not only will there not be any obedience, there will not be any worship of God. Notice, if you would please, Pharaoh said, of course, "Ye are idle, ye are idle." Verse 3, "The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword."
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"And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens." And therefore, he says, "Ye are idle, ye are idle." I want you to understand that worship is only tied to obedience. It is also tied to the sovereignty of God. So where God is not recognized as sovereign, not only will there not be any obedience, there will not be any worship. Why in the world would you worship someone who does not have absolute and total sovereignty, power, and jurisdiction? I pointed out last week that hypocritical, ceremonial, and ritualistic worship apart from the heart isn't only condemned in scripture, it is also rejected by God alone. God himself rejects such worship. Therefore, our worship must be from the heart, it must be in the spirit, it must be in truth. We recognize that God alone is sovereign, so God alone must be worshipped. Revelation 4 and verse 11 states this very clearly when the Word of God says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power."
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"For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." So you see, these principles then, where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, there is no obedience. Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, not only is there no obedience, there is no worship of God. Today we come to principles three and four that are equally clear and delineated just as plainly in Exodus chapter 5. What I want you to see is the absolute connection between these four principles.
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I could actually put it like this. These four things stand or fall together. I want you to understand. Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, there is no obedience. Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, there is not only no obedience, there is no worship. And today we come to the third point, and that is this: Where there is no recognition of God's sovereignty, not only will he not be obeyed and worshipped, his word shall be mocked and ridiculed, and he shall be held in contempt.
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If you look in verse 9, Exodus 5 verse 9, Pharaoh said, "Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words." Interestingly, when Pharaoh speaks of vain words, he is talking about what God said in verse 1, "Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness." When you and I hear the word vain, we think normally of our English words useless and worthless. So vain words we normally consider to be useless words and worthless words, words that amount absolutely to nothing. However, the Hebrew word vain here literally means more than useless and worthless. When Pharaoh said, "let not the people regard vain words," the word here actually refers to false, lying, deceitful words that are based upon a fraud. So what Pharaoh is doing in reality is he is calling God a liar, a fraud and a deceit.
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Now, you and I would gasp at such a statement. And the first thing that would enter our mind would be a question. And that question would be, how could anyone be so blasphemous to say such a thing? Well, if you don't believe that God is sovereign, if you do not believe that He is God, that He has not all power and jurisdiction, not only would you not obey Him, you will not worship Him, why would you not hold Him in absolute contempt? Do you realize it's not just Pharaoh, but men in general refer to God and call God a liar and a fraud. You say, how in the world is that? Well, you have to understand that many people do so on a regular basis. And the way they do it is not necessarily just with their words. Many times it is by their actions.
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I've told you in times past there's a difference between a theoretical atheist and a practical atheist. The theoretical atheist is the man who sits here and says, "I do not believe that there is a God because," and he lists all of these reasons. That's his theory. A practical atheist is someone who may admit there is a God, but he lives as if that God had not spoken.
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He just totally ignores his word. And so there are individuals who may say that, yes, God is God. He has all sovereignty and he has all power and all jurisdiction. And yet in their actions, they deny God and they say that his words are vain and that God is a fraud and a deceit and that God is a liar. I want you to hold Exodus chapter 5, but look very quickly in your Bibles to Psalm 4. In fact, we'll look at several passages right here, but look in Psalm 4 and verse 2. Here's a question that is asked by God, Psalm 4 and verse 2. Look at it. God says, "O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?" Now the word leasing there is the word lying. So he says, "O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after lying?" So they are using lying words against God and believing lying words against God.
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They're not only turning His glory into shame, they're seeking after lying words. If you look in Psalm 5 and verse 6, God says it like this. Psalm 5 verse 6, "Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man." So those who lie against the Lord shall be destroyed. One of my favorite verses is found in Psalm 116 and verse 11.
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It is where David said, "I said in my haste, All men are liars." I never will forget one of my favorite Bible teachers, Dr. Fred Affman, was teaching on this passage one time and he read Psalm 116, verse 11. He said, "David said, 'I said in my haste, All men are liars.'" He paused and then said, "Now he could slow down and say it and it'd still be true."
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And that is a fact. All men are liars. Do you realize that when one doubts the hand of God, the judgments of God and the words of God, he is in essence calling God a liar? I want you to turn in your Bible to Jeremiah, chapter 5, Jeremiah, chapter 5. And look, if you would, please, at verses 11 and 12. Jeremiah 5, verse 11. Notice, if you would, what the Bible says. Jeremiah 5, verse 11. God says, "For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD. They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he;"
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"neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine." So go back to verse 12. "They have belied the LORD." The word belied literally means to lie against. They have lied against the Lord. "It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine." In other words, God's not really judging us and God's not going to judge us. And so we're going to say that in a judgment that falls, it is not God. And God accuses them of lying against Him. Now, since God is sovereign and since He deserves all worship and praise, do you not think that God will judge those who despise Him and lie against Him?
