Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: Where We Are & How We Got Here

A Society of Death

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Civil Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2005-12-11

Synopsis: John Weaver preaches from Proverbs 8:32-36, declaring that all who reject Christ love death. He argues that apart from Jesus Christ, every human endeavor—cultural, theological, and governmental—produces only death. Using biblical examples and modern illustrations, he shows that societies that refuse God's law become instruments of death, and he calls for a return to Christ as the only source of life and favor.

[John Weaver] Proverbs 8, and the Scripture is verses 32-36. Proverbs 8, verses 32-36. I want to bring a message today which I've entitled, A Society of Death. I want you to listen carefully as I read the Scripture. Proverbs 8, beginning with verse 32. Therefore, hearken unto me, O ye children, for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors.

[John Weaver] For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death."

[John Weaver] Now look at verse 36 again. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All that hate me love death. Death is a subject that most people wish to avoid. In fact, the subject of death is usually avoided by most people even when they attend a funeral. I have heard many pastors, as well as I have used the verse myself at a funeral, quoting Hebrews 9 and verse 27, where the word of God says, And as it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment. Yet still, even with the quoting of scriptures on the subject, when you attend a funeral, there are very, very few discussions about death. The amazing thing is this, while we avoid the subject of death on one hand, even the most personal relationship, that is when a loved one dies, on the other hand we are surrounded by a society of death and we don't even recognize it.

[John Weaver] I have been absolutely amazed just recently When you look at a movie guide or a TV guide, which I don't really get either one of them, but I see them occasionally, but when you see them, there is a definite rise in what is known as the vampire films, the horror flicks, and films that feature murder and violence. I mean, there are axe murders, chainsaw murders, and murder of every kind and caliber available. In fact, I remember one year ago, I just heard the title and never saw it, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I mean, my goodness. I mean, who can even dream up these things? Who can even think of them? But as you look at TV and as you look at the movies, I mean, it's abounding on every hand.

[John Weaver] But not only that, look around our own country and you will find that abortion clinics are in every major city today and also in many rural towns now. We do not wish to think of the thousands of babies that are murdered on a daily basis. But I want you to understand that our society has made it simple and easy for a woman to murder her own child and remain unstigmatized.

[John Weaver] In fact, it happens so frequently now that most people never give it a second thought. Do you understand, and I might add this, that aborticide is now government-sanctioned. That is, it is legal to murder an unborn child. In fact, medical assistance in this act of legalized murder is readily available. Think about euthanasia. Euthanasia is on the rise as never as it has been before. Now, the word euthanasia is an interesting word.

[John Weaver] It literally means good death. Thanatos is the Greek word for death, and eu is another Greek word which means good or well. So when you hear the word euthanasia, it just simply means a good death, or a death that is done well. Do you realize euthanasia has been practiced for many, many decades, and I want to say many millennia, because the Eskimos were known for taking their elderly out on the ice floe and leaving them. Either to starve to death, freeze to death, or to be food for a polar bear. I mean, that's how they got rid of their elderly and sickly and those who could not produce.

[John Weaver] Years ago there was a vast shudder going through the halls of academia because academia was talking about the noble savage until Colin Turnbull's book came out entitled The Mountain People. In that book he describes a tribe known in Africa only as the Ik, and these people were just as notorious and possibly a great deal worse than the Eskimos. They refused to waste food and water on the elderly, or the sickly, or the dying. In fact, these people were so perverse they would steal the food from the elderly, the sickly, and the dying in order to hasten their death.

[John Weaver] They even, he even gave illustrations of how that if they saw their neighbor chewing a morsel of food or especially someone weaker than they, they would hit them, break their jaw, take their food out of their mouth and eat it themselves. A people absolutely, totally perverse. You say, but pastor, we live in a civilized society. We would never ever Do anything like the Eskimos or like the Eek? Well, have you ever heard of the Hemlock Society? The Hemlock Society is a society that promotes euthanasia. It promotes suicide. It was based upon, I believe it was the philosopher Socrates who killed himself by drinking poisoned hemlock. So the Hemlock Society then basically advocates the right to die. That is why you have in California and all of these other states these voter registration drives and these petition drives for the right to die. And what they mean by that is not just the right to kill themselves, but what they want is medical and governmental assistance so that they may, quote unquote, die with dignity.

[John Weaver] But I hope you understand that in light of this, There are also groups that advocate hastening the death of elderly people or the sickly because they're past their productive years and they're just now merely consumers and not producers. And to use the words of one of those advocates, it's their duty to die and get out of the way." So, you know, we're not as civilized as we think we are. In fact, I just saw this article.

[John Weaver] It was on World Net Daily recently, and I copied it off. And I want you to listen to this. Here's the headlines. Israelis to be allowed euthanasia by machine. By Tim Boucher in Jerusalem. And I'm going to quote just the first two paragraphs. Machines will perform euthanasia on the terminally ill patients in Israel under legislation devised not to offend Jewish law which forbids people taking human life. A special timer will be fitted to a patient's respirator which will sound an alarm 12 hours before turning it off.

[John Weaver] And then it goes on. I want you to understand that Judaism is not Christianity and of course they teach totally different from Christianity but the Orthodox Jews to even get around turning on their lights on the Sabbath will put a switch, an automatic switch there where the lights turn on by themselves and go off by themselves and so therefore they can have light and yet they have not done it.

[John Weaver] Well let me ask you a question. A country that legalizes A timer, and the people who invent and install the timers, is not someone still killing someone? Whether you do it by a timer or not, it is still there. But I'm just simply showing you how widespread this is.

[John Weaver] Now, when we think of death, we normally think of physical death, because that is the most apparent form of death. However, I want you to turn in your Bibles, whole Proverbs 8, we're coming back there. Look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Genesis chapter 2 and verse 17. Look what God told Adam. Genesis 2 and verse 17. Here were the words that God gave Adam and Eve. Genesis 2 verse 17.

[John Weaver] God said, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. So he said, Adam, the day that you partake of this tree, which I forbid you, you shall surely die. Well, you know the story in Genesis chapter three, how Eve took the fruit and she gave to her husband Adam and both of them did eat. So when God then pronounced the death penalty upon Adam in Genesis chapter three, he literally said this, in dying thou shalt die. Now, when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, here's my question. Did they die immediately? Instantly? Well, they did not die immediately, instantly, physically. Because Adam lived 930 years, they did die and ultimately. They died physically, but there are different kinds of death. There's a spiritual death. There's a covenantal death. There's an economic death. There's all kinds of deaths. So Adam then died for 930 years. But there was more to his dying than just simply the loss of his life.

[John Weaver] Adam lost his culture, his society, his family, even creation. Look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8. Remember a whole Proverbs 8. You say, well, Pastor, we still have creation around us. That is true. We still have God's creation. And let me just say this, as beautiful as it is under the curse of sin, what do you think it must have been like without sin? But in Romans chapter 8, beginning there with verse 19, look what the scripture says. Romans 8 verse 19. God says, in fact, let's begin with verse 18.

[John Weaver] The Apostle Paul writes, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. So he says the glory that we're going to have in Christ, in heaven, is far better than that which we have right now. So look what he says in verse 19. For the earnest expectation of the creature or creation waited for the manifestation of the sons of God. Now, why is the creation waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God? Here's why. For the creature or the creation was made subject to vanity, that is, it was placed under the curse, Genesis 3, not willingly, but by reason of him who had subjected the same in hope, because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption and to the glorious liberty of the children of God.

[John Weaver] For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." Now, what is the Apostle Paul saying? He is saying back when man sinned, even creation was placed under the curse and the judgment of God. Now he says this, creation groans waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. Why? Because when we are set at liberty, that is, when our Lord returns and gives us full, gracious, and glorious liberty in and of Himself, then creation itself will be freed from the curse of sin. So it is man and his sin and his rebellion against God and against God's law that has produced a society of death. Now, what I want to demonstrate this morning is this, and I want you to think very seriously about this, that all man can do apart from Jesus Christ, all man can do apart from the Word of God is produce a society of death. What did our Lord say?

[John Weaver] He said in Proverbs chapter 8, But whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death.

[John Weaver] Now folks, let me tell you something. You can take humanism, secularism, Satanism, Marxism, communism, and all the other isms and put them together that promise life and happiness, but all they deliver is death. You know why? Life is in the hands of God alone. Every ism that you can think about, Marxism, communism, secularism, all of them promise life, happiness, They promise a utopia. Remember that a utopia is usually presented as an ideal place of life, peace, equity, happiness, prosperity. But may I remind you where we get our English word utopia. Our English word utopia comes from the Greek. It is made up of two Greek words, utopos. Utopos. That's where we get the word utopia.

[John Weaver] U is a negative, which means no. And topos is a noun which means place. So the word utopia means no place. That is, it doesn't actually exist. It is not reality. The only utopia that exists is in the figment of the deceived minds and brains of rebellious men and women who want to fight against Jesus Christ. Reality is what God says it is and not what man says it is.

[John Weaver] Communism, Marxism, secularism, humanism can never produce anything but death. Now look at what our text says in Proverbs chapter 8. He says very closely in verse 35 and very clearly, For whoso findeth me findeth life and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death. Now our text tells us that there is a battle and it is a constant battle between life and favor and judgment and death. We may have life in favor or we may have judgment and death. Now let me just tell you something about Proverbs chapter 8. Proverbs chapter 8 is dealing with wisdom. But when you get to verse 22 on down through verse 36 It is wisdom personified. That is, wisdom is being presented here as a real living person.

[John Weaver] For instance, verse 22, this, of course, speaks of Jesus Christ and his mediatorship. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old. I was set up, that is the mediatorship of Jesus Christ. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning wherever the earth was. When there was no depths, I was brought forth. When there was no fountains, abounding water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the earth."

[John Weaver] Now, let me just stop there. What he is saying is this, before the world began, Jesus Christ was. He not only was as God, but He was also set up to be the God-man, the mediator, the go-between between God the Father and you and I.

[John Weaver] Now, when He says in verse 26, while as yet He had not made the earth nor the fields nor the highest part of the dust of the earth, what's the highest part of the dust of the earth? Don't say Mount Everest. It's you and I. God made us of dust. For we were ever made Jesus Christ was up. Remember, the Bible said he was a lamb slain when before the foundation of the earth.

[John Weaver] Notice, if you would, verse 27, when he prepared the heavens, I was there when he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the beach, when he gave to the sea his decree that the water should not pass his commandment, when he appointed the foundation of the earth. Then I was by him as one brought up with him.

[John Weaver] I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him. So here's a perfect picture of Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now skip down to verse 32. Now, therefore, hearken unto me. So we have Christ personified his wisdom speaking. Now, therefore, hearken unto me, he says, you children, for blessed are they that keep my ways, hear my instruction and be wise and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors. Why? For whosoever findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord.

[John Weaver] But the opposite is, but he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death."

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles, holding Proverbs 8, turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, and then we're going to Colossians chapter 2. I told you that in Proverbs chapter 8, Jesus Christ was wisdom personified. Well, look what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 30. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 30. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 30. But of him, that is of God the Father, but of him, that is God the Father, are you in Christ Jesus Who of God is made unto us what? Wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. So Jesus Christ is made unto us wisdom. He is wisdom incarnate. If you will look in your Bibles and look at Colossians 2 and verse 3. Colossians 2 and verse 3. Look there if you would please. Colossians 2 and verse 3. And notice if you would please what the Word of God says. Colossians 2 verse 3. In whom, we're talking about Jesus Christ. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Once again, Jesus Christ is wisdom personified.

[John Weaver] In Him is wisdom. In Him is life. Outside of Christ. Everything is death. Now, I said that the title of this message was A Society of Death. Let me just point out that our society today is a society of death. Why? Let me explain it. Because it is a society that hates, ostracizes, and rejects the Lordship and the Kingship of Jesus Christ. All societies that refuse and reject Christ are societies of death.

[John Weaver] Now, history teaches this, but the Bible teaches it very clearly. Let me just show you three areas, and I could multiply these areas, but let me show you three areas in which our society has died. First of all, there is a cultural death. There is a cultural death.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to stop and think about this. Consider the fact that Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. They had a perfect environment. They had a perfect life. They had a perfect culture. However, when they sinned against God and violated His law, they brought death upon themselves and upon their posterity. Listen to what he said in Romans 5, verse 12. Let me just quote it. Sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men, why? For all have sinned. When did all sin? Well, we all sinned in Adam.

[John Weaver] And what happened was this. After Adam and Eve sinned, you look in Genesis 3 and verse 24 and you read these words. So He, God, drove out the man. and placed in the east of the garden of Eden cherubims with a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life." What did God do to Adam? He drove him out of the garden.

[John Weaver] I want you to understand something. Adam lost more than his life. He lost an entire culture. He lost a way of life. You see, originally everything was holy, righteous, godly, and good.

[John Weaver] Now everything has become evil, sinful, wicked, and full of rebellion. So Adam didn't just lose his life. He lost an entire culture. Cornelius Van Til, who was a noted author and theologian and teacher, made this statement that culture is religion externalized. Now think about that. Culture is religion externalized. Truer words could not have been spoken. You know what your culture is? Your culture is nothing less than the outworking of your religion. If the Christian religion is your religion, then ultimately you're going to have a Christian culture. If the Christian religion is not your true religion, then you're going to have a paganistic, heathenistic culture. Now let me ask you, why has our culture changed in America?

