Revelation: Christ and the Churches

A Door of Hope

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2007-03-15

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds Hosea 2:15, where God promises Israel 'the valley of Achor for a door of hope.' He traces the valley of Achor to the judgment of Achan in Joshua 7, arguing that God's righteous judgment is itself the door of hope—the means by which God restores blessing, deliverance, and dominion to His people. Weaver applies this to America's moral and political decay, calling Christians to faith in God's sovereignty, to pray for His judgment on the wicked, to repent of personal and corporate sin, and to see judgment not as an enemy but as a friend that clears the way for restoration.

[John Weaver] Well, I want you to open your Bibles tonight to the book of Hosea chapter 2, if you would please. Hosea chapter 2. There's a lot of ground to cover tonight, so I trust that you will have your fingers ready to turn in the scriptures. Hosea chapter 2. I'm going to be bringing a message tonight which is entitled A Door of Hope. So if you look in Hosea chapter 2 and verse 15, This is the only verse we're going to read in Hosea 2, and we're going to take the rest of the time tonight explaining it. Hosea 2, verse 15. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Acre for a door of hope.

[John Weaver] And she shall sing there as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. Now, notice what God is promising to Israel. He is promising her a door of hope. And he says, through this door of hope she shall sing there as in her days of youth and as the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

[John Weaver] Now when you begin to think about hope, everyone needs hope. Those who are sick need hope. Those who are discouraged need hope. Those who are hunters need hope. Fishermen need hope. And that's what keeps them going back. They hope they're going to catch the big one or shoot the big buck. But, you know, there's the old saying that hope springs eternal in the breast. And when you and I look around and see what is going on today. Very definitely, I think we do need some hope because everyone who has any grasp of the situation in our land today Anyone who views the depravity, the wickedness, the vileness of our nation asks themselves, what in the world is going to happen? Intuitively, each of us understand that we cannot keep going as we are in this country.

[John Weaver] We live in a day where 40 million babies have been aborted and murdered. We live in a day where the divorce rate is 50%, even among professing Christians. We live in a day where socialism, Marxism, and communism abound. Where sodomy is not only approved and condoned, it is legalized. We have a judicial system that is out of control. We have a Congress that is corrupt and does not care for the people or the Constitution.

[John Weaver] We have an executive branch that does basically as it pleases. We're living in a day when God is denied, when his law is trampled underfoot, when righteousness and justice are mocked and Christians are despised and persecuted. And we live in a day when seemingly we're almost, it is almost impossible to stop the onslaught of the New World Order. How do we escape? What is our hope? The truth is, God has called us as Christians to exercise dominion and we failed. I have two messages back there on the biblical doctrine of dominion. In Genesis chapter one, when God created Adam and Eve, he gave them dominion over everything. He repeated that promise to Noah and that command in Genesis chapter 9. It's then repeated again in Psalm 8. And when you get to Matthew 28, which is the Great Commission there, the Great Commission is part and parcel of the command to exercise dominion.

[John Weaver] Do you realize the word dominion, just the word dominion itself, occurs 62 times in our Bibles? That does not count the variation of the word. That's just the word dominion. There are some people that will deny that we've been called to exercise dominion, but you've got to believe something about the doctrine because the very word occurs 62 times in the Bible. Moreover, the Bible tells us in Luke chapter 19 in verse 13, our Lord said, Occupy till I come. And the word Occupy literally means to do business, to keep doing trade. Whatever the word Occupy means, it does not mean to sit idly by and do nothing.

[John Weaver] When you look around and ask, have we failed in this country as Christians? The answer is yes. Even our Lord told us that we're to be the salt of the earth. One of the attributes of salt is it preserves. Let me ask you this question. What have we preserved? And the answer is basically nothing. You look around. at Christians, and I'm talking about professing Christians. I know not everybody who professes is a possessor, I understand that. But do you realize that most Christians as a whole are divisive, vindictive, uncooperative, and unwilling to be involved in anything unless they have control over it.

[John Weaver] Most preachers are like that, too, as long as they can be in charge, they're willing to do it. But if they can't run it and if it can't be done according to what they want, then they're not going to have any part of it. You said, but brother, we were we got the Patriot Patriots in this country. Well, let me tell you, many of the so-called Patriots are even worse.

[John Weaver] Because if you do not follow their plan, if you do not follow their thoughts and their ideas, then you're either labeled as an enemy or double agent. You know, that's the truth. The patriot community is just as fractured and just as divided as Christianity. Many people sit back and say, well, Pastor, you know, the Lord told us that In the last days of evil, men would wax worse and worse, and there's nothing we can do about it. So we might as well just sit back and wait for the Lord's return. Well, you know, that's a wonderful thought, but I've got several questions on that. Do we sit back the way those five foolish virgins did in Matthew 25 and verse eight with our lamps going out? Do we sit back the way that unjust steward did in Luke 12 and verse 45, who began to be drunk and disobedient and beat those around him. Do we sit back the way that rich, foolish farmer did in Luke chapter 12, who accumulated everything and then died without ever enjoying it?

[John Weaver] Well, the Bible tells us to wait upon the Lord, and there is a biblical doctrine of waiting on the Lord, and I've preached on that, but let me tell you something. When the Bible tells us to wait upon the Lord, it does not mean sit back and do absolutely nothing. Now, the Bible tells us that God has given us a door of hope. You say, I know what that door of hope is, Brother Weaver. The door of hope is the return of our Lord. Well, let me just put it like this. I believe in the personal visible bodily return of Jesus Christ. I believe that I believe he's coming back personally, literally and visibly.

[John Weaver] But here is my question. Must we wait until he returns? Until things can be straightened out in any degree at all. I understand, folks, and I can show you the Scripture. You can quote the Scripture as well as I can, but I can show you the Scripture where when our Lord returns, it is true that He will write everything perfectly. And the Bible tells us in 1 John 3 and verse 2, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, or we shall see Him as He is.

[John Weaver] And every man that hath this hope in himself purifies himself, even as he is pure. I know that Jesus Christ is the perfect answer, and I know that when He returns, He will straighten out everything perfectly and completely. But my question is, What about right now in time and in history? Do we have to wait until our Lord returns before there's any remediation or restoration? And the answer is no. If you look back in your Bibles to Hosea 2 and verse 15, look at Our Lord says that I will give her and he's talking about Israel. I will give her her vineyards from fence and the Valley of Acre for a door of hope.

[John Weaver] And she shall sing there as in the days of her youth and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. In other words, he's going to restore to his people. Their joy, their happiness, their blessings, their dominion. So God has promised now a door of hope. What is a door of hope? A door of hope is a door of restoration and a door of blessings. It is the entrance into the will and the blessing of God. But I want you to note particularly in verse 15, he said, and he's going to give her the Valley of Acre for a door of hope. Now, if you understand what the door of hope is, You have to understand what the Valley of Acre is, because it was the Valley of Acre that was given as a door of hope.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to hold Hosea chapter 2, but look in your Bibles, if you would, please, to the book of Isaiah 65. And let me just show you a passage that mentions Acre, the Valley of Acre. Notice Isaiah 65, and let's begin reading there in verse 9. We'll read through verse 15. Isaiah 9, Isaiah 65, beginning with verse 9, God says, and I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah and inherit of my mountains, and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.

[John Weaver] Then he talks to some others, he says, but you are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that truth, that is for idols, and that furnish the drink hall for again to that number. Therefore, will I number you to the sword and you shall all bow down to the slaughter? Because when I called, you did not answer. When I spake, you did not hear, but did evil before my eyes and did not choose that wherein I or did choose that wherein I delighted not. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, behold, my servant shall eat, but you shall be hungry. Behold, my servant shall drink, but you shall be thirsty. Behold, my servant shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed. Behold, my servant shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall howl for vexation of spirit. And you shall leave your name for a person to my chosen, for the Lord God shall slay thee and call his servants by another name."

[John Weaver] Now, there are several things I could point out right here according to Isaiah 65. If you look in verse 9, first of all, God says there is an elect, there is a remnant. He said, I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah and inherit it in my mountains, and mine elect shall inherit it. Let me tell you something, folks. I do not care how perverse, how wicked, how corrupt professing Christendom comes. God still has his seed. He still has his chosen, his elect, and they are going to be his. I don't care how many apostatize.

[John Weaver] He's got his people, period. Notice, if you would, in verse 10, he tells us that Acre is a fat pasture in which herds lie down. He said, and I will bring, he said, and Sharon shall be full of the flocks and the valley of Acre, a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.

[John Weaver] Now, I was raised on a farm. I still live on a farm. I have cattle. And I can tell you one thing about cattle. They don't lie down until they're full. Once you see them lying down, you know they're full. He said, here is this fat pasture in which folks are going to lie down in and then he noticed in verse 10. Also, he says that Sharon and Acor are promised blessings to whom to my people who have sought me. And then verse then number four verses 11 through 15, there those who do not seek the Lord are going to be destroyed. They're going to be judged. That's why he says in verse 11, but here they that forsake the Lord. And then he goes on down and says that he's going to slay them because of their wickedness.

[John Weaver] So here in Isaiah 65 we have a mention then of this Valley of Acre. Do you remember the passage in the Song of Solomon chapter 2 and verse 1 where Christ is called the Rose of Sharon and he's also called the Lily of the Valleys. Have you ever wondered what Christ has to do with valleys? Have you ever even thought of what valleys are? A representative of as you read through the Word of God. Now it is true that Jesus Christ is Lord of the valleys, just like he is Lord of the mountains.

[John Weaver] But let me tell you something. When you read about a valley in the Bible. You're reading about judgment. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Joel. Turn right over. Hosea, Amos, Joel. And look in the book of Joel chapter 3. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Got it backwards. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look in Joel chapter 3, if you would please. And verse 14. Here's a passage that many of you have heard preachers preach from a great many times. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. And usually when you hear preachers preach this text, they're talking about here are people that are undecided for Christ and what they need to do is make their decision right now to come to Christ. And let me tell you something. Verse 14 has nothing to do with conversion and it has nothing to do with individuals making decisions for Christ. If you read this in the context, It has everything to do with judgment. Look in verse 13.

[John Weaver] What does God say? Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come get you down, for the press is full, the fats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. And by the way, the word for decision there is actually a sharp, threshing instrument, which can be used to slay. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision or judgment.

[John Weaver] The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining, and the Lord also shall roar out of Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem, and the earth and the heavens of the earth shall shake. But the Lord will be the hope of His people and the strength of the children of Israel." So when he's talking about multitudes in the valley of decision, he's talking about multitudes that's about to be judged and destroyed by the power of God. Now you know something about a valley. Now, God says, I've given you the Valley of Acre for a door of hope. Now you've got to find out what this Valley of Acre is.

[John Weaver] So if you will turn back in your Bibles to First Chronicles, Chapter two. And look, if you would please, at verse seven. First Chronicles, Chapter two. And verse seven, watch carefully. Everyone is going to remember this name in just a moment. First Chronicles Chapter 2 in verse 7. Here he names the sons of Kermi. And he says in verse 7. And the sons of Kermi, Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the things accursed. Now you probably already understand that the word Achar or Achor is the same as Achan. So the valley of Achor is the valley of Achan. And Achan is here called the Troubler of Israel. Why? Because he transgressed in the thing accursed. Now, if you want to understand the background, go back in your Bibles, first of all, to Joshua chapter 6. And then we'll look at Chapter 7, but look in Chapter 6 of Joshua and especially verses 17 and 18. You will remember how the children of Israel now have come to Jericho and everything in Jericho is cursed.

[John Weaver] The only ones to escape are to be Rahab and her family. God says that His people, as they destroy Jericho, they're to touch nothing. They're to take nothing for themselves. Everything is dedicated to judgment. So look at it. In the book of Joshua 6, verse 17, And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein to the Lord. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And you, said God, in any wise, keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves a curse when you take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

[John Weaver] But all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and irons are consecrated in the Lord. They shall come into the treasure of the Lord." So he said, don't touch anything. Anything that you find of value, it comes to me. Everything else is to be destroyed.

[John Weaver] Now, look in Joshua 7, beginning with verse 1. Follow, please. But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing. You know, I find this very interesting and I don't have time to preach on this tonight, but it was the children of Israel who committed a trespass, but it was Achan who did it. One man. One man and his sin. Brought destruction. Upon the nation. Now look at it. But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdiah, the son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.

[John Weaver] And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-Avon on the east side of Beth-El, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said unto him, Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai, and make not all the people of labor thither, for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men, and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smoked of them, about thirty and six men, for they chased them from the gate, even into Shebarim, and smoked them into going down. Wherefore, the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. And Joshua ran his clothes and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the even tide.

[John Weaver] He and the elders of Israel, he put dust upon their, and they put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us? Would to God that we'd been content And dwelt on the other side, Jordan. O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turneth their back before their enemies?

[John Weaver] For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth. And what will thou do unto thy great name? Watch. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up. Wherefore liest thou thus upon my face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant, which I have commanded them, for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and assembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed. Neither will I be with you any more, except you destroy the accursed from among you."

[John Weaver] Now let's stop right there. You know what happened? The tribes are taken. And one tribe was selected. The families were taken, and one family was selected, the family of Carmi. And when Achan came in front, Achan was taken. And Joshua said, my son, give glory to the Lord. Tell me now what you've done. And if you'll skip down, The verse 20 and they can answer, Joshua said, Indeed, I've sinned against the Lord God of Israel and thus and thus have I done when I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonian garment and 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of 50 shekels weight. Then I coveted them and took them and behold, they're hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers and they ran into the tent and behold, it was hidden in the silver under it. Watch, if you would please, down to verse 24. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his ten, and all that he had, and they brought them to the valley of

[John Weaver] Achor, And Joshua said, Why has thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones and burned them with fire after they had stoned him with stones. And they raised up over him a great heap of stones unto this day, so that the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore, the name of that place was called the Valley of Achor unto this day.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just point out the fact that when Achan had stolen and hid all of this under his tent, Without anyone else knowing it. The men came to Joshua said, look, we've we've spied out AI. It's a small city. Don't make all of God's men go up there and work. We don't need everybody. Just send a couple thousand of us. We can take care of them very easily. And so he sends three thousand up there. And guess what? They get defeated and they flee before the men of AI and thirty six Israelite soldiers are killed. Now, it's bad when you're defeated. It's worse when your men are slaughtered. But let me tell you, the defeat of Israel was not the bad part. The loss of the 36 lives was not the worst part either. If you look back in your Bibles there to Joshua chapter 7, notice if you would please, verse 12. He says, Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were cursed.

[John Weaver] And look what God says, Neither will I be with you any more, except you destroy the accursed from among you. God said, Joshua, You've lost it. I'm not going to be with you anymore. You are doomed to certain failure. Unless you deal with this thing right now. You know what the Valley of Acre was? The Valley of Acre was the doorway. It was the entrance to Canaan. And right as they were getting ready to go into the promised land, the door was slammed in their face. If they cannot defeat even a little tiny town, what hope do they have of defeating all of the enemies of the land? How could they continue? How could they proceed? How could they conquer? How could they exercise dominion? How could they go forward? God said, I'll tell you the answer. Sin. Must be dealt with. It must be judged. It must be dealt with openly. Honestly. And biblically. When God says in Hosea 2 and verse 15, behold, I give you the Valley of Acre for a door of hope.

[John Weaver] You know what God is saying? God is saying I'm giving you judgment for a door of hope. Jericho was just the beginning of the wars of Canaan, and they're putting away this accursed thing from them, gave them hope that God now would be with them, that God would give them victory, that God would enable them to exercise dominion, and that God would return to them in mercy since they have

[John Weaver] now turned to Him in obedience. And so then it is a beginning of restoration. What is the door of hope? The door of hope is when we honestly deal with our sins before God. Let me point something out. Do you realize? The sin that really, genuinely troubles you. Is not the sin that's going to overthrow you. The sin that's going to overthrow you is the one that you commit and you're never bothered by. If you're getting troubled over it. Then there's hope for you. Do you realize it's one of the greatest mercies of God? That he exposes our sins. When you stop and think about our sins.

