Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need

The Trouble We're In And The Way Out - Part 1 of 2

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Covenant Theology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2021-03-29

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver examines Nehemiah 9 to diagnose the spiritual trouble facing America, drawing parallels between ancient Israel's rebellion and modern secularism. He argues that the nation has turned from God, citing historical Christian foundations now abandoned. The first step toward revival is genuine confession—agreeing with God about sin, acknowledging His goodness, the greatness of our sins, His mercies, and the justice of His judgments.

[John Weaver] Bible's day to the book of Nehemiah chapter 9 1st and 2nd Chronicles Ezra and Nehemiah Nehemiah chapter 9 and we're going to read verses 32 through 38 Nehemiah 9 beginning with verse 32 The title of the message is the trouble we are in and the way out. This will be a two part message, the first part today and Lord willing, the second part next Sunday. But Nehemiah chapter nine, beginning there with verse 32, the Bible says now, therefore, our God, the great and mighty and terrible God who keepeth covenant and mercy Let not all the trouble seem little before thee that hath come upon us, on our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers, and all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.

[John Weaver] Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us, for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly. Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers kept thy law, nor hearken unto thy commandments, and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them. For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turn they from their wicked works. Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest, and our fathers didst eat the fruit thereof, and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it, and it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins.

[John Weaver] Also, they have dominion over our bodies and over our cattle at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it, and our princes, Levites, and priests seal unto it." I'm going to begin by saying we are in trouble. I am in trouble. You are in trouble. We may not realize it yet, and we may not fully grasp how deeply we are in trouble. We may not even understand the implications of it, but the truth is we are in trouble. And if you look in verse 32, Nehemiah is praying and confessing, and he says, Now therefore our great God, the great and mighty and the terrible God, who keepeth covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee." So Nehemiah is saying the trouble that we're in may seem little to thee because you're the great and terrible and mighty God, but it's certainly not little to us. And certainly the problems that we're in and the trouble we are in today may seem insignificant to some individuals.

[John Weaver] But even to those who are true and genuine believers, the trouble is indeed great and even gargantuan. Let me just give you a couple of illustrations. First of all, it was Congressman Jerry Nadler on February the 25th, 2021, at approximately 3.45 p.m. on C-SPAN said, and I quote, God has no authority in the House of Representatives. A little bit later on, he said, the will of God is of no concern to this Congress. In fact, Congressman Nadler was just simply admitting publicly what many politicians refuse to admit. And the truth is we now have a totally secular, anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Christian government. I want you to just simply contrast the words of Jerry Nadler with some historical examples I'm going to give you. And I want you to just listen for the first few minutes and think about what Nadler said and what the record reads. First of all, let me just simply quote from the Mayflower Compact. Having undertaken for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our Kenyan country a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together in a

[John Weaver] civil body politic for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid, and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such laws, just and equal laws, ordinates, acts, constitutions and offices from time to time as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony and which we promise all due submission and obedience." So they're thanking God and saying this is undertaken for God's honor and God's glory in the advancement of the Christian faith.

[John Weaver] Now here are a few quotes from some historical documents. First of all the New Haven colony charter on April the 3rd, 1644, adopting the laws and the rules for that colony said this, the judicial laws of God, as they were delivered by Moses, are to be a rule to all the courts in this jurisdiction. So it was the law of God that was to control the courts.

[John Weaver] The Charter of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation on July the 8th, 1663, was granted by King Charles II to Roger Williams. In 1636, Williams left Massachusetts with his followers in order to establish a new colony with religious liberty and freedom. And he also established there the first Baptist church in America in 1639. And here is what the royal charter read. We submit our persons, lives, and estates unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and to all those perfect and most absolute laws of his given in his holy word, that they pursuing with peaceable and loyal minds, sober, serious, and religious intentions of godly edifying themselves and one

[John Weaver] another in the holy Christian faith and worship, together with the gaining over and conversion of the poor ignorant Indian natives, a most flourishing civil state may stand and best be maintained grounded upon gospel principles." Here we come to the Continental Congress on September the 10th, 1782. During that time, there was a great need for Bibles. In fact, you have to remember that most of the things in that period of time were actually brought in from England. And since the war was still going on, there was not many Bibles being printed. And so the Congress then enacted legislation to print a new edition of the Holy Bible for our schools.

[John Weaver] Here is the following endorsement on the first page. And by the way, that Bible has come to be known as the Bible of the Revolution. But here's the endorsement on the first page. Whereupon resolved that the United States in Congress assembled, recommended this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorized Robert Atkin, to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper." So the Congress of the United States authorized a printing of the Bible.

[John Weaver] And then here is the Constitution of the State of Delaware in 1792, Article 22. Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house or appointed to any office or place of trust shall make and subscribe the following declaration. I, blank, do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed forevermore, I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration.

[John Weaver] Now I could probably sit here and just about all afternoon go over each charter, each constitution, But let me just say this, it doesn't matter which charter you look at, it doesn't matter which constitution you look at, all of them basically said the same. No one could hold any office or public trust unless they confessed faith in Jesus Christ and believed that the Bible was the inspired word of God. John Jay, who happened to be the first Supreme Court Justice, who was appointed by George Washington, John Jay was also a founding father. He was a member of the First and Second Continental Congress and he was instrumental in causing the Constitution to be ratified because he's one of those who wrote in the Federalist Papers along with James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. So on October the 12th, 1816, John Jay said this, Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.

[John Weaver] That was John Jay. The Congress of the United States in May 1854 passed another resolution which said this, the great and vital and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That was Congress. The United States Supreme Court, on February the 29th, 1892, in the case of the Church of the Holy Trinity versus the United States, it was Justice Josiah Brewer who rendered the High Court's decision and he said this, our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian. And then the Congress of the United States on October the 4th 1982 by a joint resolution appointed 1983 as the year of the Bible. Here is the public law, 97-280, whereas that renewing our knowledge of and faith in God through Holy Scripture can strengthen us as a nation and as a people, the Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribution in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed nation.

[John Weaver] Deeply held religious convictions springing from the Holy Scriptures led to the early settlement of our nation. Biblical teaching inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States."

[John Weaver] Now I could multiply quotes like this. After reading some of that, all I can say is here we are today. Today we are basically a totally secular nation. We're not only totally secular, but we're now denying the very truths upon which the foundation of this country was built. We've turned our backs upon God. We've thumbed our collective noses to him, we've challenged him, we've dared him, we've ridiculed him, we've mocked him, we've rejected him, we've blasphemed him, and we're in trouble up to our eyeballs and we don't even realize it. Moreover, we don't even realize what we are facing, nor do we understand the implications of his justice and his judgment. Nor have we even really thought about what is our due and just reward for our sins. We have been blinded, practically speaking, by our sins. And we've also, I think to a large extent, also been judicially blinded by God.

[John Weaver] Because we are now what I'm calling absolutely ripe for judgment and full punishment. So we are finding ourselves today in exactly the same position that Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem found themselves. I don't know how any other way to express it except by saying it like this. Our rulers are insane. They're wicked. They're greedy for money, power, advancement. Our economy has been destroyed. Our character as individuals and as a society have been wrecked. Our work ethic has been destroyed.

[John Weaver] We've become immoral, stiff-necked, recalcitrant, and rebellious. as a people, as a society, and as a nation. And when you look around, you just have to say, this is reality. And may I point out the fact that that which brought the judgment of God upon Israel, and especially Judah and Jerusalem as well, was the very fact that they constantly and continually violated His law. If you would hold Nehemiah 9, we're certainly coming back there. But I want you to look in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 28. Deuteronomy 28.

[John Weaver] And let's begin reading there with verse 45. In fact, you could read the entire chapter because in this chapter you have the blessings and the curses. Let me say it another way. You have positive sanctions and you have the negative sanctions. And the negative sanctions fall upon a people for disobedience. So when you look in verse 45, Deuteronomy 28, God says this, Moreover, all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed. Why? Because thou hearkenest not unto the voice of the Lord thy God to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee. And they shall be upon thee for a sign, and for a wonder, and upon thy seed forever. Why? Because thou servest not the Lord by God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things.

[John Weaver] I think it's important that you remember this particular verse in just a little bit. He said, Because thou servest not the Lord by God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things, therefore thou shalt serve thine enemies which the Lord by God shall send against thee in hunger and in thirst, in nakedness, in one of all things. And he shall put a yoke upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flyeth, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand, a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young. And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed, which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or increase of thy kind, or thy flock, or thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustest throughout all the land.

[John Weaver] And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all the land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee." So here is part and parcel of the curse or the negative sanction that God is going to actually cause to come to pass on these people who violate his law.

[John Weaver] Now, what I'm trying to tell you is this. We're basically at the same point in history today. All you have to do is look around and look at Washington, D.C. Look at our state capitals. Look at our society. Look at our churches. Look at our families. You can only use such words as dysfunctional and disobedient and divided when it comes to government, families, churches. It doesn't matter. We are basically a dysfunctional people. Now, Nehemiah and his people found themselves basically in the same predicament.

[John Weaver] Let me remind you of something. That Nehemiah and the people that he was with were the remnant that had escaped from Babylon. Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra was concerned about rebuilding the temple. Nehemiah was concerned about rebuilding Jerusalem and especially the walls around Jerusalem. And so the people who came back with Ezra and the people who came with Nehemiah are those who escaped from the Babylonian captivity after the Persians had taken over. Now they have come back into the land.

[John Weaver] And without me reading all the context right now, let me tell you this. They were certainly sinning against God because they had intermarried with the heathen, which I will show you next week, which God specifically said, do not do. Moreover, they were abusing the Sabbath. They were working on the Sabbath. They were buying and selling. They were doing everything contrary to God's law. And then on top of that, They were enslaving their own children and grandchildren and people because they were making handmaidens and servants out of their own people who owed them.

[John Weaver] And instead of releasing them on the sabbatical year like they were supposed to, they just kept them enslaved. And so now, of course, they are in great, great trouble. So we are in the same point. Let me just say this again. Everywhere you go, you hear people say, quote, they ought to do something about this. Well, who is the they? And of course, usually they're referring to government. Government ought to do something. Government ought to pass a law.

[John Weaver] There is no political solution to a spiritual problem. There is no governmental solution to the sins of the heart. Laws cannot save us. As holy and as righteous as God's law is, it was never intended to save. Not as far as salvation is concerned. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2 and verse 21, I do not frustrate the grace of God. He went on to say, for if righteousness came by the law, then Christ died in vain. And then he made it even clearer Galatians 3 in verse 21, he asked, is the law therefore against the promises of God? God forbid, for if there had been a law given which could have given life verily, righteousness should have been by the law. So the Apostle Paul is saying, it's not a law that can save. If there had been a law that can save, then Christ did not need to die. Obviously, God's law is holy and as righteous as it is, was never intended to save anyone. And certainly government, corrupt government, and depraved fallen man cannot pass laws that are going to save anyone.

[John Weaver] Now, so let's just mark her down and put it in our minds that government is useless, worthless, and unable to resolve spiritual problems. Government is not the solution, it is the problem, or at least part of the problem by Truth.

[John Weaver] Now, you have to ask yourself this question. How in the world did Nehemiah and the people in his day get themselves out of trouble? I want you to look again at verse 32. He says, Now therefore our God, the great and mighty and the terrible God, who keep his covenant in mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee. So he is admitting He's confessing that they are in trouble. You would have to be absolutely foolish to not see the fact that we're in trouble.