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And the answer is, obviously, He will do so. All you have to do is look what God did to Pharaoh and what God did to Egypt. Thus, when one doubts God's righteous judgment, when one doubts God's word and casts dispersion upon God by calling Him a liar, then God will destroy them in His holy wrath. Do you understand that multitudes have ruined their own lives by believing their own lies and by believing the lies of others? Most people refuse to believe that God will be as strict as His Word declares. They somehow seem to think that God says one thing, but He acts differently. You must understand that vain hopes of impunity are the deceitful support of all impiety. When envious people think that they can sin and escape God's righteous judgment, they're simply deceiving themselves. And so when we belie God's judgments, when we lie against God's Word and say, "God's not going to deal with us the way He says so in His Word," we're actually calling God a liar.
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You know, the Apostle Paul said it like this in Romans 3 and verse 4. He said, "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." So God is going to be just. And Paul said the thing is, God must be found true and every man a liar.
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Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 30, let me show you several ways from the Bible that you can actually call God a liar. Some may say, "Well, I would never do that." Oh, you may do so by your actions without ever using your tongue. But look in Proverbs 30 and verse 6. Here's a way some—I'm sorry, Proverbs 30, Proverbs 30, verse 6. Notice, if you would, what God says, Proverbs 30, verse 6. "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Now look in verse 5. "Every word of God is pure."
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"He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." So a good question to ask would be this: Why would anyone want to add to God's words? The answer would have to be, because they disbelieve him. And they want to say what they believe is the truth and then promote their interpretation of what they determine to be true. So by adding to God's Word, God says you are making Him a liar. When in reality, those who add to God's Word are really the liars. God's Word is complete. It is infallible. It is inerrant. And Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God. Thus, to deny the Word of God and to deny the Lord Jesus Christ is to call God a liar. Now, I want you to turn to Jeremiah chapter 23.
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I want you to see how this works out, not only in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament as well. So, we'll look in Jeremiah chapter 23 first. And let's begin reading with verse 16. Jeremiah 23, and verse 16. Look carefully. "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you." Now, he's talking about false prophets. "Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD."
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"They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart."
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"In the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly." Let me just stop right there just for a moment. I want to point out the fact. What God is saying is this: When individuals prophesy peace to men and women who are in rebellion against God, who hate God, who despise God's word, God says those individuals are liars and I'm going to judge them. I'm going to destroy them.
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Now I've already pointed out from Proverbs chapter 30 how you can call God a liar by adding to his word. But look in Jeremiah 23.
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Now let's begin reading with verse 23. Look what he said. Jeremiah 23 verse 23. God says, "Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;"
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"which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?"
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Ah, look if you would at verse 30. "Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness;"
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"yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD." So here you have individuals who are substituting for the Word of God, they're substituting their dreams, they're adding to the Word of God, they're actually taking from the Word of God, and they're changing the Word of God. And God said, mark it down, I am against them, there shall be war. What you have is this, God's Word versus man's Word.
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That's very clear in Jeremiah 23. It should be very clear in Exodus chapter 5. God came to Pharaoh and said, "Let my people go that they may serve me." Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go." So you have God's word versus man's word. God said, mark it down, there shall be war. The Bible says in Isaiah 40 and verse 8, listen carefully, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." The grass withereth and the flower fadeth, but the word of the Lord shall stand forever. God said again, "My counsel shall stand," in Isaiah, "and I will do all my pleasure." So when people begin to add to the word of God, take from the word of God, substitute for the word of God, they're calling God a liar. God has revealed his truth. Not to believe that truth is to in action say that God is a liar, if not using those words.
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Now, I want you to turn to First John and let me show you how this works out in the New Testament. The book of First John. And let's begin reading there in verse 8. I want you to understand that there are more ways than one that you can call God a liar. Here it is, 1 John 1, verse 8. The Bible said, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Now watch that verse carefully. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
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Now, when you look at the word sin in verse 8, the word sin not only refers to sinful acts, but it also refers to our corrupt and vicious inclination, which prompts us to do those sinful acts. So actually, what 1 John 1 and verse 8 would be, would be a denial of our sin nature. It is saying that we're not depraved individuals. We're saying that we do not have personal guilt, that we do not stand as transgressors before God. Now, if you do not have a sin nature, then obviously you would not commit sinful acts. If you commit a sinful act, obviously it's evident that you have a sinful nature.
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I think I told you this in times past, but it fits in so good, I will tell you here. Years ago, when I first started preaching, I carried a suit to the cleaners and I knew that the man who owned the laundry was a professing Christian. When I walked in carrying my suit, I said, "Isn't it wonderful to be forgiven of your sins?" And the man with a straight face looked at me and said, "I don't know. I haven't sinned in the last 10 years."