[John Weaver] You talk about how embarrassed we are, how humiliated we are. I mean, It's not that we just did something, but we got caught. Let me tell you something. The greatest mercy of God. That God can give us is when God points out our sins and exposes those sins and even make them public if necessary. Do you remember old Nathan, the prophet who went to David after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had Uriah her husband killed? Do you remember it was Nathan who went and told David this story about the rich man and all that he had and the poor man and the one little sheep? And the rich man spared to take of his flock, and he took this one little sheep at the poor man's hand. And boy, David's sense of justice was upset, and he slapped his hand and said, The man that hath done this thing will restore fourfold, and he shall surely die. And old Nathan said, Thou art the man.

[John Weaver] And when you read 1 Samuel 12 and verse 1, it says this. Are you listening? And the Lord sent Nathan to David. You know what David had done? David had taken pains to cover up his sin. He tried to get Uriah to sleep with his wife, but Uriah wouldn't. He made him drunk! He still wouldn't. And when Uriah wouldn't cooperate, David had him killed. He thought he had everything covered.

[John Weaver] No one knew except maybe Joab. But the Lord knew. And the Lord sent Nathan to David. One of the greatest mercies that God can have upon us is when he exposes our sin. And let me just tell you this, folks. I believe that this is one of the greatest problems we have in our families and raising our children. Each of us love our children. We would die for our children. But when our children do wrong, they have to learn a principle and the principle is this.

[John Weaver] He who sins must suffer. You know what we do when our children get in trouble, we quickly run to bail them out. Oh, no. You know what our children have to learn that there are consequences to everything you do. Sometimes when your kid gets thrown in jail, it might be wise to let him stay in overnight. Let him reap what he's sown just a little bit. Let him find out what it's like to be thrown into a cell with a bunch of drunks who stink and vomit everywhere. Don't buy him off.

[John Weaver] And if he has to pay a fine, let him work it out. Let him work and pay for it himself. Don't try to keep him from suffering. You see, here's the problem. We are horrified at judgment. How many in this room really, truly want to suffer? None of us. We don't want to suffer. And when we think of judgment, especially the judgment of God, then we cringe. We don't want that.

[John Weaver] Let me ask you a question. What would be your response if God brought down this economy tomorrow and he could overnight? Well, Federal Reserve notes worth nothing is it is. It has no value. What would be your response? What would be your response if you happen to have a. Awaken in the morning and found out that some virus had gotten loose in the White House and killed 398 congressmen, at least we got one or two there that need to live. But, you know, what would be your response?

[John Weaver] You just stop and think about that. Would you say, oh, that's a catastrophe. What a horrible thing. What if half the cities in this country were burned to the ground? You said, brother, that's a horrible thing. Oh, is it? What did God say? I've given you the value of a core for a door of hope. You know what happened to Aiken and his family? They were put to death. You said, brother, we understand Aiken being put to death, but his family evidently they were complicit with him. They knew about it.

[John Weaver] And you got to remember this. His family was responsible for the death of 36 soldiers. Let me put it to you like this. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment upon Achan and his family that brought deliverance and blessing to the rest of the nation. Are you thinking with me? It was judgment, God's righteous judgment that destroyed the old world, but saved Noah and his family alive. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment, that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and spared Lot. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment, that destroyed the enemies of Canaan and over and over delivered His people. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment, that destroyed Babylon and Assyria and delivered His people again.

[John Weaver] You know what we have forgotten? That destruction, judgment, and deliverance go together. There are two sides of one coin. Let me say it another way. You cannot have salvation without having judgment. Salvation and judgment go together. Whenever God judges his enemies, he always delivers his people. Whenever God delivers his people, he always judges his enemies. You cannot have salvation without judgment. You say, oh, come on, Brother Weaver. I mean, I've got salvation in Christ.

[John Weaver] Well, look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 3. You want to think for just a moment about the salvation that God has provided. Look in Romans chapter 3, beginning there in verse 24. Romans 3 verse 24. Romans 3 verse 24.

[John Weaver] being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. So we're talking about Jesus Christ, verse 25, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. Now, let's stop there. whom God has set forth to be a propitiation. You say, Bro. Weaver, I can't even say that word and I certainly don't know what it means.

[John Weaver] Well, you need to learn because it occurs over and over in Scripture. It occurs at least a couple of other times. You know what the word propitiation means? It means to placate, to appease, to satisfy.

[John Weaver] Now look what the Bible says. Watch this. being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth, talking about Christ, to placate, to appease, to satisfy through faith in His blood. What in the world are we talking about? God was angry with us. Why? We were sinners. We were wicked. We were rebellious. We deserve death. We deserve judgment. We deserve hell. We deserve everything that God could throw upon us. But Jesus Christ stepped in and said, I will be the substitute.

[John Weaver] I will be their representative. And Jesus Christ came in perfect obedience to the law. He worked out a perfect righteousness. And then He came in our place. And guess what? The wrath and the anger of God that should have fallen upon us, fell upon Him. And in His obedience and in His death, He placated and satisfied the holiness and the righteousness of God. The only salvation we have in Jesus Christ is a salvation through judgment. You cannot have salvation without judgment. You say, but, Brother Weaver, You know, I don't like to talk about judgment. I get scared. All I know is just pray for the Lord's return.

[John Weaver] Turn in your Bibles, please, the second Thessalonians chapter two. I don't want you to get pietistic with me now. OK, because when you start praying for the Lord's return, I want to show you exactly what you're praying for. Look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 1. I can quote it, but I want you to look at it. 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 1. Watch it now. Or 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. I'm sorry. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 7.

[John Weaver] And you who are trouble rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power." Notice what he said, and you who are trouble rest with us, When our Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, what? In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God.

[John Weaver] You cannot even pray for the Lord's return without praying for judgment. Salvation and judgment go together. What is the door of hope? The door of hope is the door of judgment, God's righteous judgment. Psalm 9 and verse 16 tells us the Lord is known by the judgment which He executed. The wicked is snared in the work of His own hands. Psalm 37 and verse 28 declares, For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaken not his saints, they are preserved forever, but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. For the Lord loveth judgment, that is, he loveth justice.

[John Weaver] Just read the book of Ezekiel. Do you realize in the book of Ezekiel, you will find a phrase and that phrase is this, And they shall know that I am the Lord. That phrase occurs 73 times in the book of Ezekiel. And in each time it occurs, it occurs in the context of judgment. 73 times, God said, they shall know that I am the Lord. And each time it's in the context of judgment.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something, folks. We may not get the wicked to listen to our voice as we preach the gospel. But they will hear when God sends judgment.

[John Weaver] Now, that doesn't mean they're going to be converted. But at least it will get their attention. Let me show you something. Look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation, chapter nine, and the principle I want to point out is this. You see, God may do one of two things. God may send judgment along with converting grace. OK, he doesn't have to. He may just send judgment. But if God just sends judgment without converting grace, All men will do is know that it's God's judgment, but yet they'll curse Him for it. So look in Revelation 9, beginning there in verse 20. The Bible says, And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the work of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk, neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

[John Weaver] So here are people who were judged grievously. And yet they repented not. Let me tell you something, if God sends judgment without converting grace, all you have is destruction. Let me ask you a question. How can we turn this country around? The truth of the matter is. We cannot. But God can. And God doesn't have to send an atomic bomb. God doesn't have to use a militia. God doesn't have to use an armed force. All God has to do is send a few germs around. A little bacteria.

[John Weaver] Anybody ever heard of that flesh-eating virus? You can get it if you've got a paper cut. Can you imagine? All God has to do is send an angel. I sure don't want an angel to get mad at me. One angel in one night with one stroke killed 185,000 Syrian soldiers. Can you imagine what a whole platoon of them could do? I'm just simply pointing out the fact. Judgment.

[John Weaver] Is a door of hope now. Let me just lay these things out for you tonight and I want you to think about in light of this truth that God has given us the Valley of Acre for a door of hope. He's talking about judgment and folks, if you believe somehow. that God is going to overlook and excuse the wickedness of this country, you're mistaken. What is our responsibility?

[John Weaver] First, we must be children of faith. What do I mean by that? We know that God is absolutely and totally sovereign. He is in control. What does that mean? It means this. We cannot give in, we cannot give up, and we cannot give out. We cannot give way to discouragement, to depression, to despair. Why should we? We are His children. He is on the throne. He is in control. We must believe that He does all things well, and whatever He does, He does for our good and for His glory.

[John Weaver] We can never, ever be discouraged. Who was it? The General? Was it Chesty Fuller? Who? They said, General, the enemy's in front of us and behind us and on each side. General Fuller said, good, they can't get away from us now. Hey. Why should we be discouraged with God on the throne? If you don't know that God is sovereign, you better wake up. The one thing that will keep a child of God going As he knows that God is an absolute control. Secondly. We must understand and believe that God does listen that God does and will judge the wicked in time and in history.

[John Weaver] I want you to look in your Bibles for Proverbs 11 and verse 31 Proverbs 11 and verse 31. We must believe that God does and will judge the wicked in time and in history. Look what he says in Proverbs 11 in verse 31. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, much more the wicked in the center.

[John Weaver] Now, let me stop right there and ask you a question. Will we be rewarded in glory? Yes. Are there eternal rewards? Yes. I don't deny that. I'm thankful for that. But let me ask it like this. Do we have to wait until we get to glory before we have any of the blessings of God? No. All you've got to do is read Leviticus 26, read Deuteronomy 28, read any other passage in the Bible. And God has always promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Look what he said.

[John Weaver] Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth. God is not going to be any man's debtor. You honor God. He's going to honor you. How many of you have already been blessed? Look, you've got your health. You've got a family. You've got finances. You've got friends. You've got a ministry. Look at all the blessings that God has given us. Now, look at the rest of the verse. He says, Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed of the earth. And then he says much more the wicked and the sinner. Now, God says, if I reward my people on the earth in time and in history, how much more will I give the wicked what they deserve? Hmm. What's he say? He said, I will reward them as well. You know what the Bible says in Job 19, verse 29, let me let me just quote it. And Job 19 verse 21 at 9, God says, be afraid of the sword. For wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that you may know that there is a judgment to come.

[John Weaver] Now, what is he saying? He is saying all the temporal judgments on earth in time and in history just point to the one great and final judgment. Be afraid of the sword, why? For rapturing of the sword, why? That you may know that there is a judgment to come. Let me ask you a question. I do want you to turn to Deuteronomy 7 because I want to show you this. This excites me. It may not excite you. But does excite me.

[John Weaver] I get the thinking of all these rich, powerful recrubates who think they're running the world and that everybody has to jump at their command. And they're anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Bible, anti-Christian. They're against anything that's righteous and holy and godly. And here's my question. Will God judge them? The answer is yes. Will God judge them in time and history? Yes, as well as eternity. Do you think God is embarrassed to judge them? Do you think God is reticent?

[John Weaver] Look at Deuteronomy chapter seven, if you would, beginning there, verse nine. Look what the Bible says. Know, therefore, that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him, and keepeth His commandments to a thousand generations, and repayeth them that hate Him to their face to destroy them. He will not be slack to him that hated them. He will repay him to his face.

[John Weaver] God's not embarrassed to judge the wicked. He's not slack. We must be children of faith, but we also must understand that God does judge the wicked in time and in history. Turn in your Bibles, please, to Luke 18, because here's the third application tonight. Look in Luke chapter 18. I want to show you where we have failed as Christians. Luke 18. Here's the third application. If you understand that we must be children of faith and if you understand that God does indeed judge the wicked in time and history, the third application is this. We as God's children must learn to pray for God's judgment in time and in history. What? Yes, look in Luke 18.

[John Weaver] Verse 1 and he that is our Lord spake a parable unto them to this end that men ought always to pray to faint not or not to faint saying there was in the city a judge who feared not God neither regarded man so he broke both tables the first and the second table of the Ten Commandments he feared not God neither regarded man and there was a widow in that city and she came unto him saying avenge me my adversary And he would not for a while, but afterwards he said within himself, oh, I fear not God nor regard man, yet because this would have troubled me, I will avenge her lest by her continual coming she weary me.

[John Weaver] Now stop there just for a moment. Here's the picture. Here's this unjust judge. And we could illustrate him by thousands in this country who feared not God nor regarded man. And this little widow woman kept saying, avenge me and my adversary. I'm not going to do it. Get out of here. I don't care about you. I don't care about get out of my courtroom. And she keeps coming and she keeps coming and finally, the judge said. I'm going to do something. I won't give her what she wants, lest she weary me with her continual coming.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to see the application that our Lord made. I didn't make this. He did look at it in verse six. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. Now look at it. And shall not God avenge his own elect, who cried they at night unto him, though he bare wrong with them? I tell you, he will avenge them speedily. Here's my question. Do you think God is like that unjust judge? Do you think God cares nothing of justice, of righteousness? No. God is more interested in justice and more interested in righteousness than we are. He said, did you hear what He said? And shall not God avenge His own enemy? Who cried on Him day and night? How many of us have cried for God to execute justice? How many of us ask God to send His judgment?

[John Weaver] You need to read the imprecatory prayers in the Bible. I don't have time to go through all of them. But Psalm 59 is a wonderful one. Psalm 58 is another good one. Psalm 68. Look at Psalm 68. Let me just give you an example of what David prayed. Here's an imprecatory prayer. Look at Psalm 68, if you would, beginning there with verse one. Psalm 68, verse 1. David says, let God arise.

[John Weaver] That's what I'd like to see. Let God arise. What's going to happen when God arises? Let His enemies be scattered. Let them also that hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away. As wax melted before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad. Let them rejoice before God. Yea, let them exceedingly rejoice." What's he praying for? The destruction and the overthrow of the wicked. That's what he's praying for.

[John Weaver] This is an imprecatory prayer. We've got to learn to pray, Lord God, send Your justice. Send Your judgment. God, do something. We're so tired of what's going on. We're so helpless. Lord, do something. That's what those imprecatory prayers are for.

[John Weaver] Fourthly, we must learn to repent of our sins and live holy, godly lives. Now let me tell you, and I don't have time to go through it tonight, but if you were to read Hebrews 12 and 1 Corinthians 11, especially verses 31 through 32. You will find that God does chastise his own. He said he scourged every son whom he received. If you endure chastening, God will deal with you with sons, for what son is he whom the father chastened not? If you are a child of God and you sin, God's going to chastise you.

[John Weaver] That's all there is to it. You may either obey by listening to his word. Or you may obey by listening to his word and his rod. Micah 6 and verse 9 says, Hear ye the rod and him who hath appointed it. I told some of the men today at dinner, my youngest grandson, who's now 15 when he was about seven or eight, I asked him to do something and he looked at me and he said, Papa, I don't want to do it.

[John Weaver] And I said, I respect that. I said, so therefore, I'll give you a choice. You may either do it. Or you may get a whip and then do it. He looked at me and said, Pop, I think I'll just do it. I said, I think you're a wise son. The wise son just listens. You know what the Bible says? In 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 17, you can quote it, I'm sure.

[John Weaver] The time has come that judgment must first begin where? At the house of God. You know what praying for God's judgment and God's justice will do. If you honestly, genuinely pray for God's judgment. Two things are going to happen. Number one, it's going to make you more diligent to warn the wicked because you know that it's coming. And number two, it's going to make you live more holy and godly because you understand God's no respecter of persons. You mess up God with you, he can clean your plow just like he can clean everybody else's plow. So we need to learn to live holy, godly lives. Fifthly, we need to learn that judgment is a door of hope. Let me say it like this. Judgment is not our enemy. Judgment is our friend. It is. You don't have to be afraid of your friend. Kevin's bigger than I am, but I'm not afraid of him. I'm not only out running, I'm out shooting. But no, I'm not afraid of him. He's my friend. Not afraid of Greg.