[John Weaver] You'd have to be almost blind because everything in this country is going wrong and has gone wrong. Well, how in the world did they get out of the trouble they ran? Well, this whole chapter is dealing with the first step. There was, number one, a real confession. A real confession. Now, let me tell you something about confession. Confession is not merely mouthing of words. Confession is not simply saying, I'm sorry. Confession is not saying, well, I wish I had not done this, or I wish this had not happened.

[John Weaver] Many people profess to confess their sins, but in reality they never really confess their sins. Because the word confess, especially in 1 John 1 verse 9, which I will get to a little bit later, and as it's used in the New Testament, the word confess is homo legeo. Homo means one and the same, lego I say. So what is the confession according to God's word? Real genuine confession is when we say the same thing that God says. Real genuine confession is when we see our sin the way God sees it. Real genuine confession is when we agree with God about our sin. Real genuine confession takes God's side.

[John Weaver] We're the ones that are saying, Lord, we are wrong and you are right. And so we only really and truly confess our sins when we come to the realization that we must agree with God and see things from His perspective, that is from the perspective of Holy Scripture.

[John Weaver] Now, interestingly in this chapter, Confession involved many things. I want you to note, beginning with verse 22 through verse 25 of Nehemiah 9, their confession involved acknowledgement of the goodness of the sovereign. Look at it in verse 22. Moreover, thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and divide them into corners. So they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan.

[John Weaver] Their children also multiplies thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the lands concerning which thou hast promised to their fathers, that they should go in and possess it. So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduest before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands with their kings and the people of the land that they might do with them as they would. And they took strong cities and a fat land and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, oligarchs, and fruit trees in abundance. So they did eat and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

[John Weaver] You know, I've thought about this so many times. Do you realize that one of the great failures, one of the great faults and one of the great sins that we have is that we fail to acknowledge the goodness of God. And when we fail to acknowledge the goodness of God and fail to be grateful and thankful It always leads to other sins. I want you to turn in your Bibles, hold Nehemiah 9, but turn over if you would, please, to Psalm 107 very quickly. I want to show you this passage. It's an amazing thing to me that the same exact verse is given to us four times in Psalm 107. Watch this, Psalm 107, look at verse 8. Psalm 107 verse 8 God says all that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and For his wonderful works to the children of men All that men would praise the Lord for his goodness skip down if you would please to verse 15 All that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men skip down to verse 21 All that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men.

[John Weaver] And look at verse 31. All that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. And here, Nehemiah is confessing his sins and he's confessing the absolute goodness of God because let me show you something. When we recognize God's goodness, It will lead us to be thankful, grateful, and appreciative when we do not recognize God's goodness. It will lead us to assume the fact that God owes us something and we're to expect it no matter how we live or no matter what we do. I suppose that everyone in this room happens to be familiar with the atrocious and awful sins that are mentioned in Romans chapter 1. Do you know how those sins begin?

[John Weaver] Now let me quote this. In Romans chapter 1 in verse 21, the Bible says this, Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were they thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Neither were they thankful. What leads a person to be thankful? When he perceives the goodness and graciousness and mercy of God or someone. One of our greatest sins is our failure to thank God for His goodness. Every bit of food that you have in your home was given to you by God. Every bit of your health was given to you by God. Every bit of your life is given to you by God. Every bit of your savings, funds, whatever you have, money, was given to you by God.

[John Weaver] And that's why I said, oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men. So, Nehemiah began by confessing the goodness of God, which, listen to me, which in one sense of the word enlarged their sins Because He said, you gave us this fat land, you gave us all of this. And then we turn our backs upon you.

[John Weaver] So that leads me secondly, I want you to look in verse 26. Their confession not only acknowledged the goodness of the sovereign, their confession acknowledged the greatness of their sins. In verse 26, nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against thee and cast thy law behind their backs and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee and they wrought great provocations now watch after he got through talking about the goodness of God and everything that God had given them then he says nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs." Now, it should be easy enough to understand disobedience and rebellion when we see it in connection with the law of God. Their disobedience and their rebellion was in relation to His law, which was an expression of His will for His people. So, they refused to abide by His law. They refuse to listen to the preachers or the prophets that God sent to turn them. And when they refuse to live by His law, they refuse to live and turn from the preaching of the prophets.

[John Weaver] That is when they cause great provocations against God. Now, let me remind you of a truth which I've told you in time past. God's law is nothing more than the expression of His will for His people. You remember that passage in Hosea chapter 4 and verse 6 where God said, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because they have rejected knowledge, that is the knowledge of God, I will also reject thee, that thou be no priest to me. Now listen to what He said, thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." You see, God's law is an expression of His will. Our children are an expression of our will.

[John Weaver] We wanted them, we had them. God gave them to us. God says, so now you disregard the expression of my will, I'll disregard the expression of your will. In other words, it is the lex talionis. It is the law of retribution. It is where God makes the punishment fit the crime. In other words, God says, you pay no attention to the expression of my will, I'll forget the expression of your will.

[John Weaver] You wonder why our young people are in such trouble today? Yeah, well, we've forgotten God, and so God says, yes, I'll forget you as well.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain this another way. I've just stated the fact that God's will is the expression God's law is the expression of His will for His people. Let me give you a verse in the New Testament. And I want you to think with me just momentarily. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 3, you read this specifically. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you abstain from fornication. Now think about that. This is the will of God. There's no doubt about it being the will of God. It is expressly stated, this is God's will. It is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you abstain from fornication, that every one of you know how to possess this vessel in sanctification and honor.

[John Weaver] So let's ask a question. If we know that it is God's will that we do not violate the seventh commandment, thou shalt not commit adultery. If we know it's God's will that we do not violate the 10th commandment, thou shalt not covet. Do you not think it is God's will that we not violate the rest of his commandments as well? Well, of course it's God's will that we obey his law.

[John Weaver] And here they're confessing their sins. And they say, nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs." In other words, they turned their backs upon God, upon His Word, upon His prophets, upon His preachers. They refused to listen, they refused to turn, and therefore they wrought great provocations. So Israel's sin is basically our sin. It's not just that we have sinned one time against God. We've sinned over and over against God, just like Israel.

[John Weaver] I want you to look in verse 27. Let's read verse 27 through 30. Watch this. This is absolutely astounding. He says, Therefore thou deliverest them into the hand of their enemies, that is, when they turn their backs upon God, who vex them, what happened? And in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, Thou heardest them from heaven, and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviors, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee. Therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they returned and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven, and many times didst thou deliver them according thy mercies. and testifies against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law. Yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments.

[John Weaver] Which of a man do he shall live in them? And withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifies against them by thy spirit in the prophets, yet would they not give ear. Therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the land." Wow. Do you realize that another one of our great sins is very simply stated? We will not give ear. We will not listen. We will not hear, we will not heed, we will not obey. Doesn't matter how many preachers, how great the preachers, doesn't matter the oratory, doesn't matter any, we will not hear. And every time God delivered Israel, they served him for a brief period and then turned right back to their sins. And finally, God just simply left them into the hands of their enemies.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out. The sins reached every class of people. No one escaped the sins. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to verse 32. Watch. Nehemiah 9, verse 32. He says, Now, therefore, our God, the great and mighty and terrible God, who keep his covenant and mercy, that not all the trouble seem little before thee that have come upon us. Now watch. He just said come upon us.

[John Weaver] Now he itemizes our kings on our princes and on our priest and on our prophets and on our fathers and on all thy people. since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day." Wow. He says, Lord, every class of people, every individual, doesn't matter if they're a prophet or a priest or a king or a prince or just ordinary people. He said, we've all sinned and we're all in trouble up to our eyeballs. So, they're confessing their sins and that one sin which really condemned them was we will not hear.

[John Weaver] Now, let me go a little bit further. I want you to note thirdly, they not only confessed God's goodness and the greatness of their sins, they also confessed the greatness of God's mercies. Look if you would please in verse 31. He says, nevertheless for thy great mercy's sake, thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them, for thou art a gracious and merciful God. Isn't that astounding? Out of all the provocations, and all the sin, and all the rebellion, God was still merciful. You know the Apostle Paul in Romans 9 and verse 29 quoted Isaiah the prophet. In fact he agreed with Isaiah when he wrote in Romans 9 verse 29, and as Isaiah said before, except the Lord of the Sabbath had left us a seed, we should have been as Sodom and Gomorrah. In other words, if God had not been merciful and spared some, none would be saved.

[John Weaver] No one would be alive. We certainly do not thank God enough for His mercies. You remember that passage, and I've quoted it frequently. And I do try to quote it every day, morning and night. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23, where the prophet Jeremiah wrote, it is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed because our compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. You need to learn to thank God every morning when he allows you to wake up and every night when you're lying down, thank him for protecting you and preserving you through the day. It's only of his mercies that we are not consumed. It's only His mercies that we have our lives, our health, and everything. And so they're acknowledging, even in their great sin, the mercies of God.

[John Weaver] Here's the fourth thing, and I want you to note this. Their confession also involved the clearness of God's justice and judgment in chastising and punishing them. Look in verse 33. He said, How be it thou art just in all that is brought upon us? For thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly.

[John Weaver] Now here is a clear, clean, and honest acknowledgement of this sentiment. We got what we deserved. You, God, have done that which is just. We have done that which is wicked. You are righteous in bringing all of this judgment upon us because we are wicked. In other words, I want you to note how he is agreeing with God. I want you to note how he is siding with God. I want you to note how he's taking God's position and he's saying that you're holy and we're unholy, you're right and we're wrong, you're just and we're unjust. You have done justly, we have done wickedly. I want you to turn, if you would, in your Bibles to Psalm 103. Psalm 103. Here is an amazing and an astounding truth In Psalm 103, I want you to watch this. Psalm 103, look, if you would please, at verse 10. As just and as righteous as God is, He said this, David said, He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

[John Weaver] He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities." I don't know about you, but I'm thankful God has not given me what I deserve. And even though God is absolutely just, He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our Now, if you would turn right over to the book of Lamentations, right after Jeremiah, look if you would please in Lamentations chapter 3. Here's another truth. Even if God did give us exactly that which we deserved, we would have no cause to complain. Because in Lamentations 3 in verse 39, the Bible asks this question. Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Why are you going to complain for reaping what you've sown? Why are you going to complain for getting what you deserve?

[John Weaver] It's kind of like that slogan that law enforcement uses. If you do the crime, you'll do the time. Well, although prisons, I don't believe, are biblically based, the truth of the matter is, there is punishment for sin. And there's punishment for wickedness. So if I want to go up to Gary's house and break in and steal, and I get shot, or if I get caught, and sent to prison for five years? Well, hey, that was my sin. You know, I understand.

[John Weaver] Why should I complain if I'm getting exactly that which is just and that which I deserve? Now, the truth of the matter is this. If we did get what we deserved, we wouldn't be able to complain because we'd be dead. But he asked, wherefore doth the living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

[John Weaver] Now let's go a step further. As I pointed out, if God did give us what we deserve, we would really be dead. But in Psalm 89 verse 14, the Bible says this, that justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne. Mercy and truth shall go before thy face. Hmm. I'm so thankful that mercy and truth are still connected with justice and judgment.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you about a prayer. Here's a prayer I think that each of us really need to learn to pray. It's a very biblical prayer. You will find this prayer in the book of Habakkuk chapter 3 and verse 2, but I will quote it for you. The prophet Habakkuk said this, O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and I was afraid. O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years, make known in wrath, remember mercy, in wrath, Remember mercy.

