Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Praying Against the Wicked

Despised Truths - Part 2

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2014-05-22

Synopsis: John Weaver continues his message on truths that fallen man despises, focusing on two additional points: God does not owe us anything but justice, and God is absolutely sovereign. Using Luke 4:16-30, he shows how the people of Nazareth became murderously angry when Christ implied these truths. Weaver argues that recognizing our lack of claim on Christ and God's sovereignty should produce humility, gratitude, and continual praise.

[John Weaver] Let's open our Bibles tonight to Luke chapter 4. We'll take up where we left off last night. I will take a few minutes to review since we have a couple here that were not here last night. And I began a message last night on despised truths and only covered one point. And so tonight I'm going to be covering the second point. And so let's begin reading, well the second and third, but let's begin reading in Luke chapter 4. We're going to read from verses 16 through 30. Luke 4, verses 16 through 30. And let's have prayer.

[John Weaver] Father, we are thankful for this day. We're thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ. We're thankful for thy word. We pray that you would indeed teach us tonight, enlighten our minds, grant liberty and freedom in preaching, grant the Holy Spirit of God to minister and open our understandings. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. Luke 4, verse 16. And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and when he opened the book he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down.

[John Weaver] And all the eyes of them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bear him witness, and wondered at his gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself.

[John Weaver] Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Sarepta, city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the city and led him into the brow of the hill whereupon the city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

[John Weaver] But he passing through the midst of them went his way. I began last night by showing you that even the term despised truth is a concept that is really foreign to the mind of any Christian. We cannot conceive in our minds of anyone despising the truth of God. And yet the Bible tells us in Isaiah 53 that Jesus Christ is a man who was despised and we esteem him not. And I pointed out how that individuals do indeed despise Christ and despise truth. I pointed out how Esau despised his birthright. I pointed out also how the Bible says that nations despise God. So it's not just individuals, it's nation as well. And the interesting thing is I pointed out where it's even possible for a Christian to despise the Word of God. Now by that I mean this, we do not necessarily despise all of God's Word, we would just simply despise it in the area in which we particularly want to sin. And I pointed out the fact that King David was known as a man after God's own heart.

[John Weaver] And yet God charged him with despising his word and despising God. For instance, you remember when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah the Hittite killed with the sword of the children of Ammon. Let me just read. In 2 Samuel 12, verse 9 and 10, God says this to David, Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Urabiotite with a sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart out of thine house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Urabiotite to be thy wife." So God now charges David with despising not only his word, but despising him. So whenever you and I try to elevate our desires and our wills above God, and we want to sin and do that which is pleasing to us, God tells us we are literally despising His Word, and we are despising Him.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point out something about truth. It is true that our Lord said, You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. But do you realize that truth that is unknown is basically worthless. Stop and think about that. Truth that is unknown is basically worthless. It's still truth. But if you do not know the truth, to you it is absolutely worthless. Let me go further. If you hear the truth, and you know the truth, and you do not apply the truth, it's still worthless.

[John Weaver] Ignorance is only conducive to slavery. And truth unknown or unapplied is worthless. That's why James said in James 4 verse 17, Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So last night we began to look at this and I showed you how these people in Luke chapter 4 became so angry with Christ, they were willing to push him over a cliff and kill him. They were willing to murder an individual, an innocent individual. And I pointed out last night the distinction between an unrighteous and unbiblical anger and a righteous anger. Because God said in Ephesians 4 and verse 26, Be ye angry and sin not, and let not the sun go down upon your wrath. So there is a way that we can be righteously angry and not sin, but unhappily I pointed out most of the time our anger is an unbiblical anger. And an unbiblical anger is revealed in two ways.

[John Weaver] Number one, you explode as a volcano. You just explode and cuss somebody out and tell them off and I mean that's it. Or secondly, you internalize that anger, and you may be smiling at the individual, but you're saying on the inside, you just wait buddy, I'm going to nail you, I'll get you sooner or later. You just wait, and it just literally eats your insides out. And I pointed out how biblical anger is designed to resolve problems and to tackle the sin. So if Doc and I have a problem, I don't explode at him, I don't internalize, I go to him and say, here's the problem, here's the sin, let's resolve it in a biblical manner. Let's repent, whatever, reconcile, whatever.

[John Weaver] We work it out and we work through it. So biblical anger always deals with the sin. It always resolves the problem. Here, in Luke chapter 4, as I pointed out, these people got so angry at Christ they were willing to murder. And I pointed out numerous instances where people murdered for absolutely insignificant reasons. The one point that I covered last night was this, and I began to show you that fallen man does not have any claims upon Christ. Fallen man has absolutely no claim upon Christ. I showed you where these people in Luke chapter 4, although our Lord was raised in Nazareth, they not only did not want to claim Christ, they literally wanted to ignore him.

[John Weaver] I showed you from the book of Matthew, I showed you from the book of Mark, where the Bible said when he came into his own country, they said, is not this Joseph's son? Is not his mother with us? Are not his brothers James and Joseph and Judas and whoever else and his sisters, are they not with us? For Winston hath this man all this knowledge and this wisdom, and they were offended at him.

[John Weaver] So their attitude basically was simply this. Who do you think you are? Coming here trying to teach us and trying to, we know you. You know, so they were offended, they were upset. And I pointed out how no one has a claim upon Christ, not even his parents, not even his parents, not his mother, not his brothers. Because when his mother and his brethren came to him, and he was told, thy mother and thy brother stand without.

[John Weaver] Desiring to speak with thee, what did our Lord say? Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? But these that hear the word of God and do it. And so he's saying then that the spiritual now supersedes all of the physical. And so even those who were close to our Lord. Had no claim upon him and I ended with like this and I showed where the Apostle Paul said, yeah, even though we've known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we him no more. No man. has a claim upon Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand the reason people get so upset with this one simple point. Even though man by nature does not want Christ and does not desire Christ, the reason people get so upset about this. Is because they understand if they have no claim upon Christ. Then they're not in control. When you stop and realize that Jesus Christ is not your little servant boy. You are not in charge of everything he is. You're not even in charge of salvation he is.

[John Weaver] What humanism wants to do is place God under man's thumb. And fallen man wants our Lord to jump at his back and call, even though he hates Christ. And he hates to hear that he has absolutely no claim upon Christ.

[John Weaver] Now let me tell you what Romans 8, verses 6 through 8 says. In fact, you can turn there, whole of chapter 4. I want you to see this. I want you to see how desperately wicked man is by nature. The Bible says in Romans chapter 8, beginning there with verse 6, watch it. Our Lord says, for to be carnally minded or to be fleshly minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life in peace.

[John Weaver] Now, he tells you why. Because the carnal mind, the fleshly mind, that is the mind by nature, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, and enmity is a strong word for hatred, because the carnal mind is extreme hatred against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, so them bathed in the flesh cannot please God." Wow. No one has the ability in and of themselves to please God because their mind is an enmity against God. They hate and they despise God and His law and yet at the same time they hate and despise the very fact that they're not in control, He's in control.

[John Weaver] I gave you one illustration to show Christ's absolute sovereignty last night, and that's when, in John chapter 5, He walked into this whole multitude of sick and lame and impotent folks at the Pool of Bethesda. He walked in and He healed one man. And the one man that he healed did not recognize Christ, did not ask to be healed. Christ just walked up and singled him out and said, will thou be made whole? He said, I have no man to help me when the pool is troubled to put me in.

[John Weaver] But while I'm coming down, another steps in before me. Our Lord just simply said, rise, take up thy bed and walk. And you ask, why did our Lord not heal everyone? He could have healed everyone, but he did not. He only healed the one. Why? He said in John chapter five, As the father raises up the dead and quickeneth whom he will, even so the son quickeneth whom he will."

[John Weaver] In other words, sovereignty is that which proves God is God. Man does not have a claim upon God. Likewise, the son does this. And then he goes on to say that all men should honor the son even as or equally as they honor the father. He that honoreth not the son honoreth not the father. So our Lord says, I did this just to demonstrate that I am God. So the very first truth that men despise is that man has no claim upon Christ.

[John Weaver] Secondly tonight, I want you to look in verse 23. Here's the second point that most people despise. And that is this truth that God does not owe us anything but justice. Look in verse 23. And He said unto them, remember now He's talking to Nazareth, the people of Nazareth. Verse 16, He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up. So He's talking to His people. Verse 23, And He said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself.

[John Weaver] What servant we have heard done in Capernaum do you also hear in thy country? Now, before I begin explaining that, I want to show you what our Lord did. If you'll go back to verse 17. He goes into the synagogue, and the Bible says there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written. So he turned there deliberately, and he read, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, hold Luke chapter 4. I want you to turn back to Isaiah 61 and let me show you something. Because it is this passage that our Lord is quoting. And I want you to see something that is very unusual. In Isaiah 61, our Lord quotes all of verse 1 and only half of verse 2. Watch verse 1, Isaiah 61. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach the good tidings unto the meek, he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison of them that are bound, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and that they have vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn." Now, if you will go back in your Bibles, Luke chapter 4, and look at verse 19, Our Lord says to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. So he got halfway of verse two and he stopped. He did not read and the day of vengeance of our God.

[John Weaver] So here's my question. Why did our Lord stop halfway in that verse? And here's the answer. Because while Jesus Christ was present, at that particular time. His whole ministry was one of grace and mercy. It was not one of vengeance. It was one of grace and mercy. That's why Mark 1 in verse 15, when our Lord began His ministry, He said, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom is at hand, repent ye and believe the gospel. So while Jesus Christ was present with all of these people in that land, His whole life, his whole ministry was one of grace and mercy. The day of vengeance did not come until after he was rejected and crucified. And in 70 A.D., the Lord destroyed that generation and the temple and those people. But what he's saying is, while I'm here, it's all grace and mercy. You know what the Bible says in Acts 13 verse 27?

[John Weaver] I want you to think about this. Listen to what the Bible says. For they that dwell in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled him in condemning him. Why did they condemn Christ? They didn't know who he was. They didn't recognize him. They didn't even understand their own prophets. Do you realize that is the problem? Most people have absolutely no idea who Jesus Christ is. And when I say that, oh yeah, there's a lot of people in this land that have never even heard of Jesus Christ. I understand that. But those who have heard still don't really realize who He is. They don't really think of Him God of Gods and King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Sovereign, the Great I Am, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. No, they don't think of Him like that.

[John Weaver] So our Lord then opens the book of Isaiah and He reads the first verse and half of the second verse. And then He closes the book and He says, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And notice, if you would please, in verse 20, the Bible says in the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. Look at verse 22.

[John Weaver] And all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Why is it, on the one hand, everyone is sitting there riveted upon Christ, and they're saying, oh, listen to those gracious, wonderful words that's proceeding from his mouth. And in the next instant, they're trying to kill him. How could they change from graciousness to murder?

[John Weaver] Well, go back to verse 23, and he said to them, You will surely say to me this proverb physician heal thyself. Watch what we've heard done in Capernaum do also here in my country. I want you to note the latter part of verse 23. What's ever we've heard done in Capernaum do also here in my country. Do you realize that Jesus Christ performed many miracles in Capernaum? In fact, in Luke 4 and verse 23, the Bible says that he taught there. In Luke 4 and verse 31, he taught there again. He came down to Capernaum. In John chapter 4, our Lord healed the nobleman's son at Capernaum. In John chapter 6, our Lord was at Capernaum when he gave that great dissertation on that he was indeed the bread of life. Also in John chapter 6, it was there that Christ walked on the water at Capernaum. According to Matthew chapter 17, it was at Capernaum where our Lord taught about the tribute money. In fact, in Matthew chapter 4 and verse 13, I pointed out last night how Christ was raised in Nazareth.

[John Weaver] He was a Nazarene, not a Nazirite. He was raised in Nazareth. But the Bible says in Matthew 4 in verse 13, and leaving Nazareth, he came to Capernaum and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the seacoast in the border of Zabulon and Naphthalim. After he left Nazareth, basically he lived with Peter in Peter's home in Capernaum. Now, what all happened in Capernaum? I don't know. My knowledge is limited to the Scriptures, just like your knowledge.

[John Weaver] Well, let me show you something. Christ evidently performed an awful lot of miracles in Capernaum. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of John, chapter 20, John, chapter 20. And this is why I'm telling you, I do not know how many miracles he performed there. Neither do you know, neither does anyone else, because the Bible says in John, chapter 20, look at verses 30 and 31. John 20 verse 30, and many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His name. So even John says right here, there are plenty of signs that Jesus Christ did that are not recorded. If you look in John chapter 21 and verse 25, Again, John says it like this, and there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.

[John Weaver] So, our Lord evidently performed an awful lot of miracles in Capernaum. and probably a lot of other people's places as well.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you this. Look in your Bibles very quickly to Matthew chapter 11 and verse 23, because obviously all of those miracles that he did at Capernaum did not have an effect upon the people. Notice in Matthew chapter 11 and verse 23, our Lord pronounces a curse upon Capernaum. He says this, and thou Capernaum, which are exalted in the heaven, shall be brought down to hell.

[John Weaver] For if the mighty works which had been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day. So, although he did many mighty works in Capernaum, the people didn't repent. They did not respond.

