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

We Must Be Turned

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2013-01-07

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver expounds Psalm 80, focusing on the thrice-repeated plea, 'Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.' He argues that fallen man, likened to a stubborn mule or wild ass, cannot turn himself from sin due to inherent depravity. While responsible to turn, sinners lack ability; repentance is a gift from God. The sermon applies this truth individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally, urging believers to pray for God's turning grace and the shining of His face, acknowledging that salvation in every sense depends solely on Him.

[John Weaver] Alright, let's open our Bibles today, if you would please, to Psalm 80. Psalm 80. We're going to read this entire Psalm. However, I'm basically going to be dealing with one verse that occurs three times in this Psalm. Psalm 80. The title of the message is, we must be turned. We must be turned. Look in Psalm 80, beginning there with verse 1. Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.

[John Weaver] Stir up thy strength and come and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, and givest them tears to drink in great measure. Thou makest us a strife, and our neighbors and our enemies laugh among themselves. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt. Thou hast cast out the heathen and planted it. Thou preparest room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.

[John Weaver] The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her bows into the sea, and her branches into the river. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.

[John Weaver] Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts. Look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine, and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou made is strong for thyself. It is burned with fire, is cut down, they perish, at the rebuke of thy countenance. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the Son of Man, whom thou makest strong for thyself. So will we not go back from thee? Quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.

[John Weaver] Remember, if you would please, the title of the message is, We Must Be Turned. Years ago, when I was a boy, My cousin Larry came up to visit me from Miami, Florida. He was a city boy and he did not know much about country life. When he saw our mule, he immediately declared that he wanted to ride the horse. After explaining him the difference between a horse and a mule, I placed the bridle on the old mule that we called Old Crip. And the reason we called her Old Crip or Old Cripple was because after she worked a while, she would begin to limp. So I put the bridle on the old mule and I climbed on her back.

[John Weaver] I'd ridden her many, many times. And then I helped Larry up behind me. We left the barn and went about 30 yards. And right in front of us was this huge pecan tree with low-hanging limbs. And that mule headed straight for that low-hanging limb. Well, I had the reins in my hand, I tried to turn the mule. The mule would not turn, just kept walking straight toward that limb. I pulled on that left rein so much that the mule's head was twisted up like this, but she still kept walking straight for that limb. Knowing that I could not turn the mule, and that limb was right in front of me, I said, duck, Larry. And then I laid down on the mule's neck and grabbed her neck. My city cousin looked straight up in the sky and said, where? Just as that limb caught him across the chest, swept him off the mule, and he hit the ground with a thud on his rear end. I could not help but laugh. He got mad, and he accused me of deliberately driving that mule under that limb.

[John Weaver] I did not. Till the day he died, he swore that I did that on purpose. The truth of the matter is this. Mules are known for their stubbornness, their recalcitrance, their hard-headedness, and so are sinners. Did you know that fallen man in the Bible is likened unto an ass? Stubbornness, recalcitrance, hard-headedness, and rebellion are the attributes of fallen man. And he may easily and rightly be compared to an ass in the Bible. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles. Hold psalm 80, we're coming right back there. But I want you to look first of all in the book of Exodus chapter 34 and verse 20. Exodus 34 and verse 20. And let me show you what was to be done with an ass if he was not redeemed. Notice Exodus chapter 34 and verse 20. Look what God says. Exodus 34 and verse 20. But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb. And if thou redeem him not, then thou shalt break his neck. All the firstborn of thy son shalt thou redeem, and none shall appear before me empty. But note if you would, the ass had to be redeemed or he faced the death penalty.

[John Weaver] It's the same thing with sinners. We're either redeemed or we face the death sentence. If you would turn right over in your Bibles to the book of Job and look in chapter 11 and verse 12. Job chapter 11 and verse 12. And look if you would what the scripture says in this passage. Job 11 and verse 12. The Bible says, For thou hast said, let's see, Job 11 I said in verse 12. Yeah.

[John Weaver] For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt. Vain man, that is useless, worthless man would be wise, though he be born like a wild ass's colt.

[John Weaver] Now if you would turn to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22. And look at verses 18 and 19. Jeremiah 22. And let me show you what God says about Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim was a king. He was a wicked, ungodly reprobate. But notice in Jeremiah chapter 22, beginning there with verse 18. Jeremiah 22 verse 18. Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.

[John Weaver] Thou shalt not lament for him, saying, Ah, my brother, or Ah, sister. Thou shalt not lament for him, saying, Ah, Lord, or Ah, his glory. Watch, he shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem. So God did not think too much of Joachim. And what do you do when an ass dies? You just dig a hole and push him in it, and that's it.

[John Weaver] It's over with, it's done with. It's kind of like the preacher who called the police department one Sunday morning and he said, there is a dead jackass in front of my house. The police officer kind of laughed, said, knowing it was the preacher, he had identified himself, he said, I thought the preachers took care of burying the dead. Well, the preacher Paul said, we do. But we normally notify the next kin first. So sometimes preachers do get the points in.

[John Weaver] But notice if you would, here's Jehoiakim. God said he will be buried with the burial of mass.

[John Weaver] Now if you look in the book of Hosea, turn right over. Hosea chapter 8 and look in verse 9. Hosea chapter 8 and verse 9. Daniel, Hosea. Hosea chapter 8 and verse 9. And look what God says concerning Israel. Hosea 8 and verse 9. He says, For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself. Ephraim hath hired lovers. So God calls Israel here a wild ass alone.

[John Weaver] Now I shared these verses with you for one simple point. And that is man cannot turn Himself. He cannot change Himself. He may be responsible to do so, but He does not have the ability to do so. If you would turn back to Jeremiah chapter 13, and look if you would very quickly at verse 23. Jeremiah 13 and verse 23. And look what God says concerning man. Jeremiah 13 and verse 23. God asks, can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard is spots, then may you also do good that are accustomed to do evil." Note the question, can the Ethiopian change his skin?

[John Weaver] And the answer is no. Can the leopard change his spots? The answer is no. Then he says, if they can't do that, then may you do also good who are accustomed to doing evil. In other words, you can't change either. In other words, you are just as bad As Ethiopian and the leopard in that sense, you do not have the ability. So it's impossible then for fallen man to cease from doing evil. He cannot change himself, he cannot turn himself. And sin, by the way, is not just a habit. Sin is something that is ingrained in the nature of fallen man.

[John Weaver] And he sins based upon his own natural inclinations and his own natural desires. If you would turn very quickly, to the book of Psalms, Psalm 58. And let's begin reading there with verse 3. Psalm 58 in verse 3. Just to show you how ingrained our depravity is. In Psalm 58 in verse 3, the Word of God says this. The wicked are estranged from the womb. That is time they're born. The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

[John Weaver] Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. They're like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely." So note he said the wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. And even little babies do that. You say they can't even speak. No. But they can cry and make you think that something is wrong with them.

[John Weaver] And you go pick them up and they stop crying. Nothing was wrong with them. They just wanted attention. They wanted to be held. And have you ever noticed this? You never ever had to teach any of your children how to sin. They just did it normally, naturally. You didn't have to teach them to lie. You didn't have to teach them to cheat. You didn't have to teach them to do anything.

[John Weaver] They learned those things on their own. You see, the truth of the matter is this. Sinners are prone to sin. It is in our nature. We want it. We desire it. And we're going to have it one way or the other. And the fact of the matter is, You take a man outside of Christ, he is not going to listen and he's not going to turn himself. It is absolutely impossible. So sinners then will not turn in and off themselves. They cannot change by themselves.

[John Weaver] Now, the problem is this with many professing Christians. Do you realize that many professing Christians have been deceived into thinking that somehow they can turn themselves around. In fact, many Christians have swallowed the lie of the flesh and the lie of the devil that they can sin and then simply repent at their leisure. You remember that old saying, what was it, sin and haste, repent and leisure? Well, it does not simply work like that. You see, many Christians are lured into sin by the promise of an easy and speedy repentance.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something. Repentance does not belong to the devil to give. Repentance is not in our flesh. It is not in our power. And we cannot work up repentance no matter how hard we try. Scripture tells us, and I'm going to show it to you just momentarily, but Scripture tells us that repentance is the gift of God. And here's what happens. When sinners or when Christians think that somehow they can sin and repent whenever they want to, they begin to ease down the sinful road and the next thing they find out is that sin has them ensnared and they don't even have a desire to stop or desire to turn or desire to repent. And so they're actually captured in their sin. And the truth is, if God does not turn us, we will never be turned. If God does not give us repentance, we will never repent.

[John Weaver] I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 2, beginning there with verse 24. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 24. You'll find that the Apostle Paul enunciates this principle very clearly. Notice 2 Timothy chapter 2, beginning there with verse 24. He says this, And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. As you look at this verse, ask yourself this question. Why does the pastor have to be gentle, apt to teach, And then he says, patient. So it's not just that he has to be apt to teach. He has to be patient in his teaching. Why? Look in verse 25. In meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves, if God, per adventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by Him at His will. So let me ask a question.

[John Weaver] And I want you to answer it according to the Bible. According to these verses. When do men recover themselves out of the snare of the devil? The answer is, when God gives them repentance. Or, when they acknowledge the truth. When do they acknowledge the truth? when God gives them repentance. So, if men do not acknowledge the truth, they do not recover themselves out of the snare of the devil. If men are not given repentance, they do not acknowledge the truth. Notice what he said, if God, per adventure, will give them repentance. In other words, man's recovering himself out of the snare of the devil, And man's acknowledging the truth all revolves around God giving repentance. That's why I'm trying to tell you that men cannot change themselves.

[John Weaver] And Christians, as well as the ungodly and wicked and sinners, are oftentimes deceived. Let me show you. I want you to look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 8. Jeremiah chapter 8, then we're going to the book of Hosea. But look in Jeremiah chapter 8 and look what God says about His professing people. Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 5. It's an amazing verse. Jeremiah 8 and verse 5. Why then is this people of Jerusalem slid back by perpetual backsliding? Here's the answer. They hold fast deceit. They refuse to return. They hold fast deceit. If you would turn right over in your Bibles to the book of Hosea chapter 11 and look at verse 7. Right after the book of Daniel Hosea. Hosea chapter 11 and look at verse 7. Look what God says again. Hosea 11 and verse 7. And my people are bent to backsliding from me. Watch!

[John Weaver] Though they call them to the Most High, none at all would exalt Him." In other words, they wouldn't listen. They would not come back. Why? As he said in Jeremiah 8 and verse 5, they held fast deceit. When men embrace deceit, when they embrace lies, when they embrace untruths, they will not hear.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn back in your Bibles to Psalm 80. And I want you to begin with me to consider the prayer and the plea and the petition of Asap in this Psalm. I want you to notice one verse that I'm going to be dealing with. That one verse occurs three times. And each time it's exactly the same. So look in Psalm 80 in verse 3. Here's the prayer. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Look in verse 7. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Now go down to verse 19. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. So three times, ASAP, has requested the same petition three times he's enunciated the same request now before I get started this let me again very quickly emphasize the difference between responsibility and ability you may be responsible to do something but if you do not have the ability to do it you cannot fulfill

[John Weaver] your responsibility. There's a difference between these two things. I may have a responsibility to support my wife, but if I'm in an automobile wreck and I'm paralyzed, I can't do that. I still have the responsibility, but I don't have the ability. So just because someone has the responsibility does not necessarily imply that they have the ability. But men are responsible to turn themselves. Now listen carefully. They're responsible to turn, first of all, by virtue of the fact that God is our Creator.

[John Weaver] He's the one that made us. He's the one that gave us life and being. And consequently, we are responsible and accountable to Him. So every creature is responsible and accountable to God. Every sinner is because God is the Creator. Secondly, men are responsible to God by virtue of the fact that they are sinners. They owe God honor and glory by virtue of the fact that they are His creatures, but now they owe God repentance and faith by virtue of the fact that they are sinners. God is sovereign, and God has not lost His right to issue commands. In fact, over and over in the Bible, He commands men to turn from their wicked ways. Thirdly, let me point out that fallen man has lost his ability to please God.

[John Weaver] I want you to hold Psalm 80, but look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8. I could multiply verses, but this one passage in Romans chapter 8 should be exceedingly clear. Romans chapter 8, beginning there with verse 6. Romans 8, verse 6. Look what the apostle says. Romans 8, verse 6. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Now watch.

[John Weaver] For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Are you looking? Romans 8, verse 7. Because the carnal mind, that is the fleshly mind, the unsaved mind, The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in flesh cannot please God.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a simple question. How many sinners have the ability to please God? Not one. None. If we're in the flesh, we do not have the ability to please God. It's just that simple. So, God then says, here is your responsibility. But since you fell, you now lack ability. So here's the pressing question. If sinners cannot please God, if they have no power to turn to Him, why does God demand that they do so? God knows they don't have the ability. God knows they do not have the power. Why then does God demand that they repent and turn to Him? The answer is twofold. First of all, just because sinners have lost their power to obey, does not mean that God has lost His right to command. God is still God. He is still sovereign. He is still the ruler. He is still the King of kings and Lord of lords and God of gods, and He may do as He pleases. And God does. And the second answer is this. When sinners begin to recognize their responsibility and their accountability before God, and yet on the other hand, perceive their powerlessness, their helplessness, and their inability, it should drive them to His grace and His mercy begging Him to give them that ability.

[John Weaver] Much like old blind Bartimaeus in Mark chapter 10, when he heard that Jesus came that way, what did he begin to do? He began to cry, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And finally all those around him said, shh, no, no, no, don't bother him. And when he heard that, he cried even louder, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy upon me. When you realize you can't, then you always want to go to the one who can.