[John Weaver] But note what he asked him. Revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make known in wrath. Remember mercy. God, we're going to get what we deserve. But Lord, please be merciful to us in your wrath. You know, I preached a message many years ago. I thought about it the other day. I thought maybe I should re-preach it. The title of it is, How to Act in the Time of Judgment. How to Act in the Time of Judgment. One thing for sure, we need to learn to pray that God would revive His work and that God, in His wrath, would remember mercy. Let me make some applications and I'm going to try to tie this thought and the next thought together next week, Lord willing. But please remember this, that the first step in revival, in renewal, in returning to God is a true and honest confession of our sins, our rebellion, and our wickedness. I want you to listen carefully to what I'm about to say.

[John Weaver] We will never return to Him, or we will never turn to Him, until and unless we are ready to fully confess our sins. Now as you're turning to Jeremiah 31, I want to quote a passage. Do you remember what our Lord said to the Pharisees? When he said, they that behold need not a physician, but they that are sick, go ye and learn what that meaneth. And I'll have mercy, not sacrifice. They that behold need not a physician, but they that are sick. In other words, you're not going to really cry for help. until you realize how desperately sick you really are. If I don't know that I'm sick, I'm not seeking help. And if I think I'm just a little sick, I'm still not going to seek help. I'll try to doctor myself.

[John Weaver] And if that doesn't work, I'll ask Francis, give me an old remedy. And I'll try that. If that doesn't work, I'll ask Ron to give me a remedy. If that doesn't work, and I finally realize how helpless I really am, that's when I'll go to a doctor. They that behold need not a physician, but they that are sick. Go ye and learn what that meaneth. In other words, you're not going to be seeking Christ. You're not going to be crying to him for mercy and grace until you realize how desperate your situation really is.

[John Weaver] So he said in Jeremiah 31 verse 18, look, 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 look what he said in verse 18. I've surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus. What in the world was Ephraim bemoaning himself about?

[John Weaver] He was confessing and acknowledging his sin and the judgment that was brought upon him because of his sin. He said, Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Why? He said, it was my sin, it was my wickedness. And then he asked God, turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God. In other words, God must turn us. We may complain and we may confess and we may acknowledge, but only God can turn us. And you must come to the place in confession where you are willing to agree with God. You have to come to the place in confession that you take His side against yourself and your sin and your people. You have to come to the place where you say, God is righteous and I'm unrighteous. God is just and I am unjust.

[John Weaver] If you'll turn back to the book of Psalms and look in Psalm 32, here's another truth. Psalm 32, verse 5, David makes a tremendous statement. He lets us know that confession brings us to the point of a willingness to submit and subject ourselves to our Creator, our Lord, our Heavenly Father, and it puts us in the position to be forgiven. So Psalm 32, verse 5, David said, I acknowledge my sin unto thee.

[John Weaver] And mine iniquity have I not hid. I did not try to cover it up now. I'm not hiding it. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord. Note, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. So real, genuine confession places us in the position to be forgiven. That's why he said in 1 John 1 and verse 9, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now, one last passage.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles back to Jeremiah chapter 8. Jeremiah chapter 8. Here is what we do not want. We're in trouble. What I'm about to show you is not the way to get out of trouble. It's the way to get deeper into trouble. God sent Jeremiah to preach to these stiff-necked recalcitrant people, and they refused to listen. Look what they said. Here's what Jeremiah heard. Jeremiah 8, look at verse 6. He said, I hearkened and heard, but they spake not a right.

[John Weaver] No man repented of his wickedness saying, what have I done? Everyone turned to his course as the horse rushes in the battle. So when he pointed out their sins, they were saying, I don't see anything wrong with it. What have I done? This is no big deal. And then he said, everyone turned to his course as a horse rushes in the battle. When you see a charging steed running headlong as fast and as furiously as he can into a battle, God says that's exactly what people are doing. Rushing headlong into their sins and their wickedness and their rebellion.

[John Weaver] when they do not give forth a full and honest confession. What have I done? What we have done is consistently and constantly violated the law of God. We've turned our backs upon Him, upon His Word, and as Nehemiah said, We are in trouble, and Lord let not this trouble seem small unto thee, because it is overwhelming us. And the first step in a revival, in a renewal, in a return, is a full and honest confession of our sins before God.

[John Weaver] And may I point something out? If you will read Ezra and Nehemiah and Daniel, You'll find that these three men not only confess their sins, but the sins of their nation, the sins of their people. And if we spent enough time on our knees, just confessing the sins of this nation, we might need help getting up off our knees because we'd be there for a mighty long time. But until we come to the point that we're willing to acknowledge and confess, we will never ever see revival, renewal, or return.

[John Weaver] We'll go further into wickedness and sin as a horse rushes into battle. It begins with an honest, genuine confession. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before thee this day. We thank you, Lord, for your word, for your truth, for your goodness and kindness. And Father, we do ask you that you would help us to honestly confess and acknowledge our sins. Help us to side with thee against ourselves, to take thy perspective. Because, Lord, when we truly confess, we repent. Give us, Lord, repentance, we pray. Move upon our hearts. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] ♪

The Trouble We're In And The Way Out - Part 1 of 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	DjzV6LFO834
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need
Genre	Sermon
Date	2021-03-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 058: The Trouble We're In And The Way Out — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	68

Formatted Transcript

Opening

Bible says, turn to the book of Nehemiah chapter 9. 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. Nehemiah chapter 9, and we're going to read verses 32 through 38. Nehemiah 9, beginning with verse 32. The title of the message is "The Trouble We Are In and the Way Out." This will be a two-part message, the first part today and, Lord willing, the second part next Sunday. But Nehemiah chapter 9, beginning there with verse 32, the Bible says:

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:32-38

"Now therefore, our God, the great, and mighty, and terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers, and all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day." "Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them. For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works. Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins."

Introduction: We Are in Trouble

Weaver opens by declaring that we are in deep trouble, like Nehemiah's generation, and may not realize its severity.

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:32-38

"Also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests seal unto it."

I'm going to begin by saying we are in trouble. I am in trouble. You are in trouble. We may not realize it yet, and we may not fully grasp how deeply we are in trouble. We may not even understand the implications of it, but the truth is we are in trouble. And if you look in verse 32, Nehemiah is praying and confessing, and he says,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:32-38

"Now therefore, our God, the great, and mighty, and terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee."

So Nehemiah is saying the trouble that we're in may seem little to thee because you're the great and terrible and mighty God, but it's certainly not little to us. And certainly the problems that we're in and the trouble we are in today may seem insignificant to some individuals.

But even to those who are true and genuine believers, the trouble is indeed great and even gargantuan. Let me just give you a couple of illustrations. First of all, it was Congressman Jerry Nadler on February the 25th, 2021, at approximately 3:45 p.m. on C-SPAN, said, and I quote, "God has no authority in the House of Representatives." A little bit later on, he said, "The will of God is of no concern to this Congress." In fact, Congressman Nadler was just simply admitting publicly what many politicians refuse to admit. And the truth is we now have a totally secular, anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Christian government. I want you to just simply contrast the words of Jerry Nadler with some historical examples I'm going to give you. And I want you to just listen for the first few minutes and think about what Nadler said and what the record reads. First of all, let me just simply quote from the Mayflower Compact: "Having undertaken for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a

Historical Contrast: From Christian Foundations to Secular Rejection

He contrasts Congressman Nadler's statement that God has no authority with historical documents showing America's Christian roots.

civil body politic for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices from time to time as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience." So they're thanking God and saying this is undertaken for God's honor and God's glory and the advancement of the Christian faith. Now here are a few quotes from some historical documents. First of all, the New Haven colony charter on April the 3rd, 1644, adopting the laws and the rules for that colony said this: "The judicial laws of God, as they were delivered by Moses, are to be a rule to all the courts in this jurisdiction." So it was the law of God that was to control the courts.

The Charter of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations on July the 8th, 1663, was granted by King Charles II to Roger Williams. In 1636, Williams left Massachusetts with his followers in order to establish a new colony with religious liberty and freedom. And he also established there the first Baptist church in America in 1639. And here is what the royal charter read: "We submit our persons, lives, and estates unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and to all those perfect and most absolute laws of His given in His holy word, that they pursuing with peaceable and loyal minds, sober, serious, and religious intentions of godly edifying themselves and one another in the holy Christian faith and worship, together with the gaining over and conversion of the poor ignorant Indian natives, a most flourishing civil state may stand and best be maintained grounded upon gospel principles." Here we come to the Continental Congress on September the 10th, 1782. During that time, there was a great need for Bibles. In fact, you have to remember that most of the things in that period of time were actually brought in from England. And since the war was still going on, there were not many Bibles being printed. And so the Congress then enacted legislation to print a new edition of the Holy Bible for our schools.

Here is the following endorsement on the first page. And by the way, that Bible has come to be known as the Bible of the Revolution. But here's the endorsement on the first page: "Whereupon resolved, that the United States in Congress assembled, recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize Robert Aitken, to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper." So the Congress of the United States authorized a printing of the Bible. And then here is the Constitution of the State of Delaware in 1792, Article 22: "Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house or appointed to any office or place of trust shall make and subscribe the following declaration: I, [blank], do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed forevermore, and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration."

Now I could probably sit here and just about all afternoon go over each charter, each constitution. But let me just say this, it doesn't matter which charter you look at, it doesn't matter which constitution you look at, all of them basically said the same: No one could hold any office or public trust unless they confessed faith in Jesus Christ and believed that the Bible was the inspired word of God. John Jay, who happened to be the first Supreme Court Justice, who was appointed by George Washington, John Jay was also a founding father. He was a member of the First and Second Continental Congress and he was instrumental in causing the Constitution to be ratified because he's one of those who wrote in the Federalist Papers along with James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. So on October the 12th, 1816, John Jay said this: "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."

That was John Jay. The Congress of the United States in May 1854 passed another resolution which said this: "The great and vital and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ." That was Congress. The United States Supreme Court, on February the 29th, 1892, in the case of the Church of the Holy Trinity versus the United States, it was Justice Josiah Brewer who rendered the High Court's decision and he said this: "Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian." And then the Congress of the United States on October the 4th, 1982, by a joint resolution appointed 1983 as the Year of the Bible. Here is the public law, 97-280: "Whereas renewing our knowledge of and faith in God through Holy Scripture can strengthen us as a nation and as a people, the Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribution in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed nation.

Deeply held religious convictions springing from the Holy Scriptures led to the early settlement of our nation. Biblical teaching inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States." Now I could multiply quotes like this. After reading some of that, all I can say is here we are today. Today we are basically a totally secular nation. We're not only totally secular, but we're now denying the very truths upon which the foundation of this country was built. We've turned our backs upon God. We've thumbed our collective noses to Him, we've challenged Him, we've dared Him, we've ridiculed Him, we've mocked Him, we've rejected Him, we've blasphemed Him, and we're in trouble up to our eyeballs and we don't even realize it. Moreover, we don't even realize what we are facing, nor do we understand the implications of His justice and His judgment. Nor have we even really thought about what is our due and just reward for our sins. We have been blinded, practically speaking, by our sins. And we've also, I think to a large extent, also been judicially blinded by God.