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When I picked my lip up off the floor and gained my composure, I said what you just did. He said, "What?" I said, "You just sinned. Because 1 John 1 says, 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' I said, because you just lied. You have sinned and you are a sinner."
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Now, I want you to go further with me. Look in verse 10. Look what he says in verse 10. "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." Isn't that interesting? In verse 8, if we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. That means we are liars. But he says in verse 10, if we say that we have not sinned, that is, if we have not committed actual acts of sin, then we make him a liar and his word is not in us. How can we be making him a liar if we say that we have not sinned? Well, you have to remember Romans 3 verse 23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." So what we'd be saying is, "Well, God, you're a liar. I haven't sinned. I haven't transgressed your law. I haven't committed sinful acts." And the truth of the matter is we commit sinful acts all the time.
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Now, let me explain something. You don't have to be an adulterer to be sinful. You don't have to be a murderer to be sinful. How many of you have prayed the way you should have prayed? How many of you have studied the way you should have studied? How many of you have been absolutely honest in every area that you should have been absolutely honest in? Not one. Not one.
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So that means we're sinners. There are positive sins as well as negative sins. There are sins of omission as well as sins of commission. And God said, if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and the truth is not in us. Thus, when we turn around and deny our sinful nature or our sinful acts, we are calling God a liar. Look, if you would, in 1 John 2 and verse 4. 1 John 2, verse 4. "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Wow. "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Well, now here's an individual that says he knows God, and yet he constantly and continually violates God's law. What does God say? That man's a liar.
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The truth's not in him. What does God say? Well, God says, if you are mine, you obey me. Man says I'm yours, but I don't obey you. God says it doesn't work like that either. You're a liar. I'm a liar and it's not me. Do you remember what happened in Genesis chapter 3 when Adam and Eve sinned? What did they do? They ran and hid themselves from God. They violated God's law. And they were hiding. Interestingly enough, men who are sinners always run from God and seek to hide from God. Listen to this verse. 1 Peter 3 and verse 18. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God."
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Now I want you to see this for me. Here's a picture drawn for us in the garden. Adam sins, Eve sins, and they run and hide. That's what sinners have been doing ever since the fall. We run from God. We hide from God. But Christ has come and He died, the just for the unjust. Why? That He might bring us to God. So when Christ saves us, what do we do? We come back and we bow the knee to God the Father and we say, "You're right, I'm wrong, and now I want to obey you."
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Now, that doesn't mean that we have an absolutely perfect obedience, but it does mean that generally speaking, that our lives are obedient lives and they're not lives of constant and continual rebellion and sin against God. So God says, if we say that we know Him and obey Him not, we're a liar and the truth's not in us. So either man is a liar or God is a liar. Obviously, it is not God.
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I want you to look in 1 John 2 and verse 22. 1 John 2 and verse 22. "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." Look at that question, "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?" God has decreed that all individuals who say that Jesus Christ is not the Messiah, that Jesus Christ is not the anointed one, that Jesus Christ is not the Redeemer and Savior, that that man is a liar. So who's going to be deemed and discovered and found out to be the liar? Is it going to be man or is it going to be God?
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Let me tell you something, folks. Either Jesus Christ is the Messiah, either He is the Anointed One of God, or He is not. There is no in-between. And if Jesus Christ is not the Messiah, if He's not the Savior, if He's not the Anointed One, then God is a liar, because God has decreed and declared Him to be. But it's not God who's lying. He said it's man who says that Jesus Christ is not God. That's the liar.
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I want you to hold 1 John, but look in your Bibles very quickly at Acts chapter 2. Let me show you. Look in Acts chapter 2 and notice if you would, verse 36. Acts 2, verse 36. Peter is preaching. And he makes this statement. Acts 2, verse 36. "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."
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Did you hear what I just read? Watch it. Acts 2:36, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly," that is most certainly and definitely, "that God," that is God the Father, "hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." In other words, He is the sovereign, He is the Anointed One. He is Messiah. In other words, God the Father has decreed, God the Father has declared that Jesus Christ is Lord. He has declared that Jesus Christ is the Anointed One. God the Father made Him so.
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And man cannot unmake it. God the Father declared Him to be. And man cannot undeclare it. Thus, when someone tries to say that Jesus Christ is not God, he's warring against God the Father. I told you there shall be war. Those who fight against God shall find themselves being fought against by God himself. And the war is over His Word. The war is over His Son. Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ, not only is calling God a liar, but he is identifying himself with Pharaoh.
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That's bad company to be identified with. Just read in Romans 9 what God did to Pharaoh. Read in the book of Exodus what God did to Pharaoh. So men can call God a liar, either with their tongues, with words, or by their actions. Look in 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5, and let's begin reading there with verse 9. This may surprise you. 1 John 5, look in verse 9. Here it is, 1 John 5, verse 9. "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater." Now, let's just stop right there.