[John Weaver] And let me tell you something, as long as fallen man thinks he can, he never will. As long as you think you have the key in your hand, you will never ever seek God.

[John Weaver] Now before I look at Psalm 80, I want to show you two verses, two passages, Where God commands sinners to turn. I want you to look in Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse 32. Then we're going to go over to the little book of Zechariah. Look in Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse 32. God does exercise his right to command. In Ezekiel 18 and verse 13, God says this. Ezekiel 18 verse 32. Ezekiel 18 verse 32 God says, For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God. Wherefore, turn yourselves and live you. God said, I don't have any pleasure in the death of the wicked or the pleasure in the death of him that dieth. God says, turn. It's just that simple. Turn. He commands it. Turn right over to the book of Zephaniah or Zachariah it is. Zechariah, that should be right before the book of Malachi. Zechariah chapter 1, and look at verses 3 and 4. Zechariah chapter 1, right before the book of Malachi. Zechariah chapter 1, look at verse 3.

[John Weaver] Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Be you not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn you now from your evil ways and from your evil doings. Watch, but they did not hear nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. So here's what God's saying. Why in the world are you going to die like your fathers did? Turn. Turn you to me. You turn to me, God said I'll turn to you.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand something. When God commands sinners to turn, He is emphasizing their responsibility, their accountability. This is even true with Christians. I'm going to show you how applicable this is. I want you to understand that it is our responsibility to turn and change ourselves. Let me go a little further. Think with me now. It's our responsibility to turn and change our families. It's our responsibility to turn and change our churches. It's our responsibility to turn and change our nation.

[John Weaver] But we don't have the ability. We don't have the power. The power and the ability and the salvation belong to God alone.

[John Weaver] Now, with that in mind, I want you to go back to Psalm 80 and let's just take verse 3. Psalm 80 verse 3. There's three things. There are three truths I want you to see. First of all, the directed favor. Asap is praying. And he says in verse 3, here's his petition. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. So the psalmist here directs his desired favor to the one true of the living God. Turn us again, O God of hosts, as he says in verse 7 and in verse 19. First of all, let me say this. The appeal is to God. The appeal is to the Lord God of hosts.

[John Weaver] You must remember that the word host refers to armies. So God then is the Lord God of the armies of heaven and of earth. So the psalmist then is appealing to the sovereign God, the one who is in ultimate control, the one who has all authority. He is appealing to the right person because God is the only one that can really do anything about this.

[John Weaver] Secondly, I want you to note in verse 3, he says, turn us again, O Lord. So the appeal not only is to God, but secondly the appeal is to turn us.

[John Weaver] Now the Hebrew word here is the word Shub, and it literally means to turn back, to restore, and to bring back. To turn back, to restore, and to bring back. So he says, turn us again, O God. Now, go back up to verse 1. Look at verse 1. He says, Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. So in verse 1 then, God is designed as a shepherd. So as God is our shepherd, the appeal here would be from the sheep to the God of heaven, the great shepherd, to turn us.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to understand what the psalmist is saying. He said, turn us. He did not say, change our conditions, change our situation. He said, turn us. Are you listening? It is not our situation, our circumstances, our conditions that need to be changed. It is we, the people that need to be changed. We're the ones that need to be turned. When God turns His people, He will always turn their condition and their circumstances and their situation. But if He does not turn us, then we will never ever be turned. Do you realize what most people want? Now, I want you to stop and think about this in our nation. I hear people moaning and groaning all the time because of our economy and it is the pits. I concur. It's bad. Look at the persecution. It's bad. Look at the loss of freedom and righteousness. It's bad. But do you realize most people want our conditions and our circumstances and our situations changed just so they can live in sin and live in sin more favorably.

[John Weaver] Have you ever stopped to think about that? No, what the psalmist is saying is this, turn us. We're the ones that need to be turned. God is called the Shepherd of Israel in verse 1. Do you realize that sheep are notorious wanderers? They always get themselves in unsafe and precarious situations. Sinners do the same thing. Do you remember what the Bible says in Isaiah 53 and verse 6? There the word of God says, all we like sheep have gone astray, we've turned everyone to his own way.

[John Weaver] And that's exactly what we have done in this country. We must be turned, listen carefully, and we must be turned to the Lord's way and not our own way. The Bible says in Proverbs 14 and verse 12, There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. Now, do you want to follow some man just because his way seems right and end up dead? Or do you want to follow the Lord and do that which is right and it be the right way?

[John Weaver] You remember that passage, and I quote this frequently. In Proverbs 18, verse 36, where our Lord said, But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love what? Death. All they that hate me love death. Some years ago I preached a message on this passage which I entitled, A Society of Death. And that is exactly what we have today. We have a society of death.

[John Weaver] So the clear implication then of this prayer and this petition is that we must be turned and we cannot turn ourselves. We need to be turned individually, familiarly, ecclesiastically, and nationally. I want you to note thirdly, this appeal, the psalmist prays, turn us again, Lord God of hosts. Now, when I read that, I thought to myself, look at that prayer, turn us again. Verse 7, turn us again. Verse 19, turn us again. And my thought was, my question that immediately popped in my mind was, how many times do we have to be turned? What did he pray? Turn us again. Which implies, they had been turned before, And it did not take with them. Let me show you. Whole Psalm 80.

[John Weaver] Go back in your Bibles to the book of Judges chapter 2. I'm not going to go all through the book of Judges. I could. But I want you to just see these passages. Judges chapter 2. Judges chapter 2, beginning there with verse 11. We'll read through verse 14. Judges 2 verse 11. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Balaam.

[John Weaver] And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtoreth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of the spoilers that spoiled them, And He sold them in the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

[John Weaver] So what did they do? They turned from God, and God judged them, and God chastised them. And guess what God did? When they cried, and they hollered, and bellowed, God raised up a judge, and God delivered them. Guess what happened when God delivered them and sent them a judge? After that judge died, they went back to their same old sinful ways. Skip down to verse 16. Judges chapter 2, verse 16. Here it is. Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges. But they went a-whoring after other gods and bowed themselves unto them. They turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord.

[John Weaver] But they did not so. When the Lord raised them up, judges, And the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, watch now, and it came to pass when the judge was dead that they returned and corrupted themselves more than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down on them. They ceased not from their own doings nor from their own stubborn way And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel.

[John Weaver] And he said, Because that this people have transgressed my covenant, which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened to my voice, I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left before they died. And then he goes on to say that he's going to leave those nations there to prove them. They're going to be a thorn in their flesh.

[John Weaver] But note, if you would, this is the thing that gets me. The Bible says in verse 19, And it came to pass when the judge was dead that they returned and corrupted themselves more than their fathers. It didn't matter that God had judged the former fathers or the people who had already died. No, no. They didn't learn one thing. They had been turned, but they did not turn permanently. They just turned temporarily. And over and over in the book of Judges, if you would read that book, you will find out that God delivered them, And when the judge died, they went right back to their own wickedness.

[John Weaver] And then they got into captivity. They would cry again. God would raise up another judge. It was over and over and over. My question is this. In fact, let me ask you a number of questions. Is there a time when God will no longer turn a people? How long will it be or how long will He be provoked? Is there a limit to despising the grace and the mercy of God? How about this one? Does there come a time when we cease to have a right or privilege to even ask God for turning grace? Let me answer those questions for you. Israel certain reached the state of no longer being a turnable nation or a turnable people.

[John Weaver] In Hosea 1 in verse 6, speaking of Hosea's wife who was basically a harlot. The Bible said, and she conceived again and bear a daughter. And God said unto him, call her name Leruhamah, for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away. And her name literally means not my people. Don't say, I'm not going to turn them anymore. I'm not messing with them anymore. I'm going to destroy them. I will no longer have mercy upon the house of Israel, but I will utterly take her away. So here's another question.

[John Weaver] Has America reached that point? Just stop and think. The psalmist has prayed, turn us again, O Lord God of hosts. It is amazing how God has had His hand upon this country. And how many times and how many ways we've turned consistently and constantly from Him. So here's the directed favor. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts.

[John Weaver] Secondly, I want you to note the desire of faith. Look in verse 3 of Psalm 80. Psalm 80 verse 3. He says, Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine. cause thy face to shine." Have you ever stopped to think what it means to have God's face to shine upon us? What would that imply? What would it be like to have God smile upon our lives, our families, our churches, and our nation?

[John Weaver] Now let me show you what the psalmist is talking about. I want you to hold Psalm 80, but go back to Psalm 4 and verse 6. There's a parallel verse here, and I'm going to show you that although it's worded differently, it means basically the same thing. In Psalm 4 and verse 6. Psalm 4 and verse 6. Here the psalmist says, there be many that say, Who will show us any good?

[John Weaver] Notice now that's a question. Then he says, Lord, lift out the light of thy countenance upon us. The phrase, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us, is one that occurs very frequently in scripture. And it is expressive of God's favor and God's friendship and God's approval. The light of God's presence And the shine of God's face relates then to His gracious presence, the manifestation of His love and mercies, the discoveries of His love, the communion with Him, and the comforts of His Spirit, and the joys of His salvation.

[John Weaver] We have to understand that these are by far the greatest riches. Spurgeon, looking at Psalm 4 and verse 6, I want you to watch this momentarily. Look at Psalm 4 and verse 6. He says, there will be many that say, who will show us any good? And any good would refer to physical good, material good. But then David said, Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us. Here's what Spurgeon said in regard to Psalm 4 and verse 6. He said, the light of God's countenance is enough for him. This is his riches, his honor, his health, his ambition, his ease.

[John Weaver] Give him this and he will ask for nothing more. This is joy unspeakable and full of glory. Oh, for more of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that our fellowship with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ may be constant and abiding.

[John Weaver] Now, since you're in Psalm 4, I want you to skip down to Psalm 5 and look at verse 12. Here's another verse that essentially talks about the same truth. Psalm 5 verse 12, For thou, Lord, will bless the righteous with favor wilt thou accomplish him as with a shield. So, thou wilt bless the righteous with favor. So when you talk about the countenance of God and the God shining upon us, we're still talking about God's favor, God's grace, God's blessing.

[John Weaver] One of my favorite Puritans is William Secker. William Secker wrote a book called The Nonsuch Professor in 1660. I have the little book. It is a jewel. But I want you to listen to what William Secker wrote on Psalm 4 and verse 6. And he is contrasting the any good with the light of God's countenance. Listen to what he says. Lest riches should be accounted evil in themselves, God sometimes gives them to the righteous. Unless they should be considered the chief good, he frequently bestows them upon the wicked.

[John Weaver] But they are more generally the portion of his enemies than his friends. Alas, what is it to receive and not to be received? To have none other dues of blessing than such as shall be fallen by the showers of brimstone. We may compass ourselves with sparks of security and afterwards be secured in eternal misery. This world is a floating island, and so sure as we cast anchor upon it, we shall be carried away by it."

[John Weaver] God and all that He has made is not more than God without anything that He has made. He's still God, is what He's saying. He can never want treasure who has such a golden mind. He, God, is enough without the creature, but the creature is not anything without Him. It is therefore better to enjoy Him without anything else than to enjoy everything else without Him. It is better to be in a wooden vessel filled with wine than a golden one filled with water. And that is true. Would you like to be on a solid golden vessel filled with water? You're going down. But a wooden vessel that floats It's far more secure than a gold one that does not float.

[John Weaver] In case you haven't remembered this, let me point out, and I do want you to turn there, to Numbers chapter 6. I want you to see the shine of God's face and the lifting up of His countenance was a priestly blessing. So when you get to Numbers chapter 6, begin there with verse 24. Numbers chapter 6 and verse 24. Here it is. The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace. That was the priestly blessing. The Lord causing His face to shine upon you and the Lord lifting up His countenance upon you.

[John Weaver] Which was expressive of the same thing. Now, one last point. I want you to look in Psalm 80 and verse 3. He said this, here's the directed favor, turn us again, oh God. Here is the desire of faith, and cause thy face to shine upon us, and here's the declaration of fact, and we shall be saved. When God turns Himself to us, and causes His face to shine upon us, we shall be saved.

[John Weaver] Salvation is the Lord and of Him alone. Most of you have probably never heard of Savonarola. He was burned at the stake, May the 23rd, 1498. And the reason he was burned at the stake was for exposing the corruption in the Roman Catholic Church and for defying the Pope. And Savonarola had a prayer that he prayed based upon Psalm 80 in verse 3. And here's what he said. Remember this is his prayer.

[John Weaver] Turn us and cause thy face to shine. To thyself convert us from the earthly to the heavenly. Convert our rebellious wills to thee. And when we are converted, show thy countenance that we may know thee. Show thy power that we may fear thee. Show thy wisdom that we may reverence thee. Show thy goodness that we may love thee. Show them once, show them a second time, show them always, that through tribulation we may pass with a happy face and be saved. When thou dost save, we shall be saved. When thou wouldst draw thy hand, we cannot be saved.

[John Weaver] And that certainly is true. Do you know when we're going to be saved? And the answer is, when God turns us. That is true individually, it is true familially, it is true ecclesiastically, it is true nationally. When God turns us, we shall be saved, saved from ourselves, saved from our dangers, saved from our troubles. It is true that when God causes His face to shine upon us, that we shall be saved from our sins and saved from ruin. And it's only by His smile and only by His favor and only by His countenance lifting up upon us that we can be saved in any sense of the word. All that we need individually, all that we need familially, all we need ecclesiastically, all we need nationally is the Lord's favor, the Lord's smile.

[John Weaver] One glance of His gracious eye would transform Tophet into a paradise. No matter how fierce the foe, how dire the captivity, the shining face of God ensures both victory and liberty. What does that mean? It means this. We need to learn to pray this prayer. Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved. It is only national holiness that's going to ensure national happiness.