The Current State: Ripe for Judgment

Weaver describes modern America as secular, immoral, and rebellious, paralleling Israel's condition before judgment.

Because we are now what I'm calling absolutely ripe for judgment and full punishment. So we are finding ourselves today in exactly the same position that Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem found themselves. I don't know any other way to express it except by saying it like this: Our rulers are insane. They're wicked. They're greedy for money, power, advancement. Our economy has been destroyed. Our character as individuals and as a society has been wrecked. Our work ethic has been destroyed.

We've become immoral, stiff-necked, recalcitrant, and rebellious as a people, as a society, and as a nation. And when you look around, you just have to say, this is reality. And may I point out the fact that that which brought the judgment of God upon Israel, and especially Judah and Jerusalem as well, was the very fact that they constantly and continually violated His law. If you would hold Nehemiah 9, we're certainly coming back there. But I want you to look in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 28. Deuteronomy 28. And let's begin reading there with verse 45. In fact, you could read the entire chapter because in this chapter you have the blessings and the curses. Let me say it another way. You have positive sanctions and you have the negative sanctions. And the negative sanctions fall upon a people for disobedience. So when you look in verse 45, Deuteronomy 28, God says this:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 28:45-57

"Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: And they shall be upon thee for a sign, and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things."

I think it's important that you remember this particular verse in just a little bit. He said, "Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land."

"And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee." So here is part and parcel of the curse or the negative sanction that God is going to actually cause to come to pass on these people who violate his law. Now, what I'm trying to tell you is this: We're basically at the same point in history today. All you have to do is look around and look at Washington, D.C. Look at our state capitals. Look at our society. Look at our churches. Look at our families. You can only use such words as dysfunctional and disobedient and divided when it comes to government, families, churches. It doesn't matter. We are basically a dysfunctional people. Now, Nehemiah and his people found themselves basically in the same predicament.

Nehemiah's Context: Sin and Captivity

He explains that Nehemiah's remnant had returned from Babylon but fell into sin through intermarriage, Sabbath-breaking, and enslavement.

Let me remind you of something. Nehemiah and the people that he was with were the remnant that had escaped from Babylon. Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra was concerned about rebuilding the temple. Nehemiah was concerned about rebuilding Jerusalem and especially the walls around Jerusalem. And so the people who came back with Ezra and the people who came with Nehemiah are those who escaped from the Babylonian captivity after the Persians had taken over. Now they have come back into the land.

And without me reading all the context right now, let me tell you this: They were certainly sinning against God because they had intermarried with the heathen, which I will show you next week, which God specifically said, do not do. Moreover, they were abusing the Sabbath. They were working on the Sabbath. They were buying and selling. They were doing everything contrary to God's law. And then on top of that, they were enslaving their own children and grandchildren and people because they were making handmaidens and servants out of their own people who owed them. And instead of releasing them on the sabbatical year like they were supposed to, they just kept them enslaved. And so now, of course, they are in great, great trouble. So we are in the same point. Let me just say this again: Everywhere you go, you hear people say, quote, "They ought to do something about this." Well, who is the "they"? And of course, usually they're referring to government. Government ought to do something. Government ought to pass a law.

No Political Solution to a Spiritual Problem

Weaver asserts that government cannot solve spiritual problems; only genuine confession and turning to God can bring revival.

There is no political solution to a spiritual problem. There is no governmental solution to the sins of the heart. Laws cannot save us. As holy and as righteous as God's law is, it was never intended to save. Not as far as salvation is concerned. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2 and verse 21, "I do not frustrate the grace of God." He went on to say, "For if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." And then he made it even clearer in Galatians 3 and verse 21, he asked, "Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law." So the Apostle Paul is saying, it's not a law that can save. If there had been a law that could save, then Christ did not need to die. Obviously, God's law is holy and as righteous as it is, was never intended to save anyone. And certainly government, corrupt government, and depraved fallen man cannot pass laws that are going to save anyone.

Now, so let's just mark her down and put it in our minds that government is useless, worthless, and unable to resolve spiritual problems. Government is not the solution, it is the problem, or at least part of the problem, by truth. Now, you have to ask yourself this question: How in the world did Nehemiah and the people in his day get themselves out of trouble? I want you to look again at verse 32. He says, "Now therefore, our God, the great, and mighty, and terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee." So he is admitting, he's confessing that they are in trouble. You would have to be absolutely foolish to not see the fact that we're in trouble.

The First Step: Real Confession

He defines true confession as agreeing with God about sin, taking His side, and seeing sin from His perspective.

You'd have to be almost blind because everything in this country is going wrong and has gone wrong. Well, how in the world did they get out of the trouble they were in? Well, this whole chapter is dealing with the first step. There was, number one, a real confession. A real confession. Now, let me tell you something about confession. Confession is not merely mouthing of words. Confession is not simply saying, "I'm sorry." Confession is not saying, "Well, I wish I had not done this," or "I wish this had not happened."

Many people profess to confess their sins, but in reality they never really confess their sins. Because the word confess, especially in 1 John 1 verse 9, which I will get to a little bit later, and as it's used in the New Testament, the word confess is homologeo. Homo means one and the same, lego I say. So what is the confession according to God's word? Real genuine confession is when we say the same thing that God says. Real genuine confession is when we see our sin the way God sees it. Real genuine confession is when we agree with God about our sin. Real genuine confession takes God's side.

We're the ones that are saying, "Lord, we are wrong and you are right." And so we only really and truly confess our sins when we come to the realization that we must agree with God and see things from His perspective, that is from the perspective of Holy Scripture. Now, interestingly in this chapter, confession involved many things. I want you to note, beginning with verse 22 through verse 25 of Nehemiah 9, their confession involved acknowledgement of the goodness of the sovereign. Look at it in verse 22: "Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan."

Elements of Confession in Nehemiah 9

Weaver outlines four aspects of their confession: acknowledging God's goodness, the greatness of their sins, God's mercies, and the justice of His judgments.

"Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it. So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would. And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness." You know, I've thought about this so many times. Do you realize that one of the great failures, one of the great faults, and one of the great sins that we have is that we fail to acknowledge the goodness of God. And when we fail to acknowledge the goodness of God and fail to be grateful and thankful, it always leads to other sins. I want you to turn in your Bibles, hold Nehemiah 9, but turn over if you would, please, to Psalm 107 very quickly. I want to show you this passage. It's an amazing thing to me that the same exact verse is given to us four times in Psalm 107. Watch this, Psalm 107, look at verse 8. Psalm 107 verse 8:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Skip down, if you would please, to verse 15:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Skip down to verse 21:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

And look at verse 31: "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" And here, Nehemiah is confessing his sins and he's confessing the absolute goodness of God because let me show you something. When we recognize God's goodness, it will lead us to be thankful, grateful, and appreciative. When we do not recognize God's goodness, it will lead us to assume the fact that God owes us something and we're to expect it no matter how we live or no matter what we do. I suppose that everyone in this room happens to be familiar with the atrocious and awful sins that are mentioned in Romans chapter 1. Do you know how those sins begin?

Now let me quote this. In Romans chapter 1 in verse 21, the Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — Romans 1:21

"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

Neither were they thankful. What leads a person to be thankful? When he perceives the goodness and graciousness and mercy of God or someone. One of our greatest sins is our failure to thank God for His goodness. Every bit of food that you have in your home was given to you by God. Every bit of your health was given to you by God. Every bit of your life is given to you by God. Every bit of your savings, funds, whatever you have, money, was given to you by God.

And that's why I said, "Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men." So, Nehemiah began by confessing the goodness of God, which, listen to me, which in one sense of the word enlarged their sins because He said, "You gave us this fat land, you gave us all of this. And then we turn our backs upon you." So that leads me secondly, I want you to look in verse 26. Their confession not only acknowledged the goodness of the sovereign, their confession acknowledged the greatness of their sins. In verse 26:

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:26

"Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations."

Now watch, after he got through talking about the goodness of God and everything that God had given them, then he says,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:26

"Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs."

Now, it should be easy enough to understand disobedience and rebellion when we see it in connection with the law of God. Their disobedience and their rebellion was in relation to His law, which was an expression of His will for His people. So, they refused to abide by His law. They refused to listen to the preachers or the prophets that God sent to turn them. And when they refused to live by His law, they refused to live and turn from the preaching of the prophets.

That is when they caused great provocations against God. Now, let me remind you of a truth which I've told you in time past. God's law is nothing more than the expression of His will for His people. You remember that passage in Hosea chapter 4 and verse 6 where God said,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 4:6

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."

You see, God's law is an expression of His will. Our children are an expression of our will. We wanted them, we had them. God gave them to us. God says, so now you disregard the expression of my will, I'll disregard the expression of your will. In other words, it is the lex talionis. It is the law of retribution. It is where God makes the punishment fit the crime. In other words, God says, you pay no attention to the expression of my will, I'll forget the expression of your will.

You wonder why our young people are in such trouble today? Yeah, well, we've forgotten God, and so God says, yes, I'll forget you as well. Now, let me explain this another way. I've just stated the fact that God's will is the expression—God's law is the expression of His will for His people. Let me give you a verse in the New Testament. And I want you to think with me just momentarily. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 3, you read this specifically:

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 4:3

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication."

Now think about that. This is the will of God. There's no doubt about it being the will of God. It is expressly stated, this is God's will. It is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.

So let's ask a question. If we know that it is God's will that we do not violate the seventh commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." If we know it's God's will that we do not violate the tenth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet." Do you not think it is God's will that we not violate the rest of his commandments as well? Well, of course it's God's will that we obey his law. And here they're confessing their sins. And they say, "Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs." In other words, they turned their backs upon God, upon His Word, upon His prophets, upon His preachers. They refused to listen, they refused to turn, and therefore they wrought great provocations. So Israel's sin is basically our sin. It's not just that we have sinned one time against God. We've sinned over and over against God, just like Israel.

I want you to look in verse 27. Let's read verse 27 through 30. Watch this. This is absolutely astounding. He says, "Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies; And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments.

(Which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands." Wow. Do you realize that another one of our great sins is very simply stated? We will not give ear. We will not listen. We will not hear, we will not heed, we will not obey. Doesn't matter how many preachers, how great the preachers, doesn't matter the oratory, doesn't matter any—we will not hear. And every time God delivered Israel, they served him for a brief period and then turned right back to their sins. And finally, God just simply left them into the hands of their enemies.

Now, let me point something out. The sins reached every class of people. No one escaped the sins. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to verse 32. Watch. Nehemiah 9, verse 32. He says, "Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us." Now watch. He just said "come upon us."

Now he itemizes: "on our kings, and on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day." Wow. He says, "Lord, every class of people, every individual, doesn't matter if they're a prophet or a priest or a king or a prince or just ordinary people. He said, we've all sinned and we're all in trouble up to our eyeballs." So, they're confessing their sins and that one sin which really condemned them was "we will not hear." Now, let me go a little bit further. I want you to note thirdly, they not only confessed God's goodness and the greatness of their sins, they also confessed the greatness of God's mercies. Look if you would please in verse 31. He says, "Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God." Isn't that astounding? Out of all the provocations, and all the sin, and all the rebellion, God was still merciful. You know the Apostle Paul in Romans 9 and verse 29 quoted Isaiah the prophet. In fact he agreed with Isaiah when he wrote in Romans 9 verse 29, "And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha." In other words, if God had not been merciful and spared some, none would be saved.