[John Weaver] The answer is because we've turned from Christ and His Word. We once had a culture of life. And now we've ended up with a culture of death. Why? We've left Christ and his word. Two thoughts. I want you to think, first of all, at the Christian Southern culture that we had before the war of Northern Aggression.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask, why have we lost our history? Why have we lost our heritage? Why have we lost our respect? Why have we lost our manners? Why have we lost our way of life? Why have we lost our culture? The answer comes back because we have rejected Christ and his word. And he said, all they that hate me love death. Listen carefully. Cultures die exactly the way people die. And for the same reason, they lose their life. And since life can only be found in Christ and his word, when we turn from him, we die culturally.

[John Weaver] Think of America when it began. Think of our founding fathers. Think of the faith that these men exhibited and evidenced. Think of how Christ was consistently and constantly honored. But yet today, even the President of the United States won't even use the words Jesus Christ. He says we're thankful that Santa is coming. Why is it? Why is it? Even in our Congress, people are ashamed of Jesus Christ and ashamed of the Word of God. Why is it the average professing Christian is ashamed?

[John Weaver] The truth is, folks, we have lost our culture. Let me put it to you bluntly. The train has left the station. And the only way we can get it back is to reroute the tracks and bring it back. I told you this repeatedly. I hope you remember it. The only way you can have a change in culture is to have first and foremost a change in theology. A change in theology always precedes a change in culture. And the reason our culture has changed, our theology has changed. We will never, ever have the culture that we had in early America, nor the culture that we had in Antebellum style, until we come back to the very foundation on which that culture was built and based, and that foundation is nothing less than the Word of God.

[John Weaver] We live in a society of death. Why? Our culture has died, and the reason this died is because it has rejected and refused Jesus Christ, and as he said, all they that hate me love death. There is not only a cultural death, secondly, there is a theological death. Let me ask a few questions. Where are the great expositors of the word of God today? Where are the Christians who are masters of the Word of God?

[John Weaver] Why is the Bible so neglected? Why are we so ignorant? Why do we have so many versions of the Bible and so many extra-biblical books that are claiming prominence over and above and beyond the Word of God? Why do we play around with cults and false religions and idolatry. Why are there so many different faiths in America? How did America become a multicultural, multi-religious and tolerant society? Do you realize in this day and age, America can tolerate any religion, any cult, any faith except biblical Christianity?

[John Weaver] I could ask it like this. Why are there Muslim mosques in America? Why are there Hindu temples in America? Come on, let's be honest. Would those countries allow us to go over there and build Christian churches? What's the answer? You know, no. Well, why do we have all of these? False religions. And their temples. And mosque in this country. I'm going to tell you why. Because we've died theologically.

[John Weaver] Let me just show you, I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would. First of all, the Exodus 34. Exodus 34. We'll look at a couple of passages. I want you to see how tolerant God is of false religions. OK. Let's look at Exodus chapter 34. And notice, if you would please. Verse one. In fact, we'll just read this and the Lord said unto Moses, so we know the Lord is speaking now, skip down to verse 12. Take heed to thyself. lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be forsnare in the midst of thee, but thou shalt destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves, For thou shalt worship no other God, for the Lord whose name is Jealous is a jealous God, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a-whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice, and thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a-whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go

[John Weaver] a-whoring after their gods." What did God say? Tear down their altars. Throw down everything. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 7. I'm just showing you what God's attitude is toward false religions. Deuteronomy chapter 7. Notice, if you look please, beginning there with verse 1. Deuteronomy 7 verse 1. When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, seven nations greater and minor than thou," and I might point out all of them are pagan. And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee, thou shalt quite smite them, and utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy on them, neither shalt thou make marriages with them. Thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take in my son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods. So will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

[John Weaver] But thus shalt thou deal with them, You shall destroy their altars and break down their images and cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire. Why? For thou art a holy people of the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all the people that are upon the face of the earth. Look in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 12. Deuteronomy 12, verse 1. These are the statutes and judgments which ye shall observe to do in the land which the Lord thy God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it all the days that ye live upon the earth. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess serve their gods upon the high mountains, upon the hills, and under every green tree. And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire. And ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

[John Weaver] One other look in the book of Judges chapter two. And notice, if you would please, verses one and two. Judges chapter two, verses one and two. Of course, the children of Israel disobeyed. And they were judged. But Judges 2, verse 1,"...And the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swear unto your fathers.

[John Weaver] And I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And you shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land. You shall throw down their altars, but you have not obeyed my voice. Why have you done this?"

[John Weaver] Now, I've got one quick question. Is the sovereign God of heaven and earth tolerant? of false gods and false religions? What's the answer? Absolutely no. And if you will take the time to read of the great revivals in the Bible, under Hezekiah, Josiah, all of those godly men, You'll find that when the people turned back to God, the first thing they did was to break down the altars of Baal and the house of Baal. In other words, they took care of the false religions in the land. Now, the question is this. If God is not tolerant of false religions and idols, why are we? And here's the answer. Because we've died theologically. We no longer want to stand for what God stands for. We no longer want to stand for the truth of his word, nor the sovereignty of his positions.

[John Weaver] Look at the most prominent religious leaders of our day. Now, here are several questions. Are they men of the word? Do they uphold the law of God? Do they lift up their voices and cry out against wickedness in high places and even in government? No, they don't. Why? The answer is because they're dead theologically. Can you imagine Elijah or Samuel being asked to have a prayer at the inauguration of one of our modern day presidents. Can you imagine what Paul would do if he was asked to preach at the White House?

[John Weaver] Now you just stop and think. They would chew them up and spit them out. There's a passage, I don't know if I can find it right quickly. I can tell you about it. It's when the king... Yeah, here it is. Look in 2 Kings 3. Three kings have gotten together to go to war against the Edomites. There's the Moabite, the Moabitish king. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. And then, of course, the king of Israel. Look, if you would, 2 Kings chapter 3 in verse 10.

[John Weaver] I want you to see Elisha's attitude. And the king of Israel said, Alas, the Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them to the hand of Moab. So it was... I had it wrong there. It was Jehoram the son of Ahab was king of Israel. And he and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah. And then it was I think the king of Edom that was going against the war against the Moabites. And look what Jehoshaphat said in verse 11. But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elijah, the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah. And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel, who is the son of Ahab now, the king of Israel, And Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee?

[John Weaver] Get thee to the prophets of thy father and the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay, for the Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.

[John Weaver] Let me spell that out to you in good Georgia lingo. He told the king of Israel, If it wasn't for Jehoshaphat, I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire. That's what he said. I wouldn't look toward you nor even see you. You go back to your false prophets. I have nothing to do with you. I can assure you, if you were to get Elijah back today, hides would be tanned very thoroughly. Why? I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew 15, and I want you to see what our Lord said. Matthew 15. Here it is. Our Lord.

[John Weaver] Has rebuked the Pharisees because the Pharisees were concerned about their traditions, and if you'll skip down to verse. Two, we'll read their verse two, they the Pharisees came to our Lord and they said, quite a lot of disciples transgressed the tradition of the elders, or they washed out their hands when they read. But he answered and said to them, why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? Now, please remember that these scribes and Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day. So they're asking Christ, why do your disciples transgress our tradition? Christ said, why is it with your tradition you transgress the word of God?

[John Weaver] And then he gives them several illustrations. Verse 10. And he called the multitudes and said to them, hear and understand, not that which goeth into the mouth to follow the man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this to follow the man. Then came his disciples and said to him, knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying? You've upset the religious leaders of the day, Christ.

[John Weaver] Let me show you our Lord's attitude. But he answered and said, here's good South Georgia interpretation, tough stuff. Well, he didn't really say that, but here's what he said. Every plant which my Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone. They be blind leaders of the blind, and if the blind lead the blind, those shall fall into the ditch. Now, here's my question, folks. What is going to happen when the blind lead the blind?

[John Weaver] They will all be destroyed. You can't lead someone back to where you have never been. How in the world can religious leaders, our religious leaders of today, call people back to the Word of God when they don't even know what the Word of God says themselves? The Pharisees, the theological leaders of our Lord's day, were dead. They were blind. The only leadership they could offer was a leadership of death. Not life. Death. Listen to this. In our day and age, we have so neglected the Word of God. We have so left biblical truth that if the Holy Spirit was taken out of the world tomorrow, most churches would go right on as usual. They have their programs.

[John Weaver] They have everything laid out. Most of our churches are dead. Ichabod has been written over the door. The glory has departed. You know what our Lord told the church of Sardis? In Revelation 3 in verse 1, listen carefully. And unto the angel of the church of Sardis write, These things said he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars. I know thou works, that thou hast a name that livest, but thou art dead. Isn't that amazing? Our Lord said you've got a name that you're alive, but you're dead. They died theologically. You've got to remember our Lord's words.

[John Weaver] But he that sitteth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death. There's a cultural death. There's a theological death. I'm giving you something that you probably never thought of, but thirdly, there is a governmental death. Governments, just like societies and people, die. And they die when they refuse and reject the Son of God. Psalm 2, and we'll turn there in just a little bit, but Psalm 2 is a psalm written to civil rulers. And when you get to verse 12, the Word of God says to the civil rulers, kiss the sun, lest he be angry with thee, and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Now, he's talking to the governmental leaders. He's talking to the kings and rulers of this earth, and he admonishes them to kiss the sun. That is, they better make up to him, lest they perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Now, the opening of Psalm 2, which we will look at shortly, declares unto us the defiance, the rebellion, and the revolt of civil rulers against Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Well, let me ask you a question. What happens when governments rebel against Christ and His law? The answer is the same as when cultures rebel against Christ and His law. And when people rebel against Christ and His law, they die. It becomes a culture of death or a government or an instrument of death. Some of you will remember George Orwell's book, 1984. foresaw the results of man's rebellion against God, and here is what he said.

[John Weaver] If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping in a human face forever. Imagine a boot Stamping in a human face forever. What did George Orwell see? He saw that when societies and cultures and governments reject Christ and his word, they become an instrument of death. I want you to stop and think. I could name them all, but I could name some. Stalin. Mao Tse-Tung, Hitler, Ben-Gurion, Pinochet, Idi Amin. Did you know that Stalin, they said, killed a minimum of 22 million of his own people there in the forests in Russia. 22 million. You remember Idi Amin was of Uganda.

[John Weaver] I never will forget seeing a political cartoon years ago. By the way, Idi Amin's dead. He died of horrible disease, venereal disease is how he died, basically. He was a wicked, wicked reprobate. But they had a political cartoon, showed him on his Jeep with a.50 caliber machine gun, and Ugandans were laying dead everywhere. And the cartoon showed him on the phone and said, yes, he said, I want to report traffic accident, one jeep and 50,000 Ugandans.

[John Weaver] Well, he probably killed that many or more. You think of all these governmental leaders who were going to introduce their utopian society, and all they introduced was death. I don't care if you talk about Stalin, It doesn't matter. It's all a society of death. And you know, the Bible taught this way before these men were ever born. If you look back in your Bibles to 1 Kings 18, you remember it was during the time of Elijah that Ahab and Jezebel were on the throne.

[John Weaver] And because of their extreme wickedness to judge that nation, God sent a three and a half year drought. People died left and right. Three and a half years without rain or dew. By the way, the physical drought was just a picture of the spiritual reality. God had withdrawn himself from the land. The people were being judged. But look at it, if you would. Let me just show you how governments die. 1 Kings chapter 18.

[John Weaver] And notice, if you would please, verse 5. Look what King Ahab said. He's giving word to Obadiah. 1 Kings 18, verse 5. And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land and all the fountains of water and all the brooks, for adventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. What is it that mighty sweet of Ahab?

[John Weaver] I want you to note something. Ahab was concerned for the life of his beasts. But he was not concerned for the life of Naboth and his family. He murdered them so he could steal their property. If you will look in 1 Kings 17 and verse 12, just to show you again that he was not concerned about how his sins affected anybody. 1 Kings 17 and verse 12, here's the widow woman.

[John Weaver] She said, as the Lord liveth, as the Lord thy God liveth, talk to Elijah. I have not a cake, but a handful of meal, and a barrel, and a little oil, and a cruise. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat and die. Ahab and Jezebel were their false prophets and false religion. and false utopia.

[John Weaver] Oh yes, they were going to bring in this great time of peace and prosperity. And all they were, were instruments of death. Let me tell you something, folks. When governments die, it is made evident by their misplaced priorities. When governments die, Programs matter. People do not. When governments die, they care more for the animals than the people. When governments die, they care more for their own perpetuity than the rights and the liberties and the freedom of the people. Do you realize when governments die, they become an instrument of death?

[John Weaver] Look at the legalized abortion. Look at legalized sodomy. May I ask you what entity made it absolutely sure, humanly speaking, that Terry Shivo would die The courts, the judicial system. Why? Because when governments die, they become an instrument of death. Ask yourself this question. Why do governments trod the road to tyranny? Why do they go down that path? I want you to turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Hosea.