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So Henry comes up and tells me, "Well, Janet and I have been married 40 years." I know it's longer than that, however long it is. How long is it? Forty-two. I wasn't too far off. "Janet and I have been married 42 years." Guess what? I believe him. He just gave me the witness, they've been married 42 years, and Janet says, "Yes, that's true." Why should I not believe him? I have just received the witness of man. Henry could tell me.
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"The sun rotates around the earth." Or "The earth rotates around the sun," depends on if you want a heliocentric view or making the earth a sinner. But if I believe him, I've just received his witness. You understand what I'm saying? So he says, "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater." And look how many times we receive the witness of men. We receive the witness of men all the time.
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In fact, when you tell me something, I assume that you're telling me the truth. Because unless you're a politician, you usually don't go around lying all the time. Occasionally folks lie, but usually we're tellers of the truth. So I'm going to receive the witness of men.
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Now look what he said. "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater." Because God is sovereign and God is sinless. So the witness of God is greater, "for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son." Note that carefully. Here's a witness that God has testified of his Son, Jesus Christ. Now, watch verse 10. "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." Wow.
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Now, I want you to listen to this. Here's the witness of God. And the Bible says in verse 10, "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." Now watch carefully. "He that believeth not God hath made him," that is God, "a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son." Well, what is the record? The record is that God has given to us eternal life. And this eternal life is in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So here's the premise. "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Watch verse 13. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." Wait a minute.
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Do I understand this correctly? That my assurance in salvation is based upon God's sovereign testimony concerning Jesus Christ. When the Bible says "this is the record," the word record actually means the witness, the testimony, the record, the report. This is the testimony, this is the record, this is the report of God the Father Himself. And God says, "He that believeth not God hath made him a liar." Ah, are you listening? Whoever refuses to believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that He alone is salvation and eternal life is in Jesus Christ alone and that we are only saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, whoever does not believe that makes God a liar. Wow. Our assurance in salvation is based upon God's sovereign authority and God's sovereign righteous testimony. What did Pharaoh say? "You've been listening to vain words." Fraudulent words, deceitful words, lying words. And he's referring to the words of God. Men make God a liar by refusing to bow to his word and believe his word. Our assurance is based on God's absolute sovereignty.
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I want you to go back in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 5 and very quickly, I want you to see this fourth point. And I want to tie it together for you, please look at it. Exodus chapter 5. Actually, this would be verses 10 through 23, I'm not going to read all those verses again. But I've read them earlier, but here it is now, listen carefully, here's the fourth principle, the natural and inevitable consequences. I'm going to make it plural. The natural and inevitable consequences of a failure to believe God's sovereignty, to obey and worship Him, and to trust in His word, the natural consequences are depression, discouragement, and defeat. Wow. Now listen, it is true that God's war was against Pharaoh. It is equally true that God's war was against the Egyptians.
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But interestingly enough, in verses 10 through 23, it's the people of God who were depressed, discouraged and seemingly defeated, at least temporarily. So the question has to be asked, why is that so? Well, you have to understand something. At this point in time, Pharaoh and his minions were riding high. Pharaoh had the upper hand. Pharaoh and his minions were in control and they were exercising dominion over Israel. They had already enslaved Israel. Pharaoh did not believe in God. He did not believe in his sovereignty.
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He certainly was not going to obey him and worship him. Thus, in order to demonstrate his contempt of God and his demands, he even persecuted the Israelites even more.
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Now, listen to what he said. If God's people wanted to go and sacrifice to God and worship Him, it must be because they're idle. That is, they just don't have enough to do. They had to be idle, because they had time on their hands and they wanted to go three days' journey and sacrifice and worship God. Therefore, since they're idle, since they have time on their hands, they must be forced to work harder and longer.
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Now, no straw is going to be given to them. They have to get their own straw. And yet they have to make the same number of bricks, and if they don't make them, then they're going to be whipped, they're going to be beaten. And if they complain about being beaten, if they complain about working harder and longer, if they complain that no straw was given to them, it was for their good, because they were idle.
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They just wanted to go worship God. That had to be the point. Well, let's ask a question. Why were the Israelites depressed, discouraged and defeated at this point in time? Here's the answer. Here's the answer why each one of us becomes discouraged, depressed and defeated. Because they were looking at their situation and their circumstances. They were concerned only with their life and their burdens for the moment. They were not concerned with God's sovereignty. They were not concerned with obedience to God. They were not concerned with worship to God. They were not concerned with His truth. They were looking at themselves and their surroundings and they were saying, "We work from dawn to dark. We're beaten. When we complain, we're beaten more." Here's what they would say. "You don't understand. Times are hard. Living is difficult. Work is impossible. We're just getting by by the skin of our teeth. And if we can make it through the day without being beaten, we're thankful."
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And along come Moses and Aaron. And they're preaching deliverance and freedom. And it sounds too wonderful to be true. And when the Israelites latch their hope, now listen, when they latch their hope upon the words and the preaching of Moses and Aaron, and begin to think that, yes, we're going to be delivered from being slaves, then things got worse. A lot worse. In fact, if you'll skip down to verse 15.