No one would be alive. We certainly do not thank God enough for His mercies. You remember that passage, and I've quoted it frequently. And I do try to quote it every day, morning and night. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23, where the prophet Jeremiah wrote, "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." You need to learn to thank God every morning when he allows you to wake up and every night when you're lying down, thank him for protecting you and preserving you through the day. It's only of his mercies that we are not consumed. It's only His mercies that we have our lives, our health, and everything. And so they're acknowledging, even in their great sin, the mercies of God.

Here's the fourth thing, and I want you to note this. Their confession also involved the clearness of God's justice and judgment in chastising and punishing them. Look in verse 33. He said, "Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly."

Now here is a clear, clean, and honest acknowledgement of this sentiment: We got what we deserved. You, God, have done that which is just. We have done that which is wicked. You are righteous in bringing all of this judgment upon us because we are wicked. In other words, I want you to note how he is agreeing with God. I want you to note how he is siding with God. I want you to note how he's taking God's position and he's saying that you're holy and we're unholy, you're right and we're wrong, you're just and we're unjust. You have done justly, we have done wickedly. I want you to turn, if you would, in your Bibles to Psalm 103. Psalm 103. Here is an amazing and an astounding truth. In Psalm 103, I want you to watch this. Psalm 103, look, if you would please, at verse 10. As just and as righteous as God is, He said this, David said, "He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities."

"He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities." I don't know about you, but I'm thankful God has not given me what I deserve. And even though God is absolutely just, He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Now, if you would turn right over to the book of Lamentations, right after Jeremiah, look if you would please in Lamentations chapter 3. Here's another truth. Even if God did give us exactly that which we deserved, we would have no cause to complain. Because in Lamentations 3 in verse 39, the Bible asks this question: "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?" Why are you going to complain for reaping what you've sown? Why are you going to complain for getting what you deserve?

Application: The Necessity of Confession for Revival

He emphasizes that without honest confession, we will not turn to God; we must pray for God to turn us and remember mercy in wrath.

It's kind of like that slogan that law enforcement uses: "If you do the crime, you'll do the time." Well, although prisons, I don't believe, are biblically based, the truth of the matter is, there is punishment for sin. And there's punishment for wickedness. So if I want to go up to Gary's house and break in and steal, and I get shot, or if I get caught, and sent to prison for five years? Well, hey, that was my sin. You know, I understand. Why should I complain if I'm getting exactly that which is just and that which I deserve? Now, the truth of the matter is this: If we did get what we deserved, we wouldn't be able to complain because we'd be dead. But he asked, "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?"

Now let's go a step further. As I pointed out, if God did give us what we deserve, we would really be dead. But in Psalm 89 verse 14, the Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 89:14

"Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face."

Hmm. I'm so thankful that mercy and truth are still connected with justice and judgment.

Now, let me tell you about a prayer. Here's a prayer I think that each of us really need to learn to pray. It's a very biblical prayer. You will find this prayer in the book of Habakkuk chapter 3 and verse 2, but I will quote it for you. The prophet Habakkuk said this:

Scripture Reading — Habakkuk 3:2

"O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy."

In wrath, remember mercy.

But note what he asked him: "Revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy." God, we're going to get what we deserve. But Lord, please be merciful to us in your wrath. You know, I preached a message many years ago. I thought about it the other day. I thought maybe I should re-preach it. The title of it is, "How to Act in the Time of Judgment." How to Act in the Time of Judgment. One thing for sure, we need to learn to pray that God would revive His work and that God, in His wrath, would remember mercy. Let me make some applications and I'm going to try to tie this thought and the next thought together next week, Lord willing. But please remember this, that the first step in revival, in renewal, in returning to God is a true and honest confession of our sins, our rebellion, and our wickedness. I want you to listen carefully to what I'm about to say.

We will never return to Him, or we will never turn to Him, until and unless we are ready to fully confess our sins. Now as you're turning to Jeremiah 31, I want to quote a passage. Do you remember what our Lord said to the Pharisees? When he said, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. In other words, you're not going to really cry for help until you realize how desperately sick you really are. If I don't know that I'm sick, I'm not seeking help. And if I think I'm just a little sick, I'm still not going to seek help. I'll try to doctor myself.

And if that doesn't work, I'll ask Francis, give me an old remedy. And I'll try that. If that doesn't work, I'll ask Ron to give me a remedy. If that doesn't work, and I finally realize how helpless I really am, that's when I'll go to a doctor. They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. Go ye and learn what that meaneth. In other words, you're not going to be seeking Christ. You're not going to be crying to him for mercy and grace until you realize how desperate your situation really is.

So he said in Jeremiah 31 verse 18, look:

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:18-19

"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 look what he said in verse 18.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:18-19

"I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus."

What in the world was Ephraim bemoaning himself about? He was confessing and acknowledging his sin and the judgment that was brought upon him because of his sin. He said,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:18-19

"Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke."

Why? He said, it was my sin, it was my wickedness. And then he asked God,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:18-19

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

In other words, God must turn us. We may complain and we may confess and we may acknowledge, but only God can turn us. And you must come to the place in confession where you are willing to agree with God. You have to come to the place in confession that you take His side against yourself and your sin and your people. You have to come to the place where you say, "God is righteous and I'm unrighteous. God is just and I am unjust."

If you'll turn back to the book of Psalms and look in Psalm 32, here's another truth. Psalm 32, verse 5, David makes a tremendous statement. He lets us know that confession brings us to the point of a willingness to submit and subject ourselves to our Creator, our Lord, our Heavenly Father, and it puts us in the position to be forgiven. So Psalm 32, verse 5, David said, "I acknowledged my sin unto thee. And mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." So real, genuine confession places us in the position to be forgiven. That's why he said in 1 John 1 and verse 9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Now, one last passage.

I want you to turn in your Bibles back to Jeremiah chapter 8. Jeremiah chapter 8. Here is what we do not want. We're in trouble. What I'm about to show you is not the way to get out of trouble. It's the way to get deeper into trouble. God sent Jeremiah to preach to these stiff-necked, recalcitrant people, and they refused to listen. Look what they said. Here's what Jeremiah heard. Jeremiah 8, look at verse 6. He said, "I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright.

No man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? Every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle." So when he pointed out their sins, they were saying, "I don't see anything wrong with it. What have I done? This is no big deal." And then he said, "Every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle." When you see a charging steed running headlong as fast and as furiously as he can into a battle, God says that's exactly what people are doing. Rushing headlong into their sins and their wickedness and their rebellion.

when they do not give forth a full and honest confession. "What have I done?" What we have done is consistently and constantly violated the law of God. We've turned our backs upon Him, upon His Word, and as Nehemiah said, "We are in trouble, and Lord let not this trouble seem small unto thee, because it is overwhelming us." And the first step in a revival, in a renewal, in a return, is a full and honest confession of our sins before God. And may I point something out? If you will read Ezra and Nehemiah and Daniel, you'll find that these three men not only confess their sins, but the sins of their nation, the sins of their people. And if we spent enough time on our knees, just confessing the sins of this nation, we might need help getting up off our knees because we'd be there for a mighty long time. But until we come to the point that we're willing to acknowledge and confess, we will never ever see revival, renewal, or return.

Study Guide

Major Themes

National Apostasy and Judgment

Summary: America has abandoned its Christian heritage and is now under God's judgment, mirroring Israel's rebellion.

Evidence: Weaver cites Congressman Nadler's statement and contrasts it with historical charters, then says, 'we are now what I'm calling absolutely ripe for judgment and full punishment.'

The Goodness of God

Summary: Failure to acknowledge God's goodness leads to ingratitude and further sin.

Evidence: He points to Nehemiah 9:22-25 and Psalm 107, stating, 'one of the great sins that we have is that we fail to acknowledge the goodness of God.'

The Necessity of Genuine Confession

Summary: True confession means agreeing with God about sin, not merely mouthing words.

Evidence: Weaver explains homologeo: 'Real genuine confession is when we say the same thing that God says... when we agree with God about our sin.'

The Justice of God's Judgments

Summary: God is just in punishing sin; we deserve what we get, yet He often shows mercy.

Evidence: He quotes Nehemiah 9:33: 'Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly.'

The Mercy of God

Summary: Despite great sin, God's mercies prevent total destruction.

Evidence: He references Nehemiah 9:31 and Lamentations 3:22-23: 'It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed.'

The Inability of Government to Solve Spiritual Problems

Summary: Laws and government cannot address the heart's sin; only spiritual renewal can.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'There is no political solution to a spiritual problem... government is useless, worthless, and unable to resolve spiritual problems.'

Key Arguments

America's Secular Turn Mirrors Israel's Rebellion

Summary: Weaver argues that modern America, like ancient Israel, has rejected God's law and is facing judgment.

Evidence: He says, 'We've turned our backs upon God... we're in trouble up to our eyeballs and we don't even realize it.'

Confession Must Precede Revival

Summary: The first step out of trouble is honest confession of sin, as modeled in Nehemiah 9.

Evidence: He states, 'the first step in revival, in renewal, in returning to God is a true and honest confession of our sins.'

True Confession Agrees with God

Summary: Confession is not just saying sorry but taking God's side against oneself.

Evidence: He explains, 'Real genuine confession takes God's side... we are wrong and you are right.'

Ingratitude Leads to Greater Sin

Summary: Failing to thank God for His goodness leads to a darkened heart and further rebellion.

Evidence: He cites Romans 1:21: 'neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations.'

God's Law Expresses His Will

Summary: Rejecting God's law is rejecting His will, which brings retribution.

Evidence: He references Hosea 4:6 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3, saying, 'God's law is nothing more than the expression of His will for His people.'

We Deserve Judgment but Plead for Mercy

Summary: God is just in punishing sin, yet we can pray for mercy in the midst of wrath.

Evidence: He quotes Habakkuk 3:2: 'in wrath remember mercy.'

Scripture References

Nehemiah 9:32-38

Context: The main text; Nehemiah's prayer of confession acknowledging trouble and sin.

Deuteronomy 28:45-57

Context: Curses for disobedience, including siege and destruction, paralleling America's situation.

Galatians 2:21

Context: Paul says if righteousness came by the law, Christ died in vain; law cannot save.

Galatians 3:21

Context: If a law could give life, righteousness would be by the law; but it cannot.

Nehemiah 9:22-25

Context: Acknowledgment of God's goodness in giving Israel the land and blessings.

Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

Context: Repeated call to praise the Lord for His goodness and wonderful works.

Romans 1:21

Context: Ingratitude leads to vain imaginations and a darkened heart.

Nehemiah 9:26

Context: Confession of disobedience, rebellion, and casting God's law behind their backs.

Hosea 4:6

Context: God's people destroyed for lack of knowledge; rejecting knowledge leads to rejection.

1 Thessalonians 4:3

Context: God's will is sanctification, specifically abstaining from fornication.

Nehemiah 9:27-30

Context: Cycle of sin, oppression, crying out, deliverance, and returning to sin.

Nehemiah 9:31

Context: God's great mercies prevented utter consumption.

Romans 9:29

Context: Unless the Lord had left a seed, they would be like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Context: God's mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.

Nehemiah 9:33

Context: God is just in all brought upon them; they have done wickedly.

Psalm 103:10

Context: God has not dealt with us after our sins or rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Lamentations 3:39

Context: Why should a living man complain for the punishment of his sins?

Psalm 89:14

Context: Justice and judgment are the habitation of God's throne; mercy and truth go before His face.