[John Weaver] I want you to think with me. Two thoughts here. In this prayer, turn us again, O Lord God of hosts. Cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved. In this prayer and in this petition, there is an acknowledgement as well as a confession that all of our troubles All of our trials, all of our heartaches are brought upon us and are caused by our own sin and rebellion to God and His Word. It is our sins that have hidden His face from us. You don't have to turn there, but let me just quote it.

[John Weaver] Isaiah 59, verses 1 and 2. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save. And His ear is not heavy that He cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear." So it's our sins and our iniquities that causes God's frown. So when we pray, Turn us again, O Lord God. Cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved. We're acknowledging that we're the cause of the problem. You have to remember, God is immutable. He does not change. We're the ones who change. We're the ones who sin. Secondly, there's also an acknowledgement and a confession in this prayer that we cannot turn ourselves.

[John Weaver] And we stop to think about that. We can't save ourselves. We can't save our children. We can't save our families. We can't save our churches. We can't save our nation. We can't do anything. If God does not turn us, if God does not do something, we will not be saved. It is His power. and His ability.

[John Weaver] Now, there's one last passage I want you to turn to. I want you to turn to Jeremiah chapter 31, and I want to show you, I know I've preached, but I tell you what, I could have just read this one verse, and if everyone would have understood the verse, that would have been fine. Jeremiah 31, I'm going to read two verses, just so you can see it in context. Jeremiah 31, verse 18. Look what it said.

[John Weaver] I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus. Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Now watch. Turn thou on me, and I shall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth."

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. When did Ephraim repent? Only after he was turned. Note if you would, he said, when I was instructed, after he was turned, I smote upon my thigh. I understood it. I was ashamed and even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth. What is he saying? If God doesn't turn us, we don't repent. And if we don't repent, we can never be ashamed and sorrowful for our wickedness and for our sins. Are you listening?

[John Weaver] That is true individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. So we need to learn to pray with ASAP. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved.

[John Weaver] Now let me mention something. If God is not pleased to save this country, He might be pleased to save several states that would repent and come to righteousness. He might be pleased to save a people that are saying, Lord, we've had enough of sin and wickedness We want Thee, and Thy law, and Thy mercy, and Thy grace. We need to learn to pray, turn us again. And we should be ashamed that we even have to pray that. Again? Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask you for your grace, your mercy, your help. How desperately we need thee.

[John Weaver] How powerless and how helpless we are. We are nothing and we can do nothing in and of ourselves. And we confess with ASAP. Lord, if you do not turn us, we will never be turned. And we will never be saved. We need thy countenance. We need Thy blessing, we need Thy favor, we need Thy grace, we need Thy power. Grant us, O Lord, a turning back to Thee in Thy righteousness.

[John Weaver] In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

We Must Be Turned

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	aT1XZBBfM_s
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Praying Against the Wicked
Genre	Sermon
Date	2013-01-07
Dictation Name
Book	Book 137: Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations - Volume 2 — Chapter 27
Source Timed Segments	83

Formatted Transcript

Opening

Alright, let's open our Bibles today, if you would please, to Psalm 80. Psalm 80. We're going to read this entire Psalm. However, I'm basically going to be dealing with one verse that occurs three times in this Psalm. Psalm 80. The title of the message is, "We Must Be Turned." We must be turned. Look in Psalm 80, beginning there with verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 80:1-19

"Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy strength, and come and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Introduction: The Stubbornness of Man

Weaver shares a childhood story about a stubborn mule to illustrate the recalcitrance of fallen man, who is compared to an ass in Scripture and cannot turn himself.

Remember, if you would please, the title of the message is, "We Must Be Turned." Years ago, when I was a boy, my cousin Larry came up to visit me from Miami, Florida. He was a city boy and he did not know much about country life. When he saw our mule, he immediately declared that he wanted to ride the horse. After explaining to him the difference between a horse and a mule, I placed the bridle on the old mule that we called Old Crip. And the reason we called her Old Crip or Old Cripple was because after she worked a while, she would begin to limp. So I put the bridle on the old mule and I climbed on her back. I'd ridden her many, many times. And then I helped Larry up behind me. We left the barn and went about 30 yards. And right in front of us was this huge pecan tree with low-hanging limbs. And that mule headed straight for that low-hanging limb. Well, I had the reins in my hand, I tried to turn the mule. The mule would not turn, just kept walking straight toward that limb. I pulled on that left rein so much that the mule's head was twisted up like this, but she still kept walking straight for that limb. Knowing that I could not turn the mule, and that limb was right in front of me, I said, "Duck, Larry." And then I laid down on the mule's neck and grabbed her neck. My city cousin looked straight up in the sky and said, "Where?" Just as that limb caught him across the chest, swept him off the mule, and he hit the ground with a thud on his rear end. I could not help but laugh. He got mad, and he accused me of deliberately driving that mule under that limb.

I did not. Till the day he died, he swore that I did that on purpose. The truth of the matter is this: mules are known for their stubbornness, their recalcitrance, their hard-headedness, and so are sinners. Did you know that fallen man in the Bible is likened unto an ass? Stubbornness, recalcitrance, hard-headedness, and rebellion are the attributes of fallen man. And he may easily and rightly be compared to an ass in the Bible. Let me show you.

Man's Inability to Turn Himself

Using Exodus 34:20, Job 11:12, Jeremiah 22:18-19, and Hosea 8:9, Weaver shows that man is like an ass—stubborn and unable to change. Jeremiah 13:23 and Psalm 58:3 demonstrate that sin is ingrained in human nature.

I want you to turn in your Bibles. Hold Psalm 80, we're coming right back there. But I want you to look first of all in the book of Exodus chapter 34 and verse 20. Exodus 34 and verse 20. And let me show you what was to be done with an ass if he was not redeemed. Notice Exodus chapter 34 and verse 20. Look what God says. Exodus 34 and verse 20:

Scripture Reading — Exodus 34:20

"But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty."

But note if you would, the ass had to be redeemed or he faced the death penalty.

It's the same thing with sinners. We're either redeemed or we face the death sentence. If you would turn right over in your Bibles to the book of Job and look in chapter 11 and verse 12. Job chapter 11 and verse 12. And look if you would what the scripture says in this passage. Job 11 and verse 12. The Bible says, "For thou hast said," let's see, Job 11 I said in verse 12. Yeah.

"For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt." Vain man, that is useless, worthless man would be wise, though he be born like a wild ass's colt. Now if you would turn to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22. And look at verses 18 and 19. Jeremiah 22. And let me show you what God says about Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim was a king. He was a wicked, ungodly reprobate. But notice in Jeremiah chapter 22, beginning there with verse 18. Jeremiah 22 verse 18: "Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah;

They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem." So God did not think too much of Jehoiakim. And what do you do when an ass dies? You just dig a hole and push him in it, and that's it. It's over with, it's done with. It's kind of like the preacher who called the police department one Sunday morning and he said, "There is a dead jackass in front of my house." The police officer kind of laughed, said, knowing it was the preacher, he had identified himself, he said, "I thought the preachers took care of burying the dead." Well, the preacher said, "We do. But we normally notify the next of kin first." So sometimes preachers do get the points in.

But notice if you would, here's Jehoiakim. God said he will be buried with the burial of an ass. Now if you look in the book of Hosea, turn right over. Hosea chapter 8 and look in verse 9. Hosea chapter 8 and verse 9. Daniel, Hosea. Hosea chapter 8 and verse 9. And look what God says concerning Israel. Hosea 8 and verse 9:

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:9

"For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers."

So God calls Israel here a wild ass alone.

Now I shared these verses with you for one simple point. And that is man cannot turn himself. He cannot change himself. He may be responsible to do so, but he does not have the ability to do so. If you would turn back to Jeremiah chapter 13, and look if you would very quickly at verse 23. Jeremiah 13 and verse 23. And look what God says concerning man. Jeremiah 13 and verse 23. God asks, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." Note the question, can the Ethiopian change his skin?

And the answer is no. Can the leopard change his spots? The answer is no. Then he says, if they can't do that, then may you do also good who are accustomed to doing evil. In other words, you can't change either. In other words, you are just as bad as the Ethiopian and the leopard in that sense, you do not have the ability. So it's impossible then for fallen man to cease from doing evil. He cannot change himself, he cannot turn himself. And sin, by the way, is not just a habit. Sin is something that is ingrained in the nature of fallen man.

And he sins based upon his own natural inclinations and his own natural desires. If you would turn very quickly to the book of Psalms, Psalm 58. And let's begin reading there with verse 3. Psalm 58 in verse 3. Just to show you how ingrained our depravity is. In Psalm 58 in verse 3, the Word of God says this:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 58:3

"The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely."

So note he said the wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. And even little babies do that. You say they can't even speak. No. But they can cry and make you think that something is wrong with them.

And you go pick them up and they stop crying. Nothing was wrong with them. They just wanted attention. They wanted to be held. And have you ever noticed this? You never ever had to teach any of your children how to sin. They just did it normally, naturally. You didn't have to teach them to lie. You didn't have to teach them to cheat. You didn't have to teach them to do anything.

They learned those things on their own. You see, the truth of the matter is this: sinners are prone to sin. It is in our nature. We want it. We desire it. And we're going to have it one way or the other. And the fact of the matter is, you take a man outside of Christ, he is not going to listen and he's not going to turn himself. It is absolutely impossible. So sinners then will not turn in and of themselves. They cannot change by themselves.

The Deception of Self-Repentance

Many Christians falsely believe they can sin and repent at will. Repentance is a gift from God (2 Timothy 2:24-26), and without it, people remain ensnared by sin.

Now, the problem is this with many professing Christians. Do you realize that many professing Christians have been deceived into thinking that somehow they can turn themselves around. In fact, many Christians have swallowed the lie of the flesh and the lie of the devil that they can sin and then simply repent at their leisure. You remember that old saying, what was it, "sin in haste, repent at leisure"? Well, it does not simply work like that. You see, many Christians are lured into sin by the promise of an easy and speedy repentance. Let me tell you something. Repentance does not belong to the devil to give. Repentance is not in our flesh. It is not in our power. And we cannot work up repentance no matter how hard we try. Scripture tells us, and I'm going to show it to you just momentarily, but Scripture tells us that repentance is the gift of God. And here's what happens. When sinners or when Christians think that somehow they can sin and repent whenever they want to, they begin to ease down the sinful road and the next thing they find out is that sin has them ensnared and they don't even have a desire to stop or desire to turn or desire to repent. And so they're actually captured in their sin. And the truth is, if God does not turn us, we will never be turned. If God does not give us repentance, we will never repent.

I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 2, beginning there with verse 24. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 24. You'll find that the Apostle Paul enunciates this principle very clearly. Notice 2 Timothy chapter 2, beginning there with verse 24. He says this,

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:24-26

"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."

Now, let me ask you a question. As you look at this verse, ask yourself this question. Why does the pastor have to be gentle, apt to teach, and then he says, patient? So it's not just that he has to be apt to teach. He has to be patient in his teaching. Why? Look in verse 25.

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:24-26

"In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."

So let me ask a question.

And I want you to answer it according to the Bible. According to these verses. When do men recover themselves out of the snare of the devil? The answer is, when God gives them repentance. Or, when they acknowledge the truth. When do they acknowledge the truth? When God gives them repentance. So, if men do not acknowledge the truth, they do not recover themselves out of the snare of the devil. If men are not given repentance, they do not acknowledge the truth. Notice what he said, "if God peradventure will give them repentance." In other words, man's recovering himself out of the snare of the devil, and man's acknowledging the truth all revolves around God giving repentance. That's why I'm trying to tell you that men cannot change themselves.

Responsibility vs. Ability

God commands sinners to turn (Ezekiel 18:32; Zechariah 1:3-4), emphasizing responsibility. However, fallen man lacks ability (Romans 8:6-8), which should drive him to seek God's grace.

your responsibility. There's a difference between these two things. I may have a responsibility to support my wife, but if I'm in an automobile wreck and I'm paralyzed, I can't do that. I still have the responsibility, but I don't have the ability. So just because someone has the responsibility does not necessarily imply that they have the ability. But men are responsible to turn themselves. Now listen carefully. They're responsible to turn, first of all, by virtue of the fact that God is our Creator.

He's the one that made us. He's the one that gave us life and being. And consequently, we are responsible and accountable to Him. So every creature is responsible and accountable to God. Every sinner is because God is the Creator. Secondly, men are responsible to God by virtue of the fact that they are sinners. They owe God honor and glory by virtue of the fact that they are His creatures, but now they owe God repentance and faith by virtue of the fact that they are sinners. God is sovereign, and God has not lost His right to issue commands. In fact, over and over in the Bible, He commands men to turn from their wicked ways. Thirdly, let me point out that fallen man has lost his ability to please God.

I want you to hold Psalm 80, but look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8. I could multiply verses, but this one passage in Romans chapter 8 should be exceedingly clear. Romans chapter 8, beginning there with verse 6. Romans 8, verse 6. Look what the apostle says. Romans 8, verse 6:

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:6-8

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

Now let me ask you a simple question. How many sinners have the ability to please God? Not one. None. If we're in the flesh, we do not have the ability to please God. It's just that simple. So, God then says, here is your responsibility. But since you fell, you now lack ability. So here's the pressing question. If sinners cannot please God, if they have no power to turn to Him, why does God demand that they do so? God knows they don't have the ability. God knows they do not have the power. Why then does God demand that they repent and turn to Him? The answer is twofold. First of all, just because sinners have lost their power to obey, does not mean that God has lost His right to command. God is still God. He is still sovereign. He is still the ruler. He is still the King of kings and Lord of lords and God of gods, and He may do as He pleases. And God does. And the second answer is this. When sinners begin to recognize their responsibility and their accountability before God, and yet on the other hand, perceive their powerlessness, their helplessness, and their inability, it should drive them to His grace and His mercy begging Him to give them that ability.