[John Weaver] and then to Psalm 2. OK? Right after Daniel, you have Hosea. So turn to Hosea, chapter 5 and verse 10, and then we're going back to Psalm 2. Here's why governments go down the road of tyranny. Hosea 5, verse 10. Look at what the Bible says. The princes of Judah, so we're talking about civil rulers. The princes of Judah were like them that removed the bound. Therefore, says God, I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. What does it mean when it says the princes of Judah were like them that removed the bound? They were like them that removed the boundaries. In other words, they did not like the limitations that God placed upon them. God said, hitherto shalt thou go in no further. But they said, God, we don't like that.

[John Weaver] We want to do what we want to do. We're smarter than you. Our word. Means more to us than your word. We will violate your limitations. We'll violate your boundaries. We'll do what we want. Look back in your Bibles to Psalm 2. I told you earlier this was a Psalm against civil rulers. Here it is. Look at it in Psalm 2 verse 1. God asks, why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? And the word vain means useless, foolish.

[John Weaver] Now look, the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord's saying, against His anointed saying, let us break their bands of sunder and cast away their courts from us. In other words, we don't like to be limited by God. We do not like all these limitations that is placed upon government. In order to be our own God, we must throw off the shackles that He's placed upon us. Listen to me. No government can be tyrannical when it bows to Jesus Christ and obeys His Word. But every government that refuses Jesus Christ and refuses to submit to His Word will become tyrannical and an instrument of death. That's why if you'll skip down to verse 12, the admonition is, well, look in verse 11. In fact, verse 10, Be wise now therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, you judges of the earth.

[John Weaver] Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those that put their trust in him. No government can become tyrannical as long as it obeys Jesus Christ. But every government that refuses and rejects Jesus Christ will inevitably become tyrannical. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 94 and verse 20. Psalm 94 verse 20.

[John Weaver] Here's exactly what I mean. You know, I find it so amazing that in this country we're supposed to have a Christian president. We're supposed to have a lot of Christians in Congress. But isn't it amazing that all of our laws are anti-Christian and anti-Bible and anti-God? Look what he says, Psalm 94 and verse 20. Look at this question. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth mischief by law? Let me explain it. Now look, shall the throne, so we're talking about government. We're talking about civil government. So here's the question, shall the throne of iniquity, which means it is a wicked civil government, shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with thee, that is with God, when that wicked civil government frames mischief by law? Now, you've got to understand that mischief in the Bible is another word for sin. Let me explain it like this. Shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when that wicked civil government makes sin legal? We've already talked about legal murder.

[John Weaver] It's legal to be a sodomite. It's even legal to steal, as long as you're a congressman or some government official. You follow? One of my friends that I just saw this week had a bumper sticker on his van that says, please don't steal. The government doesn't like the competition. Well, I mean, you know, just stop and think about this. Think of how our government has made sin legal.

[John Weaver] Now, the question is, can that kind of wicked civil government have fellowship with God? And the answer is no. Why can't it not have fellowship with God? Because it has rejected Christ, it has rejected His Word, it has become the enemy of Christ, and it has now become an instrument of death. Remember what our Lord said, He that sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul, all they that hate me love death. Many politicians, many civil rulers and magistrates, And those in positions of power think that somehow they will escape the death sentence and the judgment of God.

[John Weaver] But let me just read to you, don't turn there, but let me just read to you Isaiah 28 and verse 15. God says, Because you have said, we have made a covenant with death and with hell are we at agreement. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us. For we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves." What did those leaders think? Oh, we shall escape because we made lies our refuge.

[John Weaver] But I've got news for you. When the judgment of God falls, they will understand He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death. There's a cultural death, a theological death, a governmental death. I could go on and on. There's an economic death. You get the idea. All they that hate me love death. Listen to these applications. Those who reject and refuse Jesus Christ have committed a terrible and great sin. They sin against light. They sin against wisdom. They sin against God's law. They sin against Christ. In their folly, they think that contempt of God and His law and the rejection of His Son offers them somehow liberty and freedom and life. When reality, all it brings is death. All they that hate me, said Christ, love death. Their punishment in rejecting Christ will be just. You know what God told Israel in Hosea 13 and verse 9? Israel had rejected God, and remember had built the two golden calves, Dan and Bethel? God said this, O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.

[John Weaver] O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself. Those that offend Christ do wrong to themselves. They do wrong to their own souls. They wound their own consciences. They put blots and stains upon their souls which renders them odious in the sight of God. Isn't it absolutely foolish? to wrong your own self and to hurt your own self? Why would you deliberately take a hammer and say, let me just see how hard I can hit that thumbnail? Why would you do something so stupid and so foolish? And why do we think as a people and as a country, as a nation, that we can sin against Christ and sin against His Word and escape punishment?

[John Weaver] May I tell you, that life and favor are always found in obedience. Judgment and death are always found in disobedience. In loving and serving and obeying Christ, we find life and favor. In refusing to bow to Him, we find judgment and death. For our Lord said, He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." When you refuse and reject Jesus Christ and His Word, the only thing that you can ever have is death. A society of death. Folks, let me tell you, our society, our culture, our government are in its death throes and we don't even know it. No one can escape the judgment of God who refuses to bow to his Son.

[John Weaver] Kiss the lest he be angry with thee, and you perish in the way, and his wrath is kindled but a little." Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful today for Jesus Christ. And first of all, Lord, we're thankful that we have life and favor in Him. We're thankful, Lord, that our hope is in Him. that as we turn back to Him and His Word and bring our lives in conformity to His Word, there is redemption and restoration, not only for ourselves, but for our society, our culture, our economy, our government. But Lord, it is only as we return to Thee. For outside of Thee, everything is dead. Lord, I pray that you would speak our hearts, make us holy, make us godly, make us obedient, and may we honor thee in all that we say and do. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

A Society of Death

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	111069346
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: Where We Are & How We Got Here
Genre	Sermon
Date	2005-12-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 009: Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	82

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Avoidance and Pervasiveness of Death

Weaver notes that people avoid the subject of death even at funerals, yet we live in a society saturated with death through media, abortion, and euthanasia.

Proverbs 8, and the Scripture is verses 32-36. Proverbs 8, verses 32-36. I want to bring a message today which I've entitled, "A Society of Death." I want you to listen carefully as I read the Scripture. Proverbs 8, beginning with verse 32:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 8:32-36

"Therefore, hearken unto me, O ye children, for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death."

Now look at verse 36 again: "But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All that hate me love death." Death is a subject that most people wish to avoid. In fact, the subject of death is usually avoided by most people even when they attend a funeral. I have heard many pastors, as well as I have used the verse myself at a funeral, quoting Hebrews 9 and verse 27, where the Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 9:27

"And as it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment."

Yet still, even with the quoting of scriptures on the subject, when you attend a funeral, there are very, very few discussions about death. The amazing thing is this: while we avoid the subject of death on one hand, even the most personal relationship, that is when a loved one dies, on the other hand we are surrounded by a society of death and we don't even recognize it.

The Biblical Foundation: Wisdom Personified in Christ

Proverbs 8 presents wisdom as a person, ultimately Jesus Christ, who offers life and favor; rejecting Him brings death.

For instance, verse 22, this, of course, speaks of Jesus Christ and his mediatorship. "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old. I was set up," that is the mediatorship of Jesus Christ. "I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning wherever the earth was. When there was no depths, I was brought forth. When there was no fountains, abounding water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the earth."

Now, let me just stop there. What he is saying is this, before the world began, Jesus Christ was. He not only was as God, but He was also set up to be the God-man, the mediator, the go-between between God the Father and you and I. Now, when He says in verse 26, "while as yet He had not made the earth nor the fields nor the highest part of the dust of the earth," what's the highest part of the dust of the earth? Don't say Mount Everest. It's you and I. God made us of dust. For we were ever made Jesus Christ was up. Remember, the Bible said he was a lamb slain when before the foundation of the earth.

Notice, if you would, verse 27, "when he prepared the heavens, I was there when he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when he gave to the sea his decree that the water should not pass his commandment, when he appointed the foundation of the earth. Then I was by him as one brought up with him. I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him." So here's a perfect picture of Jesus Christ. Now skip down to verse 32. "Now, therefore, hearken unto me." So we have Christ personified his wisdom speaking. "Now, therefore, hearken unto me," he says, "you children, for blessed are they that keep my ways, hear my instruction and be wise and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors. Why? For whosoever findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord."

But the opposite is, "but he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death."

Cultural Death: The Loss of a Godly Culture

When a society rejects Christ, its culture dies. America's cultural decline is traced to theological apostasy.

Now, I want you to stop and think about this. Consider the fact that Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. They had a perfect environment. They had a perfect life. They had a perfect culture. However, when they sinned against God and violated His law, they brought death upon themselves and upon their posterity. Listen to what he said in Romans 5, verse 12. Let me just quote it. "Sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men, why? For all have sinned." When did all sin? Well, we all sinned in Adam.

And what happened was this. After Adam and Eve sinned, you look in Genesis 3 and verse 24 and you read these words.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 3:24

"So He, God, drove out the man, and placed in the east of the garden of Eden cherubims with a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life."

What did God do to Adam? He drove him out of the garden. I want you to understand something. Adam lost more than his life. He lost an entire culture. He lost a way of life. You see, originally everything was holy, righteous, godly, and good.

Now everything has become evil, sinful, wicked, and full of rebellion. So Adam didn't just lose his life. He lost an entire culture. Cornelius Van Til, who was a noted author and theologian and teacher, made this statement that culture is religion externalized. Now think about that. Culture is religion externalized. Truer words could not have been spoken. You know what your culture is? Your culture is nothing less than the outworking of your religion. If the Christian religion is your religion, then ultimately you're going to have a Christian culture. If the Christian religion is not your true religion, then you're going to have a paganistic, heathenistic culture. Now let me ask you, why has our culture changed in America?

The answer is because we've turned from Christ and His Word. We once had a culture of life. And now we've ended up with a culture of death. Why? We've left Christ and his word. Two thoughts. I want you to think, first of all, at the Christian Southern culture that we had before the war of Northern Aggression.

Now, let me ask, why have we lost our history? Why have we lost our heritage? Why have we lost our respect? Why have we lost our manners? Why have we lost our way of life? Why have we lost our culture? The answer comes back because we have rejected Christ and his word. And he said, "All they that hate me love death." Listen carefully. Cultures die exactly the way people die. And for the same reason, they lose their life. And since life can only be found in Christ and his word, when we turn from him, we die culturally.

Think of America when it began. Think of our founding fathers. Think of the faith that these men exhibited and evidenced. Think of how Christ was consistently and constantly honored. But yet today, even the President of the United States won't even use the words Jesus Christ. He says we're thankful that Santa is coming. Why is it? Why is it? Even in our Congress, people are ashamed of Jesus Christ and ashamed of the Word of God. Why is it the average professing Christian is ashamed?

The truth is, folks, we have lost our culture. Let me put it to you bluntly. The train has left the station. And the only way we can get it back is to reroute the tracks and bring it back. I told you this repeatedly. I hope you remember it. The only way you can have a change in culture is to have first and foremost a change in theology. A change in theology always precedes a change in culture. And the reason our culture has changed, our theology has changed. We will never, ever have the culture that we had in early America, nor the culture that we had in Antebellum style, until we come back to the very foundation on which that culture was built and based, and that foundation is nothing less than the Word of God.

We live in a society of death. Why? Our culture has died, and the reason this died is because it has rejected and refused Jesus Christ, and as he said, "All they that hate me love death." There is not only a cultural death, secondly, there is a theological death. Let me ask a few questions. Where are the great expositors of the word of God today? Where are the Christians who are masters of the Word of God?

Theological Death: The Neglect of God's Word

Theological death is evident in biblical illiteracy, tolerance of false religions, and dead churches that operate without the Holy Spirit.

Why is the Bible so neglected? Why are we so ignorant? Why do we have so many versions of the Bible and so many extra-biblical books that are claiming prominence over and above and beyond the Word of God? Why do we play around with cults and false religions and idolatry? Why are there so many different faiths in America? How did America become a multicultural, multi-religious and tolerant society? Do you realize in this day and age, America can tolerate any religion, any cult, any faith except biblical Christianity?

I could ask it like this. Why are there Muslim mosques in America? Why are there Hindu temples in America? Come on, let's be honest. Would those countries allow us to go over there and build Christian churches? What's the answer? You know, no. Well, why do we have all of these false religions and their temples and mosques in this country? I'm going to tell you why. Because we've died theologically.

Let me just show you, I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would. First of all, to Exodus 34. Exodus 34. We'll look at a couple of passages. I want you to see how tolerant God is of false religions. OK. Let's look at Exodus chapter 34. And notice, if you would please, verse 1. In fact, we'll just read this and the Lord said unto Moses, so we know the Lord is speaking now, skip down to verse 12.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 34:12-16

"Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee, but thou shalt destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves, for thou shalt worship no other God, for the Lord whose name is Jealous is a jealous God, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a-whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice, and thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a-whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go

a-whoring after their gods." What did God say? Tear down their altars. Throw down everything. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 7. I'm just showing you what God's attitude is toward false religions. Deuteronomy chapter 7. Notice, if you look please, beginning there with verse 1. Deuteronomy 7 verse 1. "When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou," and I might point out all of them are pagan. "And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee, thou shalt quite smite them, and utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy on them, neither shalt thou make marriages with them. Thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take in my son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods. So will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

But thus shalt thou deal with them, you

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:1-5

shall destroy their altars and break down their images and cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire.