[John Weaver] He's my friend. The point I'm trying to make is this. No one loves to suffer. But let me ask you a question. If you had cancer and you knew you had cancer and there was a doctor who could cut it out and save your life, as much as you despise the pain of surgery and the experience of surgery, would you not willingly undergo that surgery in order to save your life? Sure you would. You would have that cancer cut out in a heartbeat. You know something, folks? We've got to understand. That our government is not going to save us. As much as I respect our Constitution, the Constitution is not going to save us. We cannot save ourselves. The truth is, if God doesn't save us, we're not going to be saved.

[John Weaver] And if God does not, in His righteous judgment, straighten this nation out, we'll never be straightened out. Now, let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, chapter 5. I want you to watch this, because to me, this is so exciting. Everybody knows this story, how God has sent Moses down to Egypt to Pharaoh and said, thus said the Lord, let my people go. You remember that? You remember what Pharaoh said? I know not the Lord.

[John Weaver] Neither will I let Israel go. I don't recognize your God, Moses. I don't recognize your authority, and I'm not about to obey him or you. Well. You know what happened next? Even the elders of the children of Israel went in and said, let us go that we may serve the Lord. You know what Pharaoh said? You're idle, you're idle. You're going to make the same number of brick, but you're going to make them out of straw. And if you don't, my taskmasters are going to beat you. Well, look at, let's pick it up right here. Look at Exodus chapter 5 and let's begin reading there with verse 15. Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say, Let us make brick. And, behold, thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own people. But he said, You are idle, you are idle. Therefore you say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.

[John Weaver] Go therefore now and work, for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall you deliver the tale of bricks. And the offices of the children of Israel did see that they were in an evil case after it was said, you shall not minish off from your bricks of your daily tasks.

[John Weaver] Now look, and they met Moses Neron who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh. Now Moses Neron had already tried to get Pharaoh to let them go. No, he said. And they said unto them, to Moses and Nareb, The Lord look upon you and judge, because you have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. And Moses returned to the Lord and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil and treated this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in my name, he hath done evil to this people, neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

[John Weaver] Now let me show you what happened. Moses and Aaron have come and said, let God's people go. Pharaoh said, I don't know you, and I don't know the Lord, and I'm not about to let them go. The elders came and said, let us go. No, you're not going to go. And you're going to make the same break, but you're going to make it without straw, and if you don't, you're going to be beaten. And finally, those elders see Moses and Aaron, and they said, the Lord looked between you and us, and judge, you said you were to deliver.

[John Weaver] All you've done is made things worse. You put a sword in their hand to slay us. The problem with you, Moses! And Moses falls down and says, God, why did you even send me? You hadn't delivered your people. Why am I here?

[John Weaver] Now, don't you look what happened. God has Moses and Aaron helpless. God has the elders helpless. God has the people helpless. Now, look in chapter 6 and verse 1. Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh. Oh, now shall thou see what I will do with Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he shall let them go with a strong hand.

[John Weaver] He shall drive them out of his land. God said, when I get through with him, he'll be more than willing to let him go. But you notice what had to happen? Moses and Aaron and the elders and the people had to come to an end of themselves. They had to learn they can't. That doesn't mean that we do not fulfill our responsibilities. We must learn to be obedient and faithful regardless of the circumstances. I'm not to look at what's going on in Washington and get all scared and upset. I'm not to look at what's going on somewhere else and get all bent out of shape. No, no, no.

[John Weaver] My eyes are upon the Lord and upon His Word. And He said, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, said the Lord. And what else did He say? If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves And pray and seek my face and what and turn from their wicked ways. Then will I hear from heaven and heal their land. He didn't say if the wicked would do it, he said that my people would do it.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something, folks, there is no reason for anybody to be discouraged when God is on the throne and there's no reason for any child of God to be afraid of judgment. For judgment is a door of hope. God can do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves. It is our responsibility to cry unto the Lord, saying, Avenge your own elect. Avenge your people, O God. Give justice. Give justice. There's a song, and I can't sing, but I love to hear it sung.

[John Weaver] And I don't even know the name of it. But if the course goes like this, I want to see Israel marching. I want to hear that battle call. I want to see. Israel marching, I want to see old Babylon fall. And brother, let me tell you, I want to see it fall and it shall fall. It shall fall. For only the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ is going to endure forever. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

[John Weaver] God said, I've given you a door of hope. That door of hope is judgment. One last passage. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 44. Psalm 44. I could preach another hour just on this passage, but look at it, please. We'll close with this one. But look in Psalm 44. I love this passage. The psalmist says in verse one, we have heard with our ears, oh God, our fathers have told us what work thou didst in their days and times of old. In other words, we've heard about all of your miracles. We've heard about all your deliverances. Verse two, how thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand and place them And thou didst afflict the people, that is, the enemies, and cast them out.

[John Weaver] For they, Israel, got not the land in possession by their sword, although they had to fight. Neither did their own arm save them, but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hast a favor unto them."

[John Weaver] Now watch what he said. Lord, we've heard with our ears. Our fathers have told us, we know what you did. We know the mighty deliverance that you gave in times past. We've heard it over and over and over. We repeated it. And we've heard it repeated. We know that. But when you get to verse 4, here's what he says. Thou art my King, O God. Command deliverance is for Jacob.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you what he's saying there. Do it again, O Lord. Do it again. You're the same sovereign God of miracles and power that we've been hearing about all of our lives. You're still the God who's on the throne. Lord, command thou deliverances for Jacob. Do it again! And God can do it again. Our hope is in Him and His mercy in His grace and in His judgment. Let's pray.

[John Weaver] Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ that You would speak to us. Help us to understand the simple principle that You've given us the Valley of Acre for a door of hope. As individuals, as families, as churches, even as a nation, we must deal honestly and openly with our sins We must repent of them and turn to Thee, and seek Thy mercy and Thy forgiveness. Give us, Lord, Thy justice and Thy judgment, for in that we shall find deliverance by Your grace. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, Amen.

A Door of Hope

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	31507223012
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Christ and the Churches
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-03-15
Dictation Name
Book	Book 139: Revelation: Christ and the Churches — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	94

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Promise of a Door of Hope

Reading Hosea 2:15, God promises Israel a door of hope through which she will sing as in her youth. Everyone needs hope, especially given the depravity in our nation.

Well, I want you to open your Bibles tonight to the book of Hosea chapter 2, if you would please. Hosea chapter 2. There's a lot of ground to cover tonight, so I trust that you will have your fingers ready to turn in the scriptures. Hosea chapter 2. I'm going to be bringing a message tonight which is entitled "A Door of Hope." So if you look in Hosea chapter 2 and verse 15, this is the only verse we're going to read in Hosea 2, and we're going to take the rest of the time tonight explaining it. Hosea 2, verse 15: "And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope."

Scripture Reading — Hosea 2:15

"And she shall sing there as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt."

Now, notice what God is promising to Israel. He is promising her a door of hope. And he says, through this door of hope she shall sing there as in her days of youth and as the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

The Need for Hope in a Decaying Nation

Weaver catalogs America's sins—abortion, divorce, socialism, sodomy, corrupt government—and asks what hope we have. Christians were called to exercise dominion but have failed.

Now when you begin to think about hope, everyone needs hope. Those who are sick need hope. Those who are discouraged need hope. Those who are hunters need hope. Fishermen need hope. And that's what keeps them going back. They hope they're going to catch the big one or shoot the big buck. But, you know, there's the old saying that hope springs eternal in the breast. And when you and I look around and see what is going on today, very definitely, I think we do need some hope because everyone who has any grasp of the situation in our land today—anyone who views the depravity, the wickedness, the vileness of our nation—asks themselves, "What in the world is going to happen?" Intuitively, each of us understand that we cannot keep going as we are in this country.

We live in a day where 40 million babies have been aborted and murdered. We live in a day where the divorce rate is 50%, even among professing Christians. We live in a day where socialism, Marxism, and communism abound. Where sodomy is not only approved and condoned, it is legalized. We have a judicial system that is out of control. We have a Congress that is corrupt and does not care for the people or the Constitution. We have an executive branch that does basically as it pleases. We're living in a day when God is denied, when his law is trampled underfoot, when righteousness and justice are mocked and Christians are despised and persecuted. And we live in a day when seemingly we're almost—it is almost impossible to stop the onslaught of the New World Order. How do we escape? What is our hope? The truth is, God has called us as Christians to exercise dominion and we failed. I have two messages back there on the biblical doctrine of dominion. In Genesis chapter one, when God created Adam and Eve, he gave them dominion over everything. He repeated that promise to Noah and that command in Genesis chapter 9. It's then repeated again in Psalm 8. And when you get to Matthew 28, which is the Great Commission there, the Great Commission is part and parcel of the command to exercise dominion.

The Failure of Christians to Exercise Dominion

The Bible commands dominion (Genesis 1, Psalm 8, Matthew 28). Christians have been divisive and ineffective, and even the patriot community is fractured. Waiting for Christ's return does not mean doing nothing.

Do you realize the word dominion, just the word dominion itself, occurs 62 times in our Bibles? That does not count the variation of the word. That's just the word dominion. There are some people that will deny that we've been called to exercise dominion, but you've got to believe something about the doctrine because the very word occurs 62 times in the Bible. Moreover, the Bible tells us in Luke chapter 19 in verse 13, our Lord said, "Occupy till I come." And the word "occupy" literally means to do business, to keep doing trade. Whatever the word "occupy" means, it does not mean to sit idly by and do nothing.

When you look around and ask, "Have we failed in this country as Christians?" the answer is yes. Even our Lord told us that we're to be the salt of the earth. One of the attributes of salt is it preserves. Let me ask you this question: What have we preserved? And the answer is basically nothing. You look around at Christians, and I'm talking about professing Christians. I know not everybody who professes is a possessor, I understand that. But do you realize that most Christians as a whole are divisive, vindictive, uncooperative, and unwilling to be involved in anything unless they have control over it.

Most preachers are like that, too. As long as they can be in charge, they're willing to do it. But if they can't run it and if it can't be done according to what they want, then they're not going to have any part of it. You said, "But brother, we got the Patriots in this country." Well, let me tell you, many of the so-called Patriots are even worse. Because if you do not follow their plan, if you do not follow their thoughts and their ideas, then you're either labeled as an enemy or double agent. You know, that's the truth. The patriot community is just as fractured and just as divided as Christianity. Many people sit back and say, "Well, Pastor, you know, the Lord told us that in the last days evil men would wax worse and worse, and there's nothing we can do about it. So we might as well just sit back and wait for the Lord's return." Well, you know, that's a wonderful thought, but I've got several questions on that. Do we sit back the way those five foolish virgins did in Matthew 25 and verse 8 with our lamps going out? Do we sit back the way that unjust steward did in Luke 12 and verse 45, who began to be drunk and disobedient and beat those around him? Do we sit back the way that rich, foolish farmer did in Luke chapter 12, who accumulated everything and then died without ever enjoying it?

Well, the Bible tells us to wait upon the Lord, and there is a biblical doctrine of waiting on the Lord, and I've preached on that, but let me tell you something. When the Bible tells us to wait upon the Lord, it does not mean sit back and do absolutely nothing. Now, the Bible tells us that God has given us a door of hope. You say, "I know what that door of hope is, Brother Weaver. The door of hope is the return of our Lord." Well, let me just put it like this: I believe in the personal, visible, bodily return of Jesus Christ. I believe he's coming back personally, literally, and visibly.

The Valley of Achor as Judgment

To understand the door of hope, we must understand the valley of Achor. In Joshua 7, Achan's sin brought defeat at Ai. God demanded the accursed thing be destroyed, and after Achan's judgment, God's favor returned. The valley of Achor was the doorway into Canaan, and judgment reopened that door.

"And she shall sing there as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt." In other words, he's going to restore to his people their joy, their happiness, their blessings, their dominion. So God has promised now a door of hope. What is a door of hope? A door of hope is a door of restoration and a door of blessings. It is the entrance into the will and the blessing of God. But I want you to note particularly in verse 15, he said, and he's going to give her the valley of Achor for a door of hope. Now, if you understand what the door of hope is, you have to understand what the valley of Achor is, because it was the valley of Achor that was given as a door of hope.

Now, I want you to hold Hosea chapter 2, but look in your Bibles, if you would, please, to the book of Isaiah 65. And let me just show you a passage that mentions Achor, the valley of Achor. Notice Isaiah 65, and let's begin reading there in verse 9. We'll read through verse 15. Isaiah 65, beginning with verse 9, God says,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 65:9-15

"And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me."

Then he talks to some others, he says, "But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name."

Now, there are several things I could point out right here according to Isaiah 65. If you look in verse 9, first of all, God says there is an elect, there is a remnant. He said,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 65:9-15

"I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains, and mine elect shall inherit it."

Let me tell you something, folks. I do not care how perverse, how wicked, how corrupt professing Christendom comes. God still has his seed. He still has his chosen, his elect, and they are going to be his. I don't care how many apostatize.

He's got his people, period. Notice, if you would, in verse 10, he tells us that Achor is a fat pasture in which herds lie down. He said, "And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me." Now, I was raised on a farm. I still live on a farm. I have cattle. And I can tell you one thing about cattle: they don't lie down until they're full. Once you see them lying down, you know they're full. He said, here is this fat pasture in which folks are going to lie down in. And then notice in verse 10 also, he says that Sharon and Achor are promised blessings to whom? To my people who have sought me. And then verses 11 through 15, there those who do not seek the Lord are going to be destroyed. They're going to be judged. That's why he says in verse 11, "But ye are they that forsake the Lord." And then he goes on down and says that he's going to slay them because of their wickedness.

So here in Isaiah 65 we have a mention then of this valley of Achor. Do you remember the passage in the Song of Solomon chapter 2 and verse 1 where Christ is called the Rose of Sharon and he's also called the Lily of the Valleys? Have you ever wondered what Christ has to do with valleys? Have you ever even thought of what valleys are representative of as you read through the Word of God? Now it is true that Jesus Christ is Lord of the valleys, just like he is Lord of the mountains.

But let me tell you something. When you read about a valley in the Bible, you're reading about judgment. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Joel. Turn right over. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Got it backwards. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look in Joel chapter 3, if you would please, and verse 14. Here's a passage that many of you have heard preachers preach from a great many times.

Scripture Reading — Joel 3:13-16

"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision."

And usually when you hear preachers preach this text, they're talking about here are people that are undecided for Christ and what they need to do is make their decision right now to come to Christ. And let me tell you something. Verse 14 has nothing to do with conversion and it has nothing to do with individuals making decisions for Christ. If you read this in the context, it has everything to do with judgment. Look in verse 13.

What does God say? "Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision." And by the way, the word for "decision" there is actually a sharp, threshing instrument, which can be used to slay. "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision" or judgment. "The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." So when he's talking about multitudes in the valley of decision, he's talking about multitudes that's about to be judged and destroyed by the power of God. Now you know something about a valley. Now, God says, "I've given you the valley of Achor for a door of hope." Now you've got to find out what this valley of Achor is.

So if you will turn back in your Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 2, and look, if you would please, at verse 7. 1 Chronicles chapter 2 and verse 7, watch carefully. Everyone is going to remember this name in just a moment. 1 Chronicles chapter 2 in verse 7. Here he names the sons of Carmi. And he says in verse 7,

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 2:7

"And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed."