Much like old blind Bartimaeus in Mark chapter 10, when he heard that Jesus came that way, what did he begin to do? He began to cry, saying, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me." And finally all those around him said, "Shh, no, no, no, don't bother him." And when he heard that, he cried even louder, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy upon me." When you realize you can't, then you always want to go to the one who can. And let me tell you something, as long as fallen man thinks he can, he never will. As long as you think you have the key in your hand, you will never ever seek God.

The Directed Favor: Appeal to God

Asaph directs his plea to the sovereign 'Lord God of hosts,' the only one who can truly turn His people. The Hebrew word 'shub' means to turn back, restore, and bring back.

Now, with that in mind, I want you to go back to Psalm 80 and let's just take verse 3. Psalm 80 verse 3. There's three things. There are three truths I want you to see. First of all, the directed favor. Asaph is praying. And he says in verse 3, here's his petition: "Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." So the psalmist here directs his desired favor to the one true and living God. "Turn us again, O God of hosts," as he says in verse 7 and in verse 19. First of all, let me say this. The appeal is to God. The appeal is to the Lord God of hosts.

You must remember that the word "hosts" refers to armies. So God then is the Lord God of the armies of heaven and of earth. So the psalmist then is appealing to the sovereign God, the one who is in ultimate control, the one who has all authority. He is appealing to the right person because God is the only one that can really do anything about this. Secondly, I want you to note in verse 3, he says, "Turn us again, O Lord." So the appeal not only is to God, but secondly the appeal is to turn us.

Now the Hebrew word here is the word "shub," and it literally means to turn back, to restore, and to bring back. To turn back, to restore, and to bring back. So he says, "Turn us again, O God." Now, go back up to verse 1. Look at verse 1. He says, "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth." So in verse 1 then, God is designated as a shepherd. So as God is our shepherd, the appeal here would be from the sheep to the God of heaven, the great shepherd, to turn us.

The Need for Personal, Not Just Circumstantial, Change

The psalmist prays 'Turn us,' not 'change our conditions.' People often want circumstances improved to continue sinning comfortably, but the real need is a turning of the heart to God's way.

Now I want you to understand what the psalmist is saying. He said, "Turn us." He did not say, "Change our conditions, change our situation." He said, "Turn us." Are you listening? It is not our situation, our circumstances, our conditions that need to be changed. It is we, the people that need to be changed. We're the ones that need to be turned. When God turns His people, He will always turn their condition and their circumstances and their situation. But if He does not turn us, then we will never ever be turned. Do you realize what most people want? Now, I want you to stop and think about this in our nation. I hear people moaning and groaning all the time because of our economy and it is the pits. I concur. It's bad. Look at the persecution. It's bad. Look at the loss of freedom and righteousness. It's bad. But do you realize most people want our conditions and our circumstances and our situations changed just so they can live in sin and live in sin more favorably.

Have you ever stopped to think about that? No, what the psalmist is saying is this, "Turn us." We're the ones that need to be turned. God is called the Shepherd of Israel in verse 1. Do you realize that sheep are notorious wanderers? They always get themselves in unsafe and precarious situations. Sinners do the same thing. Do you remember what the Bible says in Isaiah 53 and verse 6? There the word of God says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way."

And that's exactly what we have done in this country. We must be turned, listen carefully, and we must be turned to the Lord's way and not our own way. The Bible says in Proverbs 14 and verse 12, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. Now, do you want to follow some man just because his way seems right and end up dead? Or do you want to follow the Lord and do that which is right and it be the right way? You remember that passage, and I quote this frequently. In Proverbs 8, verse 36, where our Lord said, "But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." All they that hate me love death. Some years ago I preached a message on this passage which I entitled, "A Society of Death." And that is exactly what we have today. We have a society of death.

The Repeated Need for Turning

The phrase 'Turn us again' implies previous turnings that did not last. Israel's cycle in Judges shows temporary repentance followed by deeper corruption, raising the question of whether a people can exhaust God's mercy.

So the clear implication then of this prayer and this petition is that we must be turned and we cannot turn ourselves. We need to be turned individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. I want you to note thirdly, this appeal, the psalmist prays, "Turn us again, Lord God of hosts." Now, when I read that, I thought to myself, look at that prayer, "Turn us again." Verse 7, "Turn us again." Verse 19, "Turn us again." And my thought was, my question that immediately popped in my mind was, how many times do we have to be turned? What did he pray? "Turn us again." Which implies, they had been turned before, and it did not take with them. Let me show you. Hold Psalm 80.

Go back in your Bibles to the book of Judges chapter 2. I'm not going to go all through the book of Judges. I could. But I want you to just see these passages. Judges chapter 2. Judges chapter 2, beginning there with verse 11. We'll read through verse 14. Judges 2 verse 11: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. So what did they do? They turned from God, and God judged them, and God chastised them. And guess what God did? When they cried, and they hollered, and bellowed, God raised up a judge, and God delivered them. Guess what happened when God delivered them and sent them a judge? After that judge died, they went back to their same old sinful ways. Skip down to verse 16. Judges chapter 2, verse 16. Here it is:

Scripture Reading — Judges 2:11-19

"Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD;

but they did not so. And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. And he said, "Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died." And then he goes on to say that he's going to leave those nations there to prove them. They're going to be a thorn in their flesh.

But note, if you would, this is the thing that gets me. The Bible says in verse 19, "And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers." It didn't matter that God had judged the former fathers or the people who had already died. No, no. They didn't learn one thing. They had been turned, but they did not turn permanently. They just turned temporarily. And over and over in the book of Judges, if you would read that book, you will find out that God delivered them, and when the judge died, they went right back to their own wickedness.

And then they got into captivity. They would cry again. God would raise up another judge. It was over and over and over. My question is this. In fact, let me ask you a number of questions. Is there a time when God will no longer turn a people? How long will it be or how long will He be provoked? Is there a limit to despising the grace and the mercy of God? How about this one? Does there come a time when we cease to have a right or privilege to even ask God for turning grace? Let me answer those questions for you. Israel certainly reached the state of no longer being a turnable nation or a turnable people.

In Hosea 1 in verse 6, speaking of Hosea's wife who was basically a harlot. The Bible said,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 1:6

"And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away."

And her name literally means "not pitied." God said,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 1:6

"I'm not going to turn them anymore. I'm not messing with them anymore. I'm going to destroy them. I will no longer have mercy upon the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away."

So here's another question.

The Desire of Faith: God's Shining Face

The psalmist longs for God's face to shine, signifying His favor, presence, and blessing. This is contrasted with mere material good (Psalm 4:6; Numbers 6:24-26).

Secondly, I want you to note the desire of faith. Look in verse 3 of Psalm 80. Psalm 80 verse 3. He says, "Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine." Cause thy face to shine. Have you ever stopped to think what it means to have God's face to shine upon us? What would that imply? What would it be like to have God smile upon our lives, our families, our churches, and our nation?

Now let me show you what the psalmist is talking about. I want you to hold Psalm 80, but go back to Psalm 4 and verse 6. There's a parallel verse here, and I'm going to show you that although it's worded differently, it means basically the same thing. In Psalm 4 and verse 6. Psalm 4 and verse 6. Here the psalmist says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 4:6

"There be many that say, Who will shew us any good?"

Notice now that's a question. Then he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 4:6

"LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us."

The phrase,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 4:6

"lift up the light of thy countenance upon us,"

is one that occurs very frequently in scripture. And it is expressive of God's favor and God's friendship and God's approval. The light of God's presence and the shine of God's face relates then to His gracious presence, the manifestation of His love and mercies, the discoveries of His love, the communion with Him, and the comforts of His Spirit, and the joys of His salvation.

We have to understand that these are by far the greatest riches. Spurgeon, looking at Psalm 4 and verse 6, I want you to watch this momentarily. Look at Psalm 4 and verse 6. He says, "There be many that say, Who will shew us any good?" And "any good" would refer to physical good, material good. But then David said, "LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us." Here's what Spurgeon said in regard to Psalm 4 and verse 6. He said, "The light of God's countenance is enough for him. This is his riches, his honor, his health, his ambition, his ease.

Give him this and he will ask for nothing more. This is joy unspeakable and full of glory. Oh, for more of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that our fellowship with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ may be constant and abiding." Now, since you're in Psalm 4, I want you to skip down to Psalm 5 and look at verse 12. Here's another verse that essentially talks about the same truth. Psalm 5 verse 12: "For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." So, thou wilt bless the righteous with favor. So when you talk about the countenance of God and God shining upon us, we're still talking about God's favor, God's grace, God's blessing.

One of my favorite Puritans is William Secker. William Secker wrote a book called "The Nonsuch Professor" in 1660. I have the little book. It is a jewel. But I want you to listen to what William Secker wrote on Psalm 4 and verse 6. And he is contrasting the "any good" with the light of God's countenance. Listen to what he says: "Lest riches should be accounted evil in themselves, God sometimes gives them to the righteous; and lest they should be considered the chief good, he frequently bestows them upon the wicked.

But they are more generally the portion of his enemies than his friends. Alas, what is it to receive and not to be received? To have none other dues of blessing than such as shall be followed by the showers of brimstone. We may compass ourselves with sparks of security and afterwards be secured in eternal misery. This world is a floating island, and so sure as we cast anchor upon it, we shall be carried away by it." "God and all that He has made is not more than God without anything that He has made." He's still God, is what he's saying. "He can never want treasure who has such a golden mind. He, God, is enough without the creature, but the creature is not anything without Him. It is therefore better to enjoy Him without anything else than to enjoy everything else without Him. It is better to be in a wooden vessel filled with wine than a golden one filled with water." And that is true. Would you like to be on a solid golden vessel filled with water? You're going down. But a wooden vessel that floats is far more secure than a gold one that does not float.

In case you haven't remembered this, let me point out, and I do want you to turn there, to Numbers chapter 6. I want you to see the shine of God's face and the lifting up of His countenance was a priestly blessing. So when you get to Numbers chapter 6, begin there with verse 24. Numbers chapter 6 and verse 24. Here it is:

Scripture Reading — Numbers 6:24-26

"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."

That was the priestly blessing. The Lord causing His face to shine upon you and the Lord lifting up His countenance upon you. Which was expressive of the same thing. Now, one last point. I want you to look in Psalm 80 and verse 3. He said this, here's the directed favor, "Turn us again, O God." Here is the desire of faith, "and cause thy face to shine upon us," and here's the declaration of fact, "and we shall be saved." When God turns Himself to us, and causes His face to shine upon us, we shall be saved.

The Declaration of Fact: Salvation Belongs to the Lord

When God turns us and shines His face, we shall be saved. This is true individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. The prayer acknowledges that sin has hidden God's face and that only He can save.

Salvation is the Lord and of Him alone. Most of you have probably never heard of Savonarola. He was burned at the stake, May the 23rd, 1498. And the reason he was burned at the stake was for exposing the corruption in the Roman Catholic Church and for defying the Pope. And Savonarola had a prayer that he prayed based upon Psalm 80 in verse 3. And here's what he said. Remember this is his prayer.

"Turn us and cause thy face to shine. To thyself convert us from the earthly to the heavenly. Convert our rebellious wills to thee. And when we are converted, show thy countenance that we may know thee. Show thy power that we may fear thee. Show thy wisdom that we may reverence thee. Show thy goodness that we may love thee. Show them once, show them a second time, show them always, that through tribulation we may pass with a happy face and be saved. When thou dost save, we shall be saved. When thou wouldst draw thy hand, we cannot be saved."

And that certainly is true. Do you know when we're going to be saved? And the answer is, when God turns us. That is true individually, it is true familially, it is true ecclesiastically, it is true nationally. When God turns us, we shall be saved, saved from ourselves, saved from our dangers, saved from our troubles. It is true that when God causes His face to shine upon us, that we shall be saved from our sins and saved from ruin. And it's only by His smile and only by His favor and only by His countenance lifting up upon us that we can be saved in any sense of the word. All that we need individually, all that we need familially, all we need ecclesiastically, all we need nationally is the Lord's favor, the Lord's smile.

One glance of His gracious eye would transform Tophet into a paradise. No matter how fierce the foe, how dire the captivity, the shining face of God ensures both victory and liberty. What does that mean? It means this. We need to learn to pray this prayer. "Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved." It is only national holiness that's going to ensure national happiness. I want you to think with me. Two thoughts here. In this prayer, "Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts. Cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved." In this prayer and in this petition, there is an acknowledgement as well as a confession that all of our troubles, all of our trials, all of our heartaches are brought upon us and are caused by our own sin and rebellion to God and His Word. It is our sins that have hidden His face from us. You don't have to turn there, but let me just quote it.

Isaiah 59, verses 1 and 2: "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." So it's our sins and our iniquities that causes God's frown. So when we pray, "Turn us again, O LORD God. Cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved," we're acknowledging that we're the cause of the problem. You have to remember, God is immutable. He does not change. We're the ones who change. We're the ones who sin. Secondly, there's also an acknowledgement and a confession in this prayer that we cannot turn ourselves.

And we stop to think about that. We can't save ourselves. We can't save our children. We can't save our families. We can't save our churches. We can't save our nation. We can't do anything. If God does not turn us, if God does not do something, we will not be saved. It is His power and His ability.