Why? For thou art a holy people of the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all the people that are upon the face of the earth." Look in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 12. Deuteronomy 12, verse 1. "These are the statutes and judgments which ye shall observe to do in the land which the Lord thy God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it all the days that ye live upon the earth. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess serve their gods upon the high mountains, upon the hills, and under every green tree. And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire. And ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place."

One other look in the book of Judges chapter 2. And notice, if you would please, verses 1 and 2. Judges chapter 2, verses 1 and 2. Of course, the children of Israel disobeyed. And they were judged. But Judges 2, verse 1, "...And the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swear unto your fathers. And I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And you shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land. You shall throw down their altars, but you have not obeyed my voice. Why have you done this?"

Now, I've got one quick question. Is the sovereign God of heaven and earth tolerant of false gods and false religions? What's the answer? Absolutely no. And if you will take the time to read of the great revivals in the Bible, under Hezekiah, Josiah, all of those godly men, you'll find that when the people turned back to God, the first thing they did was to break down the altars of Baal and the house of Baal. In other words, they took care of the false religions in the land. Now, the question is this. If God is not tolerant of false religions and idols, why are we? And here's the answer. Because we've died theologically. We no longer want to stand for what God stands for. We no longer want to stand for the truth of his word, nor the sovereignty of his positions.

Look at the most prominent religious leaders of our day. Now, here are several questions. Are they men of the word? Do they uphold the law of God? Do they lift up their voices and cry out against wickedness in high places and even in government? No, they don't. Why? The answer is because they're dead theologically. Can you imagine Elijah or Samuel being asked to have a prayer at the inauguration of one of our modern day presidents? Can you imagine what Paul would do if he was asked to preach at the White House?

Now you just stop and think. They would chew them up and spit them out. There's a passage, I don't know if I can find it right quickly. I can tell you about it. It's when the king... Yeah, here it is. Look in 2 Kings 3. Three kings have gotten together to go to war against the Edomites. There's the Moabite, the Moabitish king. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. And then, of course, the king of Israel. Look, if you would, 2 Kings chapter 3 in verse 10.

I want you to see Elisha's attitude. "And the king of Israel said, Alas, the Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them to the hand of Moab." So it was... I had it wrong there. It was Jehoram the son of Ahab was king of Israel. And he and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah. And then it was I think the king of Edom that was going against the war against the Moabites. And look what Jehoshaphat said in verse 11. "But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha, the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah. And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel, who is the son of Ahab now, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee?

Get thee to the prophets of thy father and the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay, for the Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee." Let me spell that out to you in good Georgia lingo. He told the king of Israel, "If it wasn't for Jehoshaphat, I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire." That's what he said. "I wouldn't look toward you nor even see you. You go back to your false prophets. I have nothing to do with you." I can assure you, if you were to get Elijah back today, hides would be tanned very thoroughly. Why? I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew 15, and I want you to see what our Lord said. Matthew 15. Here it is. Our Lord.

Has rebuked the Pharisees because the Pharisees were concerned about their traditions, and if you'll skip down to verse 2, we'll read their verse 2, they the Pharisees came to our Lord and they said, "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread." But he answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Now, please remember that these scribes and Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day. So they're asking Christ, "Why do your disciples transgress our tradition?" Christ said, "Why is it with your tradition you transgress the word of God?" And then he gives them several illustrations. Verse 10. "And he called the multitudes and said to them, Hear and understand, not that which goeth into the mouth defileth the man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth the man. Then came his disciples and said to him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying?" You've upset the religious leaders of the day, Christ.

Let me show you our Lord's attitude. "But he answered and said," here's good South Georgia interpretation, tough stuff. Well, he didn't really say that, but here's what he said. "Every plant which my Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone. They be blind leaders of the blind, and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." Now, here's my question, folks. What is going to happen when the blind lead the blind?

They will all be destroyed. You can't lead someone back to where you have never been. How in the world can religious leaders, our religious leaders of today, call people back to the Word of God when they don't even know what the Word of God says themselves? The Pharisees, the theological leaders of our Lord's day, were dead. They were blind. The only leadership they could offer was a leadership of death. Not life. Death. Listen to this. In our day and age, we have so neglected the Word of God. We have so left biblical truth that if the Holy Spirit was taken out of the world tomorrow, most churches would go right on as usual. They have their programs.

They have everything laid out. Most of our churches are dead. Ichabod has been written over the door. The glory has departed. You know what our Lord told the church of Sardis? In Revelation 3 in verse 1, listen carefully.

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:1

"And unto the angel of the church of Sardis write, These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars. I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, but thou art dead."

Isn't that amazing? Our Lord said you've got a name that you're alive, but you're dead. They died theologically. You've got to remember our Lord's words.

Governmental Death: Tyranny and Misplaced Priorities

Governments that reject Christ become instruments of death, legalizing sin and prioritizing programs over people.

"But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." There's a cultural death. There's a theological death. I'm giving you something that you probably never thought of, but thirdly, there is a governmental death. Governments, just like societies and people, die. And they die when they refuse and reject the Son of God. Psalm 2, and we'll turn there in just a little bit, but Psalm 2 is a psalm written to civil rulers. And when you get to verse 12, the Word of God says to the civil rulers, "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry with thee, and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little." Now, he's talking to the governmental leaders. He's talking to the kings and rulers of this earth, and he admonishes them to kiss the Son. That is, they better make up to him, lest they perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Now, the opening of Psalm 2, which we will look at shortly, declares unto us the defiance, the rebellion, and the revolt of civil rulers against Jesus Christ.

Well, let me ask you a question. What happens when governments rebel against Christ and His law? The answer is the same as when cultures rebel against Christ and His law. And when people rebel against Christ and His law, they die. It becomes a culture of death or a government or an instrument of death. Some of you will remember George Orwell's book, "1984." He foresaw the results of man's rebellion against God, and here is what he said. "If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping in a human face forever." Imagine a boot stamping in a human face forever. What did George Orwell see? He saw that when societies and cultures and governments reject Christ and his word, they become an instrument of death. I want you to stop and think. I could name them all, but I could name some. Stalin. Mao Tse-Tung, Hitler, Ben-Gurion, Pinochet, Idi Amin. Did you know that Stalin, they said, killed a minimum of 22 million of his own people there in the forests in Russia. 22 million. You remember Idi Amin was of Uganda.

I never will forget seeing a political cartoon years ago. By the way, Idi Amin's dead. He died of horrible disease, venereal disease is how he died, basically. He was a wicked, wicked reprobate. But they had a political cartoon, showed him on his Jeep with a .50 caliber machine gun, and Ugandans were laying dead everywhere. And the cartoon showed him on the phone and said, "Yes," he said, "I want to report traffic accident, one jeep and 50,000 Ugandans." Well, he probably killed that many or more. You think of all these governmental leaders who were going to introduce their utopian society, and all they introduced was death. I don't care if you talk about Stalin, it doesn't matter. It's all a society of death. And you know, the Bible taught this way before these men were ever born. If you look back in your Bibles to 1 Kings 18, you remember it was during the time of Elijah that Ahab and Jezebel were on the throne.

And because of their extreme wickedness to judge that nation, God sent a three and a half year drought. People died left and right. Three and a half years without rain or dew. By the way, the physical drought was just a picture of the spiritual reality. God had withdrawn himself from the land. The people were being judged. But look at it, if you would. Let me just show you how governments die. 1 Kings chapter 18.

And notice, if you would please, verse 5. Look what King Ahab said. He's giving word to Obadiah. 1 Kings 18, verse 5.

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 18:5

"And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land and all the fountains of water and all the brooks, for adventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts."

What is it that mighty sweet of Ahab? I want you to note something. Ahab was concerned for the life of his beasts. But he was not concerned for the life of Naboth and his family. He murdered them so he could steal their property. If you will look in 1 Kings 17 and verse 12, just to show you again that he was not concerned about how his sins affected anybody. 1 Kings 17 and verse 12, here's the widow woman.

She said, "As the Lord liveth, as the Lord thy God liveth," talk to Elijah. "I have not a cake, but a handful of meal, and a barrel, and a little oil, and a cruse. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat and die." Ahab and Jezebel were their false prophets and false religion and false utopia. Oh yes, they were going to bring in this great time of peace and prosperity. And all they were, were instruments of death. Let me tell you something, folks. When governments die, it is made evident by their misplaced priorities. When governments die, programs matter. People do not. When governments die, they care more for the animals than the people. When governments die, they care more for their own perpetuity than the rights and the liberties and the freedom of the people. Do you realize when governments die, they become an instrument of death?

The Root of Governmental Tyranny: Rejecting God's Boundaries

Civil rulers remove God's boundaries, leading to tyranny. Psalm 2 warns kings to submit to the Son or perish.

and then to Psalm 2. OK? Right after Daniel, you have Hosea. So turn to Hosea, chapter 5 and verse 10, and then we're going back to Psalm 2. Here's why governments go down the road of tyranny. Hosea 5, verse 10. Look at what the Bible says.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 5:10

"The princes of Judah,"

so we're talking about civil rulers.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 5:10

"The princes of Judah were like them that removed the bound. Therefore,"

says God,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 5:10

"I will pour out my wrath upon them like water."

What does it mean when it says the princes of Judah were like them that removed the bound? They were like them that removed the boundaries. In other words, they did not like the limitations that God placed upon them. God said, "Hitherto shalt thou go in no further." But they said, "God, we don't like that.

We want to do what we want to do. We're smarter than you. Our word means more to us than your word. We will violate your limitations. We'll violate your boundaries. We'll do what we want." Look back in your Bibles to Psalm 2. I told you earlier this was a Psalm against civil rulers. Here it is. Look at it in Psalm 2 verse 1. God asks, "Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing?" And the word vain means useless, foolish.

Now look, "the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord's saying, against His anointed saying, let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us." In other words, we don't like to be limited by God. We do not like all these limitations that is placed upon government. In order to be our own God, we must throw off the shackles that He's placed upon us. Listen to me. No government can be tyrannical when it bows to Jesus Christ and obeys His Word. But every government that refuses Jesus Christ and refuses to submit to His Word will become tyrannical and an instrument of death. That's why if you'll skip down to verse 12, the admonition is, well, look in verse 11. In fact, verse 10, "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, you judges of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those that put their trust in him." No government can become tyrannical as long as it obeys Jesus Christ. But every government that refuses and rejects Jesus Christ will inevitably become tyrannical. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 94 and verse 20. Psalm 94 verse 20. Here's exactly what I mean. You know, I find it so amazing that in this country we're supposed to have a Christian president. We're supposed to have a lot of Christians in Congress. But isn't it amazing that all of our laws are anti-Christian and anti-Bible and anti-God? Look what he says, Psalm 94 and verse 20. Look at this question. "Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth mischief by law?" Let me explain it. Now look, "shall the throne," so we're talking about government. We're talking about civil government. So here's the question, shall the throne of iniquity, which means it is a wicked civil government, shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with thee, that is with God, when that wicked civil government frames mischief by law? Now, you've got to understand that mischief in the Bible is another word for sin. Let me explain it like this. Shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when that wicked civil government makes sin legal? We've already talked about legal murder.

The Certainty of Judgment for Rejecting Christ

Those who reject Christ wrong their own souls and cannot escape God's judgment, as illustrated by Isaiah 28:15.

But let me just read to you, don't turn there, but let me just read to you Isaiah 28 and verse 15. God says, "Because you have said, we have made a covenant with death and with hell are we at agreement. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us. For we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves." What did those leaders think? "Oh, we shall escape because we made lies our refuge."

But I've got news for you. When the judgment of God falls, they will understand "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." There's a cultural death, a theological death, a governmental death. I could go on and on. There's an economic death. You get the idea. All they that hate me love death. Listen to these applications. Those who reject and refuse Jesus Christ have committed a terrible and great sin. They sin against light. They sin against wisdom. They sin against God's law. They sin against Christ. In their folly, they think that contempt of God and His law and the rejection of His Son offers them somehow liberty and freedom and life. When reality, all it brings is death. All they that hate me, said Christ, love death. Their punishment in rejecting Christ will be just. You know what God told Israel in Hosea 13 and verse 9? Israel had rejected God, and remember had built the two golden calves, Dan and Bethel? God said this, "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.

Conclusion: Life and Favor Only in Obedience to Christ

Life and favor are found only in loving and obeying Christ; rejecting Him brings death to individuals and societies.

O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself." Those that offend Christ do wrong to themselves. They do wrong to their own souls. They wound their own consciences. They put blots and stains upon their souls which renders them odious in the sight of God. Isn't it absolutely foolish to wrong your own self and to hurt your own self? Why would you deliberately take a hammer and say, "Let me just see how hard I can hit that thumbnail?" Why would you do something so stupid and so foolish? And why do we think as a people and as a country, as a nation, that we can sin against Christ and sin against His Word and escape punishment?