Habakkuk 3:2

Context: Prayer for revival and for God to remember mercy in wrath.

Jeremiah 31:18-19

Context: Ephraim's bemoaning, acknowledging chastisement, and asking God to turn him.

Historical References

Congressman Jerry Nadler's statement on C-SPAN, February 25, 2021

Context: Nadler said God has no authority in the House and the will of God is of no concern to Congress.

Mayflower Compact

Context: Undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith.

New Haven Colony Charter, April 3, 1644

Context: Judicial laws of God as delivered by Moses were to rule all courts.

Charter of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, July 8, 1663

Context: Granted by King Charles II; submitted to Jesus Christ and His laws.

Continental Congress, September 10, 1782

Context: Authorized printing of the Bible, known as the Bible of the Revolution.

Constitution of Delaware, 1792, Article 22

Context: Required officeholders to profess faith in the Trinity and divine inspiration of Scripture.

John Jay, first Supreme Court Justice, October 12, 1816

Context: Stated it is the duty of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians as rulers.

U.S. Congress resolution, May 1854

Context: Declared belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ as the conservative element of the system.

Supreme Court case Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, 1892

Context: Justice Brewer stated laws and institutions must be based on the teachings of the Redeemer.

U.S. Congress joint resolution, October 4, 1982, Public Law 97-280

Context: Designated 1983 as the Year of the Bible, acknowledging its role in shaping the nation.

Important Quotes

God has no authority in the House of Representatives.

Significance: Illustrates the secular rejection of God in modern government, contrasting with America's Christian foundations.

There is no political solution to a spiritual problem.

Significance: Core argument that government cannot fix sin; only spiritual renewal can.

Real genuine confession is when we say the same thing that God says.

Significance: Defines true confession as agreement with God's perspective on sin.

Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Significance: Emphasizes the importance of gratitude for God's goodness, repeated in Psalm 107.

Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs.

Significance: Highlights the confession of Israel's rebellion, paralleling modern sin.

Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly.

Significance: Acknowledges God's justice in judgment, a key element of genuine confession.

in wrath remember mercy.

Significance: A prayer for God to show mercy even while executing judgment, from Habakkuk 3:2.

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

Significance: Recognizes that only God can bring about true repentance and turning.

Discussion Questions

In what ways do you see parallels between Nehemiah's Israel and modern America?

Context: Weaver draws extensive parallels between the rebellion of Israel and the current state of the nation.

What does it mean to 'confess' sin according to the biblical definition Weaver gives?

Context: He explains that confession is homologeo—saying the same thing as God about sin.

Why is acknowledging God's goodness an essential part of confession?

Context: Weaver points out that failure to thank God leads to further sin, as in Romans 1:21.

How does the cycle of sin, judgment, and temporary repentance in Nehemiah 9:27-30 reflect human nature?

Context: The passage shows Israel repeatedly returning to sin after deliverance.

What does it mean to 'take God's side' against ourselves in confession?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that true confession involves agreeing with God's judgment on our sin.

How can we pray 'in wrath remember mercy' for our nation today?

Context: He references Habakkuk 3:2 as a model prayer for times of judgment.

Why is it dangerous to say 'What have I done?' in response to sin, as in Jeremiah 8:6?

Context: Weaver warns that minimizing sin leads to rushing headlong into more sin.

What role does corporate confession (confessing the sins of our nation) play in revival?

Context: He notes that Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel confessed not only personal but national sins.

Applications

Practice Daily Gratitude for God's Goodness

Summary: Thank God every morning and evening for His mercies and provisions, recognizing that all we have comes from Him.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'You need to learn to thank God every morning when he allows you to wake up and every night... It's only of his mercies that we are not consumed.'

Engage in Honest Self-Examination and Confession

Summary: Regularly examine your life against God's law, agree with God about your sin, and confess it fully.

Evidence: He states, 'Real genuine confession is when we see our sin the way God sees it... when we agree with God about our sin.'

Pray for National Repentance and Mercy

Summary: Spend time confessing the sins of the nation and praying for God to revive His work and remember mercy.

Evidence: Weaver urges, 'if we spent enough time on our knees, just confessing the sins of this nation, we might need help getting up.'

Reject the Notion that Government Can Solve Spiritual Problems

Summary: Place your hope not in political solutions but in spiritual renewal through repentance and faith.

Evidence: He declares, 'There is no political solution to a spiritual problem... government is useless, worthless, and unable to resolve spiritual problems.'

Acknowledge God's Justice in Personal and National Trials

Summary: When facing difficulties, recognize that God is just and that we often reap what we sow, yet plead for His mercy.

Evidence: He quotes Nehemiah 9:33 and says, 'We got what we deserved... You are righteous in bringing all of this judgment upon us because we are wicked.'