Now, there's one last passage I want you to turn to. I want you to turn to Jeremiah chapter 31, and I want to show you, I know I've preached, but I tell you what, I could have just read this one verse, and if everyone would have understood the verse, that would have been fine. Jeremiah 31, I'm going to read two verses, just so you can see it in context. Jeremiah 31, verse 18. Look what it said.

Conclusion: Praying for Turning Grace

Using Jeremiah 31:18-19, Weaver shows that repentance follows God's turning. He calls the congregation to pray for God to turn them again, confessing helplessness and dependence on His grace.

"I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth." Now let me ask you a question. When did Ephraim repent? Only after he was turned. Note if you would, he said, "when I was instructed," after he was turned, "I smote upon my thigh. I understood it. I was ashamed and even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth." What is he saying? If God doesn't turn us, we don't repent. And if we don't repent, we can never be ashamed and sorrowful for our wickedness and for our sins. Are you listening?

That is true individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. So we need to learn to pray with Asaph. "Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved." Now let me mention something. If God is not pleased to save this country, He might be pleased to save several states that would repent and come to righteousness. He might be pleased to save a people that are saying, "Lord, we've had enough of sin and wickedness. We want Thee, and Thy law, and Thy mercy, and Thy grace." We need to learn to pray, "Turn us again." And we should be ashamed that we even have to pray that. Again? "Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved." Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask you for your grace, your mercy, your help. How desperately we need thee.

How powerless and how helpless we are. We are nothing and we can do nothing in and of ourselves. And we confess with Asaph. Lord, if you do not turn us, we will never be turned. And we will never be saved. We need thy countenance. We need Thy blessing, we need Thy favor, we need Thy grace, we need Thy power. Grant us, O Lord, a turning back to Thee in Thy righteousness.

In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Human Inability and Depravity

Summary: Fallen man is inherently stubborn and sinful, unable to turn to God or change his nature by his own power.

Evidence: Weaver compares sinners to a stubborn mule and cites Job 11:12 ('man be born like a wild ass's colt') and Jeremiah 13:23 ('Can the Ethiopian change his skin?') to argue that man cannot cease from evil.

Repentance as a Gift from God

Summary: True repentance is not a human work but a sovereign gift from God, without which no one can recover from the devil's snare.

Evidence: From 2 Timothy 2:24-26, Weaver emphasizes that men recover themselves 'when God gives them repentance,' and that acknowledging the truth depends on this divine gift.

Responsibility Without Ability

Summary: God rightfully commands sinners to turn, but fallen man lacks the ability to obey; this tension should drive sinners to seek God's enabling grace.

Evidence: Weaver cites Ezekiel 18:32 and Zechariah 1:3-4 as divine commands to turn, then Romans 8:6-8 to show that those in the flesh cannot please God, illustrating the distinction with the analogy of a paralyzed husband.

The Necessity of Divine Turning for Salvation

Summary: Salvation in every sense—individual, familial, ecclesiastical, national—depends entirely on God turning His people and causing His face to shine upon them.

Evidence: The repeated refrain of Psalm 80:3,7,19 ('Turn us again... and we shall be saved') is the central text; Weaver states, 'When God turns us, we shall be saved, saved from ourselves, saved from our dangers, saved from our troubles.'

The Danger of Presuming on God's Grace

Summary: Repeated temporary repentance without lasting change can lead to a point where God no longer turns a people, as seen in Israel's history and the warning of Hosea 1:6.

Evidence: Weaver recounts the cycle in Judges where Israel turned back to sin after each judge died, and asks, 'Is there a time when God will no longer turn a people?' citing Lo-ruhamah ('not pitied') as evidence that mercy can be exhausted.

The Shining of God's Face as Supreme Blessing

Summary: God's favor, presence, and approval—symbolized by His shining face—are far greater than any material prosperity and are the source of true joy and security.

Evidence: Weaver contrasts 'any good' (material blessings) with the light of God's countenance in Psalm 4:6, quoting Spurgeon and William Secker to emphasize that God's presence is the believer's richest treasure.

Key Arguments

Man cannot turn himself from sin.

Summary: Human nature is so depraved that, like a stubborn mule or a wild ass, man cannot change his sinful inclinations or turn to God by his own will.

Evidence: Weaver uses the mule story and Scripture (Job 11:12; Jeremiah 13:23; Psalm 58:3) to argue that sin is ingrained and man is 'accustomed to do evil' with no inherent ability to do good.

Repentance is a sovereign gift, not a human decision.

Summary: 2 Timothy 2:24-26 teaches that repentance is granted by God, and without it, people remain captive to the devil and unable to acknowledge the truth.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'When do men recover themselves out of the snare of the devil? The answer is, when God gives them repentance.' He stresses that acknowledging truth hinges on this gift.

God's commands to turn highlight human responsibility, not ability.

Summary: God's commands (Ezekiel 18:32; Zechariah 1:3-4) establish man's accountability, but Romans 8:6-8 proves that fallen man lacks the power to obey, which should drive him to seek divine help.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'just because sinners have lost their power to obey, does not mean that God has lost His right to command,' and uses the paralyzed husband analogy to illustrate the distinction.

The prayer 'Turn us again' implies both past failure and present dependence.

Summary: The word 'again' in Psalm 80:3,7,19 indicates that Israel had been turned before but relapsed, showing the need for continual divine intervention and the danger of temporary repentance.

Evidence: Weaver points to the Judges cycle (Judges 2:11-19) where Israel repeatedly turned back to sin after deliverance, and warns that a people can reach a point where God says, 'I will no more have mercy' (Hosea 1:6).

God's shining face is the ultimate source of salvation and blessing.

Summary: The psalmist's desire for God's face to shine (Psalm 80:3) reflects a longing for divine favor, presence, and approval, which alone can save and satisfy, surpassing all material goods.

Evidence: Weaver cites Psalm 4:6, Numbers 6:24-26, and quotes from Spurgeon and Secker to argue that the light of God's countenance is 'joy unspeakable and full of glory' and better than any worldly wealth.

National and corporate turning requires the same divine grace as individual salvation.

Summary: The principles of Psalm 80 apply to families, churches, and nations; only when God turns a people and shines His face upon them can they be saved from ruin.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'It is only national holiness that's going to ensure national happiness,' and applies the prayer to America, asking, 'Has America reached that point?' of exhausting God's mercy.

Scripture References

Psalm 80:1-19

Context: The entire Psalm is read, with focus on the thrice-repeated plea 'Turn us again, O God... and we shall be saved' in verses 3, 7, and 19.

Exodus 34:20

Context: Used to show that an unredeemed ass faced the death penalty, paralleling the sinner's need for redemption or facing death.

Job 11:12

Context: Cited to demonstrate that man is born 'like a wild ass's colt,' emphasizing natural stubbornness and worthlessness.

Jeremiah 22:18-19

Context: Shows that wicked King Jehoiakim was to be buried 'with the burial of an ass,' indicating God's low regard for the unrepentant.

Hosea 8:9

Context: Israel is called 'a wild ass alone by himself,' reinforcing the imagery of stubborn, self-willed sinfulness.

Jeremiah 13:23

Context: Used to argue that just as the Ethiopian cannot change his skin, those accustomed to evil cannot do good, proving human inability.

Psalm 58:3

Context: Shows that the wicked are estranged from the womb and go astray from birth, illustrating innate depravity.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

Context: Key text teaching that repentance is a gift from God, and that recovery from the devil's snare depends on God granting repentance.

Jeremiah 8:5

Context: Shows that God's people 'hold fast deceit, they refuse to return,' illustrating willful persistence in backsliding.

Hosea 11:7

Context: Declares that God's people are 'bent to backsliding' and would not exalt Him, despite calls to return.

Romans 8:6-8

Context: Proves that the carnal mind is enmity against God and cannot please Him, establishing man's total inability in the flesh.

Ezekiel 18:32

Context: God commands, 'turn yourselves, and live ye,' demonstrating His right to demand repentance despite human inability.

Zechariah 1:3-4

Context: God calls Israel to turn to Him, warning them not to be like their fathers who refused to hear.

Isaiah 53:6

Context: All we like sheep have gone astray, each turning to his own way, illustrating the universal straying of humanity.

Proverbs 14:12

Context: There is a way that seems right to a man but ends in death, warning against self-directed paths.

Judges 2:11-19

Context: The cycle of Israel's sin, judgment, deliverance, and relapse, illustrating the need for repeated turning and the danger of temporary repentance.

Hosea 1:6

Context: God declares He will no more have mercy on Israel, naming the child Lo-ruhamah ('not pitied'), showing that divine patience can be exhausted.

Psalm 4:6

Context: Contrasts those who ask 'Who will shew us any good?' with the prayer for the light of God's countenance, emphasizing divine favor over material blessings.

Numbers 6:24-26

Context: The priestly blessing invoking God's face to shine and His countenance to be lifted up, paralleling the psalmist's desire.

Jeremiah 31:18-19

Context: Ephraim's prayer 'turn thou me, and I shall be turned' and his subsequent repentance demonstrate that turning precedes and enables true repentance.

Historical References

Savonarola (1452-1498)

Context: Weaver mentions Savonarola, who was burned at the stake in 1498 for exposing corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, and quotes his prayer based on Psalm 80:3.

William Secker (17th century Puritan)

Context: Weaver quotes from Secker's book 'The Nonsuch Professor' (1660) regarding Psalm 4:6, contrasting material goods with the light of God's countenance.

Charles Spurgeon (19th century preacher)

Context: Spurgeon's commentary on Psalm 4:6 is cited, emphasizing that the light of God's countenance is the believer's supreme riches and joy.

Important Quotes

Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Significance: This is the central refrain of Psalm 80 (verse 3) and the foundation of the entire sermon, encapsulating the plea for divine turning and salvation.

Repentance does not belong to the devil to give. Repentance is not in our flesh. It is not in our power. And we cannot work up repentance no matter how hard we try.

Significance: Emphasizes the core argument that repentance is a divine gift, not a human achievement, countering the deception of easy self-repentance.

When sinners begin to recognize their responsibility and their accountability before God, and yet on the other hand, perceive their powerlessness, their helplessness, and their inability, it should drive them to His grace and His mercy begging Him to give them that ability.

Significance: Summarizes the proper response to the tension between divine command and human inability: desperate dependence on God's grace.

It is not our situation, our circumstances, our conditions that need to be changed. It is we, the people that need to be changed.

Significance: Highlights the sermon's application that the root problem is the human heart, not external circumstances, and that true change must be personal.

When God turns us, we shall be saved, saved from ourselves, saved from our dangers, saved from our troubles.

Significance: Declares the comprehensive nature of salvation that comes solely from God's turning, applicable to every sphere of life.

Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.

Significance: Quoted from Jeremiah 31:18 as the model prayer of dependence, showing that turning is God's work and the prerequisite for repentance.

If God does not turn us, we will never be turned. If God does not give us repentance, we will never repent.

Significance: A blunt, memorable summary of the sermon's thesis on the absolute necessity of divine initiative in repentance and turning.

Discussion Questions

How does the analogy of the stubborn mule help us understand the biblical portrayal of fallen human nature?

Context: Weaver opens with a personal story about a mule that would not turn, then connects it to Scriptures comparing man to a wild ass.

In what ways have you experienced or observed the deception that one can sin now and repent later at leisure?

Context: Weaver warns that many Christians are lured into sin by the false promise of easy repentance, not realizing repentance is a gift from God.

How should the distinction between responsibility and ability shape our prayers and our approach to personal holiness?

Context: Weaver explains that God commands us to turn (responsibility) even though we lack the power (ability), which should drive us to seek His grace.

Why do you think the psalmist prays 'Turn us again' rather than 'Change our circumstances'? What does this reveal about the root of our problems?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that the prayer targets the people, not their situation, because the heart is the source of trouble.

What does the cycle of repentance and relapse in Judges teach us about the danger of temporary turning without lasting change?

Context: Weaver recounts Israel's repeated pattern of deliverance followed by deeper corruption, raising the question of whether God's patience can be exhausted.

What does it mean for God's face to shine upon us, and how does that compare to the 'any good' that the world seeks?

Context: Weaver contrasts material blessings with the light of God's countenance, using Psalm 4:6 and quotes from Spurgeon and Secker.

How can we cultivate a prayer life that honestly confesses our inability and pleads for God's turning grace, both personally and corporately?

Context: The sermon concludes with a call to pray like Asaph and Ephraim, acknowledging that only God can turn us and save us.

Applications

Pray for God's turning grace daily.

Summary: Believers should regularly pray the psalmist's plea, 'Turn us again, O God,' confessing their own inability and dependence on God for any true change.

Evidence: Weaver urges, 'We need to learn to pray this prayer,' and models it in his closing prayer, applying it to personal, family, church, and national life.

Reject the lie of easy self-repentance.

Summary: Christians must not be deceived into thinking they can sin freely and repent whenever they choose; repentance is a gift that must be sought from God.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'Many Christians have swallowed the lie... that they can sin and then simply repent at their leisure,' and points to 2 Timothy 2:25 to show repentance is God's gift.

Acknowledge personal responsibility while depending on divine ability.

Summary: Recognize that God commands us to turn from sin, but our inability should drive us to cry out for His enabling grace rather than produce despair or passivity.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'When sinners begin to recognize their responsibility... and yet perceive their powerlessness... it should drive them to His grace and His mercy.'

Seek heart change, not just circumstantial relief.

Summary: Instead of asking God merely to improve our conditions, we should pray for Him to turn our hearts, knowing that changed hearts lead to changed lives and situations.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'It is not our situation, our circumstances, our conditions that need to be changed. It is we, the people that need to be changed.'