[John Weaver] Now, if you go back to Luke chapter 4 and verse 23 again, the latter part, here's what the people say. What's there we've heard done in Capernaum, do you also hear in thy country? Now. Let me interpret this for you. Here is what the people of Nazareth were saying. You owe us. we helped raise you. We know your family. Why? If you're going to do all these things to strangers and for strangers in Capernaum, you can do far more for your home folks and the people who helped raise you. You owe us. So whatever we've heard that you've done in Capernaum, you need to do here in Nazareth. We're your people. You owe us.

[John Weaver] Let me burst your bubble tonight. God. Does not owe you anything except justice. God does not owe me anything except justice. And I will be absolutely frank and honest with you. I don't want what God owes me. I don't want that at all. Do you realize? Do you understand that anything we receive from God? Other than justice. We receive in grace and mercy. I want you to think with me just for a moment. God does not owe you life. I know.

[John Weaver] that the Scripture says the normal span of man is 70 years. You and I both know there are plenty of people never make it 70. There are some babies that die before they're born or died birth. There's some children that died before they reach 10. Or 5. Plenty died 30, 40, 50. God does not owe us life. We're sinners. The wages of sin is death. You only have to commit one sin to be a sinner, and one sin is enough to condemn you. So God does not owe us life. Listen, God does not owe us help. I am thankful for the help that God has given me, and I hope that you're thankful as well, but God does not owe us help. God does not owe us support. God does not owe us a family. God does not owe us friends. God does not owe us salvation. God is not obligated to anyone, and it is absolutely impossible for God to be obligated to anyone. If God is obligated to you, or if God is obligated to anyone, it means that you have done something that has merited and earned not only His favor and His blessing, but you've done something for Him that He could not do for Himself, and thus you have Him now in your debt.

[John Weaver] It's absolutely impossible to have God indebted to you or obligated to you. I want you to turn, holding Luke 4, to Romans chapter 11. And as you turn to Romans chapter 11, I want to quote from Job 41 and verse 11. As you turn to Romans 11, I'm going to quote Job 41 and verse 11. God asked, who hath prevented or who hath preceded me that I should repay him?

[John Weaver] Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. What did God say? Who was ahead of me? Who was first? There's no one before me. I don't owe anyone anything. Everything on the entire heaven is mine.

[John Weaver] Now, look what the Bible says in Romans 11, beginning there, verse 33. Paul exclaims, Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out. Now watch verse 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? What's the answer? No one. Or who hath been His counselor? No one. Or who hath first given to Him?

[John Weaver] And it shall be recompensed unto Him again. No one. For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look at verse 36 again, for of him that is originally, and through him that is providentially, and to him that is ultimately, are all things. Who can first give to God? And the answer is absolutely no one. You cannot obligate God to yourself. When someone tries to say this, now Lord, I've done this for you. Will you do this for me? No. You can't obligate God.

[John Weaver] Whole Luke 4, but go in your Bibles to Psalm 50. I want you to look in Psalm 50. Look what God says beginning there with verse 9. Psalm 50. Psalm 50 verse 9. And we'll read through verse 12. Look at Psalm 50 beginning with verse 9. God says, I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy foals. Why? For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is mine and the fullness thereof. Everything is Everything that has been everything that is everything shall be belongs to God. You cannot first give to God, you cannot obligate God. Let me give you a quote by John Gill, the Baptist theologian. He said this. No man can give God anything which he is not first given to him or which he has not a prior right to or a claim upon for Adam in innocence.

[John Weaver] was not able to give God anything, nor the angels in heaven, much less sinful men on earth. Their bodies and souls and all their enjoyments and all that is good in them or done by them are from the Lord. Men by all their good works, best duties and services give nothing to God, nor lay Him under any obligation to them, hence no man can merit anything at the hands of God.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to stop and think about this. None of God's mercies are conferred by way of obligation. We cannot constrain God. We cannot make God. We cannot force God. We cannot obligate God. Obligation would destroy the freeness of God's favors, and it would also destroy His sovereignty and independence. If I can obligate God to me, God's not sovereign. He's not independent. He's not free. Who can pretend to have any demands upon God? To whom is God indebted?

[John Weaver] Who has a right to any of His blessings? Can the Creator be obligated to the creature? How can the cause be dependent upon the effect? How can the author of providence and the father of every good and every perfect gift be under obligation to those to whom he provides and who are absolutely, totally dependent upon his bounty? Everything that we have came from God. He gave it to us.

[John Weaver] Our life, our health, our family, our friends, Our station in life, our monetary support, whatever. We have comes from God. And Job 35 and verse 7, the question is asked, Job, if thou be righteous. What givest thou him? Or what receiveth he of thine hand? Stop and think about that. Do you realize? We should be righteous and we should be holy. But do you realize that our righteousness and our holiness does not add anything to God?

[John Weaver] In fact, if you will look in your Bibles to Psalm 16, Psalm 16. Is a Messianic Psalm. Now listen to this. Listen carefully. As perfect. And as holy. As the Lord Jesus Christ was in his obedience. And as much as he glorified his father in heaven. He did not add anything to God. How can I say that? Well, look what the Scripture says. Psalm 16 verse one. Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. Look in verse 2, O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, now look, my Lord, my goodness extendeth not unto thee. The goodness of Christ did not extend to God the Father. Who did it extend to? Verse 3, but to the saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight. His goodness extended to us, but it did not extend to the Father. Nothing can be added to God because God is already perfect. Nothing can be taken from Him, for if it was, He would not be perfect.

[John Weaver] So even the obedience of our Lord did not add anything to God the Father. It blessed us, but it did not add anything to God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you. I want you to turn to First Chronicles 29. Look what David confesses and acknowledges. First Chronicles 29, and let's begin reading with verse 10. First Chronicles 29, verse 10, and we'll read through verse 14. First Chronicles 29, notice verse 10. Wherefore, David blessed the Lord before all the congregation, and David said, Blessed be Thou, Lord God of Israel, our Father, for ever and ever." Now look, verse 11,"'Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. For all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine. Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all.

[John Weaver] And in mine hand is power and might, and in mine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy holy name." Watch what David said, but who am I? And what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? For all things come of thee, and of thine own we've given thee.

[John Weaver] You said, but Brother Weaver, you don't understand I tithe. If God hadn't given you money, you would have nothing to tithe. If God had not given you strength and the ability to work, you would have nothing to give him. If he did not give you breath, you couldn't work, you couldn't do anything, you'd be dead. Everything you are, everything you have comes from God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. What is your attitude toward all of God's goodness and mercies toward yourself? I like to ask people this question. Why did you not die last night in your sleep? Why did you get to live through this day? Why did you not die last night? I can answer that for you. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23. It is the Lord's mercies that were not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not.

[John Weaver] They are new every morning, great as I faithfulness. The only reason you were alive this morning was because God had fresh mercies and fresh compassions upon you. That's it. That's it.

[John Weaver] Now, wait, listen to me. If you understand what I'm telling you tonight, if you understand that God does not owe you anything, Accept justice. That means everything you get from Him is pure grace and pure mercy. So what is your attitude toward Him? Are you thankful? Are you grateful? Are you appreciative? Do you offer Him continual praise and worship? Let me tell you something. The more you recognize that God does not owe you anything, the more you realize everything you have is only by God's pure grace and mercy, the more you're going to thank Him and praise Him.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 13. Look in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 15. Hebrews 13 and verse 15. Look what the Scripture says. Hebrews 13 and verse 15. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. What? What are we to offer to our Lord continually? The sacrifice of praise that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks under our God.

[John Weaver] You know what we do. We tend to take God for granted. We do. We just think automatically he owes us life or he owes us food or he owes us bread or he owes us a family or he owes us help. He didn't owe us anything. We should not be like those lepers in Luke Chapter 17. You remember 10 lepers came to him. And they wanted to be healed.

[John Weaver] He said, go your way. Show yourself to the priests. And offer the sacrifices that the law demands. And as they were going, the Bible says. They were cleansed. One. Turn around and came back in Luke 17 verses 17 through 19. The Bible says in Jesus answering said. Where they're not 10 cleansed. They're not found that return to give glory to God. Save this stranger. Arise, go thy way, thy faith is safety. Where are the nine? Where are the nine?

[John Weaver] Do not make our Lord. Ask you. Whether or not you're thankful. Or whether or not you're grateful. or whether or not you're appreciative of His mercies, or you recognize the fact that everything you are and everything you have is by His grace and mercy. You ought to be constantly and continually just praising Him and thanking Him for everything that He's done. If you realize, number one, you have no claim upon Christ, and number two, He does not owe you anything except justice. It would tend to make you thankful for everything.

[John Weaver] OK, thirdly, I want you to go back to chapter four. Here's the third despised truth. And that is that God is absolutely sovereign. Now, I want you to look at verses 25 through 30 with me. Look at verse 25, our Lord said, but I tell you of a truth Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But in none of them was Elijah sent, save in the Sarepta city of Zion, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, saving Nahum and the Syrian.

[John Weaver] And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath. and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way."

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand these three truths that I've just mentioned are not only closely connected, they're interrelated. The truth of the matter is they stand or fall together. When you realize Fallen man has no claims upon Christ. That Christ does not owe us anything. That means thirdly, he is absolutely sovereign. Wow. Remember, I told you last night the sovereignty of God means this that God does as he pleases only as he pleases and always as he pleases. Now, Christ has just told these Nazarenes, two Bible stories that they have known since they were children.

[John Weaver] And all of a sudden. They are so angry with him. They're trying to murder him. So the question you have to ask is this. Why were these people of Nazareth all of a sudden filled with wrath? And why did they attempt to murder Christ just simply because He related these stories to them? And the answer comes back. Because now for the first time in their lives, they realize the implication of these stories. They realize the application of these stories.

[John Weaver] If you follow a context, you have to connect the dots. Here's what our Lord is saying. If you have no claim upon me. I do not owe you anything. And if you have no claim upon me and I do not owe you anything, that means I'm absolutely sovereign and I'm God. They didn't like that. I want you to consider the implications. The first thing he does is tells them about Elijah. He says in verse 25, But I tell you the truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famines fell over the land. But in none of them was Elijah sent, save in Asreptos, city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. Three and a half years there was a drought in the land. Three and a half years people were starving and perishing. Multitudes of widows in the land of Israel. But Elijah was only sent to one widow in the city of Sarepta, a city of Zion.

[John Weaver] That may not mean anything to you. But I will tell you this. Jezebel. was a Zidonian. Jezebel, the wicked, perverted, reprobate queen of Ahab, she was a Zidonian. Her reprobate father was king of Zidon. Ah, Zidon is not in Israel. What did God do? God sent Elijah into a strange land to a strange widow who was not an Israelite. He was not sent to a widow in Israel. Plenty of widows were in Israel, famishing, starving, dying. But God did not send him to any widow in Israel. He sent him to Zion. God overlooked, bypassed, and did not help any widow in the land of Israel through Elijah for three and a half years. Wow. Oh, that's not all. Now, he says in verse 27, and many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. Oh. Naaman, was a Syrian. Syria? Not in Israel. Not only was Naaman a stranger, he was an enemy to the Israelites. Syria and Israel were at war constantly.

[John Weaver] And during the time of Elisha, the only leper that was cleansed was Naaman. Here's what our Lord is saying. God does not owe his favors or his grace or his mercy to anyone. He distributes them as he sees fit. And to whom he sees fit to send them and wherever he says fit to send them and whenever he sees fit to send them, it's totally up to God. He is sovereign. He moves. And He moves according to His will.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something that will upset you. You will despise it just like these people, but here it is. God does not move based upon your needs. Go back to John 5. What did our Lord do? He walked in those five porches where that pool of Bethesda was, wherein lay a multitude of infitant folk, lame. and sick and healed one. Did they not all have needs? Of course. But he did not move according to the needs of the people. He moved according to his will.

[John Weaver] Stop and think about this. God is not moved by anything except his own will. How can I say that? Well, because that's what the Bible says. And I'll show it to you in just a moment. But let me quote again Daniel 4 and verse 35. The Bible says, And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. Now listen, And he doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven and in the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou? What? Because he's sovereign. You can't stop God from doing anything and you can't make God do anything. God is sovereign. Now, let me show you what I just said.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn to Ephesians chapter one. I want you to understand it is the will of God that moves God. It's not the needs of the people. It's not the circumstances. It's not the situations. It's the will of God. Look in Ephesians 1 and verse 9. Ephesians 1 and verse 9. Having made known in us the mystery of his will, according to the good pleasure which he has purposed in himself. What? God moves according to his will and that good pleasure which he's purposed in himself. Look in verse 11. and whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will." The cause of all things is the will of God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you something. If you think God's absolute sovereignty is strange, then you're in the same boat as the people of Nazareth. You know nothing about the God of the Bible. Because the only God that exists is the God of the Bible. Do you realize most people serve a God of their own imagination? They don't serve the God of the Bible. Years ago. I was in a pastor's office. The door was open. We were just talking about the doctrine of election and the doctrine of God's sovereignty.

[John Weaver] His secretary was sitting out at the desk. She was listening. I mean, we weren't trying to hide anything, but we weren't necessarily talking. Loudly either. But we were just talking about God's sovereignty and the doctrine of election and predestination, etc. And all of a sudden his secretary jumped up from her desk, ran into the room, looked at her pastor, and said this, I don't care what the Bible says, I know God's not like that. Her pastor just looked at her and said, did you just hear what you said?