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"Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task." Watch, "And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us."
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Here it is stated very plainly. "Moses, Aaron, your preaching and teaching have not delivered us. In fact, we are worse off now than we were when you started preaching and teaching. We now have a death sentence upon us and you are to blame. The Lord judge between you and us." Obviously, the Israelites had taken their eyes away from the truth of God's sovereignty, His obedience and worship and truth.
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They were only looking at themselves and they were looking at their circumstances. Let me put it like this. They were walking by sight and not by faith. And here's an amazing thing. Even Moses and Aaron became discouraged and depressed and defeated. Look in verse 22. "And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all." Wow. Look in verse 9 of chapter 6 to show you the state of the people. Exodus 6 and verse 9. "And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage."
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They were in a bad way. Let me ask you. Do you think the fact that most Americans now must have husband and wife working in order simply to exist or get by is an accident? Do you realize in the 1950s, the husband alone could work and provide for his family and still have enough left for savings? And there was ample time to be with the family, to have rest, to have recreation, have worship. Do you think
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that the average American today, who's working from 60 to 80 hours per week, has any time at all to think about worship? Or obedience? Or honoring God? I want you to understand something. Pharaoh and his taskmasters were driving the Israelites in the ground purposefully, deliberately to keep their minds away from God and His worship. Are not the American taskmasters doing the same thing? Exactly. Now, here's a question.
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What will it take to deliver us? Here's the answer. It will take exactly the same thing that it took to deliver Israel out of Egypt. You remember, these elders had gone to Pharaoh and said, "Why are you beating us? The fault's in your own people, you're not giving us straw. And we're suffering because your people are not functioning." Oh, Pharaoh said, "No, no, you're idle, you're idle and you will make the same number of bricks, and if you don't, you're going to be beaten."
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And when they walked out and saw Moses and Aaron, they said, "The LORD look between us and you and judge, because you've made our savour to be evil in the sight of Pharaoh, to put a sword in his hands and in the hands of his servants to slay us. You've given a death sentence. The LORD look upon you and judge." And then Moses and Aaron got down and said, "Lord, why did you even send us? Why are we here?"
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"You haven't delivered this people. All that's happened is it's gotten worse."
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Look at chapter 6 in verse 1. Now that God has the elders helpless and Moses and Aaron helpless, he says in verse 1, "Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land." God said, "Now you're going to see what I can do. Once you realize you can't, you're going to find out exactly what I can do." Had God allowed relief for the elders, they would have thought, "We're wise. We did it." Had he allowed it by the hands of Moses and Aaron, they would have said, "We're wise. We did it." But what did God do? God brought all of them to the end of their ropes. And when we get to the end of our ropes, when our backs are finally up against the wall and we find out that no humanistic ways and human power will affect deliverance in our lives, then we're going to understand it's time once again to rely and lean upon the sovereign, majestic, omnipotent, infinite, eternal God of heaven and earth.
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Because He alone is salvation. And deliverance is from Him. He delivered His people in times past. He can deliver His people today. I want you to understand these principles stand and fall together. If you don't believe in God's sovereignty, you'll not obey Him. If you don't believe in His sovereignty, you'll not only not obey Him, you'll not worship. If you do not obey Him and do not worship Him and believe in His sovereignty, you will think His words are vain, false, lying, deceitful, fraudulent words.
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And the ultimate result is you will be depressed and discouraged and defeated. These things stand or fall together, you cannot have one without the other. If we do not want to be discouraged and depressed and defeated, we must hold to God's word. We must worship God. We must obey Him and recognize His total and complete sovereignty. So here are my applications. The first one is this: Do not call God a liar. Bow to His word, bow to Him and obey Him and believe and receive His testimony as truth. His witness is faithful.
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And His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our Mediator. He's the Anointed One. He's the Messiah. He is our salvation and Him alone. Here's the second application. If you do not wish to be depressed and discouraged and defeated, cease looking at yourself and your surroundings and your circumstances. Believe that God is sovereign. Believe that God is in control and that God, according to Romans 8 and verse 28, works everything for our good and His glory.
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You need to take the attitude of David in Psalm 121 and verses 1 and 2, where David said, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." God is sovereign. He made heaven and earth. He's our help. So thirdly, we need to remember God's sovereignty. We need to remember obedience and worship and truth stand or fall together.
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Inherent in these things is either our victory or defeat. If we believe them and hold to them, there's going to be ultimate victory. If we do not believe them and do not hold to them, there's going to be defeat. Our lives are immediately touched by these truths, either in war or in peace. When God says there shall be war, He will fight against all of those who fight against Him. God is sovereign. Obey Him, worship Him, believe Him and trust Him.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You that Thou art indeed God. Thou art the Sovereign God of heaven and earth. And besides Thee, there is none other. We bow to Thee. Give us, Lord, grace to worship Thee and to praise Thee for Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:23:28Z