Value God's presence above material blessings.

Summary: Cultivate a desire for the light of God's countenance—His favor, fellowship, and approval—as the supreme treasure, surpassing all worldly goods.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Spurgeon: 'The light of God's countenance is enough for him. This is his riches, his honor, his health, his ambition, his ease.'

Beware of temporary repentance without lasting fruit.

Summary: Learn from Israel's history that brief turning followed by relapse can harden the heart and lead to a point where God's mercy is withdrawn.

Evidence: Weaver warns from Judges 2 and Hosea 1:6 that a people can become 'not pitied' if they repeatedly despise God's grace.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T17:43:49Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T09:00:08Z

Clean Transcript

We Must Be Turned

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

Alright, let's open our Bibles today, if you would please, to Psalm 80. Psalm 80. We're going to read this entire Psalm. However, I'm basically going to be dealing with one verse that occurs three times in this Psalm. Psalm 80. The title of the message is, "We Must Be Turned." We must be turned. Look in Psalm 80, beginning there with verse 1: "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
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stir up thy strength, and come and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
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The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
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Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
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Remember, if you would please, the title of the message is, "We Must Be Turned." Years ago, when I was a boy, my cousin Larry came up to visit me from Miami, Florida. He was a city boy and he did not know much about country life. When he saw our mule, he immediately declared that he wanted to ride the horse. After explaining to him the difference between a horse and a mule, I placed the bridle on the old mule that we called Old Crip. And the reason we called her Old Crip or Old Cripple was because after she worked a while, she would begin to limp. So I put the bridle on the old mule and I climbed on her back.
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I'd ridden her many, many times. And then I helped Larry up behind me. We left the barn and went about 30 yards. And right in front of us was this huge pecan tree with low-hanging limbs. And that mule headed straight for that low-hanging limb. Well, I had the reins in my hand, I tried to turn the mule. The mule would not turn, just kept walking straight toward that limb. I pulled on that left rein so much that the mule's head was twisted up like this, but she still kept walking straight for that limb. Knowing that I could not turn the mule, and that limb was right in front of me, I said, "Duck, Larry." And then I laid down on the mule's neck and grabbed her neck. My city cousin looked straight up in the sky and said, "Where?" Just as that limb caught him across the chest, swept him off the mule, and he hit the ground with a thud on his rear end. I could not help but laugh. He got mad, and he accused me of deliberately driving that mule under that limb.
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I did not. Till the day he died, he swore that I did that on purpose. The truth of the matter is this: mules are known for their stubbornness, their recalcitrance, their hard-headedness, and so are sinners. Did you know that fallen man in the Bible is likened unto an ass? Stubbornness, recalcitrance, hard-headedness, and rebellion are the attributes of fallen man. And he may easily and rightly be compared to an ass in the Bible. Let me show you.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles. Hold Psalm 80, we're coming right back there. But I want you to look first of all in the book of Exodus chapter 34 and verse 20. Exodus 34 and verse 20. And let me show you what was to be done with an ass if he was not redeemed. Notice Exodus chapter 34 and verse 20. Look what God says. Exodus 34 and verse 20: "But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty." But note if you would, the ass had to be redeemed or he faced the death penalty.
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It's the same thing with sinners. We're either redeemed or we face the death sentence. If you would turn right over in your Bibles to the book of Job and look in chapter 11 and verse 12. Job chapter 11 and verse 12. And look if you would what the scripture says in this passage. Job 11 and verse 12. The Bible says, "For thou hast said," let's see, Job 11 I said in verse 12. Yeah.
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"For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt." Vain man, that is useless, worthless man would be wise, though he be born like a wild ass's colt.
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Now if you would turn to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22. And look at verses 18 and 19. Jeremiah 22. And let me show you what God says about Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim was a king. He was a wicked, ungodly reprobate. But notice in Jeremiah chapter 22, beginning there with verse 18. Jeremiah 22 verse 18: "Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah;
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They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem." So God did not think too much of Jehoiakim. And what do you do when an ass dies? You just dig a hole and push him in it, and that's it.
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It's over with, it's done with. It's kind of like the preacher who called the police department one Sunday morning and he said, "There is a dead jackass in front of my house." The police officer kind of laughed, said, knowing it was the preacher, he had identified himself, he said, "I thought the preachers took care of burying the dead." Well, the preacher said, "We do. But we normally notify the next of kin first." So sometimes preachers do get the points in.
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But notice if you would, here's Jehoiakim. God said he will be buried with the burial of an ass.
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Now if you look in the book of Hosea, turn right over. Hosea chapter 8 and look in verse 9. Hosea chapter 8 and verse 9. Daniel, Hosea. Hosea chapter 8 and verse 9. And look what God says concerning Israel. Hosea 8 and verse 9: "For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers." So God calls Israel here a wild ass alone.
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Now I shared these verses with you for one simple point. And that is man cannot turn himself. He cannot change himself. He may be responsible to do so, but he does not have the ability to do so. If you would turn back to Jeremiah chapter 13, and look if you would very quickly at verse 23. Jeremiah 13 and verse 23. And look what God says concerning man. Jeremiah 13 and verse 23. God asks, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." Note the question, can the Ethiopian change his skin?
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And the answer is no. Can the leopard change his spots? The answer is no. Then he says, if they can't do that, then may you do also good who are accustomed to doing evil. In other words, you can't change either. In other words, you are just as bad as the Ethiopian and the leopard in that sense, you do not have the ability. So it's impossible then for fallen man to cease from doing evil. He cannot change himself, he cannot turn himself. And sin, by the way, is not just a habit. Sin is something that is ingrained in the nature of fallen man.
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And he sins based upon his own natural inclinations and his own natural desires. If you would turn very quickly to the book of Psalms, Psalm 58. And let's begin reading there with verse 3. Psalm 58 in verse 3. Just to show you how ingrained our depravity is. In Psalm 58 in verse 3, the Word of God says this: "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
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Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely." So note he said the wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. And even little babies do that. You say they can't even speak. No. But they can cry and make you think that something is wrong with them.
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And you go pick them up and they stop crying. Nothing was wrong with them. They just wanted attention. They wanted to be held. And have you ever noticed this? You never ever had to teach any of your children how to sin. They just did it normally, naturally. You didn't have to teach them to lie. You didn't have to teach them to cheat. You didn't have to teach them to do anything.
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They learned those things on their own. You see, the truth of the matter is this: sinners are prone to sin. It is in our nature. We want it. We desire it. And we're going to have it one way or the other. And the fact of the matter is, you take a man outside of Christ, he is not going to listen and he's not going to turn himself. It is absolutely impossible. So sinners then will not turn in and of themselves. They cannot change by themselves.
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Now, the problem is this with many professing Christians. Do you realize that many professing Christians have been deceived into thinking that somehow they can turn themselves around. In fact, many Christians have swallowed the lie of the flesh and the lie of the devil that they can sin and then simply repent at their leisure. You remember that old saying, what was it, "sin in haste, repent at leisure"? Well, it does not simply work like that. You see, many Christians are lured into sin by the promise of an easy and speedy repentance.
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Let me tell you something. Repentance does not belong to the devil to give. Repentance is not in our flesh. It is not in our power. And we cannot work up repentance no matter how hard we try. Scripture tells us, and I'm going to show it to you just momentarily, but Scripture tells us that repentance is the gift of God. And here's what happens. When sinners or when Christians think that somehow they can sin and repent whenever they want to, they begin to ease down the sinful road and the next thing they find out is that sin has them ensnared and they don't even have a desire to stop or desire to turn or desire to repent. And so they're actually captured in their sin. And the truth is, if God does not turn us, we will never be turned. If God does not give us repentance, we will never repent.
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I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 2, beginning there with verse 24. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 24. You'll find that the Apostle Paul enunciates this principle very clearly. Notice 2 Timothy chapter 2, beginning there with verse 24. He says this, "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
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in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." Now, let me ask you a question. As you look at this verse, ask yourself this question. Why does the pastor have to be gentle, apt to teach, and then he says, patient? So it's not just that he has to be apt to teach. He has to be patient in his teaching. Why? Look in verse 25. "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." So let me ask a question.
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And I want you to answer it according to the Bible. According to these verses. When do men recover themselves out of the snare of the devil? The answer is, when God gives them repentance. Or, when they acknowledge the truth. When do they acknowledge the truth? When God gives them repentance. So, if men do not acknowledge the truth, they do not recover themselves out of the snare of the devil. If men are not given repentance, they do not acknowledge the truth. Notice what he said, "if God peradventure will give them repentance." In other words, man's recovering himself out of the snare of the devil, and man's acknowledging the truth all revolves around God giving repentance. That's why I'm trying to tell you that men cannot change themselves.
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And Christians, as well as the ungodly and wicked and sinners, are oftentimes deceived. Let me show you. I want you to look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 8. Jeremiah chapter 8, then we're going to the book of Hosea. But look in Jeremiah chapter 8 and look what God says about His professing people. Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 5. It's an amazing verse. Jeremiah 8 and verse 5: "Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return." They hold fast deceit. If you would turn right over in your Bibles to the book of Hosea chapter 11 and look at verse 7. Right after the book of Daniel, Hosea. Hosea chapter 11 and look at verse 7. Look what God says again. Hosea 11 and verse 7: "And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him."
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In other words, they wouldn't listen. They would not come back. Why? As he said in Jeremiah 8 and verse 5, they held fast deceit. When men embrace deceit, when they embrace lies, when they embrace untruths, they will not hear.
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Now, I want you to turn back in your Bibles to Psalm 80. And I want you to begin with me to consider the prayer and the plea and the petition of Asaph in this Psalm. I want you to notice one verse that I'm going to be dealing with. That one verse occurs three times. And each time it's exactly the same. So look in Psalm 80 in verse 3. Here's the prayer: "Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." Look in verse 7: "Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." Now go down to verse 19: "Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." So three times, Asaph has requested the same petition. Three times he's enunciated the same request. Now before I get started, let me again very quickly emphasize the difference between responsibility and ability. You may be responsible to do something, but if you do not have the ability to do it, you cannot fulfill
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your responsibility. There's a difference between these two things. I may have a responsibility to support my wife, but if I'm in an automobile wreck and I'm paralyzed, I can't do that. I still have the responsibility, but I don't have the ability. So just because someone has the responsibility does not necessarily imply that they have the ability. But men are responsible to turn themselves. Now listen carefully. They're responsible to turn, first of all, by virtue of the fact that God is our Creator.
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He's the one that made us. He's the one that gave us life and being. And consequently, we are responsible and accountable to Him. So every creature is responsible and accountable to God. Every sinner is because God is the Creator. Secondly, men are responsible to God by virtue of the fact that they are sinners. They owe God honor and glory by virtue of the fact that they are His creatures, but now they owe God repentance and faith by virtue of the fact that they are sinners. God is sovereign, and God has not lost His right to issue commands. In fact, over and over in the Bible, He commands men to turn from their wicked ways. Thirdly, let me point out that fallen man has lost his ability to please God.
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I want you to hold Psalm 80, but look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8. I could multiply verses, but this one passage in Romans chapter 8 should be exceedingly clear. Romans chapter 8, beginning there with verse 6. Romans 8, verse 6. Look what the apostle says. Romans 8, verse 6: "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
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Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."
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Now let me ask you a simple question. How many sinners have the ability to please God? Not one. None. If we're in the flesh, we do not have the ability to please God. It's just that simple. So, God then says, here is your responsibility. But since you fell, you now lack ability. So here's the pressing question. If sinners cannot please God, if they have no power to turn to Him, why does God demand that they do so? God knows they don't have the ability. God knows they do not have the power. Why then does God demand that they repent and turn to Him? The answer is twofold. First of all, just because sinners have lost their power to obey, does not mean that God has lost His right to command. God is still God. He is still sovereign. He is still the ruler. He is still the King of kings and Lord of lords and God of gods, and He may do as He pleases. And God does. And the second answer is this. When sinners begin to recognize their responsibility and their accountability before God, and yet on the other hand, perceive their powerlessness, their helplessness, and their inability, it should drive them to His grace and His mercy begging Him to give them that ability.
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Much like old blind Bartimaeus in Mark chapter 10, when he heard that Jesus came that way, what did he begin to do? He began to cry, saying, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me." And finally all those around him said, "Shh, no, no, no, don't bother him." And when he heard that, he cried even louder, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy upon me." When you realize you can't, then you always want to go to the one who can.
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And let me tell you something, as long as fallen man thinks he can, he never will. As long as you think you have the key in your hand, you will never ever seek God.
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Now before I look at Psalm 80, I want to show you two verses, two passages, where God commands sinners to turn. I want you to look in Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse 32. Then we're going to go over to the little book of Zechariah. Look in Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse 32. God does exercise his right to command. In Ezekiel 18 and verse 32, God says this: "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." God said, I don't have any pleasure in the death of the wicked or the pleasure in the death of him that dieth. God says, turn. It's just that simple. Turn. He commands it. Turn right over to the book of Zechariah. Zechariah, that should be right before the book of Malachi. Zechariah chapter 1, and look at verses 3 and 4. Zechariah chapter 1, right before the book of Malachi. Zechariah chapter 1, look at verse 3.
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"Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD." So here's what God's saying. Why in the world are you going to die like your fathers did? Turn. Turn you to me. You turn to me, God said I'll turn to you.
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Now, I want you to understand something. When God commands sinners to turn, He is emphasizing their responsibility, their accountability. This is even true with Christians. I'm going to show you how applicable this is. I want you to understand that it is our responsibility to turn and change ourselves. Let me go a little further. Think with me now. It's our responsibility to turn and change our families. It's our responsibility to turn and change our churches. It's our responsibility to turn and change our nation.
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But we don't have the ability. We don't have the power. The power and the ability and the salvation belong to God alone.