[John Weaver] Her God was up here. He was not the God of the Bible. The only God that exists is the God of the Bible. The God that most professing Christians serve is like some old man in heaven in a rocking chair, very old, who does not enjoy sin himself any longer, but he looks down and smiles and leniently winks at the indiscretions of his people. That is not The God of the Bible. God said in Jeremiah 44 in verse 4, Oh, do not the abominable thing which I hate. No. God is sovereign.

[John Weaver] I want you to look in Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9, let's begin reading there with verse 14. Romans 9 verse 14, just a few more passages. Look in Romans 9 verse 14. And we'll read through verse 18. Romans 9, verse 14, what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, look, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.

[John Weaver] For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore, hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth.

[John Weaver] Now, what does the Bible say? It's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. The only reason you and I are even saved by the grace of God is because of God's grace and God's mercy. We didn't earn it. We didn't deserve it. We didn't merit it. God was just merciful to us. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew, Chapter 20.

[John Weaver] And I'll try to tie it together for you with this. Look in Matthew, Chapter 20, and I want to read the first 16 verses. And then I'm going to make some applications. Look at Matthew chapter 20. And let's begin looking there at verse one. Look what our Lord says. Matthew 20 verse one. Our Lord says, For the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that is the householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, that'd be nine o'clock in the morning, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, go you also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. And he went out again about the sixth hour, that would be noon, and the ninth hour, that'd be three p.m., and he did likewise. And about the eleventh hour, that would be five p.m., he went out and found others standing idle, and said unto them, Why stand ye here idle all the day?

[John Weaver] And they said unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall you receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto the steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. Now watch carefully. And when they came, they that were hired about the eleventh hour received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should receive more, and they likewise received every man a penny. When they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house, saying, Thou hast these last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us which have borne the burden in the heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong. Didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

[John Weaver] Take that thine is, and go thy way. I will give unto this last even to thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thou not evil, because I am good?

[John Weaver] Now look what he asks. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?

[John Weaver] Now, let's do some supposing. Let's suppose that Troy has 20 brand new four-wheel drive pickup trucks. And I look at Troy and I say, you got 20. You could at least give me one of them. Wait a minute. Do they belong to Troy? Is he obligated to give me one?

[John Weaver] Now, what if he turns around and says, well, I'm going to give one to Hart and I'll give one to Kevin and I'll give one to Greg. Fine, he's got 17 left. Is he now obligated to give me one just because he gave one to? No. You know what he could do if he wanted to take those brand new four wheel drive trucks out and set them on fire and burn them to the ground, he could do it. But they're his.

[John Weaver] He can do with his own what he wills. Now, we see that when it relates to us. But we don't like it when it relates to God. We don't think God has the absolute right to do with his own as he wills. I've heard people say. Well, I think God will save everybody in the world. God's grace is his own. God's mercy is his own. He's not obligated to give it to anybody. He wasn't obligated to give it to you. He did.

[John Weaver] I want you to understand something. Let me tie this together and try to make these applications. Since God cannot be brought into obligation. And since God does not owe anyone anything, There should be no cause of complaining if God deals more bountifully with some than with others. So if God gave Greg a million bucks, why should I get upset if God doesn't give me a million bucks? God can do with it all as He wills. I mean, you know, I could get upset with the fact that Lonnie's got more hair than I do. Why'd you give him all that hair? I don't have any hair. You see what God can do what he wants to do with his own.

[John Weaver] He blesses as he sees fit. We have to see the absolute freeness of God's distinguishing grace. God was not bound to give everybody the same thing, nor the same aid, nor the same means of grace. He's not. It is His. He can do with it as He wills. That's why He said in Romans chapter 9, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I'll have compassion on whom I'll have compassion. So if I see four beggars out on the street, and I walk up to one of them and hand him a $10 bill, am I obligated to give a $10 bill to the other three? No. I didn't have to give him that one. We see that when it comes to ourselves, but we don't see that when it comes to God. The people of Nazareth would fain make God their debtor.

[John Weaver] What we have heard that you've done to Capernaum, do here in thine own country. You owe us. We're your people. Our Lord says, no, I don't owe you anything. And they didn't like that. When you stop and think, why were there no widows fed during Elijah's ministry in those three and a half years in Israel? Why were there no lepers cleansed in Israel during the time of Elisha's life? The people hated God. Hated his law, despised his word, despised his preachers. You think God's going to give somebody extra blessings like that? Years ago, our two oldest grandchildren will be 26 this month.

[John Weaver] One of them this week. When they were little, about three years old, two to three, something like that. Alice and I took them to Walmart because they wanted a pair of cow boots, cowboy boots, you know, And I'll be honest with you. I'd paid all my bills. I had $20 left. That's all. And I was saving that to buy some groceries. And so we took our grandkids to Walmart and we just were going to try on the cowboy boots on them because we were going to come back when I got some money and buy them for them, etc. And so we put the little boots on them, made sure they fit. We let them walk around in it just a little bit. And we took them off and put them back in the box and we kind of marked them so we'd know which ones they were because we were going to come back and get them. So I picked up the little boy, and I had him in my arms, and Alice had our granddaughter in her arms, and we started to leave, and that little grandson of mine looked back at those boots and said, bye-bye, cowboots, so pitifully.

[John Weaver] I looked at my wife, I said, get them, we'll go hungry, just forget it. Now, let me tell you something. You know what? If he had gotten on the floor and pitched a royal fit, screaming and hollering, I want those boots! I want those boots! Guess what? I would have never given him those boots. He'd have never got them from me. He'd have got a whipping from me, but he'd never got boots from me.

[John Weaver] Do you think God is going to obligate himself to someone who hates him and despises him and acts contrary to what he said? Of course not. You can't even obligate God if you obey him. The only reason you're obeying him is because he gave you grace and mercy. And these people in the time of Elijah and Elisha just had contempt for God and his law.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you something, I've talked to you about three things, despised truths. No man has a claim upon Christ. God does not owe us anything. And God is absolutely sovereign. Are you listening? If you don't hate these truths. If you don't despise these truths. You will love them. You will love them. If you understand these truths. It will make you more appreciative. More grateful. More thankful. More humble.

[John Weaver] You do not deserve what you have. I do not deserve what I have. The only reason we have what we have is because of the grace and mercy of God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just tell you something. We have in our bathroom at home one of the old timey four foot tubs. I don't mind a shower. I take showers. But I really enjoy getting in that old cloth foot tub and a hot bath, just lying back and soaking. And every time I get in that water, I say, thank you, Lord, for this bath. Now listen. Do you know there's millions of people in this world that cannot take a bath. And the second thing I say is this. Thank you, Lord. For a hot bath. Millions of people do not have a hot bath.

[John Weaver] You may not be in the best health. But you're not dead. And you can thank the Lord for the help that you have. You may not have a lot of money, but you can thank the Lord for what you do have. You may not have a lot of strength, but you can thank the Lord for what you do have. If you understand what I've just told you tonight.

[John Weaver] You can be thankful for your daily food. You can be thankful for your family. You can be thankful for life and health. You can be thankful for any and everything in your life when you realize everything I am and everything I have is only by God's infinite grace and mercy. It will make you far more thankful. And you'll be like that one leopard that turned around and came back and gave our Lord the glory and the honor for healing. Are you the one?

[John Weaver] Or are you the nine that just ignore Him? Our Lord said, you have no claims upon Me. I don't owe you anything. I'm sovereign. But look everything that He's given you. Elder, break us down and make us praise Him. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to You this night. We thank You for Your grace, for Your mercy, for Your compassions. We thank You for Your provision. We thank You for Your protection. We thank You for Your preservation. We thank You for Your kind and gracious providence. We thank You for our wives, our husbands, our children, our families, our friends. We thank you for the opportunities. Give us, Lord, a thankful and grateful and appreciative and loving, kind, obedient, submissive heart. And give us lips to praise thee constantly and continually.

[John Weaver] Because of all that you are. and all that you've done. May we say with David, bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me. Bless the Lord and forget not all of his benefits, who daily loatheth us with benefits and blessings. We give thee praise tonight in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Amen.

Despised Truths - Part 2

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	5231454792
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Praying Against the Wicked
Genre	Sermon
Date	2014-05-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 148: Despised Truths — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	94

Formatted Transcript

Review of Part 1: No Claim Upon Christ

Weaver reviews the first despised truth: fallen man has no claim upon Christ. He recaps how the Nazarenes were offended at Jesus and how even His family had no special claim.

Let's open our Bibles tonight to Luke chapter 4. We'll take up where we left off last night. I will take a few minutes to review since we have a couple here that were not here last night. And I began a message last night on despised truths and only covered one point. And so tonight I'm going to be covering the second point. And so let's begin reading, well the second and third, but let's begin reading in Luke chapter 4. We're going to read from verses 16 through 30. Luke 4, verses 16 through 30. And let's have prayer.

Father, we are thankful for this day. We're thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ. We're thankful for thy word. We pray that you would indeed teach us tonight, enlighten our minds, grant liberty and freedom in preaching, grant the Holy Spirit of God to minister and open our understandings. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. Luke 4, verse 16. And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and when he opened the book he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down.

And all the eyes of them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bear him witness, and wondered at his gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Zarephath, city of Zidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the city and led him into the brow of the hill whereupon the city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

But he passing through the midst of them went his way. I began last night by showing you that even the term despised truth is a concept that is really foreign to the mind of any Christian. We cannot conceive in our minds of anyone despising the truth of God. And yet the Bible tells us in Isaiah 53 that Jesus Christ is a man who was despised and we esteem him not. And I pointed out how that individuals do indeed despise Christ and despise truth. I pointed out how Esau despised his birthright. I pointed out also how the Bible says that nations despise God. So it's not just individuals, it's nation as well. And the interesting thing is I pointed out where it's even possible for a Christian to despise the Word of God. Now by that I mean this, we do not necessarily despise all of God's Word, we would just simply despise it in the area in which we particularly want to sin. And I pointed out the fact that King David was known as a man after God's own heart.

And yet God charged him with despising his word and despising God. For instance, you remember when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah the Hittite killed

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 12:9-10

with the sword of the children of Ammon. Let me just read. In 2 Samuel 12, verse 9 and 10, God says this to David, Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with a sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart out of thine house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife."

So God now charges David with despising not only his word, but despising him. So whenever you and I try to elevate our desires and our wills above God, and we want to sin and do that which is pleasing to us, God tells us we are literally despising His Word, and we are despising Him.

Now, let me point out something about truth. It is true that our Lord said, You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. But do you realize that truth that is unknown is basically worthless. Stop and think about that. Truth that is unknown is basically worthless. It's still truth. But if you do not know the truth, to you it is absolutely worthless. Let me go further. If you hear the truth, and you know the truth, and you do not apply the truth, it's still worthless.

Ignorance is only conducive to slavery. And truth unknown or unapplied is worthless. That's why James said in James 4 verse 17, Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So last night we began to look at this and I showed you how these people in Luke chapter 4 became so angry with Christ, they were willing to push him over a cliff and kill him. They were willing to murder an individual, an innocent individual. And I pointed out last night the distinction between an unrighteous and unbiblical anger and a righteous anger. Because God said in Ephesians 4 and verse 26, Be ye angry and sin not, and let not the sun go down upon your wrath. So there is a way that we can be righteously angry and not sin, but unhappily I pointed out most of the time our anger is an unbiblical anger. And an unbiblical anger is revealed in two ways.

Number one, you explode as a volcano. You just explode and cuss somebody out and tell them off and I mean that's it. Or secondly, you internalize that anger, and you may be smiling at the individual, but you're saying on the inside, you just wait buddy, I'm going to nail you, I'll get you sooner or later. You just wait, and it just literally eats your insides out. And I pointed out how biblical anger is designed to resolve problems and to tackle the sin. So if Doc and I have a problem, I don't explode at him, I don't internalize, I go to him and say, here's the problem, here's the sin, let's resolve it in a biblical manner. Let's repent, whatever, reconcile, whatever.

We work it out and we work through it. So biblical anger always deals with the sin. It always resolves the problem. Here, in Luke chapter 4, as I pointed out, these people got so angry at Christ they were willing to murder. And I pointed out numerous instances where people murdered for absolutely insignificant reasons. The one point that I covered last night was this, and I began to show you that fallen man does not have any claims upon Christ. Fallen man has absolutely no claim upon Christ. I showed you where these people in Luke chapter 4, although our Lord was raised in Nazareth, they not only did not want to claim Christ, they literally wanted to ignore him.

I showed you from the book of Matthew, I showed you from the book of Mark, where the Bible said when he came into his own country, they said, is not this Joseph's son? Is not his mother with us? Are not his brothers James and Joseph and Judas and whoever else and his sisters, are they not with us? For whence hath this man all this knowledge and this wisdom, and they were offended at him.

So their attitude basically was simply this. Who do you think you are? Coming here trying to teach us and trying to, we know you. You know, so they were offended, they were upset. And I pointed out how no one has a claim upon Christ, not even his parents, not even his parents, not his mother, not his brothers. Because when his mother and his brethren came to him, and he was told, thy mother and thy brother stand without. Desiring to speak with thee, what did our Lord say? Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? But these that hear the word of God and do it. And so he's saying then that the spiritual now supersedes all of the physical. And so even those who were close to our Lord had no claim upon him and I ended with like this and I showed where the Apostle Paul said, yea, even though we've known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we him no more. No man has a claim upon Christ.