Now you probably already understand that the word Achar or Achor is the same as Achan. So the valley of Achor is the valley of Achan. And Achan is here called the troubler of Israel. Why? Because he transgressed in the thing accursed. Now, if you want to understand the background, go back in your Bibles, first of all, to Joshua chapter 6. And then we'll look at chapter 7, but look in chapter 6 of Joshua and especially verses 17 and 18. You will remember how the children of Israel now have come to Jericho and everything in Jericho is cursed.

The only ones to escape are to be Rahab and her family. God says that His people, as they destroy Jericho, they're to touch nothing. They're to take nothing for themselves. Everything is dedicated to judgment. So look at it. In the book of Joshua 6, verse 17,

Scripture Reading — Joshua 6:17-19

"And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it."

"But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord." So he said, don't touch anything. Anything that you find of value, it comes to me. Everything else is to be destroyed. Now, look in Joshua 7, beginning with verse 1. Follow, please.

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:1-26

"But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing."

You know, I find this very interesting and I don't have time to preach on this tonight, but it was the children of Israel who committed a trespass, but it was Achan who did it. One man. One man and his sin brought destruction upon the nation. Now look at it.

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:1-26

"But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel."

"And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide."

"He and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!" "For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?" Watch. "And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you."

Now let's stop right there. You know what happened? The tribes are taken. And one tribe was selected. The families were taken, and one family was selected, the family of Carmi. And when Achan came in front, Achan was taken. And Joshua said,

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:1-26

"My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me."

And if you'll skip down to verse 20,

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:1-26

"And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it."

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. Watch, if you would please, down to verse 24.

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:1-26

"And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of

Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day."

Now, let me just point out the fact that when Achan had stolen and hid all of this under his tent, without anyone else knowing it, the men came to Joshua and said, "Look, we've spied out Ai. It's a small city. Don't make all of God's men go up there and work. We don't need everybody. Just send a couple thousand of us. We can take care of them very easily." And so he sends three thousand up there. And guess what? They get defeated and they flee before the men of Ai and thirty-six Israelite soldiers are killed. Now, it's bad when you're defeated. It's worse when your men are slaughtered. But let me tell you, the defeat of Israel was not the bad part. The loss of the 36 lives was not the worst part either. If you look back in your Bibles there to Joshua chapter 7, notice, if you would please, verse 12. He says, "Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed."

And look what God says,

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:12

"Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you."

God said, "Joshua, you've lost it. I'm not going to be with you anymore. You are doomed to certain failure unless you deal with this thing right now." You know what the valley of Achor was? The valley of Achor was the doorway. It was the entrance to Canaan. And right as they were getting ready to go into the promised land, the door was slammed in their face. If they cannot defeat even a little tiny town, what hope do they have of defeating all of the enemies of the land? How could they continue? How could they proceed? How could they conquer? How could they exercise dominion? How could they go forward? God said, "I'll tell you the answer. Sin must be dealt with. It must be judged. It must be dealt with openly, honestly, and biblically." When God says in Hosea 2 and verse 15, "Behold, I give you the valley of Achor for a door of hope,"

you know what God is saying? God is saying, "I'm giving you judgment for a door of hope." Jericho was just the beginning of the wars of Canaan, and their putting away this accursed thing from them gave them hope that God now would be with them, that God would give them victory, that God would enable them to exercise dominion, and that God would return to them in mercy since they have now turned to Him in obedience. And so then it is a beginning of restoration. What is the door of hope? The door of hope is when we honestly deal with our sins before God. Let me point something out. Do you realize the sin that really, genuinely troubles you is not the sin that's going to overthrow you. The sin that's going to overthrow you is the one that you commit and you're never bothered by. If you're getting troubled over it, then there's hope for you. Do you realize it's one of the greatest mercies of God that he exposes our sins? When you stop and think about our sins,

Salvation and Judgment Are Inseparable

Judgment and deliverance go together. Christ's propitiation is salvation through judgment—God's wrath fell on Him. Praying for Christ's return is praying for judgment (2 Thessalonians 1). God is known by His judgments.

you talk about how embarrassed we are, how humiliated we are. I mean, it's not that we just did something, but we got caught. Let me tell you something. The greatest mercy of God that God can give us is when God points out our sins and exposes those sins and even makes them public if necessary. Do you remember old Nathan the prophet who went to David after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had Uriah her husband killed? Do you remember it was Nathan who went and told David this story about the rich man and all that he had and the poor man and the one little sheep? And the rich man spared to take of his own flock, and he took this one little sheep at the poor man's hand. And boy, David's sense of justice was upset, and he slapped his hand and said, "The man that hath done this thing shall restore fourfold, and he shall surely die." And old Nathan said, "Thou art the man."

And when you read 2 Samuel 12 and verse 1, it says this—are you listening?—"And the Lord sent Nathan unto David." You know what David had done? David had taken pains to cover up his sin. He tried to get Uriah to sleep with his wife, but Uriah wouldn't. He made him drunk! He still wouldn't. And when Uriah wouldn't cooperate, David had him killed. He thought he had everything covered.

No one knew except maybe Joab. But the Lord knew. And the Lord sent Nathan to David. One of the greatest mercies that God can have upon us is when he exposes our sin. And let me just tell you this, folks. I believe that this is one of the greatest problems we have in our families and raising our children. Each of us love our children. We would die for our children. But when our children do wrong, they have to learn a principle and the principle is this:

He who sins must suffer. You know what we do when our children get in trouble? We quickly run to bail them out. Oh, no. You know what our children have to learn? That there are consequences to everything you do. Sometimes when your kid gets thrown in jail, it might be wise to let him stay in overnight. Let him reap what he's sown just a little bit. Let him find out what it's like to be thrown into a cell with a bunch of drunks who stink and vomit everywhere. Don't buy him off.

And if he has to pay a fine, let him work it out. Let him work and pay for it himself. Don't try to keep him from suffering. You see, here's the problem. We are horrified at judgment. How many in this room really, truly want to suffer? None of us. We don't want to suffer. And when we think of judgment, especially the judgment of God, then we cringe. We don't want that.

Let me ask you a question. What would be your response if God brought down this economy tomorrow and he could overnight? Well, Federal Reserve notes worth nothing as it is. It has no value. What would be your response? What would be your response if you happen to awaken in the morning and found out that some virus had gotten loose in the White House and killed 398 congressmen—at least we got one or two there that need to live. But, you know, what would be your response?

You just stop and think about that. Would you say, "Oh, that's a catastrophe. What a horrible thing"? What if half the cities in this country were burned to the ground? You said, "Brother, that's a horrible thing." Oh, is it? What did God say? "I've given you the valley of Achor for a door of hope." You know what happened to Achan and his family? They were put to death. You said, "Brother, we understand Achan being put to death, but his family?" Evidently they were complicit with him. They knew about it.

And you got to remember this. His family was responsible for the death of 36 soldiers. Let me put it to you like this. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment upon Achan and his family that brought deliverance and blessing to the rest of the nation. Are you thinking with me? It was judgment, God's righteous judgment that destroyed the old world, but saved Noah and his family alive. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment, that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and spared Lot. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment, that destroyed the enemies of Canaan and over and over delivered His people. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment, that destroyed Babylon and Assyria and delivered His people again.

You know what we have forgotten? That destruction, judgment, and deliverance go together. There are two sides of one coin. Let me say it another way. You cannot have salvation without having judgment. Salvation and judgment go together. Whenever God judges his enemies, he always delivers his people. Whenever God delivers his people, he always judges his enemies. You cannot have salvation without judgment. You say, "Oh, come on, Brother Weaver. I mean, I've got salvation in Christ."

Well, look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 3. You want to think for just a moment about the salvation that God has provided. Look in Romans chapter 3, beginning there in verse 24. Romans 3 verse 24.

"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." So we're talking about Jesus Christ, verse 25, "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." Now, let's stop there. "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation." You say, "Brother Weaver, I can't even say that word and I certainly don't know what it means." Well, you need to learn because it occurs over and over in Scripture. It occurs at least a couple of other times. You know what the word propitiation means? It means to placate, to appease, to satisfy.

Now look what the Bible says. Watch this. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth"—talking about Christ—"to placate, to appease, to satisfy through faith in his blood." What in the world are we talking about? God was angry with us. Why? We were sinners. We were wicked. We were rebellious. We deserve death. We deserve judgment. We deserve hell. We deserve everything that God could throw upon us. But Jesus Christ stepped in and said, "I will be the substitute."

"I will be their representative." And Jesus Christ came in perfect obedience to the law. He worked out a perfect righteousness. And then He came in our place. And guess what? The wrath and the anger of God that should have fallen upon us fell upon Him. And in His obedience and in His death, He placated and satisfied the holiness and the righteousness of God. The only salvation we have in Jesus Christ is a salvation through judgment. You cannot have salvation without judgment. You say, "But, Brother Weaver, you know, I don't like to talk about judgment. I get scared. All I know is just pray for the Lord's return."

Turn in your Bibles, please, to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. I don't want you to get pietistic with me now. OK, because when you start praying for the Lord's return, I want to show you exactly what you're praying for. Look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 7. I can quote it, but I want you to look at it. 2 Thessalonians 1 and verse 7.

Scripture Reading — 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."

Notice what he said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels"

—what?—

Scripture Reading — 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

"in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God."

You cannot even pray for the Lord's return without praying for judgment. Salvation and judgment go together. What is the door of hope? The door of hope is the door of judgment, God's righteous judgment. Psalm 9 and verse 16 tells us, "The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands." Psalm 37 and verse 28 declares, "For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off." For the Lord loveth judgment, that is, he loveth justice. Just read the book of Ezekiel. Do you realize in the book of Ezekiel, you will find a phrase and that phrase is this: "And they shall know that I am the Lord." That phrase occurs 73 times in the book of Ezekiel. And in each time it occurs, it occurs in the context of judgment. 73 times, God said, "They shall know that I am the Lord." And each time it's in the context of judgment.

Let me tell you something, folks. We may not get the wicked to listen to our voice as we preach the gospel. But they will hear when God sends judgment.

Applications: How We Must Respond

We must be children of faith, trusting God's sovereignty; believe God judges the wicked in time; pray for His judgment (imprecatory prayers); repent and live holy lives; and embrace judgment as a friend and door of hope.

First, we must be children of faith. What do I mean by that? We know that God is absolutely and totally sovereign. He is in control. What does that mean? It means this: We cannot give in, we cannot give up, and we cannot give out. We cannot give way to discouragement, to depression, to despair. Why should we? We are His children. He is on the throne. He is in control. We must believe that He does all things well, and whatever He does, He does for our good and for His glory.

We can never, ever be discouraged. Who was it? The General? Was it Chesty Puller? Who? They said, "General, the enemy's in front of us and behind us and on each side." General Puller said, "Good, they can't get away from us now." Hey. Why should we be discouraged with God on the throne? If you don't know that God is sovereign, you better wake up. The one thing that will keep a child of God going is he knows that God is in absolute control. Secondly, we must understand and believe that God does listen, that God does and will judge the wicked in time and in history.

I want you to look in your Bibles for Proverbs 11 and verse 31. Proverbs 11 and verse 31. We must believe that God does and will judge the wicked in time and in history. Look what he says in Proverbs 11 in verse 31:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 11:31

"Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner."

Now, let me stop right there and ask you a question. Will we be rewarded in glory? Yes. Are there eternal rewards? Yes. I don't deny that. I'm thankful for that. But let me ask it like this: Do we have to wait until we get to glory before we have any of the blessings of God? No. All you've got to do is read Leviticus 26, read Deuteronomy 28, read any other passage in the Bible. And God has always promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Look what he said.

"Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth." God is not going to be any man's debtor. You honor God, He's going to honor you. How many of you have already been blessed? Look, you've got your health. You've got a family. You've got finances. You've got friends. You've got a ministry. Look at all the blessings that God has given us. Now, look at the rest of the verse. He says, "Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth." And then he says, "much more the wicked and the sinner." Now, God says, if I reward my people on the earth in time and in history, how much more will I give the wicked what they deserve? Hmm. What's he say? He said, I will reward them as well. You know what the Bible says in Job 19, verse 29? Let me just quote it. In Job 19 verse 29, God says, "Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment."

Now, what is he saying? He is saying all the temporal judgments on earth in time and in history just point to the one great and final judgment. "Be ye afraid of the sword"—why?—"for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword"—why?—"that ye may know there is a judgment." Let me ask you a question. I do want you to turn to Deuteronomy 7 because I want to show you this. This excites me. It may not excite you. But it does excite me.

I get to thinking of all these rich, powerful reprobates who think they're running the world and that everybody has to jump at their command. And they're anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Bible, anti-Christian. They're against anything that's righteous and holy and godly. And here's my question: Will God judge them? The answer is yes. Will God judge them in time and history? Yes, as well as eternity. Do you think God is embarrassed to judge them? Do you think God is reticent?

Look at Deuteronomy chapter 7, if you would, beginning there, verse 9. Look what the Bible says. "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face." God's not embarrassed to judge the wicked. He's not slack. We must be children of faith, but we also must understand that God does judge the wicked in time and in history. Turn in your Bibles, please, to Luke 18, because here's the third application tonight. Look in Luke chapter 18. I want to show you where we have failed as Christians. Luke 18. Here's the third application. If you understand that we must be children of faith and if you understand that God does indeed judge the wicked in time and history, the third application is this: We as God's children must learn to pray for God's judgment in time and in history. What? Yes, look in Luke 18.

Verse 1: "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man." So he broke both tables, the first and the second table of the Ten Commandments. He feared not God, neither regarded man. "And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."

Now stop there just for a moment. Here's the picture. Here's this unjust judge. And we could illustrate him by thousands in this country who feared not God nor regarded man. And this little widow woman kept saying, "Avenge me of mine adversary." "I'm not going to do it. Get out of here. I don't care about you. I don't care about—get out of my courtroom." And she keeps coming and she keeps coming and finally, the judge said, "I'm going to do something. I will avenge her, lest she weary me with her continual coming."

Now, I want you to see the application that our Lord made. I didn't make this. He did. Look at it in verse 6. "And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily." Here's my question. Do you think God is like that unjust judge? Do you think God cares nothing of justice, of righteousness? No. God is more interested in justice and more interested in righteousness than we are. He said, did you hear what He said? "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him?" How many of us have cried for God to execute justice? How many of us ask God to send His judgment?

You need to read the imprecatory prayers in the Bible. I don't have time to go through all of them. But Psalm 59 is a wonderful one. Psalm 58 is another good one. Psalm 68. Look at Psalm 68. Let me just give you an example of what David prayed. Here's an imprecatory prayer. Look at Psalm 68, if you would, beginning there with verse 1. Psalm 68, verse 1. David says, "Let God arise."

That's what I'd like to see. Let God arise. What's going to happen when God arises? "Let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice." What's he praying for? The destruction and the overthrow of the wicked. That's what he's praying for.

This is an imprecatory prayer. We've got to learn to pray, "Lord God, send Your justice. Send Your judgment. God, do something. We're so tired of what's going on. We're so helpless. Lord, do something." That's what those imprecatory prayers are for.

Fourthly, we must learn to repent of our sins and live holy, godly lives. Now let me tell you, and I don't have time to go through it tonight, but if you were to read Hebrews 12 and 1 Corinthians 11, especially verses 31 through 32, you will find that God does chastise his own. He said he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? If you are a child of God and you sin, God's going to chastise you. That's all there is to it. You may either obey by listening to his word, or you may obey by listening to his word and his rod. Micah 6 and verse 9 says, "Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it." I told some of the men today at dinner, my youngest grandson, who's now 15, when he was about seven or eight, I asked him to do something and he looked at me and he said, "Papa, I don't want to do it."

And I said, "I respect that." I said, "So therefore, I'll give you a choice. You may either do it, or you may get a whipping and then do it." He looked at me and said, "Pop, I think I'll just do it." I said, "I think you're a wise son." The wise son just listens. You know what the Bible says? In 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 17, you can quote it, I'm sure.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17

"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God."