May I tell you, that life and favor are always found in obedience. Judgment and death are always found in disobedience. In loving and serving and obeying Christ, we find life and favor. In refusing to bow to Him, we find judgment and death. For our Lord said, "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." When you refuse and reject Jesus Christ and His Word, the only thing that you can ever have is death. A society of death. Folks, let me tell you, our society, our culture, our government are in its death throes and we don't even know it. No one can escape the judgment of God who refuses to bow to his Son.

"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry with thee, and you perish in the way, and his wrath is kindled but a little." Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful today for Jesus Christ. And first of all, Lord, we're thankful that we have life and favor in Him. We're thankful, Lord, that our hope is in Him. That as we turn back to Him and His Word and bring our lives in conformity to His Word, there is redemption and restoration, not only for ourselves, but for our society, our culture, our economy, our government. But Lord, it is only as we return to Thee. For outside of Thee, everything is dead. Lord, I pray that you would speak our hearts, make us holy, make us godly, make us obedient, and may we honor thee in all that we say and do. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Christ as the Only Source of Life

Summary: Jesus Christ, as wisdom personified, is the sole giver of life and favor; apart from Him, everything is death.

Evidence: Proverbs 8:35-36: 'For whoso findeth me findeth life... all they that hate me love death.'

The Inevitability of Death in Rejecting God

Summary: Every human system—cultural, theological, governmental—that rejects Christ inevitably produces death.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'All man can do apart from Jesus Christ... is produce a society of death.'

Cultural Decay as a Consequence of Theological Apostasy

Summary: A change in theology always precedes a change in culture; America's cultural death stems from abandoning biblical foundations.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'The only way you can have a change in culture is to have first and foremost a change in theology.'

God's Intolerance of False Religions

Summary: Scripture commands the destruction of false altars and idols; modern tolerance of false religions indicates theological death.

Evidence: Exodus 34:12-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-5; 12:1-3; Judges 2:1-2.

Governmental Tyranny as a Sign of Death

Summary: Governments that reject God's law become tyrannical and instruments of death, legalizing sin and oppressing people.

Evidence: Psalm 94:20: 'Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth mischief by law?'

The Self-Destructive Nature of Sin

Summary: Those who sin against Christ wrong their own souls; rejecting Him is ultimately self-destructive.

Evidence: Proverbs 8:36: 'He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul.'

Key Arguments

All human systems apart from Christ produce death

Summary: Humanism, Marxism, and all other 'isms' promise utopia but deliver only death because life is found only in Christ.

Evidence: Weaver: 'You can take humanism, secularism, Satanism, Marxism, communism... all they deliver is death.'

Cultural death follows theological death

Summary: America's cultural decline is directly linked to its rejection of Christ and His Word; restoration requires theological reformation.

Evidence: Weaver: 'The only way you can have a change in culture is to have first and foremost a change in theology.'

Theological death is evident in biblical ignorance and tolerance of false religions

Summary: Modern churches neglect the Word, tolerate false religions, and operate without the Spirit, indicating spiritual death.

Evidence: Weaver: 'If the Holy Spirit was taken out of the world tomorrow, most churches would go right on as usual.'

Governments die when they reject God's boundaries

Summary: Civil rulers who remove God's limitations become tyrannical; Psalm 2 warns them to submit to Christ or perish.

Evidence: Psalm 2:1-3, 10-12; Hosea 5:10.

Legalized sin is evidence of governmental death

Summary: When governments legalize abortion, sodomy, and other sins, they become instruments of death, as Psalm 94:20 indicates.

Evidence: Weaver: 'Shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when that wicked civil government makes sin legal?'

Rejecting Christ is self-destructive and brings judgment

Summary: Those who hate Christ love death and wrong their own souls; they cannot escape God's judgment.

Evidence: Proverbs 8:36; Hosea 13:9; Isaiah 28:15.

Scripture References

Proverbs 8:32-36

Context: Primary text; wisdom personified as Christ offering life; rejecting Him is loving death.

Hebrews 9:27

Context: Cited as a verse used at funerals about the certainty of death and judgment.

Genesis 2:17

Context: God's warning to Adam that eating the forbidden fruit would bring death.

Romans 8:18-22

Context: Creation groans under the curse of sin, awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God.

Proverbs 8:22-31

Context: Wisdom personified as Christ, present at creation and the Father's delight.

1 Corinthians 1:30

Context: Christ is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

Colossians 2:3

Context: In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Romans 5:12

Context: Sin entered the world through Adam, and death through sin, passing upon all men.

Genesis 3:24

Context: God drove Adam out of Eden, placing cherubim to guard the tree of life.

Exodus 34:12-16

Context: God commands Israel to destroy pagan altars and not make covenants with inhabitants.

Deuteronomy 7:1-5

Context: Israel is to utterly destroy pagan nations and their religious objects.

Deuteronomy 12:1-3

Context: Command to destroy all places of pagan worship and remove their names.

Judges 2:1-2

Context: The Angel of the Lord rebukes Israel for not throwing down pagan altars.

2 Kings 3:10-14

Context: Elisha refuses to regard the wicked king of Israel, showing God's attitude toward false religion.

Matthew 15:2-14

Context: Jesus rebukes the Pharisees as blind leaders; every plant not planted by God will be rooted up.

Revelation 3:1

Context: The church at Sardis has a name that it lives but is dead.

Psalm 2:1-3, 10-12

Context: Kings rebel against God; they are warned to kiss the Son lest they perish.

1 Kings 18:5

Context: Ahab is concerned for his animals but not for the lives of people like Naboth.

1 Kings 17:12

Context: The widow woman expects to eat and die due to the drought caused by Ahab's wickedness.

Hosea 5:10

Context: Princes of Judah removed the boundaries; God will pour out wrath.

Historical References

Eskimo practice of leaving elderly on ice floes

Context: Example of euthanasia practiced for millennia; the Eskimos abandoned their elderly to die.

Colin Turnbull's book 'The Mountain People' about the Ik tribe

Context: The Ik tribe in Africa stole food from the elderly and dying to hasten their death.

The Hemlock Society

Context: A society promoting euthanasia and the right to die, named after Socrates' suicide by hemlock.

Israeli euthanasia by machine legislation

Context: Israel allows machines to perform euthanasia with a timer to circumvent Jewish law.

George Orwell's '1984'

Context: Orwell foresaw a future of a boot stamping on a human face forever as the result of rejecting God.

Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung, Hitler, Ben-Gurion, Pinochet, Idi Amin

Context: Examples of governmental leaders who produced societies of death; Stalin killed 22 million.

Terri Schiavo case

Context: The courts ensured Terri Schiavo's death, illustrating governmental death.

War of Northern Aggression (American Civil War)

Context: Reference to the loss of Christian Southern culture after the Civil War.

Important Quotes

All they that hate me love death.

Significance: Central verse of the sermon; summarizes the consequence of rejecting Christ.

All man can do apart from Jesus Christ, all man can do apart from the Word of God is produce a society of death.

Significance: Core thesis: human efforts without Christ result only in death.

Culture is religion externalized.

Significance: Quoting Cornelius Van Til to explain that culture reflects underlying theology.

The only way you can have a change in culture is to have first and foremost a change in theology.

Significance: Key argument that cultural renewal requires theological reformation.

If the Holy Spirit was taken out of the world tomorrow, most churches would go right on as usual.

Significance: Illustrates the deadness of modern churches that operate without the Spirit.

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth mischief by law?

Significance: Psalm 94:20 used to show that governments legalizing sin cannot have fellowship with God.

O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.

Significance: Hosea 13:9 emphasizes that rejecting God is self-destructive.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry with thee, and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little.

Significance: Psalm 2:12 warning to civil rulers to submit to Christ or face judgment.

Discussion Questions

In what ways do we see our society avoiding the subject of death while simultaneously being surrounded by a 'society of death'?

Context: Weaver notes the paradox of avoiding death yet being immersed in it through media, abortion, and euthanasia.

How does the personification of wisdom in Proverbs 8 point to Jesus Christ, and what does it mean that 'all they that hate me love death'?

Context: Weaver explains that Proverbs 8:22-36 speaks of Christ as wisdom, offering life or death based on response.

What evidence do you see of cultural death in America, and how is it connected to theological decline?

Context: Weaver argues that cultural decay follows theological apostasy, citing the loss of Christian heritage.

Why does God command the destruction of false altars and religions in the Old Testament, and how should that inform our view of religious tolerance today?

Context: Weaver cites Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Judges to show God's intolerance of false worship.

What are the signs of theological death in the modern church, and how can we avoid becoming like the church at Sardis?

Context: Weaver warns that many churches have a name that they live but are dead, operating without the Spirit.

How do governments become instruments of death when they reject God's law, and what examples from history or current events illustrate this?

Context: Weaver discusses legalized abortion, euthanasia, and tyrannical rulers as evidence of governmental death.

What does Psalm 2 teach about the relationship between civil rulers and Christ, and what are the consequences of rebellion?

Context: Weaver expounds Psalm 2 as a warning to kings to submit to the Son or perish.

In what ways do individuals 'wrong their own souls' by rejecting Christ, and how can we find life and favor instead?

Context: Weaver concludes that sinning against Christ is self-destructive, but obedience brings life.

Applications

Examine your own response to Christ

Summary: Individuals must ask whether they are finding life in Christ or loving death by rejecting Him.

Evidence: Proverbs 8:35-36: 'Whoso findeth me findeth life... all they that hate me love death.'

Pursue theological reformation for cultural renewal

Summary: Believers should prioritize a return to biblical theology as the foundation for transforming culture.

Evidence: Weaver: 'The only way you can have a change in culture is to have first and foremost a change in theology.'

Reject tolerance of false religions

Summary: Christians must not tolerate or participate in false worship, following God's command to tear down idols.

Evidence: Exodus 34:12-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-5.

Evaluate the spiritual state of your church

Summary: Churches should examine whether they are alive in Christ or merely going through motions without the Spirit.

Evidence: Revelation 3:1: 'Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.'

Pray for and influence civil government to submit to Christ

Summary: Believers should pray that rulers would 'kiss the Son' and govern according to God's law to avoid tyranny.

Evidence: Psalm 2:10-12: 'Be wise now therefore, O ye kings... Kiss the Son.'

Recognize the self-destructive nature of sin

Summary: Understand that sinning against Christ is ultimately harming oneself; turn to obedience for life and favor.

Evidence: Hosea 13:9: 'O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:37:29Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:31:06Z