Now, I want you to understand the reason people get so upset with this one simple point. Even though man by nature does not want Christ and does not desire Christ, the reason people get so upset about this is because they understand if they have no claim upon Christ, then they're not in control. When you stop and realize that Jesus Christ is not your little servant boy. You are not in charge of everything he is. You're not even in charge of salvation he is.

Introduction to the Second Despised Truth: God Owes Us Nothing but Justice

Weaver introduces the second point from Luke 4:23, where the Nazarenes imply Jesus owes them miracles because He was raised among them.

Secondly tonight, I want you to look in verse 23. Here's the second point that most people despise. And that is this truth that God does not owe us anything but justice. Look in verse 23. And He said unto them, remember now He's talking to Nazareth, the people of Nazareth. Verse 16, He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up. So He's talking to His people. Verse 23, And He said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself.

Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum do you also here in thy country? Now, before I begin explaining that, I want to show you what our Lord did. If you'll go back to verse 17. He goes into the synagogue, and the Bible says there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written. So he turned there deliberately, and he read, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Wow.

Christ's Selective Reading of Isaiah 61

Weaver notes that Jesus deliberately stopped reading Isaiah 61:2 before 'the day of vengeance,' emphasizing His first coming was a ministry of grace and mercy.

Now, hold Luke chapter 4. I want you to turn back to Isaiah 61 and let me show you something. Because it is this passage that our Lord is quoting. And I want you to see something that is very unusual. In Isaiah 61, our Lord quotes all of verse 1 and only half of verse 2. Watch verse 1, Isaiah 61. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach the good tidings unto the meek, he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison of them that are bound, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 61:1-2

" Now, if you will go back in your Bibles, Luke chapter 4, and look at verse 19, Our Lord says to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. So he got halfway of verse two and he stopped. He did not read and the day of vengeance of our God.

So here's my question. Why did our Lord stop halfway in that verse? And here's the answer. Because while Jesus Christ was present, at that particular time, His whole ministry was one of grace and mercy. It was not one of vengeance. It was one of grace and mercy. That's why Mark 1 in verse 15, when our Lord began His ministry, He said, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom is at hand, repent ye and believe the gospel. So while Jesus Christ was present with all of these people in that land, His whole life, his whole ministry was one of grace and mercy. The day of vengeance did not come until after he was rejected and crucified. And in 70 A.D., the Lord destroyed that generation and the temple and those people. But what he's saying is, while I'm here, it's all grace and mercy. You know what the Bible says in Acts 13 verse 27?

I want you to think about this. Listen to what the Bible says. For they that dwell in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled him in condemning him. Why did they condemn Christ? They didn't know who he was. They didn't recognize him. They didn't even understand their own prophets. Do you realize that is the problem? Most people have absolutely no idea who Jesus Christ is. And when I say that, oh yeah, there's a lot of people in this land that have never even heard of Jesus Christ. I understand that. But those who have heard still don't really realize who He is. They don't really think of Him God of Gods and King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Sovereign, the Great I Am, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. No, they don't think of Him like that.

The Nazarenes' Demand: 'You Owe Us'

The people of Nazareth believed Jesus owed them miracles because of their familiarity with Him, but Weaver asserts God is obligated to no one.

Now, if you go back to Luke chapter 4 and verse 23 again, the latter part, here's what the people say. What's there we've heard done in Capernaum, do you also here in thy country? Now. Let me interpret this for you. Here is what the people of Nazareth were saying. You owe us. We helped raise you. We know your family. Why? If you're going to do all these things to strangers and for strangers in Capernaum, you can do far more for your home folks and the people who helped raise you. You owe us. So whatever we've heard that you've done in Capernaum, you need to do here in Nazareth. We're your people. You owe us.

Let me burst your bubble tonight. God does not owe you anything except justice. God does not owe me anything except justice. And I will be absolutely frank and honest with you. I don't want what God owes me. I don't want that at all. Do you realize? Do you understand that anything we receive from God other than justice we receive in grace and mercy. I want you to think with me just for a moment. God does not owe you life. I know.

God Cannot Be Obligated

Weaver uses Romans 11:33-36, Psalm 50:9-12, and Job 41:11 to show that God is self-sufficient and cannot be indebted to anyone.

It's absolutely impossible to have God indebted to you or obligated to you. I want you to turn, holding Luke 4, to Romans chapter 11. And as you turn to Romans chapter 11, I want to quote from Job 41 and verse 11. As you turn to Romans 11, I'm going to quote Job 41 and verse 11. God asked, who hath prevented or who hath preceded me that I should repay him? Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. What did God say? Who was ahead of me? Who was first? There's no one before me. I don't owe anyone anything. Everything on the entire heaven is mine.

Now, look what the Bible says in Romans 11, beginning there, verse 33. Paul exclaims, Oh,

Scripture Reading — Romans 11:33-36

the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out. Now watch verse 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? What's the answer? No one. Or who hath been His counselor? No one. Or who hath first given to Him?

And it shall be recompensed unto Him again. No one. For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Now, if you look at verse 36 again, for of him that is originally, and through him that is providentially, and to him that is ultimately, are all things. Who can first give to God? And the answer is absolutely no one. You cannot obligate God to yourself. When someone tries to say this, now Lord, I've done this for you. Will you do this for me? No. You can't obligate God.

Hold Luke 4, but go in your Bibles to Psalm 50. I want you to look in Psalm 50. Look what God says beginning there with verse 9. Psalm 50. Psalm 50 verse 9. And we'll read through verse 12. Look at Psalm 50 beginning with verse 9. God says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 50:9-12

I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy foals. Why? For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is mine and the

fullness thereof. Everything is Everything that has been everything that is everything shall be belongs to God. You cannot first give to God, you cannot obligate God. Let me give you a quote by John Gill, the Baptist theologian. He said this. No man can give God anything which he is not first given to him or which he has not a prior right to or a claim upon for Adam in innocence.

was not able to give God anything, nor the angels in heaven, much less sinful men on earth. Their bodies and souls and all their enjoyments and all that is good in them or done by them are from the Lord. Men by all their good works, best duties and services give nothing to God, nor lay Him under any obligation to them, hence no man can merit anything at the hands of God.

Everything We Have Is by Grace and Mercy

Weaver explains that since God owes us nothing, all blessings are acts of grace, which should produce continual thankfulness (Hebrews 13:15).

You said, but Brother Weaver, you don't understand I tithe. If God hadn't given you money, you would have nothing to tithe. If God had not given you strength and the ability to work, you would have nothing to give him. If he did not give you breath, you couldn't work, you couldn't do anything, you'd be dead. Everything you are, everything you have comes from God.

Now, let me ask you a question. What is your attitude toward all of God's goodness and mercies toward yourself? I like to ask people this question. Why did you not die last night in your sleep? Why did you get to live through this day? Why did you not die last night? I can answer that for you. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23. It is the Lord's mercies that were not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not.

They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness. The only reason you were alive this morning was because God had fresh mercies and fresh compassions upon you. That's it. That's it.

Now, wait, listen to me. If you understand what I'm telling you tonight, if you understand that God does not owe you anything, accept justice. That means everything you get from Him is pure grace and pure mercy. So what is your attitude toward Him? Are you thankful? Are you grateful? Are you appreciative? Do you offer Him continual praise and worship? Let me tell you something. The more you recognize that God does not owe you anything, the more you realize everything you have is only by God's pure grace and mercy, the more you're going to thank Him and praise Him.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 13. Look in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 15. Hebrews 13 and verse 15. Look what the Scripture says. Hebrews 13 and verse 15. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. What? What are we to offer to our Lord continually? The sacrifice of praise that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks unto our God.

You know what we do. We tend to take God for granted. We do. We just think automatically he owes us life or he owes us food or he owes us bread or he owes us a family or he owes us help. He didn't owe us anything. We should not be like those lepers in Luke Chapter 17. You remember 10 lepers came to him. And they wanted to be healed.

He said, go your way. Show yourself to the priests. And offer the sacrifices that the law demands. And as they were going, the Bible says they were cleansed. One turned around and came back in Luke 17 verses 17 through 19. The Bible says in Jesus answering said. Where they're not 10 cleansed. They're not found that return to give glory to God. Save this stranger. Arise, go thy way, thy faith is safety. Where are the nine? Where are the nine?

Do not make our Lord ask you whether or not you're thankful. Or whether or not you're grateful, or whether or not you're appreciative of His mercies, or you recognize the fact that everything you are and everything you have is by His grace and mercy. You ought to be constantly and continually just praising Him and thanking Him for everything that He's done. If you realize, number one, you have no claim upon Christ, and number two, He does not owe you anything except justice. It would tend to make you thankful for everything.

The Third Despised Truth: God Is Absolutely Sovereign

Weaver introduces the third point from Luke 4:25-30, where Christ's references to Elijah and Elisha demonstrate God's sovereign choice in dispensing mercy.

OK, thirdly, I want you to go back to chapter four. Here's the third despised truth. And that is that God is absolutely sovereign. Now, I want you to look at verses 25 through 30 with me. Look at verse 25, our Lord said, but I tell you of a truth Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But in none of them was Elijah sent, save in the Zarephath city of Zidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath. and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way." Now, I want you to understand these three truths that I've just mentioned are not only closely connected, they're interrelated. The truth of the matter is they stand or fall together. When you realize Fallen man has no claims upon Christ. That Christ does not owe us anything. That means thirdly, he is absolutely sovereign. Wow. Remember, I told you last night the sovereignty of God means this that God does as he pleases only as he pleases and always as he pleases. Now, Christ has just told these Nazarenes, two Bible stories that they have known since they were children.

The Implications of Sovereignty: God Moves According to His Will

Weaver explains that God is not moved by human need but by His own will, citing Ephesians 1:9-11 and Romans 9:14-18.

Let me tell you something that will upset you. You will despise it just like these people, but here it is. God does not move based upon your needs. Go back to John 5. What did our Lord do? He walked in those five porches where that pool of Bethesda was, wherein lay a multitude of impotent folk, lame and sick and healed one. Did they not all have needs? Of course. But he did not move according to the needs of the people. He moved according to his will.

Stop and think about this. God is not moved by anything except his own will. How can I say that? Well, because that's what the Bible says. And I'll show it to you in just a moment. But let me quote again Daniel 4 and verse 35. The Bible says, And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. Now listen, And he doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven and in the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou? What? Because he's sovereign. You can't stop God from doing anything and you can't make God do anything. God is sovereign. Now, let me show you what I just said.

I want you to turn to Ephesians chapter one. I want you to understand it is the will of God that moves God. It's not the needs of the people. It's not the circumstances. It's not the situations. It's the will of God. Look in Ephesians 1 and verse 9. Ephesians 1 and verse 9. Having made known in us the mystery of his will, according to the good pleasure which he has purposed in himself. What? God moves according to his will and that good pleasure which he's purposed in himself. Look in verse 11. and

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 1:9-11

whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his

will." The cause of all things is the will of God.

Now, let me tell you something. If you think God's absolute sovereignty is strange, then you're in the same boat as the people of Nazareth. You know nothing about the God of the Bible. Because the only God that exists is the God of the Bible. Do you realize most people serve a God of their own imagination? They don't serve the God of the Bible. Years ago. I was in a pastor's office. The door was open. We were just talking about the doctrine of election and the doctrine of God's sovereignty.

The Parable of the Laborers and God's Right to Do as He Wills

Weaver uses Matthew 20:1-16 to illustrate that God has the right to dispense His grace as He chooses, without obligation to treat all equally.

Now, what does the Bible say? It's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. The only reason you and I are even saved by the grace of God is because of God's grace and God's mercy. We didn't earn it. We didn't deserve it. We didn't merit it. God was just merciful to us. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew, Chapter 20.

And I'll try to tie it together for you with this. Look in Matthew, Chapter 20, and I want to read the first 16 verses. And then I'm going to make some applications. Look at Matthew chapter 20. And let's begin looking there at verse one. Look what our Lord says. Matthew 20 verse one. Our Lord says, For the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that is the householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, that'd be nine o'clock in the morning, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, go you also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. And he went out again about the sixth hour, that would be noon, and the ninth hour, that'd be three p.m., and he did likewise. And about the eleventh hour, that would be five p.m., he went out and found others standing idle, and said unto them, Why stand ye here idle all the day?

And they said unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall you receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto the steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. Now watch carefully. And when they came, they that were hired about the eleventh hour received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should receive more, and they likewise received every man a penny. When they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house, saying, Thou hast these last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us which have borne the burden in the heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong. Didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

Take that thine is, and go thy way. I will give unto this last even to thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thou not evil, because I am good?

Now look what he asks. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Now, let's do some supposing. Let's suppose that Troy has 20 brand new four-wheel drive pickup trucks. And I look at Troy and I say, you got 20. You could at least give me one of them. Wait a minute. Do they belong to Troy? Is he obligated to give me one?

Application: These Truths Should Produce Humility and Gratitude

Weaver concludes that if we do not despise these truths, we will love them, leading to greater thankfulness for every blessing.

Now, let me tell you something, I've talked to you about three things, despised truths. No man has a claim upon Christ. God does not owe us anything. And God is absolutely sovereign. Are you listening? If you don't hate these truths. If you don't despise these truths. You will love them. You will love them. If you understand these truths. It will make you more appreciative. More grateful. More thankful. More humble.