You know what praying for God's judgment and God's justice will do? If you honestly, genuinely pray for God's judgment, two things are going to happen. Number one, it's going to make you more diligent to warn the wicked because you know that it's coming. And number two, it's going to make you live more holy and godly because you understand God's no respecter of persons. You mess up, God with you, he can clean your plow just like he can clean everybody else's plow. So we need to learn to live holy, godly lives. Fifthly, we need to learn that judgment is a door of hope. Let me say it like this. Judgment is not our enemy. Judgment is our friend. It is. You don't have to be afraid of your friend. Kevin's bigger than I am, but I'm not afraid of him. I'm not only outrunning, I'm outshooting. But no, I'm not afraid of him. He's my friend. Not afraid of Greg.

He's my friend. The point I'm trying to make is this. No one loves to suffer. But let me ask you a question. If you had cancer and you knew you had cancer and there was a doctor who could cut it out and save your life, as much as you despise the pain of surgery and the experience of surgery, would you not willingly undergo that surgery in order to save your life? Sure you would. You would have that cancer cut out in a heartbeat. You know something, folks? We've got to understand that our government is not going to save us. As much as I respect our Constitution, the Constitution is not going to save us. We cannot save ourselves. The truth is, if God doesn't save us, we're not going to be saved.

Biblical Examples of Judgment Bringing Deliverance

In Exodus 5–6, Moses and Israel had to come to an end of themselves before God acted. Psalm 44 calls God to 'command deliverances for Jacob' again. Our hope is in God's mercy and judgment.

And if God does not, in His righteous judgment, straighten this nation out, we'll never be straightened out. Now, let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, chapter 5. I want you to watch this, because to me, this is so exciting. Everybody knows this story, how God has sent Moses down to Egypt to Pharaoh and said, "Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go." You remember that? You remember what Pharaoh said? "I know not the Lord."

Scripture Reading — Exodus 5:15–6:1

"Neither will I let Israel go." I don't recognize your God, Moses. I don't recognize your authority, and I'm not about to obey him or you. Well, you know what happened next? Even the elders of the children of Israel went in and said, "Let us go, that we may serve the Lord." You know what Pharaoh said? "Ye are idle, ye are idle. Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle." Well, look at—let's pick it up right here. Look at Exodus chapter 5 and let's begin reading there with verse 15. "Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord."

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

Now let me show you what happened. Moses and Aaron have come and said, "Let God's people go." Pharaoh said, "I don't know you, and I don't know the Lord, and I'm not about to let them go." The elders came and said, "Let us go." "No, you're not going to go. And you're going to make the same brick, but you're going to make it without straw, and if you don't, you're going to be beaten." And finally, those elders see Moses and Aaron, and they said, "The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred." You said you were to deliver. All you've done is made things worse. You put a sword in their hand to slay us. The problem with you, Moses! And Moses falls down and says, "God, why did you even send me? You haven't delivered your people. Why am I here?"

Now, don't you look what happened. God has Moses and Aaron helpless. God has the elders helpless. God has the people helpless. Now, look in chapter 6 and verse 1. "Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land." God said, "When I get through with him, he'll be more than willing to let them go." But you notice what had to happen? Moses and Aaron and the elders and the people had to come to an end of themselves. They had to learn they can't. That doesn't mean that we do not fulfill our responsibilities. We must learn to be obedient and faithful regardless of the circumstances. I'm not to look at what's going on in Washington and get all scared and upset. I'm not to look at what's going on somewhere else and get all bent out of shape. No, no, no.

My eyes are upon the Lord and upon His Word. And He said, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord." And what else did He say? "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." He didn't say if the wicked would do it, he said that my people would do it. Let me tell you something, folks, there is no reason for anybody to be discouraged when God is on the throne and there's no reason for any child of God to be afraid of judgment. For judgment is a door of hope. God can do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves. It is our responsibility to cry unto the Lord, saying, "Avenge your own elect. Avenge your people, O God. Give justice. Give justice." There's a song, and I can't sing, but I love to hear it sung.

And I don't even know the name of it. But the chorus goes like this: "I want to see Israel marching. I want to hear that battle call. I want to see Israel marching, I want to see old Babylon fall." And brother, let me tell you, I want to see it fall and it shall fall. It shall fall. For only the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ is going to endure forever. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

God said, "I've given you a door of hope." That door of hope is judgment. One last passage. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 44. Psalm 44. I could preach another hour just on this passage, but look at it, please. We'll close with this one. But look in Psalm 44. I love this passage. The psalmist says in verse 1,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 44:1-4

"We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old."

In other words, we've heard about all of your miracles. We've heard about all your deliverances. Verse 2,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 44:1-4

"How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out."

"For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them." Now watch what he said. "Lord, we've heard with our ears. Our fathers have told us, we know what you did. We know the mighty deliverance that you gave in times past. We've heard it over and over and over. We repeated it. And we've heard it repeated. We know that." But when you get to verse 4, here's what he says: "Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob."

Let me tell you what he's saying there. "Do it again, O Lord. Do it again. You're the same sovereign God of miracles and power that we've been hearing about all of our lives. You're still the God who's on the throne. Lord, command thou deliverances for Jacob. Do it again!" And God can do it again. Our hope is in Him and His mercy and His grace and in His judgment. Let's pray.

Conclusion and Prayer

Weaver prays that God would help us deal honestly with sin, repent, and seek His justice and judgment, for in that we find deliverance.

Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ that You would speak to us. Help us to understand the simple principle that You've given us the valley of Achor for a door of hope. As individuals, as families, as churches, even as a nation, we must deal honestly and openly with our sins. We must repent of them and turn to Thee, and seek Thy mercy and Thy forgiveness. Give us, Lord, Thy justice and Thy judgment, for in that we shall find deliverance by Your grace. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Judgment as a Door of Hope

Summary: God's righteous judgment is not something to fear but the very means by which He restores blessing, deliverance, and dominion to His people.

Evidence: Hosea 2:15: 'I will give her... the valley of Achor for a door of hope.' The valley of Achor was the place of Achan's judgment, which reopened the door into Canaan.

The Inseparability of Salvation and Judgment

Summary: Salvation always involves judgment—Christ's propitiation satisfied God's wrath, and every deliverance of God's people is accompanied by judgment on His enemies.

Evidence: Romans 3:25: Christ as propitiation; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9: Christ returns in flaming fire taking vengeance; Psalm 9:16: 'The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth.'

The Failure of Christians to Exercise Dominion

Summary: Christians were commanded to exercise dominion but have failed through division, passivity, and sin, contributing to national decay.

Evidence: Genesis 1, Psalm 8, Matthew 28 command dominion; Luke 19:13 says 'Occupy till I come.' Christians have been divisive and uncooperative.

The Necessity of Repentance and Holy Living

Summary: God chastises His own children; judgment must begin at the house of God. Praying for judgment should drive us to personal holiness and repentance.

Evidence: 1 Peter 4:17: 'judgment must begin at the house of God'; Hebrews 12: God scourges every son; Micah 6:9: 'Hear ye the rod.'

Praying for God's Judgment

Summary: Believers are called to pray imprecatory prayers, asking God to avenge His elect and execute justice on the wicked, as the widow did with the unjust judge.

Evidence: Luke 18:1-8: the parable of the unjust judge; Psalm 68:1-3: 'Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered.'

God's Sovereignty and Faithfulness

Summary: God is absolutely sovereign and in control; therefore, believers must not give in to discouragement but trust that He will act in time and history.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 7:9-10: God repays those who hate Him to their face; Proverbs 11:31: the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth.

Key Arguments

The valley of Achor represents judgment that opens the door to blessing.

Summary: Achan's sin brought defeat, but his judgment removed the curse and restored God's presence and victory, making the valley of Achor a door of hope into Canaan.

Evidence: Joshua 7:1-26: Achan's sin, defeat at Ai, and judgment in the valley of Achor; Hosea 2:15: God gives the valley of Achor as a door of hope.

Christ's atonement is salvation through judgment.

Summary: Jesus Christ placated God's wrath by bearing the judgment we deserved, demonstrating that salvation cannot occur apart from judgment.

Evidence: Romans 3:24-25: Christ as propitiation through faith in His blood.

Praying for Christ's return is praying for judgment.

Summary: 2 Thessalonians 1 describes Christ's return as bringing flaming fire and vengeance on the disobedient, so longing for His return inherently longs for judgment.

Evidence: 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9: Christ revealed in flaming fire taking vengeance.

God judges the wicked in time and history, not just eternity.

Summary: Scripture promises that the righteous are recompensed in the earth, and much more the wicked; temporal judgments point to the final judgment.

Evidence: Proverbs 11:31; Job 19:29: 'wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.'

Believers must pray for God's avenging justice.

Summary: Jesus taught that God will avenge His elect who cry day and night; the imprecatory Psalms model praying for the destruction of the wicked.

Evidence: Luke 18:1-8; Psalm 68:1-3.

Judgment must begin with God's people.

Summary: Before God judges the world, He chastises His own children to produce holiness; praying for judgment should lead to self-examination and repentance.

Evidence: 1 Peter 4:17; Hebrews 12:6-8.

Human helplessness precedes divine deliverance.

Summary: In Exodus 5–6, Moses and Israel had to come to the end of their own strength before God acted with a strong hand against Pharaoh.

Evidence: Exodus 5:15–6:1: Moses' complaint and God's promise to act.

God can and will act again as He did in the past.

Summary: Psalm 44 recounts God's past deliverances and calls on Him to 'command deliverances for Jacob' again, affirming that the same sovereign God still reigns.

Evidence: Psalm 44:1-4.

Scripture References

Hosea 2:15

Context: The key text: God promises to give Israel the valley of Achor for a door of hope, leading to restoration and singing.

Isaiah 65:9-15

Context: The valley of Achor is a place of rest for God's people who seek Him, while those who forsake the Lord face judgment.

Joel 3:13-16

Context: Multitudes in the valley of decision (judgment) at the day of the Lord; God is the hope of His people.

1 Chronicles 2:7

Context: Achar (Achan) is called the troubler of Israel because he transgressed in the accursed thing.

Joshua 6:17-19

Context: God commands that Jericho be accursed; the people must not take any of the devoted things.

Joshua 7:1-26

Context: Achan's sin, Israel's defeat at Ai, the exposure of Achan, and his judgment in the valley of Achor.

Joshua 7:12

Context: God declares He will not be with Israel unless they destroy the accursed thing from among them.

Romans 3:24-25

Context: Christ is set forth as a propitiation through faith in His blood, satisfying God's wrath.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

Context: Christ will be revealed in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God.

Psalm 9:16

Context: The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; the wicked are snared in their own works.

Psalm 37:28

Context: The Lord loves judgment and does not forsake His saints; the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

Revelation 9:20-21

Context: Despite severe plagues, the rest of mankind did not repent of their sins.

Proverbs 11:31

Context: The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner.

Deuteronomy 7:9-10

Context: God repays those who hate Him to their face and is not slack in doing so.

Luke 18:1-8

Context: The parable of the unjust judge teaches that God will avenge His elect who cry day and night.

Psalm 68:1-3

Context: An imprecatory prayer: Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, let the wicked perish.

1 Peter 4:17

Context: Judgment must begin at the house of God.

Exodus 5:15–6:1

Context: Moses and Israel's helplessness before Pharaoh, and God's promise to act with a strong hand.

Psalm 44:1-4

Context: Recalling God's past deliverances and asking Him to command deliverances again.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Context: If God's people humble themselves and pray, He will heal their land (alluded to).

Historical References

Achan's sin and judgment in the valley of Achor (Joshua 7)

Context: The foundational Old Testament event that defines the valley of Achor as a place of judgment that restored Israel's hope of entering Canaan.

The Exodus and Pharaoh's oppression (Exodus 5–6)

Context: Used to illustrate how God brings His people to helplessness before delivering them through judgment on their enemies.

Nathan's confrontation of David (2 Samuel 12)

Context: An example of God's mercy in exposing hidden sin, leading to repentance.

The destruction of the old world, Sodom and Gomorrah, Canaan, Babylon, Assyria

Context: Cited as examples of God's righteous judgment bringing deliverance to His people.

The angel who killed 185,000 Syrian soldiers (2 Kings 19:35)

Context: Illustrates the power of God's judgment through a single angel.

General Chesty Puller's quote

Context: Used to illustrate the attitude of faith: when surrounded, 'Good, they can't get away from us now.'

Important Quotes

I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope.

Significance: The central text of the sermon, establishing that God gives judgment (the valley of Achor) as a door of hope.

Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

Significance: God's warning to Joshua that sin must be dealt with for His presence and victory to return.

You cannot have salvation without having judgment. Salvation and judgment go together.

Significance: A key theological principle: deliverance always involves judgment on sin or enemies.

The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

Significance: Psalm 9:16 quoted to show that God reveals Himself through judgment.

And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.

Significance: Jesus' teaching that God will certainly bring justice for His praying people.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.

Significance: 1 Peter 4:17 quoted to emphasize that God's judgment starts with His own people.

Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

Significance: Psalm 44:4, a prayer for God to act again in power as He did in the past.

Discussion Questions

How does the story of Achan in Joshua 7 help us understand Hosea 2:15's promise of 'the valley of Achor for a door of hope'?

Context: Weaver explains that the valley of Achor was the place of judgment that reopened the door into Canaan.

In what ways have Christians failed to exercise biblical dominion, and what are the consequences?

Context: Weaver argues that Christians have been divisive and passive, failing to be salt and light.

Why does Weaver insist that salvation and judgment are inseparable? How does this shape our understanding of the gospel?

Context: He points to Christ's propitiation and the nature of His return as examples.

What does it mean to pray for God's judgment, and how should such prayers affect our own lives?

Context: Weaver cites Luke 18 and the imprecatory Psalms, and warns that praying for judgment should lead to personal holiness.

How can we cultivate a view of judgment as a 'friend' and a 'door of hope' rather than something to fear?

Context: Weaver uses the analogy of cancer surgery and the examples of Exodus and Psalm 44.

What does it look like to 'wait upon the Lord' without sitting back and doing nothing?

Context: Weaver critiques passive eschatology and calls for active faith and obedience.

Applications

Be children of faith who trust God's sovereignty

Summary: We must not give in to discouragement or despair because God is on the throne and in control.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We cannot give in, we cannot give up, and we cannot give out. We cannot give way to discouragement, to depression, to despair. Why should we? We are His children. He is on the throne.'

Believe that God judges the wicked in time and history

Summary: We must trust that God will repay the wicked on earth, not just in eternity, as Proverbs 11:31 and Deuteronomy 7:9-10 teach.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We must understand and believe that God does listen, that God does and will judge the wicked in time and in history.'

Pray for God's judgment and justice

Summary: We should pray imprecatory prayers, asking God to avenge His elect and execute justice, as Jesus taught in Luke 18.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We as God's children must learn to pray for God's judgment in time and in history.'

Repent of personal and corporate sin

Summary: Judgment must begin at the house of God; we must deal honestly with our sins and live holy lives.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We must learn to repent of our sins and live holy, godly lives.'

Embrace judgment as a door of hope

Summary: Rather than fearing judgment, we should see it as God's means of clearing away evil and restoring blessing.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Judgment is not our enemy. Judgment is our friend.'