Clean Transcript

A Society of Death

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

Proverbs 8, and the Scripture is verses 32-36. Proverbs 8, verses 32-36. I want to bring a message today which I've entitled, "A Society of Death." I want you to listen carefully as I read the Scripture. Proverbs 8, beginning with verse 32: "Therefore, hearken unto me, O ye children, for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors.
#1 | 0:01 to 0:45 | cleaned
For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death."
#2 | 0:46 to 0:58 | cleaned
Now look at verse 36 again: "But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All that hate me love death." Death is a subject that most people wish to avoid. In fact, the subject of death is usually avoided by most people even when they attend a funeral. I have heard many pastors, as well as I have used the verse myself at a funeral, quoting Hebrews 9 and verse 27, where the Word of God says, "And as it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment." Yet still, even with the quoting of scriptures on the subject, when you attend a funeral, there are very, very few discussions about death. The amazing thing is this: while we avoid the subject of death on one hand, even the most personal relationship, that is when a loved one dies, on the other hand we are surrounded by a society of death and we don't even recognize it.
#3 | 0:58 to 2:05 | cleaned
I have been absolutely amazed just recently. When you look at a movie guide or a TV guide, which I don't really get either one of them, but I see them occasionally, but when you see them, there is a definite rise in what is known as the vampire films, the horror flicks, and films that feature murder and violence. I mean, there are axe murders, chainsaw murders, and murder of every kind and caliber available. In fact, I remember one year ago, I just heard the title and never saw it, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." I mean, my goodness. I mean, who can even dream up these things? Who can even think of them? But as you look at TV and as you look at the movies, I mean, it's abounding on every hand.
#4 | 2:07 to 2:57 | cleaned
But not only that, look around our own country and you will find that abortion clinics are in every major city today and also in many rural towns now. We do not wish to think of the thousands of babies that are murdered on a daily basis. But I want you to understand that our society has made it simple and easy for a woman to murder her own child and remain unstigmatized.
#5 | 2:57 to 3:24 | cleaned
In fact, it happens so frequently now that most people never give it a second thought. Do you understand, and I might add this, that abortion is now government-sanctioned. That is, it is legal to murder an unborn child. In fact, medical assistance in this act of legalized murder is readily available. Think about euthanasia. Euthanasia is on the rise as never as it has been before. Now, the word euthanasia is an interesting word.
#6 | 3:25 to 4:00 | cleaned
It literally means "good death." Thanatos is the Greek word for death, and eu is another Greek word which means good or well. So when you hear the word euthanasia, it just simply means a good death, or a death that is done well. Do you realize euthanasia has been practiced for many, many decades, and I want to say many millennia, because the Eskimos were known for taking their elderly out on the ice floe and leaving them, either to starve to death, freeze to death, or to be food for a polar bear. I mean, that's how they got rid of their elderly and sickly and those who could not produce.
#7 | 4:01 to 4:43 | cleaned
Years ago there was a vast shudder going through the halls of academia because academia was talking about the noble savage until Colin Turnbull's book came out entitled "The Mountain People." In that book he describes a tribe known in Africa only as the Ik, and these people were just as notorious and possibly a great deal worse than the Eskimos. They refused to waste food and water on the elderly, or the sickly, or the dying. In fact, these people were so perverse they would steal the food from the elderly, the sickly, and the dying in order to hasten their death.
#8 | 4:44 to 5:29 | cleaned
They even, he even gave illustrations of how that if they saw their neighbor chewing a morsel of food or especially someone weaker than they, they would hit them, break their jaw, take their food out of their mouth and eat it themselves. A people absolutely, totally perverse. You say, "But pastor, we live in a civilized society. We would never ever do anything like the Eskimos or like the Ik?" Well, have you ever heard of the Hemlock Society? The Hemlock Society is a society that promotes euthanasia. It promotes suicide. It was based upon, I believe it was the philosopher Socrates who killed himself by drinking poisoned hemlock. So the Hemlock Society then basically advocates the right to die. That is why you have in California and all of these other states these voter registration drives and these petition drives for the right to die. And what they mean by that is not just the right to kill themselves, but what they want is medical and governmental assistance so that they may, quote unquote, "die with dignity."
#9 | 5:31 to 6:51 | cleaned
But I hope you understand that in light of this, there are also groups that advocate hastening the death of elderly people or the sickly because they're past their productive years and they're just now merely consumers and not producers. And to use the words of one of those advocates, "It's their duty to die and get out of the way." So, you know, we're not as civilized as we think we are. In fact, I just saw this article.
#10 | 6:52 to 7:28 | cleaned
It was on World Net Daily recently, and I copied it off. And I want you to listen to this. Here's the headlines: "Israelis to be allowed euthanasia by machine." By Tim Boucher in Jerusalem. And I'm going to quote just the first two paragraphs. "Machines will perform euthanasia on the terminally ill patients in Israel under legislation devised not to offend Jewish law which forbids people taking human life. A special timer will be fitted to a patient's respirator which will sound an alarm 12 hours before turning it off."
#11 | 7:29 to 8:08 | cleaned
And then it goes on. I want you to understand that Judaism is not Christianity and of course they teach totally different from Christianity, but the Orthodox Jews to even get around turning on their lights on the Sabbath will put a switch, an automatic switch there where the lights turn on by themselves and go off by themselves and so therefore they can have light and yet they have not done it.
#12 | 8:09 to 8:35 | cleaned
Well let me ask you a question. A country that legalizes a timer, and the people who invent and install the timers, is not someone still killing someone? Whether you do it by a timer or not, it is still there. But I'm just simply showing you how widespread this is.
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Now, when we think of death, we normally think of physical death, because that is the most apparent form of death. However, I want you to turn in your Bibles, hold Proverbs 8, we're coming back there. Look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Genesis chapter 2 and verse 17. Look what God told Adam. Genesis 2 and verse 17. Here were the words that God gave Adam and Eve. Genesis 2 verse 17.
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God said, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." So he said, "Adam, the day that you partake of this tree, which I forbid you, you shall surely die." Well, you know the story in Genesis chapter 3, how Eve took the fruit and she gave to her husband Adam and both of them did eat. So when God then pronounced the death penalty upon Adam in Genesis chapter 3, he literally said this, "in dying thou shalt die." Now, when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, here's my question. Did they die immediately? Instantly? Well, they did not die immediately, instantly, physically. Because Adam lived 930 years, they did die and ultimately. They died physically, but there are different kinds of death. There's a spiritual death. There's a covenantal death. There's an economic death. There's all kinds of deaths. So Adam then died for 930 years. But there was more to his dying than just simply the loss of his life.
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Adam lost his culture, his society, his family, even creation. Look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8. Remember a hold Proverbs 8. You say, "Well, Pastor, we still have creation around us." That is true. We still have God's creation. And let me just say this, as beautiful as it is under the curse of sin, what do you think it must have been like without sin? But in Romans chapter 8, beginning there with verse 19, look what the Scripture says. Romans 8 verse 19. God says, in fact, let's begin with verse 18.
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The Apostle Paul writes, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." So he says the glory that we're going to have in Christ, in heaven, is far better than that which we have right now. So look what he says in verse 19: "For the earnest expectation of the creature or creation waited for the manifestation of the sons of God." Now, why is the creation waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God? Here's why. "For the creature or the creation was made subject to vanity, that is, it was placed under the curse, Genesis 3, not willingly, but by reason of him who had subjected the same in hope, because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption and to the glorious liberty of the children of God.
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For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." Now, what is the Apostle Paul saying? He is saying back when man sinned, even creation was placed under the curse and the judgment of God. Now he says this, creation groans waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. Why? Because when we are set at liberty, that is, when our Lord returns and gives us full, gracious, and glorious liberty in and of Himself, then creation itself will be freed from the curse of sin. So it is man and his sin and his rebellion against God and against God's law that has produced a society of death. Now, what I want to demonstrate this morning is this, and I want you to think very seriously about this, that all man can do apart from Jesus Christ, all man can do apart from the Word of God is produce a society of death. What did our Lord say?
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He said in Proverbs chapter 8, "But whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death."
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Now folks, let me tell you something. You can take humanism, secularism, Satanism, Marxism, communism, and all the other isms and put them together that promise life and happiness, but all they deliver is death. You know why? Life is in the hands of God alone. Every ism that you can think about, Marxism, communism, secularism, all of them promise life, happiness, they promise a utopia. Remember that a utopia is usually presented as an ideal place of life, peace, equity, happiness, prosperity. But may I remind you where we get our English word utopia. Our English word utopia comes from the Greek. It is made up of two Greek words, ou topos. Ou topos. That's where we get the word utopia.
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Ou is a negative, which means no. And topos is a noun which means place. So the word utopia means no place. That is, it doesn't actually exist. It is not reality. The only utopia that exists is in the figment of the deceived minds and brains of rebellious men and women who want to fight against Jesus Christ. Reality is what God says it is and not what man says it is.
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Communism, Marxism, secularism, humanism can never produce anything but death. Now look at what our text says in Proverbs chapter 8. He says very closely in verse 35 and very clearly, "For whoso findeth me findeth life and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." Now our text tells us that there is a battle and it is a constant battle between life and favor and judgment and death. We may have life in favor or we may have judgment and death. Now let me just tell you something about Proverbs chapter 8. Proverbs chapter 8 is dealing with wisdom. But when you get to verse 22 on down through verse 36 it is wisdom personified. That is, wisdom is being presented here as a real living person.
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For instance, verse 22, this, of course, speaks of Jesus Christ and his mediatorship. "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old. I was set up," that is the mediatorship of Jesus Christ. "I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning wherever the earth was. When there was no depths, I was brought forth. When there was no fountains, abounding water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the earth."
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Now, let me just stop there. What he is saying is this, before the world began, Jesus Christ was. He not only was as God, but He was also set up to be the God-man, the mediator, the go-between between God the Father and you and I.
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Now, when He says in verse 26, "while as yet He had not made the earth nor the fields nor the highest part of the dust of the earth," what's the highest part of the dust of the earth? Don't say Mount Everest. It's you and I. God made us of dust. For we were ever made Jesus Christ was up. Remember, the Bible said he was a lamb slain when before the foundation of the earth.
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Notice, if you would, verse 27, "when he prepared the heavens, I was there when he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when he gave to the sea his decree that the water should not pass his commandment, when he appointed the foundation of the earth. Then I was by him as one brought up with him.
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I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him." So here's a perfect picture of Jesus Christ.
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Now skip down to verse 32. "Now, therefore, hearken unto me." So we have Christ personified his wisdom speaking. "Now, therefore, hearken unto me," he says, "you children, for blessed are they that keep my ways, hear my instruction and be wise and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors. Why? For whosoever findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord."
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But the opposite is, "but he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death."
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Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles, holding Proverbs 8, turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, and then we're going to Colossians chapter 2. I told you that in Proverbs chapter 8, Jesus Christ was wisdom personified. Well, look what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 30. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 30. "But of him," that is of God the Father, "but of him," that is God the Father, "are you in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us what? Wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." So Jesus Christ is made unto us wisdom. He is wisdom incarnate. If you will look in your Bibles and look at Colossians 2 and verse 3. Colossians 2 and verse 3. Look there if you would please. Colossians 2 and verse 3. And notice if you would please what the Word of God says. Colossians 2 verse 3. "In whom," we're talking about Jesus Christ. "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Once again, Jesus Christ is wisdom personified.
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In Him is wisdom. In Him is life. Outside of Christ, everything is death. Now, I said that the title of this message was "A Society of Death." Let me just point out that our society today is a society of death. Why? Let me explain it. Because it is a society that hates, ostracizes, and rejects the Lordship and the Kingship of Jesus Christ. All societies that refuse and reject Christ are societies of death.
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Now, history teaches this, but the Bible teaches it very clearly. Let me just show you three areas, and I could multiply these areas, but let me show you three areas in which our society has died. First of all, there is a cultural death. There is a cultural death.
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Now, I want you to stop and think about this. Consider the fact that Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. They had a perfect environment. They had a perfect life. They had a perfect culture. However, when they sinned against God and violated His law, they brought death upon themselves and upon their posterity. Listen to what he said in Romans 5, verse 12. Let me just quote it. "Sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men, why? For all have sinned." When did all sin? Well, we all sinned in Adam.
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And what happened was this. After Adam and Eve sinned, you look in Genesis 3 and verse 24 and you read these words. "So He, God, drove out the man, and placed in the east of the garden of Eden cherubims with a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life." What did God do to Adam? He drove him out of the garden.
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I want you to understand something. Adam lost more than his life. He lost an entire culture. He lost a way of life. You see, originally everything was holy, righteous, godly, and good.
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Now everything has become evil, sinful, wicked, and full of rebellion. So Adam didn't just lose his life. He lost an entire culture. Cornelius Van Til, who was a noted author and theologian and teacher, made this statement that culture is religion externalized. Now think about that. Culture is religion externalized. Truer words could not have been spoken. You know what your culture is? Your culture is nothing less than the outworking of your religion. If the Christian religion is your religion, then ultimately you're going to have a Christian culture. If the Christian religion is not your true religion, then you're going to have a paganistic, heathenistic culture. Now let me ask you, why has our culture changed in America?
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The answer is because we've turned from Christ and His Word. We once had a culture of life. And now we've ended up with a culture of death. Why? We've left Christ and his word. Two thoughts. I want you to think, first of all, at the Christian Southern culture that we had before the war of Northern Aggression.
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Now, let me ask, why have we lost our history? Why have we lost our heritage? Why have we lost our respect? Why have we lost our manners? Why have we lost our way of life? Why have we lost our culture? The answer comes back because we have rejected Christ and his word. And he said, "All they that hate me love death." Listen carefully. Cultures die exactly the way people die. And for the same reason, they lose their life. And since life can only be found in Christ and his word, when we turn from him, we die culturally.
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Think of America when it began. Think of our founding fathers. Think of the faith that these men exhibited and evidenced. Think of how Christ was consistently and constantly honored. But yet today, even the President of the United States won't even use the words Jesus Christ. He says we're thankful that Santa is coming. Why is it? Why is it? Even in our Congress, people are ashamed of Jesus Christ and ashamed of the Word of God. Why is it the average professing Christian is ashamed?
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The truth is, folks, we have lost our culture. Let me put it to you bluntly. The train has left the station. And the only way we can get it back is to reroute the tracks and bring it back. I told you this repeatedly. I hope you remember it. The only way you can have a change in culture is to have first and foremost a change in theology. A change in theology always precedes a change in culture. And the reason our culture has changed, our theology has changed. We will never, ever have the culture that we had in early America, nor the culture that we had in Antebellum style, until we come back to the very foundation on which that culture was built and based, and that foundation is nothing less than the Word of God.
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We live in a society of death. Why? Our culture has died, and the reason this died is because it has rejected and refused Jesus Christ, and as he said, "All they that hate me love death." There is not only a cultural death, secondly, there is a theological death. Let me ask a few questions. Where are the great expositors of the word of God today? Where are the Christians who are masters of the Word of God?
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Why is the Bible so neglected? Why are we so ignorant? Why do we have so many versions of the Bible and so many extra-biblical books that are claiming prominence over and above and beyond the Word of God? Why do we play around with cults and false religions and idolatry? Why are there so many different faiths in America? How did America become a multicultural, multi-religious and tolerant society? Do you realize in this day and age, America can tolerate any religion, any cult, any faith except biblical Christianity?
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I could ask it like this. Why are there Muslim mosques in America? Why are there Hindu temples in America? Come on, let's be honest. Would those countries allow us to go over there and build Christian churches? What's the answer? You know, no. Well, why do we have all of these false religions and their temples and mosques in this country? I'm going to tell you why. Because we've died theologically.
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Let me just show you, I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would. First of all, to Exodus 34. Exodus 34. We'll look at a couple of passages. I want you to see how tolerant God is of false religions. OK. Let's look at Exodus chapter 34. And notice, if you would please, verse 1. In fact, we'll just read this and the Lord said unto Moses, so we know the Lord is speaking now, skip down to verse 12. "Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee, but thou shalt destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves, for thou shalt worship no other God, for the Lord whose name is Jealous is a jealous God, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a-whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice, and thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a-whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go