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T03:11:01Z

Clean Transcript

The Trouble We're In And The Way Out - Part 1 of 2

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

Bible says, turn to the book of Nehemiah chapter 9. 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. Nehemiah chapter 9, and we're going to read verses 32 through 38. Nehemiah 9, beginning with verse 32. The title of the message is "The Trouble We Are In and the Way Out." This will be a two-part message, the first part today and, Lord willing, the second part next Sunday. But Nehemiah chapter 9, beginning there with verse 32, the Bible says: "Now therefore, our God, the great, and mighty, and terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers, and all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day."
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"Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them. For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works. Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins."
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"Also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests seal unto it." I'm going to begin by saying we are in trouble. I am in trouble. You are in trouble. We may not realize it yet, and we may not fully grasp how deeply we are in trouble. We may not even understand the implications of it, but the truth is we are in trouble. And if you look in verse 32, Nehemiah is praying and confessing, and he says, "Now therefore, our God, the great, and mighty, and terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee." So Nehemiah is saying the trouble that we're in may seem little to thee because you're the great and terrible and mighty God, but it's certainly not little to us. And certainly the problems that we're in and the trouble we are in today may seem insignificant to some individuals.
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But even to those who are true and genuine believers, the trouble is indeed great and even gargantuan. Let me just give you a couple of illustrations. First of all, it was Congressman Jerry Nadler on February the 25th, 2021, at approximately 3:45 p.m. on C-SPAN, said, and I quote, "God has no authority in the House of Representatives." A little bit later on, he said, "The will of God is of no concern to this Congress." In fact, Congressman Nadler was just simply admitting publicly what many politicians refuse to admit. And the truth is we now have a totally secular, anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Christian government. I want you to just simply contrast the words of Jerry Nadler with some historical examples I'm going to give you. And I want you to just listen for the first few minutes and think about what Nadler said and what the record reads. First of all, let me just simply quote from the Mayflower Compact: "Having undertaken for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a
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civil body politic for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices from time to time as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience." So they're thanking God and saying this is undertaken for God's honor and God's glory and the advancement of the Christian faith.
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Now here are a few quotes from some historical documents. First of all, the New Haven colony charter on April the 3rd, 1644, adopting the laws and the rules for that colony said this: "The judicial laws of God, as they were delivered by Moses, are to be a rule to all the courts in this jurisdiction." So it was the law of God that was to control the courts.
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The Charter of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations on July the 8th, 1663, was granted by King Charles II to Roger Williams. In 1636, Williams left Massachusetts with his followers in order to establish a new colony with religious liberty and freedom. And he also established there the first Baptist church in America in 1639. And here is what the royal charter read: "We submit our persons, lives, and estates unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and to all those perfect and most absolute laws of His given in His holy word, that they pursuing with peaceable and loyal minds, sober, serious, and religious intentions of godly edifying themselves and one
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another in the holy Christian faith and worship, together with the gaining over and conversion of the poor ignorant Indian natives, a most flourishing civil state may stand and best be maintained grounded upon gospel principles." Here we come to the Continental Congress on September the 10th, 1782. During that time, there was a great need for Bibles. In fact, you have to remember that most of the things in that period of time were actually brought in from England. And since the war was still going on, there were not many Bibles being printed. And so the Congress then enacted legislation to print a new edition of the Holy Bible for our schools.
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Here is the following endorsement on the first page. And by the way, that Bible has come to be known as the Bible of the Revolution. But here's the endorsement on the first page: "Whereupon resolved, that the United States in Congress assembled, recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize Robert Aitken, to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper." So the Congress of the United States authorized a printing of the Bible.
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And then here is the Constitution of the State of Delaware in 1792, Article 22: "Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house or appointed to any office or place of trust shall make and subscribe the following declaration: I, [blank], do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed forevermore, and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration."
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Now I could probably sit here and just about all afternoon go over each charter, each constitution. But let me just say this, it doesn't matter which charter you look at, it doesn't matter which constitution you look at, all of them basically said the same: No one could hold any office or public trust unless they confessed faith in Jesus Christ and believed that the Bible was the inspired word of God. John Jay, who happened to be the first Supreme Court Justice, who was appointed by George Washington, John Jay was also a founding father. He was a member of the First and Second Continental Congress and he was instrumental in causing the Constitution to be ratified because he's one of those who wrote in the Federalist Papers along with James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. So on October the 12th, 1816, John Jay said this: "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
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That was John Jay. The Congress of the United States in May 1854 passed another resolution which said this: "The great and vital and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ." That was Congress. The United States Supreme Court, on February the 29th, 1892, in the case of the Church of the Holy Trinity versus the United States, it was Justice Josiah Brewer who rendered the High Court's decision and he said this: "Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian." And then the Congress of the United States on October the 4th, 1982, by a joint resolution appointed 1983 as the Year of the Bible. Here is the public law, 97-280: "Whereas renewing our knowledge of and faith in God through Holy Scripture can strengthen us as a nation and as a people, the Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribution in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed nation.
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Deeply held religious convictions springing from the Holy Scriptures led to the early settlement of our nation. Biblical teaching inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States."
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Now I could multiply quotes like this. After reading some of that, all I can say is here we are today. Today we are basically a totally secular nation. We're not only totally secular, but we're now denying the very truths upon which the foundation of this country was built. We've turned our backs upon God. We've thumbed our collective noses to Him, we've challenged Him, we've dared Him, we've ridiculed Him, we've mocked Him, we've rejected Him, we've blasphemed Him, and we're in trouble up to our eyeballs and we don't even realize it. Moreover, we don't even realize what we are facing, nor do we understand the implications of His justice and His judgment. Nor have we even really thought about what is our due and just reward for our sins. We have been blinded, practically speaking, by our sins. And we've also, I think to a large extent, also been judicially blinded by God.
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Because we are now what I'm calling absolutely ripe for judgment and full punishment. So we are finding ourselves today in exactly the same position that Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem found themselves. I don't know any other way to express it except by saying it like this: Our rulers are insane. They're wicked. They're greedy for money, power, advancement. Our economy has been destroyed. Our character as individuals and as a society has been wrecked. Our work ethic has been destroyed.
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We've become immoral, stiff-necked, recalcitrant, and rebellious as a people, as a society, and as a nation. And when you look around, you just have to say, this is reality. And may I point out the fact that that which brought the judgment of God upon Israel, and especially Judah and Jerusalem as well, was the very fact that they constantly and continually violated His law. If you would hold Nehemiah 9, we're certainly coming back there. But I want you to look in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 28. Deuteronomy 28.
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And let's begin reading there with verse 45. In fact, you could read the entire chapter because in this chapter you have the blessings and the curses. Let me say it another way. You have positive sanctions and you have the negative sanctions. And the negative sanctions fall upon a people for disobedience. So when you look in verse 45, Deuteronomy 28, God says this: "Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: And they shall be upon thee for a sign, and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things."
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I think it's important that you remember this particular verse in just a little bit. He said, "Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land."
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"And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee." So here is part and parcel of the curse or the negative sanction that God is going to actually cause to come to pass on these people who violate his law.
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Now, what I'm trying to tell you is this: We're basically at the same point in history today. All you have to do is look around and look at Washington, D.C. Look at our state capitals. Look at our society. Look at our churches. Look at our families. You can only use such words as dysfunctional and disobedient and divided when it comes to government, families, churches. It doesn't matter. We are basically a dysfunctional people. Now, Nehemiah and his people found themselves basically in the same predicament.
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Let me remind you of something. Nehemiah and the people that he was with were the remnant that had escaped from Babylon. Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra was concerned about rebuilding the temple. Nehemiah was concerned about rebuilding Jerusalem and especially the walls around Jerusalem. And so the people who came back with Ezra and the people who came with Nehemiah are those who escaped from the Babylonian captivity after the Persians had taken over. Now they have come back into the land.
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And without me reading all the context right now, let me tell you this: They were certainly sinning against God because they had intermarried with the heathen, which I will show you next week, which God specifically said, do not do. Moreover, they were abusing the Sabbath. They were working on the Sabbath. They were buying and selling. They were doing everything contrary to God's law. And then on top of that, they were enslaving their own children and grandchildren and people because they were making handmaidens and servants out of their own people who owed them.
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And instead of releasing them on the sabbatical year like they were supposed to, they just kept them enslaved. And so now, of course, they are in great, great trouble. So we are in the same point. Let me just say this again: Everywhere you go, you hear people say, quote, "They ought to do something about this." Well, who is the "they"? And of course, usually they're referring to government. Government ought to do something. Government ought to pass a law.
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There is no political solution to a spiritual problem. There is no governmental solution to the sins of the heart. Laws cannot save us. As holy and as righteous as God's law is, it was never intended to save. Not as far as salvation is concerned. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2 and verse 21, "I do not frustrate the grace of God." He went on to say, "For if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." And then he made it even clearer in Galatians 3 and verse 21, he asked, "Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law." So the Apostle Paul is saying, it's not a law that can save. If there had been a law that could save, then Christ did not need to die. Obviously, God's law is holy and as righteous as it is, was never intended to save anyone. And certainly government, corrupt government, and depraved fallen man cannot pass laws that are going to save anyone.
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Now, so let's just mark her down and put it in our minds that government is useless, worthless, and unable to resolve spiritual problems. Government is not the solution, it is the problem, or at least part of the problem, by truth.
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Now, you have to ask yourself this question: How in the world did Nehemiah and the people in his day get themselves out of trouble? I want you to look again at verse 32. He says, "Now therefore, our God, the great, and mighty, and terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee." So he is admitting, he's confessing that they are in trouble. You would have to be absolutely foolish to not see the fact that we're in trouble.
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You'd have to be almost blind because everything in this country is going wrong and has gone wrong. Well, how in the world did they get out of the trouble they were in? Well, this whole chapter is dealing with the first step. There was, number one, a real confession. A real confession. Now, let me tell you something about confession. Confession is not merely mouthing of words. Confession is not simply saying, "I'm sorry." Confession is not saying, "Well, I wish I had not done this," or "I wish this had not happened."
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Many people profess to confess their sins, but in reality they never really confess their sins. Because the word confess, especially in 1 John 1 verse 9, which I will get to a little bit later, and as it's used in the New Testament, the word confess is homologeo. Homo means one and the same, lego I say. So what is the confession according to God's word? Real genuine confession is when we say the same thing that God says. Real genuine confession is when we see our sin the way God sees it. Real genuine confession is when we agree with God about our sin. Real genuine confession takes God's side.
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We're the ones that are saying, "Lord, we are wrong and you are right." And so we only really and truly confess our sins when we come to the realization that we must agree with God and see things from His perspective, that is from the perspective of Holy Scripture.
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Now, interestingly in this chapter, confession involved many things. I want you to note, beginning with verse 22 through verse 25 of Nehemiah 9, their confession involved acknowledgement of the goodness of the sovereign. Look at it in verse 22: "Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan."
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"Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it. So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would. And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness."
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You know, I've thought about this so many times. Do you realize that one of the great failures, one of the great faults, and one of the great sins that we have is that we fail to acknowledge the goodness of God. And when we fail to acknowledge the goodness of God and fail to be grateful and thankful, it always leads to other sins. I want you to turn in your Bibles, hold Nehemiah 9, but turn over if you would, please, to Psalm 107 very quickly. I want to show you this passage. It's an amazing thing to me that the same exact verse is given to us four times in Psalm 107. Watch this, Psalm 107, look at verse 8. Psalm 107 verse 8: "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Skip down, if you would please, to verse 15: "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Skip down to verse 21: "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"
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And look at verse 31: "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" And here, Nehemiah is confessing his sins and he's confessing the absolute goodness of God because let me show you something. When we recognize God's goodness, it will lead us to be thankful, grateful, and appreciative. When we do not recognize God's goodness, it will lead us to assume the fact that God owes us something and we're to expect it no matter how we live or no matter what we do. I suppose that everyone in this room happens to be familiar with the atrocious and awful sins that are mentioned in Romans chapter 1. Do you know how those sins begin?
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Now let me quote this. In Romans chapter 1 in verse 21, the Bible says this: "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." Neither were they thankful. What leads a person to be thankful? When he perceives the goodness and graciousness and mercy of God or someone. One of our greatest sins is our failure to thank God for His goodness. Every bit of food that you have in your home was given to you by God. Every bit of your health was given to you by God. Every bit of your life is given to you by God. Every bit of your savings, funds, whatever you have, money, was given to you by God.
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And that's why I said, "Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men." So, Nehemiah began by confessing the goodness of God, which, listen to me, which in one sense of the word enlarged their sins because He said, "You gave us this fat land, you gave us all of this. And then we turn our backs upon you."
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So that leads me secondly, I want you to look in verse 26. Their confession not only acknowledged the goodness of the sovereign, their confession acknowledged the greatness of their sins. In verse 26: "Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations." Now watch, after he got through talking about the goodness of God and everything that God had given them, then he says, "Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs." Now, it should be easy enough to understand disobedience and rebellion when we see it in connection with the law of God. Their disobedience and their rebellion was in relation to His law, which was an expression of His will for His people. So, they refused to abide by His law. They refused to listen to the preachers or the prophets that God sent to turn them. And when they refused to live by His law, they refused to live and turn from the preaching of the prophets.
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That is when they caused great provocations against God. Now, let me remind you of a truth which I've told you in time past. God's law is nothing more than the expression of His will for His people. You remember that passage in Hosea chapter 4 and verse 6 where God said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." You see, God's law is an expression of His will. Our children are an expression of our will.
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We wanted them, we had them. God gave them to us. God says, so now you disregard the expression of my will, I'll disregard the expression of your will. In other words, it is the lex talionis. It is the law of retribution. It is where God makes the punishment fit the crime. In other words, God says, you pay no attention to the expression of my will, I'll forget the expression of your will.
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You wonder why our young people are in such trouble today? Yeah, well, we've forgotten God, and so God says, yes, I'll forget you as well.
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Now, let me explain this another way. I've just stated the fact that God's will is the expression—God's law is the expression of His will for His people. Let me give you a verse in the New Testament. And I want you to think with me just momentarily. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 3, you read this specifically: "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." Now think about that. This is the will of God. There's no doubt about it being the will of God. It is expressly stated, this is God's will. It is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.
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So let's ask a question. If we know that it is God's will that we do not violate the seventh commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." If we know it's God's will that we do not violate the tenth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet." Do you not think it is God's will that we not violate the rest of his commandments as well? Well, of course it's God's will that we obey his law.
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And here they're confessing their sins. And they say, "Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs." In other words, they turned their backs upon God, upon His Word, upon His prophets, upon His preachers. They refused to listen, they refused to turn, and therefore they wrought great provocations. So Israel's sin is basically our sin. It's not just that we have sinned one time against God. We've sinned over and over against God, just like Israel.
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I want you to look in verse 27. Let's read verse 27 through 30. Watch this. This is absolutely astounding. He says, "Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies; And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments.
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(Which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands." Wow. Do you realize that another one of our great sins is very simply stated? We will not give ear. We will not listen. We will not hear, we will not heed, we will not obey. Doesn't matter how many preachers, how great the preachers, doesn't matter the oratory, doesn't matter any—we will not hear. And every time God delivered Israel, they served him for a brief period and then turned right back to their sins. And finally, God just simply left them into the hands of their enemies.
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Now, let me point something out. The sins reached every class of people. No one escaped the sins. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to verse 32. Watch. Nehemiah 9, verse 32. He says, "Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us." Now watch. He just said "come upon us."
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Now he itemizes: "on our kings, and on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day." Wow. He says, "Lord, every class of people, every individual, doesn't matter if they're a prophet or a priest or a king or a prince or just ordinary people. He said, we've all sinned and we're all in trouble up to our eyeballs." So, they're confessing their sins and that one sin which really condemned them was "we will not hear."
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Now, let me go a little bit further. I want you to note thirdly, they not only confessed God's goodness and the greatness of their sins, they also confessed the greatness of God's mercies. Look if you would please in verse 31. He says, "Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God." Isn't that astounding? Out of all the provocations, and all the sin, and all the rebellion, God was still merciful. You know the Apostle Paul in Romans 9 and verse 29 quoted Isaiah the prophet. In fact he agreed with Isaiah when he wrote in Romans 9 verse 29, "And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha." In other words, if God had not been merciful and spared some, none would be saved.
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No one would be alive. We certainly do not thank God enough for His mercies. You remember that passage, and I've quoted it frequently. And I do try to quote it every day, morning and night. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23, where the prophet Jeremiah wrote, "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." You need to learn to thank God every morning when he allows you to wake up and every night when you're lying down, thank him for protecting you and preserving you through the day. It's only of his mercies that we are not consumed. It's only His mercies that we have our lives, our health, and everything. And so they're acknowledging, even in their great sin, the mercies of God.
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Here's the fourth thing, and I want you to note this. Their confession also involved the clearness of God's justice and judgment in chastising and punishing them. Look in verse 33. He said, "Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly."
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Now here is a clear, clean, and honest acknowledgement of this sentiment: We got what we deserved. You, God, have done that which is just. We have done that which is wicked. You are righteous in bringing all of this judgment upon us because we are wicked. In other words, I want you to note how he is agreeing with God. I want you to note how he is siding with God. I want you to note how he's taking God's position and he's saying that you're holy and we're unholy, you're right and we're wrong, you're just and we're unjust. You have done justly, we have done wickedly. I want you to turn, if you would, in your Bibles to Psalm 103. Psalm 103. Here is an amazing and an astounding truth. In Psalm 103, I want you to watch this. Psalm 103, look, if you would please, at verse 10. As just and as righteous as God is, He said this, David said, "He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities."
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"He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities." I don't know about you, but I'm thankful God has not given me what I deserve. And even though God is absolutely just, He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Now, if you would turn right over to the book of Lamentations, right after Jeremiah, look if you would please in Lamentations chapter 3. Here's another truth. Even if God did give us exactly that which we deserved, we would have no cause to complain. Because in Lamentations 3 in verse 39, the Bible asks this question: "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?" Why are you going to complain for reaping what you've sown? Why are you going to complain for getting what you deserve?
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It's kind of like that slogan that law enforcement uses: "If you do the crime, you'll do the time." Well, although prisons, I don't believe, are biblically based, the truth of the matter is, there is punishment for sin. And there's punishment for wickedness. So if I want to go up to Gary's house and break in and steal, and I get shot, or if I get caught, and sent to prison for five years? Well, hey, that was my sin. You know, I understand.
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Why should I complain if I'm getting exactly that which is just and that which I deserve? Now, the truth of the matter is this: If we did get what we deserved, we wouldn't be able to complain because we'd be dead. But he asked, "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?"
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Now let's go a step further. As I pointed out, if God did give us what we deserve, we would really be dead. But in Psalm 89 verse 14, the Bible says this: "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face." Hmm. I'm so thankful that mercy and truth are still connected with justice and judgment.
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Now, let me tell you about a prayer. Here's a prayer I think that each of us really need to learn to pray. It's a very biblical prayer. You will find this prayer in the book of Habakkuk chapter 3 and verse 2, but I will quote it for you. The prophet Habakkuk said this: "O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy." In wrath, remember mercy.
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But note what he asked him: "Revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy." God, we're going to get what we deserve. But Lord, please be merciful to us in your wrath. You know, I preached a message many years ago. I thought about it the other day. I thought maybe I should re-preach it. The title of it is, "How to Act in the Time of Judgment." How to Act in the Time of Judgment. One thing for sure, we need to learn to pray that God would revive His work and that God, in His wrath, would remember mercy. Let me make some applications and I'm going to try to tie this thought and the next thought together next week, Lord willing. But please remember this, that the first step in revival, in renewal, in returning to God is a true and honest confession of our sins, our rebellion, and our wickedness. I want you to listen carefully to what I'm about to say.
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We will never return to Him, or we will never turn to Him, until and unless we are ready to fully confess our sins. Now as you're turning to Jeremiah 31, I want to quote a passage. Do you remember what our Lord said to the Pharisees? When he said, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. In other words, you're not going to really cry for help until you realize how desperately sick you really are. If I don't know that I'm sick, I'm not seeking help. And if I think I'm just a little sick, I'm still not going to seek help. I'll try to doctor myself.
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And if that doesn't work, I'll ask Francis, give me an old remedy. And I'll try that. If that doesn't work, I'll ask Ron to give me a remedy. If that doesn't work, and I finally realize how helpless I really am, that's when I'll go to a doctor. They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. Go ye and learn what that meaneth. In other words, you're not going to be seeking Christ. You're not going to be crying to him for mercy and grace until you realize how desperate your situation really is.
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So he said in Jeremiah 31 verse 18, look: "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 look what he said in verse 18. "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus." What in the world was Ephraim bemoaning himself about?
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He was confessing and acknowledging his sin and the judgment that was brought upon him because of his sin. He said, "Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke." Why? He said, it was my sin, it was my wickedness. And then he asked God, "Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God." In other words, God must turn us. We may complain and we may confess and we may acknowledge, but only God can turn us. And you must come to the place in confession where you are willing to agree with God. You have to come to the place in confession that you take His side against yourself and your sin and your people. You have to come to the place where you say, "God is righteous and I'm unrighteous. God is just and I am unjust."
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If you'll turn back to the book of Psalms and look in Psalm 32, here's another truth. Psalm 32, verse 5, David makes a tremendous statement. He lets us know that confession brings us to the point of a willingness to submit and subject ourselves to our Creator, our Lord, our Heavenly Father, and it puts us in the position to be forgiven. So Psalm 32, verse 5, David said, "I acknowledged my sin unto thee.
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And mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." So real, genuine confession places us in the position to be forgiven. That's why he said in 1 John 1 and verse 9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Now, one last passage.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles back to Jeremiah chapter 8. Jeremiah chapter 8. Here is what we do not want. We're in trouble. What I'm about to show you is not the way to get out of trouble. It's the way to get deeper into trouble. God sent Jeremiah to preach to these stiff-necked, recalcitrant people, and they refused to listen. Look what they said. Here's what Jeremiah heard. Jeremiah 8, look at verse 6. He said, "I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright.
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No man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? Every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle." So when he pointed out their sins, they were saying, "I don't see anything wrong with it. What have I done? This is no big deal." And then he said, "Every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle." When you see a charging steed running headlong as fast and as furiously as he can into a battle, God says that's exactly what people are doing. Rushing headlong into their sins and their wickedness and their rebellion.
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when they do not give forth a full and honest confession. "What have I done?" What we have done is consistently and constantly violated the law of God. We've turned our backs upon Him, upon His Word, and as Nehemiah said, "We are in trouble, and Lord let not this trouble seem small unto thee, because it is overwhelming us." And the first step in a revival, in a renewal, in a return, is a full and honest confession of our sins before God.
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And may I point something out? If you will read Ezra and Nehemiah and Daniel, you'll find that these three men not only confess their sins, but the sins of their nation, the sins of their people. And if we spent enough time on our knees, just confessing the sins of this nation, we might need help getting up off our knees because we'd be there for a mighty long time. But until we come to the point that we're willing to acknowledge and confess, we will never ever see revival, renewal, or return.
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We'll go further into wickedness and sin as a horse rushes into battle. It begins with an honest, genuine confession. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before thee this day. We thank you, Lord, for your word, for your truth, for your goodness and kindness. And Father, we do ask you that you would help us to honestly confess and acknowledge our sins. Help us to side with thee against ourselves, to take thy perspective. Because, Lord, when we truly confess, we repent. Give us, Lord, repentance, we pray. Move upon our hearts. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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♪
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The Trouble We're In And The Way Out - Part 1 of 2