Cry out for God to act again

Summary: Like the psalmist in Psalm 44, we should ask God to 'command deliverances for Jacob' and do again what He did in the past.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Do it again, O Lord. Do it again.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:57:22Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:32:39Z

Clean Transcript

A Door of Hope

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

Well, I want you to open your Bibles tonight to the book of Hosea chapter 2, if you would please. Hosea chapter 2. There's a lot of ground to cover tonight, so I trust that you will have your fingers ready to turn in the scriptures. Hosea chapter 2. I'm going to be bringing a message tonight which is entitled "A Door of Hope." So if you look in Hosea chapter 2 and verse 15, this is the only verse we're going to read in Hosea 2, and we're going to take the rest of the time tonight explaining it. Hosea 2, verse 15: "And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope."
#1 | 0:00 to 0:43 | cleaned
"And she shall sing there as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt." Now, notice what God is promising to Israel. He is promising her a door of hope. And he says, through this door of hope she shall sing there as in her days of youth and as the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
#2 | 0:44 to 1:08 | cleaned
Now when you begin to think about hope, everyone needs hope. Those who are sick need hope. Those who are discouraged need hope. Those who are hunters need hope. Fishermen need hope. And that's what keeps them going back. They hope they're going to catch the big one or shoot the big buck. But, you know, there's the old saying that hope springs eternal in the breast. And when you and I look around and see what is going on today, very definitely, I think we do need some hope because everyone who has any grasp of the situation in our land today—anyone who views the depravity, the wickedness, the vileness of our nation—asks themselves, "What in the world is going to happen?" Intuitively, each of us understand that we cannot keep going as we are in this country.
#3 | 1:08 to 2:06 | cleaned
We live in a day where 40 million babies have been aborted and murdered. We live in a day where the divorce rate is 50%, even among professing Christians. We live in a day where socialism, Marxism, and communism abound. Where sodomy is not only approved and condoned, it is legalized. We have a judicial system that is out of control. We have a Congress that is corrupt and does not care for the people or the Constitution.
#4 | 2:07 to 2:44 | cleaned
We have an executive branch that does basically as it pleases. We're living in a day when God is denied, when his law is trampled underfoot, when righteousness and justice are mocked and Christians are despised and persecuted. And we live in a day when seemingly we're almost—it is almost impossible to stop the onslaught of the New World Order. How do we escape? What is our hope? The truth is, God has called us as Christians to exercise dominion and we failed. I have two messages back there on the biblical doctrine of dominion. In Genesis chapter one, when God created Adam and Eve, he gave them dominion over everything. He repeated that promise to Noah and that command in Genesis chapter 9. It's then repeated again in Psalm 8. And when you get to Matthew 28, which is the Great Commission there, the Great Commission is part and parcel of the command to exercise dominion.
#5 | 2:45 to 4:00 | cleaned
Do you realize the word dominion, just the word dominion itself, occurs 62 times in our Bibles? That does not count the variation of the word. That's just the word dominion. There are some people that will deny that we've been called to exercise dominion, but you've got to believe something about the doctrine because the very word occurs 62 times in the Bible. Moreover, the Bible tells us in Luke chapter 19 in verse 13, our Lord said, "Occupy till I come." And the word "occupy" literally means to do business, to keep doing trade. Whatever the word "occupy" means, it does not mean to sit idly by and do nothing.
#6 | 4:00 to 4:40 | cleaned
When you look around and ask, "Have we failed in this country as Christians?" the answer is yes. Even our Lord told us that we're to be the salt of the earth. One of the attributes of salt is it preserves. Let me ask you this question: What have we preserved? And the answer is basically nothing. You look around at Christians, and I'm talking about professing Christians. I know not everybody who professes is a possessor, I understand that. But do you realize that most Christians as a whole are divisive, vindictive, uncooperative, and unwilling to be involved in anything unless they have control over it.
#7 | 4:41 to 5:36 | cleaned
Most preachers are like that, too. As long as they can be in charge, they're willing to do it. But if they can't run it and if it can't be done according to what they want, then they're not going to have any part of it. You said, "But brother, we got the Patriots in this country." Well, let me tell you, many of the so-called Patriots are even worse.
#8 | 5:39 to 5:59 | cleaned
Because if you do not follow their plan, if you do not follow their thoughts and their ideas, then you're either labeled as an enemy or double agent. You know, that's the truth. The patriot community is just as fractured and just as divided as Christianity. Many people sit back and say, "Well, Pastor, you know, the Lord told us that in the last days evil men would wax worse and worse, and there's nothing we can do about it. So we might as well just sit back and wait for the Lord's return." Well, you know, that's a wonderful thought, but I've got several questions on that. Do we sit back the way those five foolish virgins did in Matthew 25 and verse 8 with our lamps going out? Do we sit back the way that unjust steward did in Luke 12 and verse 45, who began to be drunk and disobedient and beat those around him? Do we sit back the way that rich, foolish farmer did in Luke chapter 12, who accumulated everything and then died without ever enjoying it?
#9 | 6:00 to 7:12 | cleaned
Well, the Bible tells us to wait upon the Lord, and there is a biblical doctrine of waiting on the Lord, and I've preached on that, but let me tell you something. When the Bible tells us to wait upon the Lord, it does not mean sit back and do absolutely nothing. Now, the Bible tells us that God has given us a door of hope. You say, "I know what that door of hope is, Brother Weaver. The door of hope is the return of our Lord." Well, let me just put it like this: I believe in the personal, visible, bodily return of Jesus Christ. I believe he's coming back personally, literally, and visibly.
#10 | 7:16 to 8:05 | cleaned
But here is my question: Must we wait until he returns until things can be straightened out in any degree at all? I understand, folks, and I can show you the Scripture. You can quote the Scripture as well as I can, but I can show you the Scripture where when our Lord returns, it is true that He will right everything perfectly. And the Bible tells us in 1 John 3 and verse 2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
#11 | 8:06 to 8:46 | cleaned
"And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." I know that Jesus Christ is the perfect answer, and I know that when He returns, He will straighten out everything perfectly and completely. But my question is: What about right now in time and in history? Do we have to wait until our Lord returns before there's any remediation or restoration? And the answer is no. If you look back in your Bibles to Hosea 2 and verse 15, look at—our Lord says that "I will give her"—and he's talking about Israel—"I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope."
#12 | 8:46 to 9:36 | cleaned
"And she shall sing there as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt." In other words, he's going to restore to his people their joy, their happiness, their blessings, their dominion. So God has promised now a door of hope. What is a door of hope? A door of hope is a door of restoration and a door of blessings. It is the entrance into the will and the blessing of God. But I want you to note particularly in verse 15, he said, and he's going to give her the valley of Achor for a door of hope. Now, if you understand what the door of hope is, you have to understand what the valley of Achor is, because it was the valley of Achor that was given as a door of hope.
#13 | 9:38 to 10:31 | cleaned
Now, I want you to hold Hosea chapter 2, but look in your Bibles, if you would, please, to the book of Isaiah 65. And let me just show you a passage that mentions Achor, the valley of Achor. Notice Isaiah 65, and let's begin reading there in verse 9. We'll read through verse 15. Isaiah 65, beginning with verse 9, God says, "And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me."
#14 | 10:31 to 11:19 | cleaned
Then he talks to some others, he says, "But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name."
#15 | 11:21 to 12:13 | cleaned
Now, there are several things I could point out right here according to Isaiah 65. If you look in verse 9, first of all, God says there is an elect, there is a remnant. He said, "I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains, and mine elect shall inherit it." Let me tell you something, folks. I do not care how perverse, how wicked, how corrupt professing Christendom comes. God still has his seed. He still has his chosen, his elect, and they are going to be his. I don't care how many apostatize.
#16 | 12:13 to 12:48 | cleaned
He's got his people, period. Notice, if you would, in verse 10, he tells us that Achor is a fat pasture in which herds lie down. He said, "And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me."
#17 | 12:50 to 13:08 | cleaned
Now, I was raised on a farm. I still live on a farm. I have cattle. And I can tell you one thing about cattle: they don't lie down until they're full. Once you see them lying down, you know they're full. He said, here is this fat pasture in which folks are going to lie down in. And then notice in verse 10 also, he says that Sharon and Achor are promised blessings to whom? To my people who have sought me. And then verses 11 through 15, there those who do not seek the Lord are going to be destroyed. They're going to be judged. That's why he says in verse 11, "But ye are they that forsake the Lord." And then he goes on down and says that he's going to slay them because of their wickedness.
#18 | 13:08 to 14:01 | cleaned
So here in Isaiah 65 we have a mention then of this valley of Achor. Do you remember the passage in the Song of Solomon chapter 2 and verse 1 where Christ is called the Rose of Sharon and he's also called the Lily of the Valleys? Have you ever wondered what Christ has to do with valleys? Have you ever even thought of what valleys are representative of as you read through the Word of God? Now it is true that Jesus Christ is Lord of the valleys, just like he is Lord of the mountains.
#19 | 14:02 to 14:33 | cleaned
But let me tell you something. When you read about a valley in the Bible, you're reading about judgment. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Joel. Turn right over. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Got it backwards. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look in Joel chapter 3, if you would please, and verse 14. Here's a passage that many of you have heard preachers preach from a great many times. "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." And usually when you hear preachers preach this text, they're talking about here are people that are undecided for Christ and what they need to do is make their decision right now to come to Christ. And let me tell you something. Verse 14 has nothing to do with conversion and it has nothing to do with individuals making decisions for Christ. If you read this in the context, it has everything to do with judgment. Look in verse 13.
#20 | 14:35 to 15:55 | cleaned
What does God say? "Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision." And by the way, the word for "decision" there is actually a sharp, threshing instrument, which can be used to slay. "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision" or judgment.
#21 | 15:55 to 16:21 | cleaned
"The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." So when he's talking about multitudes in the valley of decision, he's talking about multitudes that's about to be judged and destroyed by the power of God. Now you know something about a valley. Now, God says, "I've given you the valley of Achor for a door of hope." Now you've got to find out what this valley of Achor is.
#22 | 16:22 to 16:58 | cleaned
So if you will turn back in your Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 2, and look, if you would please, at verse 7. 1 Chronicles chapter 2 and verse 7, watch carefully. Everyone is going to remember this name in just a moment. 1 Chronicles chapter 2 in verse 7. Here he names the sons of Carmi. And he says in verse 7, "And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed." Now you probably already understand that the word Achar or Achor is the same as Achan. So the valley of Achor is the valley of Achan. And Achan is here called the troubler of Israel. Why? Because he transgressed in the thing accursed. Now, if you want to understand the background, go back in your Bibles, first of all, to Joshua chapter 6. And then we'll look at chapter 7, but look in chapter 6 of Joshua and especially verses 17 and 18. You will remember how the children of Israel now have come to Jericho and everything in Jericho is cursed.
#23 | 16:58 to 18:26 | cleaned
The only ones to escape are to be Rahab and her family. God says that His people, as they destroy Jericho, they're to touch nothing. They're to take nothing for themselves. Everything is dedicated to judgment. So look at it. In the book of Joshua 6, verse 17, "And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it."
#24 | 18:27 to 19:08 | cleaned
"But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord." So he said, don't touch anything. Anything that you find of value, it comes to me. Everything else is to be destroyed.
#25 | 19:08 to 19:22 | cleaned
Now, look in Joshua 7, beginning with verse 1. Follow, please. "But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing." You know, I find this very interesting and I don't have time to preach on this tonight, but it was the children of Israel who committed a trespass, but it was Achan who did it. One man. One man and his sin brought destruction upon the nation. Now look at it. "But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel."
#26 | 19:23 to 20:09 | cleaned
"And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide."
#27 | 20:10 to 20:54 | cleaned
"He and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!"
#28 | 20:54 to 21:15 | cleaned
"For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?" Watch. "And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you."
#29 | 21:15 to 21:58 | cleaned
Now let's stop right there. You know what happened? The tribes are taken. And one tribe was selected. The families were taken, and one family was selected, the family of Carmi. And when Achan came in front, Achan was taken. And Joshua said, "My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me." And if you'll skip down to verse 20, "And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it." So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. Watch, if you would please, down to verse 24. "And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of
#30 | 21:59 to 23:15 | cleaned
Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day."
#31 | 23:15 to 23:39 | cleaned
Now, let me just point out the fact that when Achan had stolen and hid all of this under his tent, without anyone else knowing it, the men came to Joshua and said, "Look, we've spied out Ai. It's a small city. Don't make all of God's men go up there and work. We don't need everybody. Just send a couple thousand of us. We can take care of them very easily." And so he sends three thousand up there. And guess what? They get defeated and they flee before the men of Ai and thirty-six Israelite soldiers are killed. Now, it's bad when you're defeated. It's worse when your men are slaughtered. But let me tell you, the defeat of Israel was not the bad part. The loss of the 36 lives was not the worst part either. If you look back in your Bibles there to Joshua chapter 7, notice, if you would please, verse 12. He says, "Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed."
#32 | 23:40 to 24:51 | cleaned
And look what God says, "Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you." God said, "Joshua, you've lost it. I'm not going to be with you anymore. You are doomed to certain failure unless you deal with this thing right now." You know what the valley of Achor was? The valley of Achor was the doorway. It was the entrance to Canaan. And right as they were getting ready to go into the promised land, the door was slammed in their face. If they cannot defeat even a little tiny town, what hope do they have of defeating all of the enemies of the land? How could they continue? How could they proceed? How could they conquer? How could they exercise dominion? How could they go forward? God said, "I'll tell you the answer. Sin must be dealt with. It must be judged. It must be dealt with openly, honestly, and biblically." When God says in Hosea 2 and verse 15, "Behold, I give you the valley of Achor for a door of hope,"
#33 | 24:51 to 26:26 | cleaned
you know what God is saying? God is saying, "I'm giving you judgment for a door of hope." Jericho was just the beginning of the wars of Canaan, and their putting away this accursed thing from them gave them hope that God now would be with them, that God would give them victory, that God would enable them to exercise dominion, and that God would return to them in mercy since they have
#34 | 26:26 to 26:52 | cleaned
now turned to Him in obedience. And so then it is a beginning of restoration. What is the door of hope? The door of hope is when we honestly deal with our sins before God. Let me point something out. Do you realize the sin that really, genuinely troubles you is not the sin that's going to overthrow you. The sin that's going to overthrow you is the one that you commit and you're never bothered by. If you're getting troubled over it, then there's hope for you. Do you realize it's one of the greatest mercies of God that he exposes our sins? When you stop and think about our sins,
#35 | 26:52 to 27:51 | cleaned
you talk about how embarrassed we are, how humiliated we are. I mean, it's not that we just did something, but we got caught. Let me tell you something. The greatest mercy of God that God can give us is when God points out our sins and exposes those sins and even makes them public if necessary. Do you remember old Nathan the prophet who went to David after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had Uriah her husband killed? Do you remember it was Nathan who went and told David this story about the rich man and all that he had and the poor man and the one little sheep? And the rich man spared to take of his own flock, and he took this one little sheep at the poor man's hand. And boy, David's sense of justice was upset, and he slapped his hand and said, "The man that hath done this thing shall restore fourfold, and he shall surely die." And old Nathan said, "Thou art the man."
#36 | 27:52 to 29:10 | cleaned
And when you read 2 Samuel 12 and verse 1, it says this—are you listening?—"And the Lord sent Nathan unto David." You know what David had done? David had taken pains to cover up his sin. He tried to get Uriah to sleep with his wife, but Uriah wouldn't. He made him drunk! He still wouldn't. And when Uriah wouldn't cooperate, David had him killed. He thought he had everything covered.
#37 | 29:11 to 29:48 | cleaned
No one knew except maybe Joab. But the Lord knew. And the Lord sent Nathan to David. One of the greatest mercies that God can have upon us is when he exposes our sin. And let me just tell you this, folks. I believe that this is one of the greatest problems we have in our families and raising our children. Each of us love our children. We would die for our children. But when our children do wrong, they have to learn a principle and the principle is this:
#38 | 29:49 to 30:32 | cleaned
He who sins must suffer. You know what we do when our children get in trouble? We quickly run to bail them out. Oh, no. You know what our children have to learn? That there are consequences to everything you do. Sometimes when your kid gets thrown in jail, it might be wise to let him stay in overnight. Let him reap what he's sown just a little bit. Let him find out what it's like to be thrown into a cell with a bunch of drunks who stink and vomit everywhere. Don't buy him off.
#39 | 30:32 to 31:13 | cleaned
And if he has to pay a fine, let him work it out. Let him work and pay for it himself. Don't try to keep him from suffering. You see, here's the problem. We are horrified at judgment. How many in this room really, truly want to suffer? None of us. We don't want to suffer. And when we think of judgment, especially the judgment of God, then we cringe. We don't want that.
#40 | 31:13 to 31:42 | cleaned
Let me ask you a question. What would be your response if God brought down this economy tomorrow and he could overnight? Well, Federal Reserve notes worth nothing as it is. It has no value. What would be your response? What would be your response if you happen to awaken in the morning and found out that some virus had gotten loose in the White House and killed 398 congressmen—at least we got one or two there that need to live. But, you know, what would be your response?
#41 | 31:45 to 32:29 | cleaned
You just stop and think about that. Would you say, "Oh, that's a catastrophe. What a horrible thing"? What if half the cities in this country were burned to the ground? You said, "Brother, that's a horrible thing." Oh, is it? What did God say? "I've given you the valley of Achor for a door of hope." You know what happened to Achan and his family? They were put to death. You said, "Brother, we understand Achan being put to death, but his family?" Evidently they were complicit with him. They knew about it.
#42 | 32:30 to 33:06 | cleaned
And you got to remember this. His family was responsible for the death of 36 soldiers. Let me put it to you like this. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment upon Achan and his family that brought deliverance and blessing to the rest of the nation. Are you thinking with me? It was judgment, God's righteous judgment that destroyed the old world, but saved Noah and his family alive. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment, that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and spared Lot. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment, that destroyed the enemies of Canaan and over and over delivered His people. It was judgment, God's righteous judgment, that destroyed Babylon and Assyria and delivered His people again.