There Shall Be War - Part 3

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, John Weaver continues his series on Exodus 5, presenting two additional principles that flow from a failure to recognize God's sovereignty: (3) God's word will be mocked and He will be held in contempt, and (4) the natural consequences are depression, discouragement, and defeat. He demonstrates from Scripture how men call God a liar by adding to His word, denying sin, or rejecting Christ, and shows that the Israelites' despair came from focusing on circumstances rather than God's sovereignty. The sermon concludes with applications to trust God's testimony, cease looking at circumstances, and remember that obedience, worship, and truth stand or fall together.

Opening

Review of Principles 1 and 2

Weaver reviews the first two principles: where God's sovereignty is not acknowledged, there is no obedience (Exodus 5:2) and no worship (Exodus 5:3-4).

Scripture Reading — Exodus 5:2

"And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go."

Principle 3: God's Word Mocked and Held in Contempt

Pharaoh calls God's words 'vain' (false, lying, deceitful), demonstrating that without recognition of sovereignty, God's word is ridiculed.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 5:9

"Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words."

Calling God a Liar by Actions and Words

Men call God a liar not only verbally but by their actions, such as doubting His judgments or living as if He had not spoken.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 4:2

"O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?"

Now the word leasing there is the word lying. So he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 4:2

"O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after lying?"

So they are using lying words against God and believing lying words against God.

Adding to God's Word Makes One a Liar

Proverbs 30:6 warns that adding to God's words results in being found a liar, because it implies disbelief in His pure word.

Denying Sin Calls God a Liar

1 John 1:8-10 teaches that claiming to have no sin or not to have sinned makes God a liar, since all have sinned.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:8-10

Now, when you look at the word sin in verse 8, the word sin not only refers to sinful acts, but it also refers to our corrupt and vicious inclination, which prompts us to do those sinful acts. So actually, what 1 John 1 and verse 8 would be, would be a denial of our sin nature. It is saying that we're not depraved individuals. We're saying that we do not have personal guilt, that we do not stand as transgressors before God. Now, if you do not have a sin nature, then obviously you would not commit sinful acts. If you commit a sinful act, obviously it's evident that you have a sinful nature. I think I told you this in times past, but it fits in so good, I will tell you here. Years ago, when I first started preaching, I carried a suit to the cleaners and I knew that the man who owned the laundry was a professing Christian. When I walked in carrying my suit, I said, "Isn't it wonderful to be forgiven of your sins?" And the man with a straight face looked at me and said, "I don't know. I haven't sinned in the last 10 years."

Rejecting Christ Calls God a Liar

1 John 5:9-13 states that not believing God's testimony about His Son makes Him a liar, because eternal life is in Christ alone.