You do not deserve what you have. I do not deserve what I have. The only reason we have what we have is because of the grace and mercy of God. Now, let me just tell you something. We have in our bathroom at home one of the old timey four foot tubs. I don't mind a shower. I take showers. But I really enjoy getting in that old claw foot tub and a hot bath, just lying back and soaking. And every time I get in that water, I say, thank you, Lord, for this bath. Now listen. Do you know there's millions of people in this world that cannot take a bath. And the second thing I say is this. Thank you, Lord. For a hot bath. Millions of people do not have a hot bath.

You may not be in the best health. But you're not dead. And you can thank the Lord for the help that you have. You may not have a lot of money, but you can thank the Lord for what you do have. You may not have a lot of strength, but you can thank the Lord for what you do have. If you understand what I've just told you tonight. You can be thankful for your daily food. You can be thankful for your family. You can be thankful for life and health. You can be thankful for any and everything in your life when you realize everything I am and everything I have is only by God's infinite grace and mercy. It will make you far more thankful. And you'll be like that one leper that turned around and came back and gave our Lord the glory and the honor for healing. Are you the one?

Or are you the nine that just ignore Him? Our Lord said, you have no claims upon Me. I don't owe you anything. I'm sovereign. But look everything that He's given you. Elder, break us down and make us praise Him. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to You this night. We thank You for Your grace, for Your mercy, for Your compassions. We thank You for Your provision. We thank You for Your protection. We thank You for Your preservation. We thank You for Your kind and gracious providence. We thank You for our wives, our husbands, our children, our families, our friends. We thank you for the opportunities. Give us, Lord, a thankful and grateful and appreciative and loving, kind, obedient, submissive heart. And give us lips to praise thee constantly and continually.

Study Guide

Major Themes

God Owes Nothing to Man

Summary: God is not obligated to give anyone anything except justice; all blessings are acts of grace and mercy.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'God does not owe you anything except justice... anything we receive from God other than justice we receive in grace and mercy.'

Absolute Sovereignty of God

Summary: God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, and always as He pleases; He is not moved by human need but by His own will.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'God does not move based upon your needs... He moved according to his will.'

Human Inability to Obligate God

Summary: No one can give God anything that He has not first given; thus, man cannot place God in his debt.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Romans 11:35: 'Who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?' and comments, 'You cannot obligate God to yourself.'

Grace and Mercy as the Source of All Blessings

Summary: Since God owes nothing, every good thing is a gift of grace, which should produce continual thankfulness.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Everything you get from Him is pure grace and pure mercy... the more you're going to thank Him and praise Him.'

The Offense of Divine Sovereignty

Summary: The Nazarenes' murderous anger reveals that fallen man despises the truth that God is sovereign and not under human control.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'They realize the implication of these stories... If you have no claim upon me and I do not owe you anything, that means I'm absolutely sovereign and I'm God. They didn't like that.'

The Call to Gratitude and Praise

Summary: Understanding these despised truths should lead believers to a life of humility, gratitude, and continual praise.

Evidence: Weaver exhorts, 'If you don't hate these truths... you will love them... It will make you more appreciative. More grateful. More thankful. More humble.'

Key Arguments

The Nazarenes' demand reveals their belief that God owes them

Summary: The people of Nazareth thought Jesus owed them miracles because He was raised among them, but Weaver argues this is a fundamental error.

Evidence: Weaver interprets Luke 4:23: 'Here is what the people of Nazareth were saying. You owe us... You owe us.'

Scripture proves God cannot be obligated

Summary: Romans 11:35-36 and Job 41:11 show that no one can give to God first, making obligation impossible.

Evidence: Weaver reads Romans 11:35: 'Who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?' and concludes, 'You cannot obligate God to yourself.'

Even Christ's obedience did not add to God

Summary: Psalm 16:2 shows that Christ's goodness extended to the saints, not to the Father, because God is already perfect.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Psalm 16:2: 'my goodness extendeth not unto thee' and explains, 'Nothing can be added to God because God is already perfect.'

God's sovereignty is demonstrated in His selective mercy

Summary: The stories of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath and Elisha and Naaman show God bypassing Israel to bless Gentiles, proving His sovereign choice.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'God overlooked, bypassed, and did not help any widow in the land of Israel through Elijah... God does not owe his favors or his grace or his mercy to anyone.'

God moves according to His will, not human need

Summary: Ephesians 1:9-11 teaches that God works all things after the counsel of His own will, not in response to human circumstances.

Evidence: Weaver reads Ephesians 1:11: 'who worketh all things after the counsel of his will' and states, 'The cause of all things is the will of God.'

The parable of the laborers illustrates God's right to do as He pleases

Summary: Matthew 20:1-16 shows the landowner's right to pay all workers equally, demonstrating God's freedom in dispensing grace.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Matthew 20:15: 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?' and applies it to God's sovereignty.

Despised truths, when embraced, produce gratitude

Summary: If believers accept that they have no claim on Christ and God owes them nothing, they will be more thankful for every blessing.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you understand these truths. It will make you more appreciative. More grateful. More thankful. More humble.'

Scripture References

Luke 4:16-30

Context: The main passage for the sermon, describing Jesus' rejection at Nazareth.

Isaiah 53:3

Context: Referenced in review to show Christ was despised.

2 Samuel 12:9-10

Context: Used to show David despised God's word and God Himself.

James 4:17

Context: Cited to show that knowing truth without applying it is sin.

Ephesians 4:26

Context: Referenced in review about righteous vs. unrighteous anger.

Romans 8:6-8

Context: Quoted to show the carnal mind is enmity against God.

John 5:1-9

Context: Illustration of Christ's sovereignty in healing one man at Bethesda.

Isaiah 61:1-2

Context: The passage Jesus read in the synagogue, stopping before 'day of vengeance.'

Acts 13:27

Context: Cited to show the Jews did not recognize Christ.

John 20:30-31

Context: Used to show many of Jesus' miracles are unrecorded.

Matthew 11:23

Context: Shows Capernaum was cursed despite many miracles.

Job 41:11

Context: Quoted to show God owes no one.

Romans 11:33-36

Context: Read to show no one can give to God first.

Psalm 50:9-12

Context: Read to show God owns everything and needs nothing from man.

Psalm 16:1-3

Context: Used to show Christ's goodness did not extend to the Father.

1 Chronicles 29:10-14

Context: David's prayer acknowledging all things come from God.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Context: Cited to explain why we are alive each morning.

Hebrews 13:15

Context: Exhortation to offer the sacrifice of praise continually.

Luke 17:17-19

Context: The story of the one leper who returned to give thanks.

Ephesians 1:9-11

Context: Read to show God works all things after the counsel of His will.

Historical References

Elijah and the widow of Zarephath

Context: Used to show God's sovereign choice to send Elijah to a Gentile widow instead of any in Israel during the famine.

Elisha and Naaman the Syrian

Context: Used to show God's sovereign choice to cleanse a Syrian leper while bypassing Israelite lepers.

Jezebel as a Zidonian

Context: Mentioned to highlight the wickedness of Zidon, making God's mercy to the widow more striking.

Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

Context: Referenced as the 'day of vengeance' that came after Christ's rejection.

Important Quotes

God does not owe you anything except justice.

Significance: Core thesis of the second despised truth, emphasizing God's freedom from obligation.

It is absolutely impossible for God to be obligated to anyone.

Significance: Summarizes the argument that God's self-sufficiency precludes any debt to creatures.

God does not move based upon your needs.

Significance: Highlights the sovereignty of God in contrast to a man-centered view of divine action.

Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?

Significance: Key verse from Matthew 20 used to illustrate God's absolute right over His grace.

If you don't hate these truths. If you don't despise these truths. You will love them.

Significance: Shows the transformative effect of embracing these difficult doctrines.

Discussion Questions

Why do you think the people of Nazareth became so angry when Jesus implied they had no claim on Him?

Context: Weaver explains their anger stemmed from realizing they were not in control.

In what ways do we sometimes act as if God owes us something?

Context: Weaver challenges the assumption that God is obligated to provide life, health, or blessings.

How does understanding that God owes us nothing change the way we pray?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that all we receive is by grace, which should foster humility and gratitude.

Why is the sovereignty of God a 'despised truth' even among some professing Christians?

Context: Weaver gives the example of the secretary who rejected the biblical God.

How can we cultivate a heart of continual thankfulness like the one leper who returned?

Context: Weaver contrasts the nine ungrateful lepers with the one who gave glory to God.

What does the parable of the laborers teach us about God's right to dispense grace unequally?

Context: Weaver uses Matthew 20 to show God's freedom in giving as He wills.

Applications

Cultivate Gratitude for All Blessings

Summary: Recognize that everything you have is by God's grace and mercy, leading to continual thankfulness.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you understand that God does not owe you anything... the more you're going to thank Him and praise Him.'

Reject a Spirit of Entitlement

Summary: Do not act as if God owes you life, health, or prosperity; instead, humbly receive His gifts.

Evidence: Weaver warns against the Nazarenes' attitude: 'You owe us.'

Praise God Continually

Summary: Offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, as Hebrews 13:15 commands.

Evidence: Weaver reads Hebrews 13:15 and exhorts, 'By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.'

Embrace God's Sovereignty with Humility

Summary: Accept that God has the right to do as He wills with His own, and do not complain when He blesses others differently.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'There should be no cause of complaining if God deals more bountifully with some than with others.'

Thank God for Small, Daily Mercies

Summary: Be thankful for simple things like a hot bath, recognizing millions lack such blessings.

Evidence: Weaver shares his personal practice: 'Every time I get in that water, I say, thank you, Lord, for this bath.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:22:59Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:16:12Z