#43 | 33:07 to 34:03 | cleaned
You know what we have forgotten? That destruction, judgment, and deliverance go together. There are two sides of one coin. Let me say it another way. You cannot have salvation without having judgment. Salvation and judgment go together. Whenever God judges his enemies, he always delivers his people. Whenever God delivers his people, he always judges his enemies. You cannot have salvation without judgment. You say, "Oh, come on, Brother Weaver. I mean, I've got salvation in Christ."
#44 | 34:05 to 34:43 | cleaned
Well, look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 3. You want to think for just a moment about the salvation that God has provided. Look in Romans chapter 3, beginning there in verse 24. Romans 3 verse 24.
#45 | 34:43 to 34:59 | cleaned
"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." So we're talking about Jesus Christ, verse 25, "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." Now, let's stop there. "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation." You say, "Brother Weaver, I can't even say that word and I certainly don't know what it means."
#46 | 35:08 to 35:35 | cleaned
Well, you need to learn because it occurs over and over in Scripture. It occurs at least a couple of other times. You know what the word propitiation means? It means to placate, to appease, to satisfy.
#47 | 35:35 to 35:55 | cleaned
Now look what the Bible says. Watch this. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth"—talking about Christ—"to placate, to appease, to satisfy through faith in his blood." What in the world are we talking about? God was angry with us. Why? We were sinners. We were wicked. We were rebellious. We deserve death. We deserve judgment. We deserve hell. We deserve everything that God could throw upon us. But Jesus Christ stepped in and said, "I will be the substitute."
#48 | 35:56 to 36:34 | cleaned
"I will be their representative." And Jesus Christ came in perfect obedience to the law. He worked out a perfect righteousness. And then He came in our place. And guess what? The wrath and the anger of God that should have fallen upon us fell upon Him. And in His obedience and in His death, He placated and satisfied the holiness and the righteousness of God. The only salvation we have in Jesus Christ is a salvation through judgment. You cannot have salvation without judgment. You say, "But, Brother Weaver, you know, I don't like to talk about judgment. I get scared. All I know is just pray for the Lord's return."
#49 | 36:35 to 37:27 | cleaned
Turn in your Bibles, please, to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. I don't want you to get pietistic with me now. OK, because when you start praying for the Lord's return, I want to show you exactly what you're praying for. Look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 7. I can quote it, but I want you to look at it. 2 Thessalonians 1 and verse 7.
#50 | 37:29 to 37:58 | cleaned
"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." Notice what he said, "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels"—what?—"in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God."
#51 | 37:59 to 38:32 | cleaned
You cannot even pray for the Lord's return without praying for judgment. Salvation and judgment go together. What is the door of hope? The door of hope is the door of judgment, God's righteous judgment. Psalm 9 and verse 16 tells us, "The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands." Psalm 37 and verse 28 declares, "For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off." For the Lord loveth judgment, that is, he loveth justice.
#52 | 38:33 to 39:18 | cleaned
Just read the book of Ezekiel. Do you realize in the book of Ezekiel, you will find a phrase and that phrase is this: "And they shall know that I am the Lord." That phrase occurs 73 times in the book of Ezekiel. And in each time it occurs, it occurs in the context of judgment. 73 times, God said, "They shall know that I am the Lord." And each time it's in the context of judgment.
#53 | 39:20 to 39:55 | cleaned
Let me tell you something, folks. We may not get the wicked to listen to our voice as we preach the gospel. But they will hear when God sends judgment.
#54 | 39:55 to 40:06 | cleaned
Now, that doesn't mean they're going to be converted. But at least it will get their attention. Let me show you something. Look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation, chapter 9, and the principle I want to point out is this. You see, God may do one of two things. God may send judgment along with converting grace. OK, he doesn't have to. He may just send judgment. But if God just sends judgment without converting grace, all men will do is know that it's God's judgment, but yet they'll curse Him for it. So look in Revelation 9, beginning there in verse 20. The Bible says, "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."
#55 | 40:07 to 41:06 | cleaned
So here are people who were judged grievously. And yet they repented not. Let me tell you something, if God sends judgment without converting grace, all you have is destruction. Let me ask you a question. How can we turn this country around? The truth of the matter is, we cannot. But God can. And God doesn't have to send an atomic bomb. God doesn't have to use a militia. God doesn't have to use an armed force. All God has to do is send a few germs around. A little bacteria.
#56 | 41:07 to 42:11 | cleaned
Anybody ever heard of that flesh-eating virus? You can get it if you've got a paper cut. Can you imagine? All God has to do is send an angel. I sure don't want an angel to get mad at me. One angel in one night with one stroke killed 185,000 Syrian soldiers. Can you imagine what a whole platoon of them could do? I'm just simply pointing out the fact. Judgment
#57 | 42:13 to 42:49 | cleaned
is a door of hope now. Let me just lay these things out for you tonight and I want you to think about in light of this truth that God has given us the valley of Achor for a door of hope. He's talking about judgment and folks, if you believe somehow that God is going to overlook and excuse the wickedness of this country, you're mistaken. What is our responsibility?
#58 | 42:51 to 43:25 | cleaned
First, we must be children of faith. What do I mean by that? We know that God is absolutely and totally sovereign. He is in control. What does that mean? It means this: We cannot give in, we cannot give up, and we cannot give out. We cannot give way to discouragement, to depression, to despair. Why should we? We are His children. He is on the throne. He is in control. We must believe that He does all things well, and whatever He does, He does for our good and for His glory.
#59 | 43:27 to 44:09 | cleaned
We can never, ever be discouraged. Who was it? The General? Was it Chesty Puller? Who? They said, "General, the enemy's in front of us and behind us and on each side." General Puller said, "Good, they can't get away from us now." Hey. Why should we be discouraged with God on the throne? If you don't know that God is sovereign, you better wake up. The one thing that will keep a child of God going is he knows that God is in absolute control. Secondly, we must understand and believe that God does listen, that God does and will judge the wicked in time and in history.
#60 | 44:10 to 45:14 | cleaned
I want you to look in your Bibles for Proverbs 11 and verse 31. Proverbs 11 and verse 31. We must believe that God does and will judge the wicked in time and in history. Look what he says in Proverbs 11 in verse 31: "Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner."
#61 | 45:19 to 45:46 | cleaned
Now, let me stop right there and ask you a question. Will we be rewarded in glory? Yes. Are there eternal rewards? Yes. I don't deny that. I'm thankful for that. But let me ask it like this: Do we have to wait until we get to glory before we have any of the blessings of God? No. All you've got to do is read Leviticus 26, read Deuteronomy 28, read any other passage in the Bible. And God has always promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Look what he said.
#62 | 45:46 to 46:25 | cleaned
"Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth." God is not going to be any man's debtor. You honor God, He's going to honor you. How many of you have already been blessed? Look, you've got your health. You've got a family. You've got finances. You've got friends. You've got a ministry. Look at all the blessings that God has given us. Now, look at the rest of the verse. He says, "Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth." And then he says, "much more the wicked and the sinner." Now, God says, if I reward my people on the earth in time and in history, how much more will I give the wicked what they deserve? Hmm. What's he say? He said, I will reward them as well. You know what the Bible says in Job 19, verse 29? Let me just quote it. In Job 19 verse 29, God says, "Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment."
#63 | 46:25 to 47:33 | cleaned
Now, what is he saying? He is saying all the temporal judgments on earth in time and in history just point to the one great and final judgment. "Be ye afraid of the sword"—why?—"for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword"—why?—"that ye may know there is a judgment." Let me ask you a question. I do want you to turn to Deuteronomy 7 because I want to show you this. This excites me. It may not excite you. But it does excite me.
#64 | 47:34 to 48:12 | cleaned
I get to thinking of all these rich, powerful reprobates who think they're running the world and that everybody has to jump at their command. And they're anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Bible, anti-Christian. They're against anything that's righteous and holy and godly. And here's my question: Will God judge them? The answer is yes. Will God judge them in time and history? Yes, as well as eternity. Do you think God is embarrassed to judge them? Do you think God is reticent?
#65 | 48:13 to 48:54 | cleaned
Look at Deuteronomy chapter 7, if you would, beginning there, verse 9. Look what the Bible says. "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face."
#66 | 48:56 to 49:24 | cleaned
God's not embarrassed to judge the wicked. He's not slack. We must be children of faith, but we also must understand that God does judge the wicked in time and in history. Turn in your Bibles, please, to Luke 18, because here's the third application tonight. Look in Luke chapter 18. I want to show you where we have failed as Christians. Luke 18. Here's the third application. If you understand that we must be children of faith and if you understand that God does indeed judge the wicked in time and history, the third application is this: We as God's children must learn to pray for God's judgment in time and in history. What? Yes, look in Luke 18.
#67 | 49:27 to 50:29 | cleaned
Verse 1: "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man." So he broke both tables, the first and the second table of the Ten Commandments. He feared not God, neither regarded man. "And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."
#68 | 50:30 to 51:08 | cleaned
Now stop there just for a moment. Here's the picture. Here's this unjust judge. And we could illustrate him by thousands in this country who feared not God nor regarded man. And this little widow woman kept saying, "Avenge me of mine adversary." "I'm not going to do it. Get out of here. I don't care about you. I don't care about—get out of my courtroom." And she keeps coming and she keeps coming and finally, the judge said, "I'm going to do something. I will avenge her, lest she weary me with her continual coming."
#69 | 51:08 to 51:50 | cleaned
Now, I want you to see the application that our Lord made. I didn't make this. He did. Look at it in verse 6. "And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily." Here's my question. Do you think God is like that unjust judge? Do you think God cares nothing of justice, of righteousness? No. God is more interested in justice and more interested in righteousness than we are. He said, did you hear what He said? "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him?" How many of us have cried for God to execute justice? How many of us ask God to send His judgment?
#70 | 51:50 to 52:47 | cleaned
You need to read the imprecatory prayers in the Bible. I don't have time to go through all of them. But Psalm 59 is a wonderful one. Psalm 58 is another good one. Psalm 68. Look at Psalm 68. Let me just give you an example of what David prayed. Here's an imprecatory prayer. Look at Psalm 68, if you would, beginning there with verse 1. Psalm 68, verse 1. David says, "Let God arise."
#71 | 52:48 to 53:17 | cleaned
That's what I'd like to see. Let God arise. What's going to happen when God arises? "Let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice." What's he praying for? The destruction and the overthrow of the wicked. That's what he's praying for.
#72 | 53:17 to 53:47 | cleaned
This is an imprecatory prayer. We've got to learn to pray, "Lord God, send Your justice. Send Your judgment. God, do something. We're so tired of what's going on. We're so helpless. Lord, do something." That's what those imprecatory prayers are for.
#73 | 53:47 to 54:10 | cleaned
Fourthly, we must learn to repent of our sins and live holy, godly lives. Now let me tell you, and I don't have time to go through it tonight, but if you were to read Hebrews 12 and 1 Corinthians 11, especially verses 31 through 32, you will find that God does chastise his own. He said he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? If you are a child of God and you sin, God's going to chastise you.
#74 | 54:12 to 54:54 | cleaned
That's all there is to it. You may either obey by listening to his word, or you may obey by listening to his word and his rod. Micah 6 and verse 9 says, "Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it." I told some of the men today at dinner, my youngest grandson, who's now 15, when he was about seven or eight, I asked him to do something and he looked at me and he said, "Papa, I don't want to do it."
#75 | 54:55 to 55:24 | cleaned
And I said, "I respect that." I said, "So therefore, I'll give you a choice. You may either do it, or you may get a whipping and then do it." He looked at me and said, "Pop, I think I'll just do it." I said, "I think you're a wise son." The wise son just listens. You know what the Bible says? In 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 17, you can quote it, I'm sure.
#76 | 55:25 to 55:51 | cleaned
"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God." You know what praying for God's judgment and God's justice will do? If you honestly, genuinely pray for God's judgment, two things are going to happen. Number one, it's going to make you more diligent to warn the wicked because you know that it's coming. And number two, it's going to make you live more holy and godly because you understand God's no respecter of persons. You mess up, God with you, he can clean your plow just like he can clean everybody else's plow. So we need to learn to live holy, godly lives. Fifthly, we need to learn that judgment is a door of hope. Let me say it like this. Judgment is not our enemy. Judgment is our friend. It is. You don't have to be afraid of your friend. Kevin's bigger than I am, but I'm not afraid of him. I'm not only outrunning, I'm outshooting. But no, I'm not afraid of him. He's my friend. Not afraid of Greg.
#77 | 55:51 to 57:11 | cleaned
He's my friend. The point I'm trying to make is this. No one loves to suffer. But let me ask you a question. If you had cancer and you knew you had cancer and there was a doctor who could cut it out and save your life, as much as you despise the pain of surgery and the experience of surgery, would you not willingly undergo that surgery in order to save your life? Sure you would. You would have that cancer cut out in a heartbeat. You know something, folks? We've got to understand that our government is not going to save us. As much as I respect our Constitution, the Constitution is not going to save us. We cannot save ourselves. The truth is, if God doesn't save us, we're not going to be saved.
#78 | 57:11 to 58:16 | cleaned
And if God does not, in His righteous judgment, straighten this nation out, we'll never be straightened out. Now, let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, chapter 5. I want you to watch this, because to me, this is so exciting. Everybody knows this story, how God has sent Moses down to Egypt to Pharaoh and said, "Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go." You remember that? You remember what Pharaoh said? "I know not the Lord."
#79 | 58:16 to 58:52 | cleaned
"Neither will I let Israel go." I don't recognize your God, Moses. I don't recognize your authority, and I'm not about to obey him or you. Well, you know what happened next? Even the elders of the children of Israel went in and said, "Let us go, that we may serve the Lord." You know what Pharaoh said? "Ye are idle, ye are idle. Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle." Well, look at—let's pick it up right here. Look at Exodus chapter 5 and let's begin reading there with verse 15. "Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord."
#80 | 58:54 to 59:51 | cleaned
"Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task."
#81 | 59:51 to 1:00:03 | cleaned
Now look, "And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh." Now Moses and Aaron had already tried to get Pharaoh to let them go. No, he said. "And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."
#82 | 1:00:03 to 1:00:40 | cleaned
Now let me show you what happened. Moses and Aaron have come and said, "Let God's people go." Pharaoh said, "I don't know you, and I don't know the Lord, and I'm not about to let them go." The elders came and said, "Let us go." "No, you're not going to go. And you're going to make the same brick, but you're going to make it without straw, and if you don't, you're going to be beaten." And finally, those elders see Moses and Aaron, and they said, "The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred." You said you were to deliver.
#83 | 1:00:40 to 1:01:05 | cleaned
All you've done is made things worse. You put a sword in their hand to slay us. The problem with you, Moses! And Moses falls down and says, "God, why did you even send me? You haven't delivered your people. Why am I here?"
#84 | 1:01:06 to 1:01:21 | cleaned
Now, don't you look what happened. God has Moses and Aaron helpless. God has the elders helpless. God has the people helpless. Now, look in chapter 6 and verse 1. "Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land."
#85 | 1:01:21 to 1:01:49 | cleaned
God said, "When I get through with him, he'll be more than willing to let them go." But you notice what had to happen? Moses and Aaron and the elders and the people had to come to an end of themselves. They had to learn they can't. That doesn't mean that we do not fulfill our responsibilities. We must learn to be obedient and faithful regardless of the circumstances. I'm not to look at what's going on in Washington and get all scared and upset. I'm not to look at what's going on somewhere else and get all bent out of shape. No, no, no.
#86 | 1:01:49 to 1:02:33 | cleaned
My eyes are upon the Lord and upon His Word. And He said, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord." And what else did He say? "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." He didn't say if the wicked would do it, he said that my people would do it.
#87 | 1:02:34 to 1:03:07 | cleaned
Let me tell you something, folks, there is no reason for anybody to be discouraged when God is on the throne and there's no reason for any child of God to be afraid of judgment. For judgment is a door of hope. God can do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves. It is our responsibility to cry unto the Lord, saying, "Avenge your own elect. Avenge your people, O God. Give justice. Give justice." There's a song, and I can't sing, but I love to hear it sung.
#88 | 1:03:08 to 1:03:47 | cleaned
And I don't even know the name of it. But the chorus goes like this: "I want to see Israel marching. I want to hear that battle call. I want to see Israel marching, I want to see old Babylon fall." And brother, let me tell you, I want to see it fall and it shall fall. It shall fall. For only the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ is going to endure forever. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
#89 | 1:03:47 to 1:04:28 | cleaned
God said, "I've given you a door of hope." That door of hope is judgment. One last passage. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 44. Psalm 44. I could preach another hour just on this passage, but look at it, please. We'll close with this one. But look in Psalm 44. I love this passage. The psalmist says in verse 1, "We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old." In other words, we've heard about all of your miracles. We've heard about all your deliverances. Verse 2, "How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out."
#90 | 1:04:28 to 1:05:17 | cleaned
"For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them."
#91 | 1:05:17 to 1:05:31 | cleaned
Now watch what he said. "Lord, we've heard with our ears. Our fathers have told us, we know what you did. We know the mighty deliverance that you gave in times past. We've heard it over and over and over. We repeated it. And we've heard it repeated. We know that." But when you get to verse 4, here's what he says: "Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob."
#92 | 1:05:31 to 1:05:57 | cleaned
Let me tell you what he's saying there. "Do it again, O Lord. Do it again. You're the same sovereign God of miracles and power that we've been hearing about all of our lives. You're still the God who's on the throne. Lord, command thou deliverances for Jacob. Do it again!" And God can do it again. Our hope is in Him and His mercy and His grace and in His judgment. Let's pray.
#93 | 1:05:58 to 1:06:38 | cleaned
Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ that You would speak to us. Help us to understand the simple principle that You've given us the valley of Achor for a door of hope. As individuals, as families, as churches, even as a nation, we must deal honestly and openly with our sins. We must repent of them and turn to Thee, and seek Thy mercy and Thy forgiveness. Give us, Lord, Thy justice and Thy judgment, for in that we shall find deliverance by Your grace. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, Amen.
#94 | 1:06:39 to 1:07:22 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:57:22Z