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a-whoring after their gods." What did God say? Tear down their altars. Throw down everything. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 7. I'm just showing you what God's attitude is toward false religions. Deuteronomy chapter 7. Notice, if you look please, beginning there with verse 1. Deuteronomy 7 verse 1. "When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou," and I might point out all of them are pagan. "And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee, thou shalt quite smite them, and utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy on them, neither shalt thou make marriages with them. Thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take in my son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods. So will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
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But thus shalt thou deal with them, you shall destroy their altars and break down their images and cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire. Why? For thou art a holy people of the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all the people that are upon the face of the earth." Look in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 12. Deuteronomy 12, verse 1. "These are the statutes and judgments which ye shall observe to do in the land which the Lord thy God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it all the days that ye live upon the earth. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess serve their gods upon the high mountains, upon the hills, and under every green tree. And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire. And ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place."
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One other look in the book of Judges chapter 2. And notice, if you would please, verses 1 and 2. Judges chapter 2, verses 1 and 2. Of course, the children of Israel disobeyed. And they were judged. But Judges 2, verse 1, "...And the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swear unto your fathers.
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And I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And you shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land. You shall throw down their altars, but you have not obeyed my voice. Why have you done this?"
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Now, I've got one quick question. Is the sovereign God of heaven and earth tolerant of false gods and false religions? What's the answer? Absolutely no. And if you will take the time to read of the great revivals in the Bible, under Hezekiah, Josiah, all of those godly men, you'll find that when the people turned back to God, the first thing they did was to break down the altars of Baal and the house of Baal. In other words, they took care of the false religions in the land. Now, the question is this. If God is not tolerant of false religions and idols, why are we? And here's the answer. Because we've died theologically. We no longer want to stand for what God stands for. We no longer want to stand for the truth of his word, nor the sovereignty of his positions.
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Look at the most prominent religious leaders of our day. Now, here are several questions. Are they men of the word? Do they uphold the law of God? Do they lift up their voices and cry out against wickedness in high places and even in government? No, they don't. Why? The answer is because they're dead theologically. Can you imagine Elijah or Samuel being asked to have a prayer at the inauguration of one of our modern day presidents? Can you imagine what Paul would do if he was asked to preach at the White House?
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Now you just stop and think. They would chew them up and spit them out. There's a passage, I don't know if I can find it right quickly. I can tell you about it. It's when the king... Yeah, here it is. Look in 2 Kings 3. Three kings have gotten together to go to war against the Edomites. There's the Moabite, the Moabitish king. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. And then, of course, the king of Israel. Look, if you would, 2 Kings chapter 3 in verse 10.
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I want you to see Elisha's attitude. "And the king of Israel said, Alas, the Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them to the hand of Moab." So it was... I had it wrong there. It was Jehoram the son of Ahab was king of Israel. And he and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah. And then it was I think the king of Edom that was going against the war against the Moabites. And look what Jehoshaphat said in verse 11. "But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha, the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah. And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel, who is the son of Ahab now, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee?
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Get thee to the prophets of thy father and the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay, for the Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee."
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Let me spell that out to you in good Georgia lingo. He told the king of Israel, "If it wasn't for Jehoshaphat, I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire." That's what he said. "I wouldn't look toward you nor even see you. You go back to your false prophets. I have nothing to do with you." I can assure you, if you were to get Elijah back today, hides would be tanned very thoroughly. Why? I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew 15, and I want you to see what our Lord said. Matthew 15. Here it is. Our Lord.
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Has rebuked the Pharisees because the Pharisees were concerned about their traditions, and if you'll skip down to verse 2, we'll read their verse 2, they the Pharisees came to our Lord and they said, "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread." But he answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Now, please remember that these scribes and Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day. So they're asking Christ, "Why do your disciples transgress our tradition?" Christ said, "Why is it with your tradition you transgress the word of God?"
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And then he gives them several illustrations. Verse 10. "And he called the multitudes and said to them, Hear and understand, not that which goeth into the mouth defileth the man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth the man. Then came his disciples and said to him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying?" You've upset the religious leaders of the day, Christ.
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Let me show you our Lord's attitude. "But he answered and said," here's good South Georgia interpretation, tough stuff. Well, he didn't really say that, but here's what he said. "Every plant which my Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone. They be blind leaders of the blind, and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." Now, here's my question, folks. What is going to happen when the blind lead the blind?
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They will all be destroyed. You can't lead someone back to where you have never been. How in the world can religious leaders, our religious leaders of today, call people back to the Word of God when they don't even know what the Word of God says themselves? The Pharisees, the theological leaders of our Lord's day, were dead. They were blind. The only leadership they could offer was a leadership of death. Not life. Death. Listen to this. In our day and age, we have so neglected the Word of God. We have so left biblical truth that if the Holy Spirit was taken out of the world tomorrow, most churches would go right on as usual. They have their programs.
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They have everything laid out. Most of our churches are dead. Ichabod has been written over the door. The glory has departed. You know what our Lord told the church of Sardis? In Revelation 3 in verse 1, listen carefully. "And unto the angel of the church of Sardis write, These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars. I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, but thou art dead." Isn't that amazing? Our Lord said you've got a name that you're alive, but you're dead. They died theologically. You've got to remember our Lord's words.
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"But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." There's a cultural death. There's a theological death. I'm giving you something that you probably never thought of, but thirdly, there is a governmental death. Governments, just like societies and people, die. And they die when they refuse and reject the Son of God. Psalm 2, and we'll turn there in just a little bit, but Psalm 2 is a psalm written to civil rulers. And when you get to verse 12, the Word of God says to the civil rulers, "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry with thee, and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little." Now, he's talking to the governmental leaders. He's talking to the kings and rulers of this earth, and he admonishes them to kiss the Son. That is, they better make up to him, lest they perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Now, the opening of Psalm 2, which we will look at shortly, declares unto us the defiance, the rebellion, and the revolt of civil rulers against Jesus Christ.
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Well, let me ask you a question. What happens when governments rebel against Christ and His law? The answer is the same as when cultures rebel against Christ and His law. And when people rebel against Christ and His law, they die. It becomes a culture of death or a government or an instrument of death. Some of you will remember George Orwell's book, "1984." He foresaw the results of man's rebellion against God, and here is what he said.
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"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping in a human face forever." Imagine a boot stamping in a human face forever. What did George Orwell see? He saw that when societies and cultures and governments reject Christ and his word, they become an instrument of death. I want you to stop and think. I could name them all, but I could name some. Stalin. Mao Tse-Tung, Hitler, Ben-Gurion, Pinochet, Idi Amin. Did you know that Stalin, they said, killed a minimum of 22 million of his own people there in the forests in Russia. 22 million. You remember Idi Amin was of Uganda.
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I never will forget seeing a political cartoon years ago. By the way, Idi Amin's dead. He died of horrible disease, venereal disease is how he died, basically. He was a wicked, wicked reprobate. But they had a political cartoon, showed him on his Jeep with a .50 caliber machine gun, and Ugandans were laying dead everywhere. And the cartoon showed him on the phone and said, "Yes," he said, "I want to report traffic accident, one jeep and 50,000 Ugandans."
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Well, he probably killed that many or more. You think of all these governmental leaders who were going to introduce their utopian society, and all they introduced was death. I don't care if you talk about Stalin, it doesn't matter. It's all a society of death. And you know, the Bible taught this way before these men were ever born. If you look back in your Bibles to 1 Kings 18, you remember it was during the time of Elijah that Ahab and Jezebel were on the throne.
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And because of their extreme wickedness to judge that nation, God sent a three and a half year drought. People died left and right. Three and a half years without rain or dew. By the way, the physical drought was just a picture of the spiritual reality. God had withdrawn himself from the land. The people were being judged. But look at it, if you would. Let me just show you how governments die. 1 Kings chapter 18.
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And notice, if you would please, verse 5. Look what King Ahab said. He's giving word to Obadiah. 1 Kings 18, verse 5. "And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land and all the fountains of water and all the brooks, for adventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts." What is it that mighty sweet of Ahab?
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I want you to note something. Ahab was concerned for the life of his beasts. But he was not concerned for the life of Naboth and his family. He murdered them so he could steal their property. If you will look in 1 Kings 17 and verse 12, just to show you again that he was not concerned about how his sins affected anybody. 1 Kings 17 and verse 12, here's the widow woman.
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She said, "As the Lord liveth, as the Lord thy God liveth," talk to Elijah. "I have not a cake, but a handful of meal, and a barrel, and a little oil, and a cruse. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat and die." Ahab and Jezebel were their false prophets and false religion and false utopia.
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Oh yes, they were going to bring in this great time of peace and prosperity. And all they were, were instruments of death. Let me tell you something, folks. When governments die, it is made evident by their misplaced priorities. When governments die, programs matter. People do not. When governments die, they care more for the animals than the people. When governments die, they care more for their own perpetuity than the rights and the liberties and the freedom of the people. Do you realize when governments die, they become an instrument of death?
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Look at the legalized abortion. Look at legalized sodomy. May I ask you what entity made it absolutely sure, humanly speaking, that Terri Schiavo would die? The courts, the judicial system. Why? Because when governments die, they become an instrument of death. Ask yourself this question. Why do governments trod the road to tyranny? Why do they go down that path? I want you to turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Hosea.
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and then to Psalm 2. OK? Right after Daniel, you have Hosea. So turn to Hosea, chapter 5 and verse 10, and then we're going back to Psalm 2. Here's why governments go down the road of tyranny. Hosea 5, verse 10. Look at what the Bible says. "The princes of Judah," so we're talking about civil rulers. "The princes of Judah were like them that removed the bound. Therefore," says God, "I will pour out my wrath upon them like water." What does it mean when it says the princes of Judah were like them that removed the bound? They were like them that removed the boundaries. In other words, they did not like the limitations that God placed upon them. God said, "Hitherto shalt thou go in no further." But they said, "God, we don't like that.
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We want to do what we want to do. We're smarter than you. Our word means more to us than your word. We will violate your limitations. We'll violate your boundaries. We'll do what we want." Look back in your Bibles to Psalm 2. I told you earlier this was a Psalm against civil rulers. Here it is. Look at it in Psalm 2 verse 1. God asks, "Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing?" And the word vain means useless, foolish.
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Now look, "the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord's saying, against His anointed saying, let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us." In other words, we don't like to be limited by God. We do not like all these limitations that is placed upon government. In order to be our own God, we must throw off the shackles that He's placed upon us. Listen to me. No government can be tyrannical when it bows to Jesus Christ and obeys His Word. But every government that refuses Jesus Christ and refuses to submit to His Word will become tyrannical and an instrument of death. That's why if you'll skip down to verse 12, the admonition is, well, look in verse 11. In fact, verse 10, "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, you judges of the earth.
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Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those that put their trust in him." No government can become tyrannical as long as it obeys Jesus Christ. But every government that refuses and rejects Jesus Christ will inevitably become tyrannical. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 94 and verse 20. Psalm 94 verse 20.
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Here's exactly what I mean. You know, I find it so amazing that in this country we're supposed to have a Christian president. We're supposed to have a lot of Christians in Congress. But isn't it amazing that all of our laws are anti-Christian and anti-Bible and anti-God? Look what he says, Psalm 94 and verse 20. Look at this question. "Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth mischief by law?" Let me explain it. Now look, "shall the throne," so we're talking about government. We're talking about civil government. So here's the question, shall the throne of iniquity, which means it is a wicked civil government, shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with thee, that is with God, when that wicked civil government frames mischief by law? Now, you've got to understand that mischief in the Bible is another word for sin. Let me explain it like this. Shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when that wicked civil government makes sin legal? We've already talked about legal murder.
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It's legal to be a sodomite. It's even legal to steal, as long as you're a congressman or some government official. You follow? One of my friends that I just saw this week had a bumper sticker on his van that says, "Please don't steal. The government doesn't like the competition." Well, I mean, you know, just stop and think about this. Think of how our government has made sin legal.
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Now, the question is, can that kind of wicked civil government have fellowship with God? And the answer is no. Why can't it not have fellowship with God? Because it has rejected Christ, it has rejected His Word, it has become the enemy of Christ, and it has now become an instrument of death. Remember what our Lord said, "He that sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul, all they that hate me love death." Many politicians, many civil rulers and magistrates, and those in positions of power think that somehow they will escape the death sentence and the judgment of God.
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But let me just read to you, don't turn there, but let me just read to you Isaiah 28 and verse 15. God says, "Because you have said, we have made a covenant with death and with hell are we at agreement. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us. For we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves." What did those leaders think? "Oh, we shall escape because we made lies our refuge."
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But I've got news for you. When the judgment of God falls, they will understand "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." There's a cultural death, a theological death, a governmental death. I could go on and on. There's an economic death. You get the idea. All they that hate me love death. Listen to these applications. Those who reject and refuse Jesus Christ have committed a terrible and great sin. They sin against light. They sin against wisdom. They sin against God's law. They sin against Christ. In their folly, they think that contempt of God and His law and the rejection of His Son offers them somehow liberty and freedom and life. When reality, all it brings is death. All they that hate me, said Christ, love death. Their punishment in rejecting Christ will be just. You know what God told Israel in Hosea 13 and verse 9? Israel had rejected God, and remember had built the two golden calves, Dan and Bethel? God said this, "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.
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O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself." Those that offend Christ do wrong to themselves. They do wrong to their own souls. They wound their own consciences. They put blots and stains upon their souls which renders them odious in the sight of God. Isn't it absolutely foolish to wrong your own self and to hurt your own self? Why would you deliberately take a hammer and say, "Let me just see how hard I can hit that thumbnail?" Why would you do something so stupid and so foolish? And why do we think as a people and as a country, as a nation, that we can sin against Christ and sin against His Word and escape punishment?
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May I tell you, that life and favor are always found in obedience. Judgment and death are always found in disobedience. In loving and serving and obeying Christ, we find life and favor. In refusing to bow to Him, we find judgment and death. For our Lord said, "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." When you refuse and reject Jesus Christ and His Word, the only thing that you can ever have is death. A society of death. Folks, let me tell you, our society, our culture, our government are in its death throes and we don't even know it. No one can escape the judgment of God who refuses to bow to his Son.
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"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry with thee, and you perish in the way, and his wrath is kindled but a little." Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful today for Jesus Christ. And first of all, Lord, we're thankful that we have life and favor in Him. We're thankful, Lord, that our hope is in Him. That as we turn back to Him and His Word and bring our lives in conformity to His Word, there is redemption and restoration, not only for ourselves, but for our society, our culture, our economy, our government. But Lord, it is only as we return to Thee. For outside of Thee, everything is dead. Lord, I pray that you would speak our hearts, make us holy, make us godly, make us obedient, and may we honor thee in all that we say and do. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:37:29Z