Clean Transcript

Despised Truths - Part 2

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

Let's open our Bibles tonight to Luke chapter 4. We'll take up where we left off last night. I will take a few minutes to review since we have a couple here that were not here last night. And I began a message last night on despised truths and only covered one point. And so tonight I'm going to be covering the second point. And so let's begin reading, well the second and third, but let's begin reading in Luke chapter 4. We're going to read from verses 16 through 30. Luke 4, verses 16 through 30. And let's have prayer.
#1 | 0:00 to 0:37 | cleaned
Father, we are thankful for this day. We're thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ. We're thankful for thy word. We pray that you would indeed teach us tonight, enlighten our minds, grant liberty and freedom in preaching, grant the Holy Spirit of God to minister and open our understandings. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. Luke 4, verse 16. And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and when he opened the book he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down.
#2 | 0:38 to 1:30 | cleaned
And all the eyes of them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bear him witness, and wondered at his gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself.
#3 | 1:31 to 1:52 | cleaned
Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Zarephath, city of Zidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the city and led him into the brow of the hill whereupon the city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
#4 | 1:53 to 2:35 | cleaned
But he passing through the midst of them went his way. I began last night by showing you that even the term despised truth is a concept that is really foreign to the mind of any Christian. We cannot conceive in our minds of anyone despising the truth of God. And yet the Bible tells us in Isaiah 53 that Jesus Christ is a man who was despised and we esteem him not. And I pointed out how that individuals do indeed despise Christ and despise truth. I pointed out how Esau despised his birthright. I pointed out also how the Bible says that nations despise God. So it's not just individuals, it's nation as well. And the interesting thing is I pointed out where it's even possible for a Christian to despise the Word of God. Now by that I mean this, we do not necessarily despise all of God's Word, we would just simply despise it in the area in which we particularly want to sin. And I pointed out the fact that King David was known as a man after God's own heart.
#5 | 2:35 to 3:50 | cleaned
And yet God charged him with despising his word and despising God. For instance, you remember when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah the Hittite killed with the sword of the children of Ammon. Let me just read. In 2 Samuel 12, verse 9 and 10, God says this to David, Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with a sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart out of thine house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife." So God now charges David with despising not only his word, but despising him. So whenever you and I try to elevate our desires and our wills above God, and we want to sin and do that which is pleasing to us, God tells us we are literally despising His Word, and we are despising Him.
#6 | 3:51 to 4:57 | cleaned
Now, let me point out something about truth. It is true that our Lord said, You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. But do you realize that truth that is unknown is basically worthless. Stop and think about that. Truth that is unknown is basically worthless. It's still truth. But if you do not know the truth, to you it is absolutely worthless. Let me go further. If you hear the truth, and you know the truth, and you do not apply the truth, it's still worthless.
#7 | 4:57 to 5:32 | cleaned
Ignorance is only conducive to slavery. And truth unknown or unapplied is worthless. That's why James said in James 4 verse 17, Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So last night we began to look at this and I showed you how these people in Luke chapter 4 became so angry with Christ, they were willing to push him over a cliff and kill him. They were willing to murder an individual, an innocent individual. And I pointed out last night the distinction between an unrighteous and unbiblical anger and a righteous anger. Because God said in Ephesians 4 and verse 26, Be ye angry and sin not, and let not the sun go down upon your wrath. So there is a way that we can be righteously angry and not sin, but unhappily I pointed out most of the time our anger is an unbiblical anger. And an unbiblical anger is revealed in two ways.
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Number one, you explode as a volcano. You just explode and cuss somebody out and tell them off and I mean that's it. Or secondly, you internalize that anger, and you may be smiling at the individual, but you're saying on the inside, you just wait buddy, I'm going to nail you, I'll get you sooner or later. You just wait, and it just literally eats your insides out. And I pointed out how biblical anger is designed to resolve problems and to tackle the sin. So if Doc and I have a problem, I don't explode at him, I don't internalize, I go to him and say, here's the problem, here's the sin, let's resolve it in a biblical manner. Let's repent, whatever, reconcile, whatever.
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We work it out and we work through it. So biblical anger always deals with the sin. It always resolves the problem. Here, in Luke chapter 4, as I pointed out, these people got so angry at Christ they were willing to murder. And I pointed out numerous instances where people murdered for absolutely insignificant reasons. The one point that I covered last night was this, and I began to show you that fallen man does not have any claims upon Christ. Fallen man has absolutely no claim upon Christ. I showed you where these people in Luke chapter 4, although our Lord was raised in Nazareth, they not only did not want to claim Christ, they literally wanted to ignore him.
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I showed you from the book of Matthew, I showed you from the book of Mark, where the Bible said when he came into his own country, they said, is not this Joseph's son? Is not his mother with us? Are not his brothers James and Joseph and Judas and whoever else and his sisters, are they not with us? For whence hath this man all this knowledge and this wisdom, and they were offended at him.
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So their attitude basically was simply this. Who do you think you are? Coming here trying to teach us and trying to, we know you. You know, so they were offended, they were upset. And I pointed out how no one has a claim upon Christ, not even his parents, not even his parents, not his mother, not his brothers. Because when his mother and his brethren came to him, and he was told, thy mother and thy brother stand without.
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Desiring to speak with thee, what did our Lord say? Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? But these that hear the word of God and do it. And so he's saying then that the spiritual now supersedes all of the physical. And so even those who were close to our Lord had no claim upon him and I ended with like this and I showed where the Apostle Paul said, yea, even though we've known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we him no more. No man has a claim upon Christ.
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Now, I want you to understand the reason people get so upset with this one simple point. Even though man by nature does not want Christ and does not desire Christ, the reason people get so upset about this is because they understand if they have no claim upon Christ, then they're not in control. When you stop and realize that Jesus Christ is not your little servant boy. You are not in charge of everything he is. You're not even in charge of salvation he is.
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What humanism wants to do is place God under man's thumb. And fallen man wants our Lord to jump at his back and call, even though he hates Christ. And he hates to hear that he has absolutely no claim upon Christ.
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Now let me tell you what Romans 8, verses 6 through 8 says. In fact, you can turn there, hold Luke chapter 4. I want you to see this. I want you to see how desperately wicked man is by nature. The Bible says in Romans chapter 8, beginning there with verse 6, watch it. Our Lord says, for to be carnally minded or to be fleshly minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life in peace.
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Now, he tells you why. Because the carnal mind, the fleshly mind, that is the mind by nature, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, and enmity is a strong word for hatred, because the carnal mind is extreme hatred against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Wow. No one has the ability in and of themselves to please God because their mind is an enmity against God. They hate and they despise God and His law and yet at the same time they hate and despise the very fact that they're not in control, He's in control.
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I gave you one illustration to show Christ's absolute sovereignty last night, and that's when, in John chapter 5, He walked into this whole multitude of sick and lame and impotent folks at the Pool of Bethesda. He walked in and He healed one man. And the one man that he healed did not recognize Christ, did not ask to be healed. Christ just walked up and singled him out and said, wilt thou be made whole? He said, I have no man to help me when the pool is troubled to put me in.
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But while I'm coming down, another steps in before me. Our Lord just simply said, rise, take up thy bed and walk. And you ask, why did our Lord not heal everyone? He could have healed everyone, but he did not. He only healed the one. Why? He said in John chapter five, As the father raises up the dead and quickeneth whom he will, even so the son quickeneth whom he will."
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In other words, sovereignty is that which proves God is God. Man does not have a claim upon God. Likewise, the son does this. And then he goes on to say that all men should honor the son even as or equally as they honor the father. He that honoreth not the son honoreth not the father. So our Lord says, I did this just to demonstrate that I am God. So the very first truth that men despise is that man has no claim upon Christ.
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Secondly tonight, I want you to look in verse 23. Here's the second point that most people despise. And that is this truth that God does not owe us anything but justice. Look in verse 23. And He said unto them, remember now He's talking to Nazareth, the people of Nazareth. Verse 16, He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up. So He's talking to His people. Verse 23, And He said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself.
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Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum do you also here in thy country? Now, before I begin explaining that, I want to show you what our Lord did. If you'll go back to verse 17. He goes into the synagogue, and the Bible says there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written. So he turned there deliberately, and he read, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Wow.
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Now, hold Luke chapter 4. I want you to turn back to Isaiah 61 and let me show you something. Because it is this passage that our Lord is quoting. And I want you to see something that is very unusual. In Isaiah 61, our Lord quotes all of verse 1 and only half of verse 2. Watch verse 1, Isaiah 61. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach the good tidings unto the meek, he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison of them that are bound, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn." Now, if you will go back in your Bibles, Luke chapter 4, and look at verse 19, Our Lord says to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. So he got halfway of verse two and he stopped. He did not read and the day of vengeance of our God.
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So here's my question. Why did our Lord stop halfway in that verse? And here's the answer. Because while Jesus Christ was present, at that particular time, His whole ministry was one of grace and mercy. It was not one of vengeance. It was one of grace and mercy. That's why Mark 1 in verse 15, when our Lord began His ministry, He said, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom is at hand, repent ye and believe the gospel. So while Jesus Christ was present with all of these people in that land, His whole life, his whole ministry was one of grace and mercy. The day of vengeance did not come until after he was rejected and crucified. And in 70 A.D., the Lord destroyed that generation and the temple and those people. But what he's saying is, while I'm here, it's all grace and mercy. You know what the Bible says in Acts 13 verse 27?
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I want you to think about this. Listen to what the Bible says. For they that dwell in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled him in condemning him. Why did they condemn Christ? They didn't know who he was. They didn't recognize him. They didn't even understand their own prophets. Do you realize that is the problem? Most people have absolutely no idea who Jesus Christ is. And when I say that, oh yeah, there's a lot of people in this land that have never even heard of Jesus Christ. I understand that. But those who have heard still don't really realize who He is. They don't really think of Him God of Gods and King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Sovereign, the Great I Am, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. No, they don't think of Him like that.
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So our Lord then opens the book of Isaiah and He reads the first verse and half of the second verse. And then He closes the book and He says, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And notice, if you would please, in verse 20, the Bible says in the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. Look at verse 22.
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And all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Why is it, on the one hand, everyone is sitting there riveted upon Christ, and they're saying, oh, listen to those gracious, wonderful words that's proceeding from his mouth. And in the next instant, they're trying to kill him. How could they change from graciousness to murder?
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Well, go back to verse 23, and he said to them, You will surely say to me this proverb physician heal thyself. Watch what we've heard done in Capernaum do also here in my country. I want you to note the latter part of verse 23. What's ever we've heard done in Capernaum do also here in my country. Do you realize that Jesus Christ performed many miracles in Capernaum? In fact, in Luke 4 and verse 23, the Bible says that he taught there. In Luke 4 and verse 31, he taught there again. He came down to Capernaum. In John chapter 4, our Lord healed the nobleman's son at Capernaum. In John chapter 6, our Lord was at Capernaum when he gave that great dissertation on that he was indeed the bread of life. Also in John chapter 6, it was there that Christ walked on the water at Capernaum. According to Matthew chapter 17, it was at Capernaum where our Lord taught about the tribute money. In fact, in Matthew chapter 4 and verse 13, I pointed out last night how Christ was raised in Nazareth.
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He was a Nazarene, not a Nazirite. He was raised in Nazareth. But the Bible says in Matthew 4 in verse 13, and leaving Nazareth, he came to Capernaum and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the seacoast in the border of Zabulon and Naphthalim. After he left Nazareth, basically he lived with Peter in Peter's home in Capernaum. Now, what all happened in Capernaum? I don't know. My knowledge is limited to the Scriptures, just like your knowledge.
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Well, let me show you something. Christ evidently performed an awful lot of miracles in Capernaum. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of John, chapter 20, John, chapter 20. And this is why I'm telling you, I do not know how many miracles he performed there. Neither do you know, neither does anyone else, because the Bible says in John, chapter 20, look at verses 30 and 31. John 20 verse 30, and many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His name. So even John says right here, there are plenty of signs that Jesus Christ did that are not recorded. If you look in John chapter 21 and verse 25, Again, John says it like this, and there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.
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So, our Lord evidently performed an awful lot of miracles in Capernaum, and probably a lot of other people's places as well.
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Now, let me show you this. Look in your Bibles very quickly to Matthew chapter 11 and verse 23, because obviously all of those miracles that he did at Capernaum did not have an effect upon the people. Notice in Matthew chapter 11 and verse 23, our Lord pronounces a curse upon Capernaum. He says this, and thou Capernaum, which are exalted in the heaven, shall be brought down to hell.
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For if the mighty works which had been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day. So, although he did many mighty works in Capernaum, the people didn't repent. They did not respond.
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Now, if you go back to Luke chapter 4 and verse 23 again, the latter part, here's what the people say. What's there we've heard done in Capernaum, do you also here in thy country? Now. Let me interpret this for you. Here is what the people of Nazareth were saying. You owe us. We helped raise you. We know your family. Why? If you're going to do all these things to strangers and for strangers in Capernaum, you can do far more for your home folks and the people who helped raise you. You owe us. So whatever we've heard that you've done in Capernaum, you need to do here in Nazareth. We're your people. You owe us.
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Let me burst your bubble tonight. God does not owe you anything except justice. God does not owe me anything except justice. And I will be absolutely frank and honest with you. I don't want what God owes me. I don't want that at all. Do you realize? Do you understand that anything we receive from God other than justice we receive in grace and mercy. I want you to think with me just for a moment. God does not owe you life. I know.
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that the Scripture says the normal span of man is 70 years. You and I both know there are plenty of people never make it 70. There are some babies that die before they're born or died birth. There's some children that died before they reach 10. Or 5. Plenty died 30, 40, 50. God does not owe us life. We're sinners. The wages of sin is death. You only have to commit one sin to be a sinner, and one sin is enough to condemn you. So God does not owe us life. Listen, God does not owe us help. I am thankful for the help that God has given me, and I hope that you're thankful as well, but God does not owe us help. God does not owe us support. God does not owe us a family. God does not owe us friends. God does not owe us salvation. God is not obligated to anyone, and it is absolutely impossible for God to be obligated to anyone. If God is obligated to you, or if God is obligated to anyone, it means that you have done something that has merited and earned not only His favor and His blessing, but you've done something for Him that He could not do for Himself, and thus you have Him now in your debt.
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It's absolutely impossible to have God indebted to you or obligated to you. I want you to turn, holding Luke 4, to Romans chapter 11. And as you turn to Romans chapter 11, I want to quote from Job 41 and verse 11. As you turn to Romans 11, I'm going to quote Job 41 and verse 11. God asked, who hath prevented or who hath preceded me that I should repay him?
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Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. What did God say? Who was ahead of me? Who was first? There's no one before me. I don't owe anyone anything. Everything on the entire heaven is mine.
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Now, look what the Bible says in Romans 11, beginning there, verse 33. Paul exclaims, Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out. Now watch verse 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? What's the answer? No one. Or who hath been His counselor? No one. Or who hath first given to Him?
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And it shall be recompensed unto Him again. No one. For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen.
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Now, if you look at verse 36 again, for of him that is originally, and through him that is providentially, and to him that is ultimately, are all things. Who can first give to God? And the answer is absolutely no one. You cannot obligate God to yourself. When someone tries to say this, now Lord, I've done this for you. Will you do this for me? No. You can't obligate God.
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Hold Luke 4, but go in your Bibles to Psalm 50. I want you to look in Psalm 50. Look what God says beginning there with verse 9. Psalm 50. Psalm 50 verse 9. And we'll read through verse 12. Look at Psalm 50 beginning with verse 9. God says, I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy foals. Why? For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is mine and the fullness thereof. Everything is Everything that has been everything that is everything shall be belongs to God. You cannot first give to God, you cannot obligate God. Let me give you a quote by John Gill, the Baptist theologian. He said this. No man can give God anything which he is not first given to him or which he has not a prior right to or a claim upon for Adam in innocence.
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was not able to give God anything, nor the angels in heaven, much less sinful men on earth. Their bodies and souls and all their enjoyments and all that is good in them or done by them are from the Lord. Men by all their good works, best duties and services give nothing to God, nor lay Him under any obligation to them, hence no man can merit anything at the hands of God.
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Now I want you to stop and think about this. None of God's mercies are conferred by way of obligation. We cannot constrain God. We cannot make God. We cannot force God. We cannot obligate God. Obligation would destroy the freeness of God's favors, and it would also destroy His sovereignty and independence. If I can obligate God to me, God's not sovereign. He's not independent. He's not free. Who can pretend to have any demands upon God? To whom is God indebted?
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Who has a right to any of His blessings? Can the Creator be obligated to the creature? How can the cause be dependent upon the effect? How can the author of providence and the father of every good and every perfect gift be under obligation to those to whom he provides and who are absolutely, totally dependent upon his bounty? Everything that we have came from God. He gave it to us.
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Our life, our health, our family, our friends, our station in life, our monetary support, whatever we have comes from God. And Job 35 and verse 7, the question is asked, Job, if thou be righteous. What givest thou him? Or what receiveth he of thine hand? Stop and think about that. Do you realize? We should be righteous and we should be holy. But do you realize that our righteousness and our holiness does not add anything to God?