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Now, with that in mind, I want you to go back to Psalm 80 and let's just take verse 3. Psalm 80 verse 3. There's three things. There are three truths I want you to see. First of all, the directed favor. Asaph is praying. And he says in verse 3, here's his petition: "Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." So the psalmist here directs his desired favor to the one true and living God. "Turn us again, O God of hosts," as he says in verse 7 and in verse 19. First of all, let me say this. The appeal is to God. The appeal is to the Lord God of hosts.
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You must remember that the word "hosts" refers to armies. So God then is the Lord God of the armies of heaven and of earth. So the psalmist then is appealing to the sovereign God, the one who is in ultimate control, the one who has all authority. He is appealing to the right person because God is the only one that can really do anything about this.
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Secondly, I want you to note in verse 3, he says, "Turn us again, O Lord." So the appeal not only is to God, but secondly the appeal is to turn us.
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Now the Hebrew word here is the word "shub," and it literally means to turn back, to restore, and to bring back. To turn back, to restore, and to bring back. So he says, "Turn us again, O God." Now, go back up to verse 1. Look at verse 1. He says, "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth." So in verse 1 then, God is designated as a shepherd. So as God is our shepherd, the appeal here would be from the sheep to the God of heaven, the great shepherd, to turn us.
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Now I want you to understand what the psalmist is saying. He said, "Turn us." He did not say, "Change our conditions, change our situation." He said, "Turn us." Are you listening? It is not our situation, our circumstances, our conditions that need to be changed. It is we, the people that need to be changed. We're the ones that need to be turned. When God turns His people, He will always turn their condition and their circumstances and their situation. But if He does not turn us, then we will never ever be turned. Do you realize what most people want? Now, I want you to stop and think about this in our nation. I hear people moaning and groaning all the time because of our economy and it is the pits. I concur. It's bad. Look at the persecution. It's bad. Look at the loss of freedom and righteousness. It's bad. But do you realize most people want our conditions and our circumstances and our situations changed just so they can live in sin and live in sin more favorably.
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Have you ever stopped to think about that? No, what the psalmist is saying is this, "Turn us." We're the ones that need to be turned. God is called the Shepherd of Israel in verse 1. Do you realize that sheep are notorious wanderers? They always get themselves in unsafe and precarious situations. Sinners do the same thing. Do you remember what the Bible says in Isaiah 53 and verse 6? There the word of God says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way."
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And that's exactly what we have done in this country. We must be turned, listen carefully, and we must be turned to the Lord's way and not our own way. The Bible says in Proverbs 14 and verse 12, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. Now, do you want to follow some man just because his way seems right and end up dead? Or do you want to follow the Lord and do that which is right and it be the right way?
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You remember that passage, and I quote this frequently. In Proverbs 8, verse 36, where our Lord said, "But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." All they that hate me love death. Some years ago I preached a message on this passage which I entitled, "A Society of Death." And that is exactly what we have today. We have a society of death.
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So the clear implication then of this prayer and this petition is that we must be turned and we cannot turn ourselves. We need to be turned individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. I want you to note thirdly, this appeal, the psalmist prays, "Turn us again, Lord God of hosts." Now, when I read that, I thought to myself, look at that prayer, "Turn us again." Verse 7, "Turn us again." Verse 19, "Turn us again." And my thought was, my question that immediately popped in my mind was, how many times do we have to be turned? What did he pray? "Turn us again." Which implies, they had been turned before, and it did not take with them. Let me show you. Hold Psalm 80.
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Go back in your Bibles to the book of Judges chapter 2. I'm not going to go all through the book of Judges. I could. But I want you to just see these passages. Judges chapter 2. Judges chapter 2, beginning there with verse 11. We'll read through verse 14. Judges 2 verse 11: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
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And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
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So what did they do? They turned from God, and God judged them, and God chastised them. And guess what God did? When they cried, and they hollered, and bellowed, God raised up a judge, and God delivered them. Guess what happened when God delivered them and sent them a judge? After that judge died, they went back to their same old sinful ways. Skip down to verse 16. Judges chapter 2, verse 16. Here it is: "Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD;
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but they did not so. And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel.
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And he said, "Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died." And then he goes on to say that he's going to leave those nations there to prove them. They're going to be a thorn in their flesh.
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But note, if you would, this is the thing that gets me. The Bible says in verse 19, "And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers." It didn't matter that God had judged the former fathers or the people who had already died. No, no. They didn't learn one thing. They had been turned, but they did not turn permanently. They just turned temporarily. And over and over in the book of Judges, if you would read that book, you will find out that God delivered them, and when the judge died, they went right back to their own wickedness.
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And then they got into captivity. They would cry again. God would raise up another judge. It was over and over and over. My question is this. In fact, let me ask you a number of questions. Is there a time when God will no longer turn a people? How long will it be or how long will He be provoked? Is there a limit to despising the grace and the mercy of God? How about this one? Does there come a time when we cease to have a right or privilege to even ask God for turning grace? Let me answer those questions for you. Israel certainly reached the state of no longer being a turnable nation or a turnable people.
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In Hosea 1 in verse 6, speaking of Hosea's wife who was basically a harlot. The Bible said, "And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away." And her name literally means "not pitied." God said, "I'm not going to turn them anymore. I'm not messing with them anymore. I'm going to destroy them. I will no longer have mercy upon the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away." So here's another question.
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Has America reached that point? Just stop and think. The psalmist has prayed, "Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts." It is amazing how God has had His hand upon this country. And how many times and how many ways we've turned consistently and constantly from Him. So here's the directed favor. "Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts."
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Secondly, I want you to note the desire of faith. Look in verse 3 of Psalm 80. Psalm 80 verse 3. He says, "Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine." Cause thy face to shine. Have you ever stopped to think what it means to have God's face to shine upon us? What would that imply? What would it be like to have God smile upon our lives, our families, our churches, and our nation?
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Now let me show you what the psalmist is talking about. I want you to hold Psalm 80, but go back to Psalm 4 and verse 6. There's a parallel verse here, and I'm going to show you that although it's worded differently, it means basically the same thing. In Psalm 4 and verse 6. Psalm 4 and verse 6. Here the psalmist says, "There be many that say, Who will shew us any good?"
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Notice now that's a question. Then he says, "LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us." The phrase, "lift up the light of thy countenance upon us," is one that occurs very frequently in scripture. And it is expressive of God's favor and God's friendship and God's approval. The light of God's presence and the shine of God's face relates then to His gracious presence, the manifestation of His love and mercies, the discoveries of His love, the communion with Him, and the comforts of His Spirit, and the joys of His salvation.
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We have to understand that these are by far the greatest riches. Spurgeon, looking at Psalm 4 and verse 6, I want you to watch this momentarily. Look at Psalm 4 and verse 6. He says, "There be many that say, Who will shew us any good?" And "any good" would refer to physical good, material good. But then David said, "LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us." Here's what Spurgeon said in regard to Psalm 4 and verse 6. He said, "The light of God's countenance is enough for him. This is his riches, his honor, his health, his ambition, his ease.
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Give him this and he will ask for nothing more. This is joy unspeakable and full of glory. Oh, for more of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that our fellowship with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ may be constant and abiding."
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Now, since you're in Psalm 4, I want you to skip down to Psalm 5 and look at verse 12. Here's another verse that essentially talks about the same truth. Psalm 5 verse 12: "For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." So, thou wilt bless the righteous with favor. So when you talk about the countenance of God and God shining upon us, we're still talking about God's favor, God's grace, God's blessing.
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One of my favorite Puritans is William Secker. William Secker wrote a book called "The Nonsuch Professor" in 1660. I have the little book. It is a jewel. But I want you to listen to what William Secker wrote on Psalm 4 and verse 6. And he is contrasting the "any good" with the light of God's countenance. Listen to what he says: "Lest riches should be accounted evil in themselves, God sometimes gives them to the righteous; and lest they should be considered the chief good, he frequently bestows them upon the wicked.
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But they are more generally the portion of his enemies than his friends. Alas, what is it to receive and not to be received? To have none other dues of blessing than such as shall be followed by the showers of brimstone. We may compass ourselves with sparks of security and afterwards be secured in eternal misery. This world is a floating island, and so sure as we cast anchor upon it, we shall be carried away by it."
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"God and all that He has made is not more than God without anything that He has made." He's still God, is what he's saying. "He can never want treasure who has such a golden mind. He, God, is enough without the creature, but the creature is not anything without Him. It is therefore better to enjoy Him without anything else than to enjoy everything else without Him. It is better to be in a wooden vessel filled with wine than a golden one filled with water." And that is true. Would you like to be on a solid golden vessel filled with water? You're going down. But a wooden vessel that floats is far more secure than a gold one that does not float.
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In case you haven't remembered this, let me point out, and I do want you to turn there, to Numbers chapter 6. I want you to see the shine of God's face and the lifting up of His countenance was a priestly blessing. So when you get to Numbers chapter 6, begin there with verse 24. Numbers chapter 6 and verse 24. Here it is: "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." That was the priestly blessing. The Lord causing His face to shine upon you and the Lord lifting up His countenance upon you.
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Which was expressive of the same thing. Now, one last point. I want you to look in Psalm 80 and verse 3. He said this, here's the directed favor, "Turn us again, O God." Here is the desire of faith, "and cause thy face to shine upon us," and here's the declaration of fact, "and we shall be saved." When God turns Himself to us, and causes His face to shine upon us, we shall be saved.
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Salvation is the Lord and of Him alone. Most of you have probably never heard of Savonarola. He was burned at the stake, May the 23rd, 1498. And the reason he was burned at the stake was for exposing the corruption in the Roman Catholic Church and for defying the Pope. And Savonarola had a prayer that he prayed based upon Psalm 80 in verse 3. And here's what he said. Remember this is his prayer.
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"Turn us and cause thy face to shine. To thyself convert us from the earthly to the heavenly. Convert our rebellious wills to thee. And when we are converted, show thy countenance that we may know thee. Show thy power that we may fear thee. Show thy wisdom that we may reverence thee. Show thy goodness that we may love thee. Show them once, show them a second time, show them always, that through tribulation we may pass with a happy face and be saved. When thou dost save, we shall be saved. When thou wouldst draw thy hand, we cannot be saved."
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And that certainly is true. Do you know when we're going to be saved? And the answer is, when God turns us. That is true individually, it is true familially, it is true ecclesiastically, it is true nationally. When God turns us, we shall be saved, saved from ourselves, saved from our dangers, saved from our troubles. It is true that when God causes His face to shine upon us, that we shall be saved from our sins and saved from ruin. And it's only by His smile and only by His favor and only by His countenance lifting up upon us that we can be saved in any sense of the word. All that we need individually, all that we need familially, all we need ecclesiastically, all we need nationally is the Lord's favor, the Lord's smile.
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One glance of His gracious eye would transform Tophet into a paradise. No matter how fierce the foe, how dire the captivity, the shining face of God ensures both victory and liberty. What does that mean? It means this. We need to learn to pray this prayer. "Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved." It is only national holiness that's going to ensure national happiness.
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I want you to think with me. Two thoughts here. In this prayer, "Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts. Cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved." In this prayer and in this petition, there is an acknowledgement as well as a confession that all of our troubles, all of our trials, all of our heartaches are brought upon us and are caused by our own sin and rebellion to God and His Word. It is our sins that have hidden His face from us. You don't have to turn there, but let me just quote it.
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Isaiah 59, verses 1 and 2: "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." So it's our sins and our iniquities that causes God's frown. So when we pray, "Turn us again, O LORD God. Cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved," we're acknowledging that we're the cause of the problem. You have to remember, God is immutable. He does not change. We're the ones who change. We're the ones who sin. Secondly, there's also an acknowledgement and a confession in this prayer that we cannot turn ourselves.
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And we stop to think about that. We can't save ourselves. We can't save our children. We can't save our families. We can't save our churches. We can't save our nation. We can't do anything. If God does not turn us, if God does not do something, we will not be saved. It is His power and His ability.
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Now, there's one last passage I want you to turn to. I want you to turn to Jeremiah chapter 31, and I want to show you, I know I've preached, but I tell you what, I could have just read this one verse, and if everyone would have understood the verse, that would have been fine. Jeremiah 31, I'm going to read two verses, just so you can see it in context. Jeremiah 31, verse 18. Look what it said.
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"I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth."
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Now let me ask you a question. When did Ephraim repent? Only after he was turned. Note if you would, he said, "when I was instructed," after he was turned, "I smote upon my thigh. I understood it. I was ashamed and even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth." What is he saying? If God doesn't turn us, we don't repent. And if we don't repent, we can never be ashamed and sorrowful for our wickedness and for our sins. Are you listening?
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That is true individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. So we need to learn to pray with Asaph. "Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved."
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Now let me mention something. If God is not pleased to save this country, He might be pleased to save several states that would repent and come to righteousness. He might be pleased to save a people that are saying, "Lord, we've had enough of sin and wickedness. We want Thee, and Thy law, and Thy mercy, and Thy grace." We need to learn to pray, "Turn us again." And we should be ashamed that we even have to pray that. Again? "Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved." Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask you for your grace, your mercy, your help. How desperately we need thee.
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How powerless and how helpless we are. We are nothing and we can do nothing in and of ourselves. And we confess with Asaph. Lord, if you do not turn us, we will never be turned. And we will never be saved. We need thy countenance. We need Thy blessing, we need Thy favor, we need Thy grace, we need Thy power. Grant us, O Lord, a turning back to Thee in Thy righteousness.
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In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T17:43:49Z

We Must Be Turned

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver expounds Psalm 80, focusing on the thrice-repeated plea, 'Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.' He argues that fallen man, likened to a stubborn mule or wild ass, cannot turn himself from sin due to inherent depravity. While responsible to turn, sinners lack ability; repentance is a gift from God. The sermon applies this truth individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally, urging believers to pray for God's turning grace and the shining of His face, acknowledging that salvation in every sense depends solely on Him.