A Society of Death

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver preaches from Proverbs 8:32-36, declaring that all who reject Christ love death. He argues that apart from Jesus Christ, every human endeavor—cultural, theological, and governmental—produces only death. Using biblical examples and modern illustrations, he shows that societies that refuse God's law become instruments of death, and he calls for a return to Christ as the only source of life and favor.

Introduction: The Avoidance and Pervasiveness of Death

Weaver notes that people avoid the subject of death even at funerals, yet we live in a society saturated with death through media, abortion, and euthanasia.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 8:32-36

"Therefore, hearken unto me, O ye children, for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death."

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 9:27

"And as it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment."

The Biblical Foundation: Wisdom Personified in Christ

Proverbs 8 presents wisdom as a person, ultimately Jesus Christ, who offers life and favor; rejecting Him brings death.

But the opposite is, "but he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death."

Cultural Death: The Loss of a Godly Culture

When a society rejects Christ, its culture dies. America's cultural decline is traced to theological apostasy.

And what happened was this. After Adam and Eve sinned, you look in Genesis 3 and verse 24 and you read these words.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 3:24

"So He, God, drove out the man, and placed in the east of the garden of Eden cherubims with a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life."

Theological Death: The Neglect of God's Word

Theological death is evident in biblical illiteracy, tolerance of false religions, and dead churches that operate without the Holy Spirit.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 34:12-16

"Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee, but thou shalt destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves, for thou shalt worship no other God, for the Lord whose name is Jealous is a jealous God, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a-whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice, and thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a-whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go

But thus shalt thou deal with them, you

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:1-5

shall destroy their altars and break down their images and cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire.

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:1

"And unto the angel of the church of Sardis write, These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars. I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, but thou art dead."

Isn't that amazing? Our Lord said you've got a name that you're alive, but you're dead. They died theologically. You've got to remember our Lord's words.

Governmental Death: Tyranny and Misplaced Priorities

Governments that reject Christ become instruments of death, legalizing sin and prioritizing programs over people.

And notice, if you would please, verse 5. Look what King Ahab said. He's giving word to Obadiah. 1 Kings 18, verse 5.

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 18:5

"And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land and all the fountains of water and all the brooks, for adventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts."

The Root of Governmental Tyranny: Rejecting God's Boundaries

Civil rulers remove God's boundaries, leading to tyranny. Psalm 2 warns kings to submit to the Son or perish.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 5:10

"The princes of Judah,"

so we're talking about civil rulers.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 5:10

"The princes of Judah were like them that removed the bound. Therefore,"

says God,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 5:10

"I will pour out my wrath upon them like water."

The Certainty of Judgment for Rejecting Christ

Those who reject Christ wrong their own souls and cannot escape God's judgment, as illustrated by Isaiah 28:15.

Conclusion: Life and Favor Only in Obedience to Christ

Life and favor are found only in loving and obeying Christ; rejecting Him brings death to individuals and societies.

A Society of Death

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	111069346
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: Where We Are & How We Got Here
Genre	Sermon
Date	2005-12-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 009: Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	82

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Avoidance and Pervasiveness of Death: Weaver notes that people avoid the subject of death even at funerals, yet we live in a society saturated with death through media, abortion, and euthanasia.
The Biblical Foundation: Wisdom Personified in Christ: Proverbs 8 presents wisdom as a person, ultimately Jesus Christ, who offers life and favor; rejecting Him brings death.
Cultural Death: The Loss of a Godly Culture: When a society rejects Christ, its culture dies. America's cultural decline is traced to theological apostasy.
Theological Death: The Neglect of God's Word: Theological death is evident in biblical illiteracy, tolerance of false religions, and dead churches that operate without the Holy Spirit.
Governmental Death: Tyranny and Misplaced Priorities: Governments that reject Christ become instruments of death, legalizing sin and prioritizing programs over people.
The Root of Governmental Tyranny: Rejecting God's Boundaries: Civil rulers remove God's boundaries, leading to tyranny. Psalm 2 warns kings to submit to the Son or perish.
The Certainty of Judgment for Rejecting Christ: Those who reject Christ wrong their own souls and cannot escape God's judgment, as illustrated by Isaiah 28:15.
Conclusion: Life and Favor Only in Obedience to Christ: Life and favor are found only in loving and obeying Christ; rejecting Him brings death to individuals and societies.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

All human systems apart from Christ produce death

Humanism, Marxism, and all other 'isms' promise utopia but deliver only death because life is found only in Christ.

Weaver: 'You can take humanism, secularism, Satanism, Marxism, communism... all they deliver is death.'

Cultural death follows theological death

America's cultural decline is directly linked to its rejection of Christ and His Word; restoration requires theological reformation.

Weaver: 'The only way you can have a change in culture is to have first and foremost a change in theology.'

Theological death is evident in biblical ignorance and tolerance of false religions

Modern churches neglect the Word, tolerate false religions, and operate without the Spirit, indicating spiritual death.

Weaver: 'If the Holy Spirit was taken out of the world tomorrow, most churches would go right on as usual.'

Governments die when they reject God's boundaries

Civil rulers who remove God's limitations become tyrannical; Psalm 2 warns them to submit to Christ or perish.

Psalm 2:1-3, 10-12; Hosea 5:10.

Legalized sin is evidence of governmental death

When governments legalize abortion, sodomy, and other sins, they become instruments of death, as Psalm 94:20 indicates.

Weaver: 'Shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when that wicked civil government makes sin legal?'

Rejecting Christ is self-destructive and brings judgment

Those who hate Christ love death and wrong their own souls; they cannot escape God's judgment.

Proverbs 8:36; Hosea 13:9; Isaiah 28:15.

Scripture References

Proverbs 8:32-36: Primary text; wisdom personified as Christ offering life; rejecting Him is loving death.
Hebrews 9:27: Cited as a verse used at funerals about the certainty of death and judgment.
Genesis 2:17: God's warning to Adam that eating the forbidden fruit would bring death.
Romans 8:18-22: Creation groans under the curse of sin, awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God.
Proverbs 8:22-31: Wisdom personified as Christ, present at creation and the Father's delight.
1 Corinthians 1:30: Christ is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Colossians 2:3: In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Romans 5:12: Sin entered the world through Adam, and death through sin, passing upon all men.
Genesis 3:24: God drove Adam out of Eden, placing cherubim to guard the tree of life.
Exodus 34:12-16: God commands Israel to destroy pagan altars and not make covenants with inhabitants.
Deuteronomy 7:1-5: Israel is to utterly destroy pagan nations and their religious objects.
Deuteronomy 12:1-3: Command to destroy all places of pagan worship and remove their names.
Judges 2:1-2: The Angel of the Lord rebukes Israel for not throwing down pagan altars.
2 Kings 3:10-14: Elisha refuses to regard the wicked king of Israel, showing God's attitude toward false religion.
Matthew 15:2-14: Jesus rebukes the Pharisees as blind leaders; every plant not planted by God will be rooted up.
Revelation 3:1: The church at Sardis has a name that it lives but is dead.
Psalm 2:1-3, 10-12: Kings rebel against God; they are warned to kiss the Son lest they perish.
1 Kings 18:5: Ahab is concerned for his animals but not for the lives of people like Naboth.
1 Kings 17:12: The widow woman expects to eat and die due to the drought caused by Ahab's wickedness.
Hosea 5:10: Princes of Judah removed the boundaries; God will pour out wrath.

Historical References

Eskimo practice of leaving elderly on ice floes: Example of euthanasia practiced for millennia; the Eskimos abandoned their elderly to die.
Colin Turnbull's book 'The Mountain People' about the Ik tribe: The Ik tribe in Africa stole food from the elderly and dying to hasten their death.
The Hemlock Society: A society promoting euthanasia and the right to die, named after Socrates' suicide by hemlock.
Israeli euthanasia by machine legislation: Israel allows machines to perform euthanasia with a timer to circumvent Jewish law.
George Orwell's '1984': Orwell foresaw a future of a boot stamping on a human face forever as the result of rejecting God.
Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung, Hitler, Ben-Gurion, Pinochet, Idi Amin: Examples of governmental leaders who produced societies of death; Stalin killed 22 million.
Terri Schiavo case: The courts ensured Terri Schiavo's death, illustrating governmental death.
War of Northern Aggression (American Civil War): Reference to the loss of Christian Southern culture after the Civil War.

Important Quotes

All they that hate me love death.

Central verse of the sermon; summarizes the consequence of rejecting Christ.

All man can do apart from Jesus Christ, all man can do apart from the Word of God is produce a society of death.

Core thesis: human efforts without Christ result only in death.

Culture is religion externalized.

Quoting Cornelius Van Til to explain that culture reflects underlying theology.

The only way you can have a change in culture is to have first and foremost a change in theology.

Key argument that cultural renewal requires theological reformation.

If the Holy Spirit was taken out of the world tomorrow, most churches would go right on as usual.

Illustrates the deadness of modern churches that operate without the Spirit.

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth mischief by law?

Psalm 94:20 used to show that governments legalizing sin cannot have fellowship with God.

O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.

Hosea 13:9 emphasizes that rejecting God is self-destructive.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry with thee, and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little.

Psalm 2:12 warning to civil rulers to submit to Christ or face judgment.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways do we see our society avoiding the subject of death while simultaneously being surrounded by a 'society of death'?

[Context]

Weaver notes the paradox of avoiding death yet being immersed in it through media, abortion, and euthanasia.

[Question]

How does the personification of wisdom in Proverbs 8 point to Jesus Christ, and what does it mean that 'all they that hate me love death'?

[Context]

Weaver explains that Proverbs 8:22-36 speaks of Christ as wisdom, offering life or death based on response.

[Question]

What evidence do you see of cultural death in America, and how is it connected to theological decline?

[Context]

Weaver argues that cultural decay follows theological apostasy, citing the loss of Christian heritage.

[Question]

Why does God command the destruction of false altars and religions in the Old Testament, and how should that inform our view of religious tolerance today?

[Context]

Weaver cites Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Judges to show God's intolerance of false worship.

[Question]

What are the signs of theological death in the modern church, and how can we avoid becoming like the church at Sardis?

[Context]

Weaver warns that many churches have a name that they live but are dead, operating without the Spirit.

[Question]

How do governments become instruments of death when they reject God's law, and what examples from history or current events illustrate this?

[Context]

Weaver discusses legalized abortion, euthanasia, and tyrannical rulers as evidence of governmental death.

[Question]

What does Psalm 2 teach about the relationship between civil rulers and Christ, and what are the consequences of rebellion?

[Context]

Weaver expounds Psalm 2 as a warning to kings to submit to the Son or perish.

[Question]

In what ways do individuals 'wrong their own souls' by rejecting Christ, and how can we find life and favor instead?

[Context]

Weaver concludes that sinning against Christ is self-destructive, but obedience brings life.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:31:06Z