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In fact, if you will look in your Bibles to Psalm 16, Psalm 16 is a Messianic Psalm. Now listen to this. Listen carefully. As perfect and as holy as the Lord Jesus Christ was in his obedience, and as much as he glorified his father in heaven, he did not add anything to God. How can I say that? Well, look what the Scripture says. Psalm 16 verse one. Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. Look in verse 2, O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, now look, my Lord, my goodness extendeth not unto thee. The goodness of Christ did not extend to God the Father. Who did it extend to? Verse 3, but to the saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight. His goodness extended to us, but it did not extend to the Father. Nothing can be added to God because God is already perfect. Nothing can be taken from Him, for if it was, He would not be perfect.
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So even the obedience of our Lord did not add anything to God the Father. It blessed us, but it did not add anything to God.
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Now, let me show you. I want you to turn to First Chronicles 29. Look what David confesses and acknowledges. First Chronicles 29, and let's begin reading with verse 10. First Chronicles 29, verse 10, and we'll read through verse 14. First Chronicles 29, notice verse 10. Wherefore, David blessed the Lord before all the congregation, and David said, Blessed be Thou, Lord God of Israel, our Father, for ever and ever." Now look, verse 11, "'Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. For all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine. Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all.
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And in mine hand is power and might, and in mine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy holy name." Watch what David said, but who am I? And what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? For all things come of thee, and of thine own we've given thee.
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You said, but Brother Weaver, you don't understand I tithe. If God hadn't given you money, you would have nothing to tithe. If God had not given you strength and the ability to work, you would have nothing to give him. If he did not give you breath, you couldn't work, you couldn't do anything, you'd be dead. Everything you are, everything you have comes from God.
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Now, let me ask you a question. What is your attitude toward all of God's goodness and mercies toward yourself? I like to ask people this question. Why did you not die last night in your sleep? Why did you get to live through this day? Why did you not die last night? I can answer that for you. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23. It is the Lord's mercies that were not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not.
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They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness. The only reason you were alive this morning was because God had fresh mercies and fresh compassions upon you. That's it. That's it.
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Now, wait, listen to me. If you understand what I'm telling you tonight, if you understand that God does not owe you anything, accept justice. That means everything you get from Him is pure grace and pure mercy. So what is your attitude toward Him? Are you thankful? Are you grateful? Are you appreciative? Do you offer Him continual praise and worship? Let me tell you something. The more you recognize that God does not owe you anything, the more you realize everything you have is only by God's pure grace and mercy, the more you're going to thank Him and praise Him.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 13. Look in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 15. Hebrews 13 and verse 15. Look what the Scripture says. Hebrews 13 and verse 15. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. What? What are we to offer to our Lord continually? The sacrifice of praise that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks unto our God.
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You know what we do. We tend to take God for granted. We do. We just think automatically he owes us life or he owes us food or he owes us bread or he owes us a family or he owes us help. He didn't owe us anything. We should not be like those lepers in Luke Chapter 17. You remember 10 lepers came to him. And they wanted to be healed.
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He said, go your way. Show yourself to the priests. And offer the sacrifices that the law demands. And as they were going, the Bible says they were cleansed. One turned around and came back in Luke 17 verses 17 through 19. The Bible says in Jesus answering said. Where they're not 10 cleansed. They're not found that return to give glory to God. Save this stranger. Arise, go thy way, thy faith is safety. Where are the nine? Where are the nine?
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Do not make our Lord ask you whether or not you're thankful. Or whether or not you're grateful, or whether or not you're appreciative of His mercies, or you recognize the fact that everything you are and everything you have is by His grace and mercy. You ought to be constantly and continually just praising Him and thanking Him for everything that He's done. If you realize, number one, you have no claim upon Christ, and number two, He does not owe you anything except justice. It would tend to make you thankful for everything.
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OK, thirdly, I want you to go back to chapter four. Here's the third despised truth. And that is that God is absolutely sovereign. Now, I want you to look at verses 25 through 30 with me. Look at verse 25, our Lord said, but I tell you of a truth Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But in none of them was Elijah sent, save in the Zarephath city of Zidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
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And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath. and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way."
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Now, I want you to understand these three truths that I've just mentioned are not only closely connected, they're interrelated. The truth of the matter is they stand or fall together. When you realize Fallen man has no claims upon Christ. That Christ does not owe us anything. That means thirdly, he is absolutely sovereign. Wow. Remember, I told you last night the sovereignty of God means this that God does as he pleases only as he pleases and always as he pleases. Now, Christ has just told these Nazarenes, two Bible stories that they have known since they were children.
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And all of a sudden they are so angry with him they're trying to murder him. So the question you have to ask is this. Why were these people of Nazareth all of a sudden filled with wrath? And why did they attempt to murder Christ just simply because He related these stories to them? And the answer comes back. Because now for the first time in their lives, they realize the implication of these stories. They realize the application of these stories.
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If you follow a context, you have to connect the dots. Here's what our Lord is saying. If you have no claim upon me. I do not owe you anything. And if you have no claim upon me and I do not owe you anything, that means I'm absolutely sovereign and I'm God. They didn't like that. I want you to consider the implications. The first thing he does is tells them about Elijah. He says in verse 25, But I tell you the truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famines fell over the land. But in none of them was Elijah sent, save in Zarephath, city of Zidon, unto a woman that was a widow. Three and a half years there was a drought in the land. Three and a half years people were starving and perishing. Multitudes of widows in the land of Israel. But Elijah was only sent to one widow in the city of Zarephath, a city of Zidon.
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That may not mean anything to you. But I will tell you this. Jezebel was a Zidonian. Jezebel, the wicked, perverted, reprobate queen of Ahab, she was a Zidonian. Her reprobate father was king of Zidon. Ah, Zidon is not in Israel. What did God do? God sent Elijah into a strange land to a strange widow who was not an Israelite. He was not sent to a widow in Israel. Plenty of widows were in Israel, famishing, starving, dying. But God did not send him to any widow in Israel. He sent him to Zidon. God overlooked, bypassed, and did not help any widow in the land of Israel through Elijah for three and a half years. Wow. Oh, that's not all. Now, he says in verse 27, and many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. Oh. Naaman was a Syrian. Syria? Not in Israel. Not only was Naaman a stranger, he was an enemy to the Israelites. Syria and Israel were at war constantly.
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And during the time of Elisha, the only leper that was cleansed was Naaman. Here's what our Lord is saying. God does not owe his favors or his grace or his mercy to anyone. He distributes them as he sees fit. And to whom he sees fit to send them and wherever he says fit to send them and whenever he sees fit to send them, it's totally up to God. He is sovereign. He moves. And He moves according to His will.
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Let me tell you something that will upset you. You will despise it just like these people, but here it is. God does not move based upon your needs. Go back to John 5. What did our Lord do? He walked in those five porches where that pool of Bethesda was, wherein lay a multitude of impotent folk, lame and sick and healed one. Did they not all have needs? Of course. But he did not move according to the needs of the people. He moved according to his will.
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Stop and think about this. God is not moved by anything except his own will. How can I say that? Well, because that's what the Bible says. And I'll show it to you in just a moment. But let me quote again Daniel 4 and verse 35. The Bible says, And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. Now listen, And he doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven and in the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou? What? Because he's sovereign. You can't stop God from doing anything and you can't make God do anything. God is sovereign. Now, let me show you what I just said.
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I want you to turn to Ephesians chapter one. I want you to understand it is the will of God that moves God. It's not the needs of the people. It's not the circumstances. It's not the situations. It's the will of God. Look in Ephesians 1 and verse 9. Ephesians 1 and verse 9. Having made known in us the mystery of his will, according to the good pleasure which he has purposed in himself. What? God moves according to his will and that good pleasure which he's purposed in himself. Look in verse 11. and whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will." The cause of all things is the will of God.
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Now, let me tell you something. If you think God's absolute sovereignty is strange, then you're in the same boat as the people of Nazareth. You know nothing about the God of the Bible. Because the only God that exists is the God of the Bible. Do you realize most people serve a God of their own imagination? They don't serve the God of the Bible. Years ago. I was in a pastor's office. The door was open. We were just talking about the doctrine of election and the doctrine of God's sovereignty.
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His secretary was sitting out at the desk. She was listening. I mean, we weren't trying to hide anything, but we weren't necessarily talking loudly either. But we were just talking about God's sovereignty and the doctrine of election and predestination, etc. And all of a sudden his secretary jumped up from her desk, ran into the room, looked at her pastor, and said this, I don't care what the Bible says, I know God's not like that. Her pastor just looked at her and said, did you just hear what you said?
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Her God was up here. He was not the God of the Bible. The only God that exists is the God of the Bible. The God that most professing Christians serve is like some old man in heaven in a rocking chair, very old, who does not enjoy sin himself any longer, but he looks down and smiles and leniently winks at the indiscretions of his people. That is not the God of the Bible. God said in Jeremiah 44 in verse 4, Oh, do not the abominable thing which I hate. No. God is sovereign.
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I want you to look in Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9, let's begin reading there with verse 14. Romans 9 verse 14, just a few more passages. Look in Romans 9 verse 14. And we'll read through verse 18. Romans 9, verse 14, what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, look, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
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For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore, hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth.
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Now, what does the Bible say? It's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. The only reason you and I are even saved by the grace of God is because of God's grace and God's mercy. We didn't earn it. We didn't deserve it. We didn't merit it. God was just merciful to us. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew, Chapter 20.
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And I'll try to tie it together for you with this. Look in Matthew, Chapter 20, and I want to read the first 16 verses. And then I'm going to make some applications. Look at Matthew chapter 20. And let's begin looking there at verse one. Look what our Lord says. Matthew 20 verse one. Our Lord says, For the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that is the householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, that'd be nine o'clock in the morning, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, go you also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. And he went out again about the sixth hour, that would be noon, and the ninth hour, that'd be three p.m., and he did likewise. And about the eleventh hour, that would be five p.m., he went out and found others standing idle, and said unto them, Why stand ye here idle all the day?
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And they said unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall you receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto the steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. Now watch carefully. And when they came, they that were hired about the eleventh hour received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should receive more, and they likewise received every man a penny. When they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house, saying, Thou hast these last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us which have borne the burden in the heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong. Didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
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Take that thine is, and go thy way. I will give unto this last even to thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thou not evil, because I am good?
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Now look what he asks. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?
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Now, let's do some supposing. Let's suppose that Troy has 20 brand new four-wheel drive pickup trucks. And I look at Troy and I say, you got 20. You could at least give me one of them. Wait a minute. Do they belong to Troy? Is he obligated to give me one?
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Now, what if he turns around and says, well, I'm going to give one to Hart and I'll give one to Kevin and I'll give one to Greg. Fine, he's got 17 left. Is he now obligated to give me one just because he gave one to? No. You know what he could do if he wanted to take those brand new four wheel drive trucks out and set them on fire and burn them to the ground, he could do it. But they're his.
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He can do with his own what he wills. Now, we see that when it relates to us. But we don't like it when it relates to God. We don't think God has the absolute right to do with his own as he wills. I've heard people say. Well, I think God will save everybody in the world. God's grace is his own. God's mercy is his own. He's not obligated to give it to anybody. He wasn't obligated to give it to you. He did.
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I want you to understand something. Let me tie this together and try to make these applications. Since God cannot be brought into obligation. And since God does not owe anyone anything, There should be no cause of complaining if God deals more bountifully with some than with others. So if God gave Greg a million bucks, why should I get upset if God doesn't give me a million bucks? God can do with it all as He wills. I mean, you know, I could get upset with the fact that Lonnie's got more hair than I do. Why'd you give him all that hair? I don't have any hair. You see what God can do what he wants to do with his own.
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He blesses as he sees fit. We have to see the absolute freeness of God's distinguishing grace. God was not bound to give everybody the same thing, nor the same aid, nor the same means of grace. He's not. It is His. He can do with it as He wills. That's why He said in Romans chapter 9, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I'll have compassion on whom I'll have compassion. So if I see four beggars out on the street, and I walk up to one of them and hand him a $10 bill, am I obligated to give a $10 bill to the other three? No. I didn't have to give him that one. We see that when it comes to ourselves, but we don't see that when it comes to God. The people of Nazareth would fain make God their debtor.
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What we have heard that you've done to Capernaum, do here in thine own country. You owe us. We're your people. Our Lord says, no, I don't owe you anything. And they didn't like that. When you stop and think, why were there no widows fed during Elijah's ministry in those three and a half years in Israel? Why were there no lepers cleansed in Israel during the time of Elisha's life? The people hated God. Hated his law, despised his word, despised his preachers. You think God's going to give somebody extra blessings like that? Years ago, our two oldest grandchildren will be 26 this month.
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One of them this week. When they were little, about three years old, two to three, something like that. Alice and I took them to Walmart because they wanted a pair of cow boots, cowboy boots, you know, And I'll be honest with you. I'd paid all my bills. I had $20 left. That's all. And I was saving that to buy some groceries. And so we took our grandkids to Walmart and we just were going to try on the cowboy boots on them because we were going to come back when I got some money and buy them for them, etc. And so we put the little boots on them, made sure they fit. We let them walk around in it just a little bit. And we took them off and put them back in the box and we kind of marked them so we'd know which ones they were because we were going to come back and get them. So I picked up the little boy, and I had him in my arms, and Alice had our granddaughter in her arms, and we started to leave, and that little grandson of mine looked back at those boots and said, bye-bye, cowboots, so pitifully.
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I looked at my wife, I said, get them, we'll go hungry, just forget it. Now, let me tell you something. You know what? If he had gotten on the floor and pitched a royal fit, screaming and hollering, I want those boots! I want those boots! Guess what? I would have never given him those boots. He'd have never got them from me. He'd have got a whipping from me, but he'd never got boots from me.
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Do you think God is going to obligate himself to someone who hates him and despises him and acts contrary to what he said? Of course not. You can't even obligate God if you obey him. The only reason you're obeying him is because he gave you grace and mercy. And these people in the time of Elijah and Elisha just had contempt for God and his law.
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Now, let me tell you something, I've talked to you about three things, despised truths. No man has a claim upon Christ. God does not owe us anything. And God is absolutely sovereign. Are you listening? If you don't hate these truths. If you don't despise these truths. You will love them. You will love them. If you understand these truths. It will make you more appreciative. More grateful. More thankful. More humble.
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You do not deserve what you have. I do not deserve what I have. The only reason we have what we have is because of the grace and mercy of God.
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Now, let me just tell you something. We have in our bathroom at home one of the old timey four foot tubs. I don't mind a shower. I take showers. But I really enjoy getting in that old claw foot tub and a hot bath, just lying back and soaking. And every time I get in that water, I say, thank you, Lord, for this bath. Now listen. Do you know there's millions of people in this world that cannot take a bath. And the second thing I say is this. Thank you, Lord. For a hot bath. Millions of people do not have a hot bath.
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You may not be in the best health. But you're not dead. And you can thank the Lord for the help that you have. You may not have a lot of money, but you can thank the Lord for what you do have. You may not have a lot of strength, but you can thank the Lord for what you do have. If you understand what I've just told you tonight.
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You can be thankful for your daily food. You can be thankful for your family. You can be thankful for life and health. You can be thankful for any and everything in your life when you realize everything I am and everything I have is only by God's infinite grace and mercy. It will make you far more thankful. And you'll be like that one leper that turned around and came back and gave our Lord the glory and the honor for healing. Are you the one?
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Or are you the nine that just ignore Him? Our Lord said, you have no claims upon Me. I don't owe you anything. I'm sovereign. But look everything that He's given you. Elder, break us down and make us praise Him. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to You this night. We thank You for Your grace, for Your mercy, for Your compassions. We thank You for Your provision. We thank You for Your protection. We thank You for Your preservation. We thank You for Your kind and gracious providence. We thank You for our wives, our husbands, our children, our families, our friends. We thank you for the opportunities. Give us, Lord, a thankful and grateful and appreciative and loving, kind, obedient, submissive heart. And give us lips to praise thee constantly and continually.
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Because of all that you are and all that you've done. May we say with David, bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me. Bless the Lord and forget not all of his benefits, who daily loatheth us with benefits and blessings. We give thee praise tonight in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Amen.
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Despised Truths - Part 2