Principle 4: Depression, Discouragement, and Defeat

The Israelites' focus on their harsh circumstances rather than God's sovereignty led to despair, and even Moses and Aaron became discouraged.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 5:10-23

"And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."

Wow. Look in verse 9 of chapter 6 to show you the state of the people. Exodus 6 and verse 9.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 5:10-23

"And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage."

God's Deliverance When Human Strength Fails

God brought Israel to the end of their resources so they would rely on His sovereign power, promising to act with a strong hand.

Look at chapter 6 in verse 1. Now that God has the elders helpless and Moses and Aaron helpless, he says in verse 1,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 6:1

"Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land."

Applications: Trust, Focus, and Remember

Applications include not calling God a liar, ceasing to look at circumstances, and remembering that sovereignty, obedience, worship, and truth are inseparable.

There Shall Be War - Part 3

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	11415316130
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	The Promises of God
Genre	Sermon
Date	2014-10-26
Dictation Name
Book	Book 061: There Shall Be War — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	74

Lecture Guide

Outline

Review of Principles 1 and 2: Weaver reviews the first two principles: where God's sovereignty is not acknowledged, there is no obedience (Exodus 5:2) and no worship (Exodus 5:3-4).
Principle 3: God's Word Mocked and Held in Contempt: Pharaoh calls God's words 'vain' (false, lying, deceitful), demonstrating that without recognition of sovereignty, God's word is ridiculed.
Calling God a Liar by Actions and Words: Men call God a liar not only verbally but by their actions, such as doubting His judgments or living as if He had not spoken.
Adding to God's Word Makes One a Liar: Proverbs 30:6 warns that adding to God's words results in being found a liar, because it implies disbelief in His pure word.
Denying Sin Calls God a Liar: 1 John 1:8-10 teaches that claiming to have no sin or not to have sinned makes God a liar, since all have sinned.
Rejecting Christ Calls God a Liar: 1 John 5:9-13 states that not believing God's testimony about His Son makes Him a liar, because eternal life is in Christ alone.
Principle 4: Depression, Discouragement, and Defeat: The Israelites' focus on their harsh circumstances rather than God's sovereignty led to despair, and even Moses and Aaron became discouraged.
God's Deliverance When Human Strength Fails: God brought Israel to the end of their resources so they would rely on His sovereign power, promising to act with a strong hand.
Applications: Trust, Focus, and Remember: Applications include not calling God a liar, ceasing to look at circumstances, and remembering that sovereignty, obedience, worship, and truth are inseparable.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Obedience and worship are impossible without acknowledging God's sovereignty.

Pharaoh's refusal to obey and let Israel worship stemmed directly from his denial of God's sovereignty.

Weaver states, 'obedience actually stems from a recognition and understanding of God's sovereignty' and 'where God is not recognized as sovereign, not only will there not be any obedience, there will not be any worship.'

To reject God's word is to call Him a liar.

Pharaoh's dismissal of God's command as 'vain words' was a direct accusation of fraud against God, and Scripture shows multiple ways men do this.

Weaver explains the Hebrew word for 'vain' means false, lying, deceitful, and cites 1 John 1:10, 5:10 to show how denying sin or Christ makes God a liar.

Adding to or altering God's word is a form of calling God a liar.

Proverbs 30:6 and Jeremiah 23 show that those who add to God's words or substitute their own dreams are liars whom God opposes.

Weaver says, 'by adding to God's Word, God says you are making Him a liar' and cites Jeremiah 23:30-32 where God is against false prophets.

Denial of personal sin is a direct contradiction of God's testimony.

1 John 1:8-10 teaches that claiming sinlessness makes God a liar because Scripture declares all have sinned.

Weaver states, 'if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us' and illustrates with the laundry man anecdote.

Rejecting Jesus as the Christ is the ultimate lie against God.

1 John 2:22 and 5:10 declare that anyone who denies Jesus is the Christ is a liar and makes God a liar, because God has testified concerning His Son.

Weaver says, 'Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?' and 'he that believeth not God hath made him a liar.'

Focus on circumstances rather than God's sovereignty produces despair.

The Israelites' depression and even Moses' complaint arose from looking at their harsh situation instead of trusting God's sovereign plan.

Weaver says, 'They were looking at their situation and their circumstances... they were walking by sight and not by faith.'

God brings His people to helplessness to display His power.

God allowed the situation to worsen so that Israel and Moses would realize their inability and rely solely on His strong hand for deliverance.