A Door of Hope

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds Hosea 2:15, where God promises Israel 'the valley of Achor for a door of hope.' He traces the valley of Achor to the judgment of Achan in Joshua 7, arguing that God's righteous judgment is itself the door of hope—the means by which God restores blessing, deliverance, and dominion to His people. Weaver applies this to America's moral and political decay, calling Christians to faith in God's sovereignty, to pray for His judgment on the wicked, to repent of personal and corporate sin, and to see judgment not as an enemy but as a friend that clears the way for restoration.

Introduction: The Promise of a Door of Hope

Reading Hosea 2:15, God promises Israel a door of hope through which she will sing as in her youth. Everyone needs hope, especially given the depravity in our nation.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 2:15

"And she shall sing there as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt."

The Need for Hope in a Decaying Nation

Weaver catalogs America's sins—abortion, divorce, socialism, sodomy, corrupt government—and asks what hope we have. Christians were called to exercise dominion but have failed.

The Failure of Christians to Exercise Dominion

The Valley of Achor as Judgment

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 65:9-15

"And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me."

Now, there are several things I could point out right here according to Isaiah 65. If you look in verse 9, first of all, God says there is an elect, there is a remnant. He said,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 65:9-15

"I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains, and mine elect shall inherit it."

Scripture Reading — Joel 3:13-16

"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision."

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 2:7

"And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed."

Scripture Reading — Joshua 6:17-19

"And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it."

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:1-26

"But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing."

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:1-26

"But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel."

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:1-26

"My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me."

And if you'll skip down to verse 20,

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:1-26

"And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it."

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. Watch, if you would please, down to verse 24.

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:1-26

"And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of

And look what God says,

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:12

"Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you."

Salvation and Judgment Are Inseparable

Well, look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 3. You want to think for just a moment about the salvation that God has provided. Look in Romans chapter 3, beginning there in verse 24. Romans 3 verse 24.

Scripture Reading — 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."

Notice what he said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels"

—what?—

Scripture Reading — 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

"in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God."

Let me tell you something, folks. We may not get the wicked to listen to our voice as we preach the gospel. But they will hear when God sends judgment.

Applications: How We Must Respond

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 11:31

"Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner."

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17

"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God."

Biblical Examples of Judgment Bringing Deliverance

In Exodus 5–6, Moses and Israel had to come to an end of themselves before God acted. Psalm 44 calls God to 'command deliverances for Jacob' again. Our hope is in God's mercy and judgment.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 5:15–6:1

"Neither will I let Israel go." I don't recognize your God, Moses. I don't recognize your authority, and I'm not about to obey him or you. Well, you know what happened next? Even the elders of the children of Israel went in and said, "Let us go, that we may serve the Lord." You know what Pharaoh said? "Ye are idle, ye are idle. Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle." Well, look at—let's pick it up right here. Look at Exodus chapter 5 and let's begin reading there with verse 15. "Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 44:1-4

"We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old."

In other words, we've heard about all of your miracles. We've heard about all your deliverances. Verse 2,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 44:1-4

"How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out."

Conclusion and Prayer

Weaver prays that God would help us deal honestly with sin, repent, and seek His justice and judgment, for in that we find deliverance.

A Door of Hope

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	31507223012
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Christ and the Churches
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-03-15
Dictation Name
Book	Book 139: Revelation: Christ and the Churches — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	94

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Promise of a Door of Hope: Reading Hosea 2:15, God promises Israel a door of hope through which she will sing as in her youth. Everyone needs hope, especially given the depravity in our nation.
The Need for Hope in a Decaying Nation: Weaver catalogs America's sins—abortion, divorce, socialism, sodomy, corrupt government—and asks what hope we have. Christians were called to exercise dominion but have failed.
The Failure of Christians to Exercise Dominion: The Bible commands dominion (Genesis 1, Psalm 8, Matthew 28). Christians have been divisive and ineffective, and even the patriot community is fractured. Waiting for Christ's return does not mean doing nothing.
The Valley of Achor as Judgment: To understand the door of hope, we must understand the valley of Achor. In Joshua 7, Achan's sin brought defeat at Ai. God demanded the accursed thing be destroyed, and after Achan's judgment, God's favor returned. The valley of Achor was the doorway into Canaan, and judgment reopened that door.
Salvation and Judgment Are Inseparable: Judgment and deliverance go together. Christ's propitiation is salvation through judgment—God's wrath fell on Him. Praying for Christ's return is praying for judgment (2 Thessalonians 1). God is known by His judgments.
Applications: How We Must Respond: We must be children of faith, trusting God's sovereignty; believe God judges the wicked in time; pray for His judgment (imprecatory prayers); repent and live holy lives; and embrace judgment as a friend and door of hope.
Biblical Examples of Judgment Bringing Deliverance: In Exodus 5–6, Moses and Israel had to come to an end of themselves before God acted. Psalm 44 calls God to 'command deliverances for Jacob' again. Our hope is in God's mercy and judgment.
Conclusion and Prayer: Weaver prays that God would help us deal honestly with sin, repent, and seek His justice and judgment, for in that we find deliverance.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The valley of Achor represents judgment that opens the door to blessing.

Achan's sin brought defeat, but his judgment removed the curse and restored God's presence and victory, making the valley of Achor a door of hope into Canaan.

Joshua 7:1-26: Achan's sin, defeat at Ai, and judgment in the valley of Achor; Hosea 2:15: God gives the valley of Achor as a door of hope.

Christ's atonement is salvation through judgment.

Jesus Christ placated God's wrath by bearing the judgment we deserved, demonstrating that salvation cannot occur apart from judgment.

Romans 3:24-25: Christ as propitiation through faith in His blood.

Praying for Christ's return is praying for judgment.

2 Thessalonians 1 describes Christ's return as bringing flaming fire and vengeance on the disobedient, so longing for His return inherently longs for judgment.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9: Christ revealed in flaming fire taking vengeance.

God judges the wicked in time and history, not just eternity.

Scripture promises that the righteous are recompensed in the earth, and much more the wicked; temporal judgments point to the final judgment.

Proverbs 11:31; Job 19:29: 'wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.'

Believers must pray for God's avenging justice.

Jesus taught that God will avenge His elect who cry day and night; the imprecatory Psalms model praying for the destruction of the wicked.

Luke 18:1-8; Psalm 68:1-3.

Judgment must begin with God's people.

Before God judges the world, He chastises His own children to produce holiness; praying for judgment should lead to self-examination and repentance.

1 Peter 4:17; Hebrews 12:6-8.

Human helplessness precedes divine deliverance.

In Exodus 5–6, Moses and Israel had to come to the end of their own strength before God acted with a strong hand against Pharaoh.

Exodus 5:15–6:1: Moses' complaint and God's promise to act.

God can and will act again as He did in the past.

Psalm 44 recounts God's past deliverances and calls on Him to 'command deliverances for Jacob' again, affirming that the same sovereign God still reigns.

Psalm 44:1-4.

Scripture References

Hosea 2:15: The key text: God promises to give Israel the valley of Achor for a door of hope, leading to restoration and singing.
Isaiah 65:9-15: The valley of Achor is a place of rest for God's people who seek Him, while those who forsake the Lord face judgment.
Joel 3:13-16: Multitudes in the valley of decision (judgment) at the day of the Lord; God is the hope of His people.
1 Chronicles 2:7: Achar (Achan) is called the troubler of Israel because he transgressed in the accursed thing.
Joshua 6:17-19: God commands that Jericho be accursed; the people must not take any of the devoted things.
Joshua 7:1-26: Achan's sin, Israel's defeat at Ai, the exposure of Achan, and his judgment in the valley of Achor.
Joshua 7:12: God declares He will not be with Israel unless they destroy the accursed thing from among them.
Romans 3:24-25: Christ is set forth as a propitiation through faith in His blood, satisfying God's wrath.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9: Christ will be revealed in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God.
Psalm 9:16: The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; the wicked are snared in their own works.
Psalm 37:28: The Lord loves judgment and does not forsake His saints; the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
Revelation 9:20-21: Despite severe plagues, the rest of mankind did not repent of their sins.
Proverbs 11:31: The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner.
Deuteronomy 7:9-10: God repays those who hate Him to their face and is not slack in doing so.
Luke 18:1-8: The parable of the unjust judge teaches that God will avenge His elect who cry day and night.
Psalm 68:1-3: An imprecatory prayer: Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, let the wicked perish.
1 Peter 4:17: Judgment must begin at the house of God.
Exodus 5:15–6:1: Moses and Israel's helplessness before Pharaoh, and God's promise to act with a strong hand.
Psalm 44:1-4: Recalling God's past deliverances and asking Him to command deliverances again.
2 Chronicles 7:14: If God's people humble themselves and pray, He will heal their land (alluded to).

Historical References

Achan's sin and judgment in the valley of Achor (Joshua 7): The foundational Old Testament event that defines the valley of Achor as a place of judgment that restored Israel's hope of entering Canaan.
The Exodus and Pharaoh's oppression (Exodus 5–6): Used to illustrate how God brings His people to helplessness before delivering them through judgment on their enemies.
Nathan's confrontation of David (2 Samuel 12): An example of God's mercy in exposing hidden sin, leading to repentance.
The destruction of the old world, Sodom and Gomorrah, Canaan, Babylon, Assyria: Cited as examples of God's righteous judgment bringing deliverance to His people.
The angel who killed 185,000 Syrian soldiers (2 Kings 19:35): Illustrates the power of God's judgment through a single angel.
General Chesty Puller's quote: Used to illustrate the attitude of faith: when surrounded, 'Good, they can't get away from us now.'

Important Quotes

I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope.

The central text of the sermon, establishing that God gives judgment (the valley of Achor) as a door of hope.

Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

God's warning to Joshua that sin must be dealt with for His presence and victory to return.

You cannot have salvation without having judgment. Salvation and judgment go together.

A key theological principle: deliverance always involves judgment on sin or enemies.

The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

Psalm 9:16 quoted to show that God reveals Himself through judgment.

And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.

Jesus' teaching that God will certainly bring justice for His praying people.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.

1 Peter 4:17 quoted to emphasize that God's judgment starts with His own people.

Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

Psalm 44:4, a prayer for God to act again in power as He did in the past.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the story of Achan in Joshua 7 help us understand Hosea 2:15's promise of 'the valley of Achor for a door of hope'?

[Context]

Weaver explains that the valley of Achor was the place of judgment that reopened the door into Canaan.

[Question]

In what ways have Christians failed to exercise biblical dominion, and what are the consequences?

[Context]

Weaver argues that Christians have been divisive and passive, failing to be salt and light.

[Question]

Why does Weaver insist that salvation and judgment are inseparable? How does this shape our understanding of the gospel?

[Context]

He points to Christ's propitiation and the nature of His return as examples.

[Question]

What does it mean to pray for God's judgment, and how should such prayers affect our own lives?

[Context]

Weaver cites Luke 18 and the imprecatory Psalms, and warns that praying for judgment should lead to personal holiness.

[Question]

How can we cultivate a view of judgment as a 'friend' and a 'door of hope' rather than something to fear?

[Context]

Weaver uses the analogy of cancer surgery and the examples of Exodus and Psalm 44.

[Question]

What does it look like to 'wait upon the Lord' without sitting back and doing nothing?

[Context]

Weaver critiques passive eschatology and calls for active faith and obedience.

Applications

Format deepseek deepseek-v4-pro structured study JSON | Source Commentary.net transcript enrichment

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:32:39Z