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver continues his message on truths that fallen man despises, focusing on two additional points: God does not owe us anything but justice, and God is absolutely sovereign. Using Luke 4:16-30, he shows how the people of Nazareth became murderously angry when Christ implied these truths. Weaver argues that recognizing our lack of claim on Christ and God's sovereignty should produce humility, gratitude, and continual praise.

Review of Part 1: No Claim Upon Christ

Weaver reviews the first despised truth: fallen man has no claim upon Christ. He recaps how the Nazarenes were offended at Jesus and how even His family had no special claim.

And yet God charged him with despising his word and despising God. For instance, you remember when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah the Hittite killed

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 12:9-10

with the sword of the children of Ammon. Let me just read. In 2 Samuel 12, verse 9 and 10, God says this to David, Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with a sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart out of thine house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife."

Introduction to the Second Despised Truth: God Owes Us Nothing but Justice

Weaver introduces the second point from Luke 4:23, where the Nazarenes imply Jesus owes them miracles because He was raised among them.

Christ's Selective Reading of Isaiah 61

Weaver notes that Jesus deliberately stopped reading Isaiah 61:2 before 'the day of vengeance,' emphasizing His first coming was a ministry of grace and mercy.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 61:1-2

" Now, if you will go back in your Bibles, Luke chapter 4, and look at verse 19, Our Lord says to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. So he got halfway of verse two and he stopped. He did not read and the day of vengeance of our God.

The Nazarenes' Demand: 'You Owe Us'

The people of Nazareth believed Jesus owed them miracles because of their familiarity with Him, but Weaver asserts God is obligated to no one.

God Cannot Be Obligated

Weaver uses Romans 11:33-36, Psalm 50:9-12, and Job 41:11 to show that God is self-sufficient and cannot be indebted to anyone.

Now, look what the Bible says in Romans 11, beginning there, verse 33. Paul exclaims, Oh,

Scripture Reading — Romans 11:33-36

the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out. Now watch verse 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? What's the answer? No one. Or who hath been His counselor? No one. Or who hath first given to Him?

And it shall be recompensed unto Him again. No one. For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 50:9-12

I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy foals. Why? For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is mine and the

Everything We Have Is by Grace and Mercy

Weaver explains that since God owes us nothing, all blessings are acts of grace, which should produce continual thankfulness (Hebrews 13:15).

They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness. The only reason you were alive this morning was because God had fresh mercies and fresh compassions upon you. That's it. That's it.

The Third Despised Truth: God Is Absolutely Sovereign

Weaver introduces the third point from Luke 4:25-30, where Christ's references to Elijah and Elisha demonstrate God's sovereign choice in dispensing mercy.

The Implications of Sovereignty: God Moves According to His Will

Weaver explains that God is not moved by human need but by His own will, citing Ephesians 1:9-11 and Romans 9:14-18.

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 1:9-11

whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his

will." The cause of all things is the will of God.

The Parable of the Laborers and God's Right to Do as He Wills

Weaver uses Matthew 20:1-16 to illustrate that God has the right to dispense His grace as He chooses, without obligation to treat all equally.

Take that thine is, and go thy way. I will give unto this last even to thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thou not evil, because I am good?

Application: These Truths Should Produce Humility and Gratitude

Weaver concludes that if we do not despise these truths, we will love them, leading to greater thankfulness for every blessing.

Despised Truths - Part 2

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	5231454792
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Praying Against the Wicked
Genre	Sermon
Date	2014-05-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 148: Despised Truths — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	94

Lecture Guide

Outline

Review of Part 1: No Claim Upon Christ: Weaver reviews the first despised truth: fallen man has no claim upon Christ. He recaps how the Nazarenes were offended at Jesus and how even His family had no special claim.
Introduction to the Second Despised Truth: God Owes Us Nothing but Justice: Weaver introduces the second point from Luke 4:23, where the Nazarenes imply Jesus owes them miracles because He was raised among them.
Christ's Selective Reading of Isaiah 61: Weaver notes that Jesus deliberately stopped reading Isaiah 61:2 before 'the day of vengeance,' emphasizing His first coming was a ministry of grace and mercy.
The Nazarenes' Demand: 'You Owe Us': The people of Nazareth believed Jesus owed them miracles because of their familiarity with Him, but Weaver asserts God is obligated to no one.
God Cannot Be Obligated: Weaver uses Romans 11:33-36, Psalm 50:9-12, and Job 41:11 to show that God is self-sufficient and cannot be indebted to anyone.
Everything We Have Is by Grace and Mercy: Weaver explains that since God owes us nothing, all blessings are acts of grace, which should produce continual thankfulness (Hebrews 13:15).
The Third Despised Truth: God Is Absolutely Sovereign: Weaver introduces the third point from Luke 4:25-30, where Christ's references to Elijah and Elisha demonstrate God's sovereign choice in dispensing mercy.
The Implications of Sovereignty: God Moves According to His Will: Weaver explains that God is not moved by human need but by His own will, citing Ephesians 1:9-11 and Romans 9:14-18.
The Parable of the Laborers and God's Right to Do as He Wills: Weaver uses Matthew 20:1-16 to illustrate that God has the right to dispense His grace as He chooses, without obligation to treat all equally.
Application: These Truths Should Produce Humility and Gratitude: Weaver concludes that if we do not despise these truths, we will love them, leading to greater thankfulness for every blessing.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The Nazarenes' demand reveals their belief that God owes them

The people of Nazareth thought Jesus owed them miracles because He was raised among them, but Weaver argues this is a fundamental error.

Weaver interprets Luke 4:23: 'Here is what the people of Nazareth were saying. You owe us... You owe us.'

Scripture proves God cannot be obligated

Romans 11:35-36 and Job 41:11 show that no one can give to God first, making obligation impossible.

Weaver reads Romans 11:35: 'Who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?' and concludes, 'You cannot obligate God to yourself.'

Even Christ's obedience did not add to God

Psalm 16:2 shows that Christ's goodness extended to the saints, not to the Father, because God is already perfect.

Weaver quotes Psalm 16:2: 'my goodness extendeth not unto thee' and explains, 'Nothing can be added to God because God is already perfect.'

God's sovereignty is demonstrated in His selective mercy

The stories of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath and Elisha and Naaman show God bypassing Israel to bless Gentiles, proving His sovereign choice.

Weaver says, 'God overlooked, bypassed, and did not help any widow in the land of Israel through Elijah... God does not owe his favors or his grace or his mercy to anyone.'

God moves according to His will, not human need

Ephesians 1:9-11 teaches that God works all things after the counsel of His own will, not in response to human circumstances.

Weaver reads Ephesians 1:11: 'who worketh all things after the counsel of his will' and states, 'The cause of all things is the will of God.'

The parable of the laborers illustrates God's right to do as He pleases

Matthew 20:1-16 shows the landowner's right to pay all workers equally, demonstrating God's freedom in dispensing grace.

Weaver quotes Matthew 20:15: 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?' and applies it to God's sovereignty.

Despised truths, when embraced, produce gratitude

If believers accept that they have no claim on Christ and God owes them nothing, they will be more thankful for every blessing.

Weaver says, 'If you understand these truths. It will make you more appreciative. More grateful. More thankful. More humble.'

Scripture References

Luke 4:16-30: The main passage for the sermon, describing Jesus' rejection at Nazareth.
Isaiah 53:3: Referenced in review to show Christ was despised.
2 Samuel 12:9-10: Used to show David despised God's word and God Himself.
James 4:17: Cited to show that knowing truth without applying it is sin.
Ephesians 4:26: Referenced in review about righteous vs. unrighteous anger.
Romans 8:6-8: Quoted to show the carnal mind is enmity against God.
John 5:1-9: Illustration of Christ's sovereignty in healing one man at Bethesda.
Isaiah 61:1-2: The passage Jesus read in the synagogue, stopping before 'day of vengeance.'
Acts 13:27: Cited to show the Jews did not recognize Christ.
John 20:30-31: Used to show many of Jesus' miracles are unrecorded.
Matthew 11:23: Shows Capernaum was cursed despite many miracles.
Job 41:11: Quoted to show God owes no one.
Romans 11:33-36: Read to show no one can give to God first.
Psalm 50:9-12: Read to show God owns everything and needs nothing from man.
Psalm 16:1-3: Used to show Christ's goodness did not extend to the Father.
1 Chronicles 29:10-14: David's prayer acknowledging all things come from God.
Lamentations 3:22-23: Cited to explain why we are alive each morning.
Hebrews 13:15: Exhortation to offer the sacrifice of praise continually.
Luke 17:17-19: The story of the one leper who returned to give thanks.
Ephesians 1:9-11: Read to show God works all things after the counsel of His will.

Historical References

Elijah and the widow of Zarephath: Used to show God's sovereign choice to send Elijah to a Gentile widow instead of any in Israel during the famine.
Elisha and Naaman the Syrian: Used to show God's sovereign choice to cleanse a Syrian leper while bypassing Israelite lepers.
Jezebel as a Zidonian: Mentioned to highlight the wickedness of Zidon, making God's mercy to the widow more striking.
Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.: Referenced as the 'day of vengeance' that came after Christ's rejection.

Important Quotes

God does not owe you anything except justice.

Core thesis of the second despised truth, emphasizing God's freedom from obligation.

It is absolutely impossible for God to be obligated to anyone.

Summarizes the argument that God's self-sufficiency precludes any debt to creatures.

God does not move based upon your needs.

Highlights the sovereignty of God in contrast to a man-centered view of divine action.

Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?

Key verse from Matthew 20 used to illustrate God's absolute right over His grace.

If you don't hate these truths. If you don't despise these truths. You will love them.

Shows the transformative effect of embracing these difficult doctrines.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why do you think the people of Nazareth became so angry when Jesus implied they had no claim on Him?

[Context]

Weaver explains their anger stemmed from realizing they were not in control.

[Question]

In what ways do we sometimes act as if God owes us something?

[Context]

Weaver challenges the assumption that God is obligated to provide life, health, or blessings.

[Question]

How does understanding that God owes us nothing change the way we pray?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that all we receive is by grace, which should foster humility and gratitude.

[Question]

Why is the sovereignty of God a 'despised truth' even among some professing Christians?

[Context]

Weaver gives the example of the secretary who rejected the biblical God.

[Question]

How can we cultivate a heart of continual thankfulness like the one leper who returned?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts the nine ungrateful lepers with the one who gave glory to God.

[Question]

What does the parable of the laborers teach us about God's right to dispense grace unequally?

[Context]

Weaver uses Matthew 20 to show God's freedom in giving as He wills.

Applications

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