Opening

Scripture Reading — Psalm 80:1-19

"Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy strength, and come and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Introduction: The Stubbornness of Man

Weaver shares a childhood story about a stubborn mule to illustrate the recalcitrance of fallen man, who is compared to an ass in Scripture and cannot turn himself.

Man's Inability to Turn Himself

Scripture Reading — Exodus 34:20

"But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty."

But note if you would, the ass had to be redeemed or he faced the death penalty.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:9

"For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers."

So God calls Israel here a wild ass alone.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 58:3

"The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely."

The Deception of Self-Repentance

Many Christians falsely believe they can sin and repent at will. Repentance is a gift from God (2 Timothy 2:24-26), and without it, people remain ensnared by sin.

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:24-26

"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:24-26

"In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."

So let me ask a question.

Responsibility vs. Ability

God commands sinners to turn (Ezekiel 18:32; Zechariah 1:3-4), emphasizing responsibility. However, fallen man lacks ability (Romans 8:6-8), which should drive him to seek God's grace.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:6-8

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

The Directed Favor: Appeal to God

Asaph directs his plea to the sovereign 'Lord God of hosts,' the only one who can truly turn His people. The Hebrew word 'shub' means to turn back, restore, and bring back.

The Need for Personal, Not Just Circumstantial, Change

The psalmist prays 'Turn us,' not 'change our conditions.' People often want circumstances improved to continue sinning comfortably, but the real need is a turning of the heart to God's way.

The Repeated Need for Turning

Scripture Reading — Judges 2:11-19

"Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD;

In Hosea 1 in verse 6, speaking of Hosea's wife who was basically a harlot. The Bible said,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 1:6

"And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away."

And her name literally means "not pitied." God said,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 1:6

"I'm not going to turn them anymore. I'm not messing with them anymore. I'm going to destroy them. I will no longer have mercy upon the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away."

So here's another question.

The Desire of Faith: God's Shining Face

The psalmist longs for God's face to shine, signifying His favor, presence, and blessing. This is contrasted with mere material good (Psalm 4:6; Numbers 6:24-26).

Scripture Reading — Psalm 4:6

"There be many that say, Who will shew us any good?"

Notice now that's a question. Then he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 4:6

"LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us."

The phrase,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 4:6

"lift up the light of thy countenance upon us,"

Scripture Reading — Numbers 6:24-26

"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."

The Declaration of Fact: Salvation Belongs to the Lord

Conclusion: Praying for Turning Grace

Using Jeremiah 31:18-19, Weaver shows that repentance follows God's turning. He calls the congregation to pray for God to turn them again, confessing helplessness and dependence on His grace.

In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

We Must Be Turned

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	aT1XZBBfM_s
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Praying Against the Wicked
Genre	Sermon
Date	2013-01-07
Dictation Name
Book	Book 137: Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations - Volume 2 — Chapter 27
Source Timed Segments	83

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Stubbornness of Man: Weaver shares a childhood story about a stubborn mule to illustrate the recalcitrance of fallen man, who is compared to an ass in Scripture and cannot turn himself.
Man's Inability to Turn Himself: Using Exodus 34:20, Job 11:12, Jeremiah 22:18-19, and Hosea 8:9, Weaver shows that man is like an ass—stubborn and unable to change. Jeremiah 13:23 and Psalm 58:3 demonstrate that sin is ingrained in human nature.
The Deception of Self-Repentance: Many Christians falsely believe they can sin and repent at will. Repentance is a gift from God (2 Timothy 2:24-26), and without it, people remain ensnared by sin.
Responsibility vs. Ability: God commands sinners to turn (Ezekiel 18:32; Zechariah 1:3-4), emphasizing responsibility. However, fallen man lacks ability (Romans 8:6-8), which should drive him to seek God's grace.
The Directed Favor: Appeal to God: Asaph directs his plea to the sovereign 'Lord God of hosts,' the only one who can truly turn His people. The Hebrew word 'shub' means to turn back, restore, and bring back.
The Need for Personal, Not Just Circumstantial, Change: The psalmist prays 'Turn us,' not 'change our conditions.' People often want circumstances improved to continue sinning comfortably, but the real need is a turning of the heart to God's way.
The Repeated Need for Turning: The phrase 'Turn us again' implies previous turnings that did not last. Israel's cycle in Judges shows temporary repentance followed by deeper corruption, raising the question of whether a people can exhaust God's mercy.
The Desire of Faith: God's Shining Face: The psalmist longs for God's face to shine, signifying His favor, presence, and blessing. This is contrasted with mere material good (Psalm 4:6; Numbers 6:24-26).
The Declaration of Fact: Salvation Belongs to the Lord: When God turns us and shines His face, we shall be saved. This is true individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. The prayer acknowledges that sin has hidden God's face and that only He can save.
Conclusion: Praying for Turning Grace: Using Jeremiah 31:18-19, Weaver shows that repentance follows God's turning. He calls the congregation to pray for God to turn them again, confessing helplessness and dependence on His grace.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Man cannot turn himself from sin.

Human nature is so depraved that, like a stubborn mule or a wild ass, man cannot change his sinful inclinations or turn to God by his own will.

Weaver uses the mule story and Scripture (Job 11:12; Jeremiah 13:23; Psalm 58:3) to argue that sin is ingrained and man is 'accustomed to do evil' with no inherent ability to do good.

Repentance is a sovereign gift, not a human decision.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 teaches that repentance is granted by God, and without it, people remain captive to the devil and unable to acknowledge the truth.

Weaver asks, 'When do men recover themselves out of the snare of the devil? The answer is, when God gives them repentance.' He stresses that acknowledging truth hinges on this gift.

God's commands to turn highlight human responsibility, not ability.

God's commands (Ezekiel 18:32; Zechariah 1:3-4) establish man's accountability, but Romans 8:6-8 proves that fallen man lacks the power to obey, which should drive him to seek divine help.

Weaver explains, 'just because sinners have lost their power to obey, does not mean that God has lost His right to command,' and uses the paralyzed husband analogy to illustrate the distinction.

The prayer 'Turn us again' implies both past failure and present dependence.

The word 'again' in Psalm 80:3,7,19 indicates that Israel had been turned before but relapsed, showing the need for continual divine intervention and the danger of temporary repentance.

Weaver points to the Judges cycle (Judges 2:11-19) where Israel repeatedly turned back to sin after deliverance, and warns that a people can reach a point where God says, 'I will no more have mercy' (Hosea 1:6).

God's shining face is the ultimate source of salvation and blessing.

The psalmist's desire for God's face to shine (Psalm 80:3) reflects a longing for divine favor, presence, and approval, which alone can save and satisfy, surpassing all material goods.

Weaver cites Psalm 4:6, Numbers 6:24-26, and quotes from Spurgeon and Secker to argue that the light of God's countenance is 'joy unspeakable and full of glory' and better than any worldly wealth.

National and corporate turning requires the same divine grace as individual salvation.

The principles of Psalm 80 apply to families, churches, and nations; only when God turns a people and shines His face upon them can they be saved from ruin.

Weaver states, 'It is only national holiness that's going to ensure national happiness,' and applies the prayer to America, asking, 'Has America reached that point?' of exhausting God's mercy.

Scripture References

Psalm 80:1-19: The entire Psalm is read, with focus on the thrice-repeated plea 'Turn us again, O God... and we shall be saved' in verses 3, 7, and 19.
Exodus 34:20: Used to show that an unredeemed ass faced the death penalty, paralleling the sinner's need for redemption or facing death.
Job 11:12: Cited to demonstrate that man is born 'like a wild ass's colt,' emphasizing natural stubbornness and worthlessness.
Jeremiah 22:18-19: Shows that wicked King Jehoiakim was to be buried 'with the burial of an ass,' indicating God's low regard for the unrepentant.
Hosea 8:9: Israel is called 'a wild ass alone by himself,' reinforcing the imagery of stubborn, self-willed sinfulness.
Jeremiah 13:23: Used to argue that just as the Ethiopian cannot change his skin, those accustomed to evil cannot do good, proving human inability.
Psalm 58:3: Shows that the wicked are estranged from the womb and go astray from birth, illustrating innate depravity.
2 Timothy 2:24-26: Key text teaching that repentance is a gift from God, and that recovery from the devil's snare depends on God granting repentance.
Jeremiah 8:5: Shows that God's people 'hold fast deceit, they refuse to return,' illustrating willful persistence in backsliding.
Hosea 11:7: Declares that God's people are 'bent to backsliding' and would not exalt Him, despite calls to return.
Romans 8:6-8: Proves that the carnal mind is enmity against God and cannot please Him, establishing man's total inability in the flesh.
Ezekiel 18:32: God commands, 'turn yourselves, and live ye,' demonstrating His right to demand repentance despite human inability.
Zechariah 1:3-4: God calls Israel to turn to Him, warning them not to be like their fathers who refused to hear.
Isaiah 53:6: All we like sheep have gone astray, each turning to his own way, illustrating the universal straying of humanity.
Proverbs 14:12: There is a way that seems right to a man but ends in death, warning against self-directed paths.
Judges 2:11-19: The cycle of Israel's sin, judgment, deliverance, and relapse, illustrating the need for repeated turning and the danger of temporary repentance.
Hosea 1:6: God declares He will no more have mercy on Israel, naming the child Lo-ruhamah ('not pitied'), showing that divine patience can be exhausted.
Psalm 4:6: Contrasts those who ask 'Who will shew us any good?' with the prayer for the light of God's countenance, emphasizing divine favor over material blessings.
Numbers 6:24-26: The priestly blessing invoking God's face to shine and His countenance to be lifted up, paralleling the psalmist's desire.
Jeremiah 31:18-19: Ephraim's prayer 'turn thou me, and I shall be turned' and his subsequent repentance demonstrate that turning precedes and enables true repentance.

Historical References

Savonarola (1452-1498): Weaver mentions Savonarola, who was burned at the stake in 1498 for exposing corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, and quotes his prayer based on Psalm 80:3.
William Secker (17th century Puritan): Weaver quotes from Secker's book 'The Nonsuch Professor' (1660) regarding Psalm 4:6, contrasting material goods with the light of God's countenance.
Charles Spurgeon (19th century preacher): Spurgeon's commentary on Psalm 4:6 is cited, emphasizing that the light of God's countenance is the believer's supreme riches and joy.

Important Quotes

Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

This is the central refrain of Psalm 80 (verse 3) and the foundation of the entire sermon, encapsulating the plea for divine turning and salvation.

Repentance does not belong to the devil to give. Repentance is not in our flesh. It is not in our power. And we cannot work up repentance no matter how hard we try.

Emphasizes the core argument that repentance is a divine gift, not a human achievement, countering the deception of easy self-repentance.

When sinners begin to recognize their responsibility and their accountability before God, and yet on the other hand, perceive their powerlessness, their helplessness, and their inability, it should drive them to His grace and His mercy begging Him to give them that ability.

Summarizes the proper response to the tension between divine command and human inability: desperate dependence on God's grace.

It is not our situation, our circumstances, our conditions that need to be changed. It is we, the people that need to be changed.

Highlights the sermon's application that the root problem is the human heart, not external circumstances, and that true change must be personal.

When God turns us, we shall be saved, saved from ourselves, saved from our dangers, saved from our troubles.

Declares the comprehensive nature of salvation that comes solely from God's turning, applicable to every sphere of life.

Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.

Quoted from Jeremiah 31:18 as the model prayer of dependence, showing that turning is God's work and the prerequisite for repentance.

If God does not turn us, we will never be turned. If God does not give us repentance, we will never repent.

A blunt, memorable summary of the sermon's thesis on the absolute necessity of divine initiative in repentance and turning.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the analogy of the stubborn mule help us understand the biblical portrayal of fallen human nature?

[Context]

Weaver opens with a personal story about a mule that would not turn, then connects it to Scriptures comparing man to a wild ass.

[Question]

In what ways have you experienced or observed the deception that one can sin now and repent later at leisure?

[Context]

Weaver warns that many Christians are lured into sin by the false promise of easy repentance, not realizing repentance is a gift from God.

[Question]

How should the distinction between responsibility and ability shape our prayers and our approach to personal holiness?

[Context]

Weaver explains that God commands us to turn (responsibility) even though we lack the power (ability), which should drive us to seek His grace.

[Question]

Why do you think the psalmist prays 'Turn us again' rather than 'Change our circumstances'? What does this reveal about the root of our problems?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that the prayer targets the people, not their situation, because the heart is the source of trouble.

[Question]

What does the cycle of repentance and relapse in Judges teach us about the danger of temporary turning without lasting change?

[Context]

Weaver recounts Israel's repeated pattern of deliverance followed by deeper corruption, raising the question of whether God's patience can be exhausted.

[Question]

What does it mean for God's face to shine upon us, and how does that compare to the 'any good' that the world seeks?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts material blessings with the light of God's countenance, using Psalm 4:6 and quotes from Spurgeon and Secker.

[Question]

How can we cultivate a prayer life that honestly confesses our inability and pleads for God's turning grace, both personally and corporately?

[Context]

The sermon concludes with a call to pray like Asaph and Ephraim, acknowledging that only God can turn us and save us.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T09:00:08Z