Weaver explains Exodus 6:1: 'Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh... Once you realize you can't, you're going to find out exactly what I can do.'

Sovereignty, obedience, worship, and truth are inseparable.

These four principles stand or fall together; rejecting one leads to the collapse of all and results in spiritual defeat.

Weaver states, 'These things stand or fall together, you cannot have one without the other.'

Scripture References

Exodus 5:2: Pharaoh's denial of God's sovereignty and refusal to obey.
Exodus 5:3-4: Pharaoh's refusal to allow worship, calling the people idle.
Exodus 5:9: Pharaoh calls God's words 'vain' (false, lying).
Psalm 4:2: Men love vanity and seek after lying, turning God's glory to shame.
Psalm 5:6: God will destroy those who speak leasing (lies).
Psalm 116:11: David said all men are liars.
Jeremiah 5:11-12: Israel belied (lied against) the Lord, denying His judgment.
Romans 3:4: Let God be true and every man a liar.
Proverbs 30:5-6: Every word of God is pure; adding to His words makes one a liar.
Jeremiah 23:16-32: False prophets speak lies, steal God's words, and God is against them.
Isaiah 40:8: The word of our God shall stand forever.
1 John 1:8-10: Denying sin makes God a liar; all have sinned.
1 John 2:4: Claiming to know God but not keeping His commandments makes one a liar.
1 John 2:22: Who is a liar but he who denies Jesus is the Christ?
Acts 2:36: God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ.
1 John 5:9-13: Not believing God's testimony about His Son makes Him a liar; eternal life is in Christ.
Exodus 5:10-23: Israelites' oppression increases; they and Moses become discouraged.
Exodus 6:1: God promises to act with a strong hand to deliver Israel.
Exodus 6:9: Israel did not listen to Moses because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.
Romans 8:28: God works all things for good to those who love Him.

Historical References

Pharaoh and Egypt's oppression of Israel: The historical context of Exodus 5 where Pharaoh increased the Israelites' labor and refused to let them worship.
1950s American family economy: Weaver contrasts the 1950s when a husband could provide alone with today's need for dual incomes, implying a modern 'taskmaster' system.

Important Quotes

where the sovereignty of God is not acknowledged and recognized, there will not be any obedience.

States the foundational principle of the series, linking sovereignty directly to obedience.

where God is not recognized as sovereign, not only will there not be any obedience, there will not be any worship.

Extends the principle to worship, showing the inseparable connection.

let them not regard vain words.

Pharaoh's dismissal of God's command as false and deceitful, illustrating contempt for God's word.

Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Key verse showing that altering God's word makes one a liar.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Direct statement that denial of sin is a direct affront to God's truthfulness.

He that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

Central argument that rejecting Christ is the ultimate way of calling God a liar.

They were looking at their situation and their circumstances. They were concerned only with their life and their burdens for the moment.

Diagnosis of why the Israelites fell into depression and discouragement.

Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

God's promise of sovereign deliverance once human helplessness is acknowledged.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does Pharaoh's question 'Who is the LORD?' reveal the root of his disobedience and contempt?

[Context]

Weaver explains that obedience stems from recognizing God's sovereignty; Pharaoh's denial led to all subsequent rebellion.

[Question]

In what practical ways might Christians today 'call God a liar' by their actions, even without using words?

[Context]

Weaver discusses practical atheism and how living as if God had not spoken is a form of denying His truth.

[Question]

Why does adding to God's Word make one a liar, according to Proverbs 30:6?

[Context]

Weaver argues that adding to Scripture implies disbelief in its sufficiency and purity.

[Question]

How does the denial of personal sin contradict God's testimony and make Him a liar?

[Context]

Based on 1 John 1:8-10, Weaver explains that claiming sinlessness rejects God's declaration that all have sinned.

[Question]

What does it mean that our assurance of salvation is based on God's sovereign testimony about Christ?

[Context]

Weaver expounds 1 John 5:9-13, showing that faith rests on God's witness, not human feelings.

[Question]

Why did the Israelites become depressed and discouraged, and how can we avoid the same pitfall?

[Context]

Weaver points to their focus on circumstances rather than God's sovereignty as the cause of their despair.

[Question]

How does God use human helplessness to display His power and bring deliverance?

[Context]

Weaver notes that God allowed the situation to worsen so that Israel and Moses would rely solely on Him.

[Question]

What are the practical implications of the statement that sovereignty, obedience, worship, and truth 'stand or fall together'?

[Context]

Weaver concludes that these four principles are inseparable; rejecting one leads to spiritual defeat.

Applications

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