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver examines Nehemiah 9 to diagnose the spiritual trouble facing America, drawing parallels between ancient Israel's rebellion and modern secularism. He argues that the nation has turned from God, citing historical Christian foundations now abandoned. The first step toward revival is genuine confession—agreeing with God about sin, acknowledging His goodness, the greatness of our sins, His mercies, and the justice of His judgments.

Opening

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:32-38

"Now therefore, our God, the great, and mighty, and terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers, and all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day." "Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them. For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works. Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins."

Introduction: We Are in Trouble

Weaver opens by declaring that we are in deep trouble, like Nehemiah's generation, and may not realize its severity.

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:32-38

"Also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests seal unto it."

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:32-38

"Now therefore, our God, the great, and mighty, and terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee."

Historical Contrast: From Christian Foundations to Secular Rejection

He contrasts Congressman Nadler's statement that God has no authority with historical documents showing America's Christian roots.

The Current State: Ripe for Judgment

Weaver describes modern America as secular, immoral, and rebellious, paralleling Israel's condition before judgment.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 28:45-57

"Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: And they shall be upon thee for a sign, and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things."

Nehemiah's Context: Sin and Captivity

He explains that Nehemiah's remnant had returned from Babylon but fell into sin through intermarriage, Sabbath-breaking, and enslavement.

No Political Solution to a Spiritual Problem

Weaver asserts that government cannot solve spiritual problems; only genuine confession and turning to God can bring revival.

The First Step: Real Confession

He defines true confession as agreeing with God about sin, taking His side, and seeing sin from His perspective.

Elements of Confession in Nehemiah 9

Weaver outlines four aspects of their confession: acknowledging God's goodness, the greatness of their sins, God's mercies, and the justice of His judgments.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Skip down, if you would please, to verse 15:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Skip down to verse 21:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Now let me quote this. In Romans chapter 1 in verse 21, the Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — Romans 1:21

"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:26

"Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations."

Now watch, after he got through talking about the goodness of God and everything that God had given them, then he says,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:26

"Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs."

Scripture Reading — Hosea 4:6

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 4:3

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication."

Application: The Necessity of Confession for Revival

He emphasizes that without honest confession, we will not turn to God; we must pray for God to turn us and remember mercy in wrath.

Now let's go a step further. As I pointed out, if God did give us what we deserve, we would really be dead. But in Psalm 89 verse 14, the Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 89:14

"Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face."

Hmm. I'm so thankful that mercy and truth are still connected with justice and judgment.

Scripture Reading — Habakkuk 3:2

"O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy."

In wrath, remember mercy.

So he said in Jeremiah 31 verse 18, look:

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:18-19

"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 look what he said in verse 18.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:18-19

"I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus."

What in the world was Ephraim bemoaning himself about? He was confessing and acknowledging his sin and the judgment that was brought upon him because of his sin. He said,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:18-19

"Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke."

Why? He said, it was my sin, it was my wickedness. And then he asked God,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:18-19

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

The Trouble We're In And The Way Out - Part 1 of 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	DjzV6LFO834
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need
Genre	Sermon
Date	2021-03-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 058: The Trouble We're In And The Way Out — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	68

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: We Are in Trouble: Weaver opens by declaring that we are in deep trouble, like Nehemiah's generation, and may not realize its severity.
Historical Contrast: From Christian Foundations to Secular Rejection: He contrasts Congressman Nadler's statement that God has no authority with historical documents showing America's Christian roots.
The Current State: Ripe for Judgment: Weaver describes modern America as secular, immoral, and rebellious, paralleling Israel's condition before judgment.
Nehemiah's Context: Sin and Captivity: He explains that Nehemiah's remnant had returned from Babylon but fell into sin through intermarriage, Sabbath-breaking, and enslavement.
No Political Solution to a Spiritual Problem: Weaver asserts that government cannot solve spiritual problems; only genuine confession and turning to God can bring revival.
The First Step: Real Confession: He defines true confession as agreeing with God about sin, taking His side, and seeing sin from His perspective.
Elements of Confession in Nehemiah 9: Weaver outlines four aspects of their confession: acknowledging God's goodness, the greatness of their sins, God's mercies, and the justice of His judgments.
Application: The Necessity of Confession for Revival: He emphasizes that without honest confession, we will not turn to God; we must pray for God to turn us and remember mercy in wrath.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

America's Secular Turn Mirrors Israel's Rebellion

Weaver argues that modern America, like ancient Israel, has rejected God's law and is facing judgment.

He says, 'We've turned our backs upon God... we're in trouble up to our eyeballs and we don't even realize it.'

Confession Must Precede Revival

The first step out of trouble is honest confession of sin, as modeled in Nehemiah 9.

He states, 'the first step in revival, in renewal, in returning to God is a true and honest confession of our sins.'

True Confession Agrees with God

Confession is not just saying sorry but taking God's side against oneself.

He explains, 'Real genuine confession takes God's side... we are wrong and you are right.'

Ingratitude Leads to Greater Sin

Failing to thank God for His goodness leads to a darkened heart and further rebellion.

He cites Romans 1:21: 'neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations.'

God's Law Expresses His Will

Rejecting God's law is rejecting His will, which brings retribution.

He references Hosea 4:6 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3, saying, 'God's law is nothing more than the expression of His will for His people.'

We Deserve Judgment but Plead for Mercy

God is just in punishing sin, yet we can pray for mercy in the midst of wrath.

He quotes Habakkuk 3:2: 'in wrath remember mercy.'

Scripture References

Nehemiah 9:32-38: The main text; Nehemiah's prayer of confession acknowledging trouble and sin.
Deuteronomy 28:45-57: Curses for disobedience, including siege and destruction, paralleling America's situation.
Galatians 2:21: Paul says if righteousness came by the law, Christ died in vain; law cannot save.
Galatians 3:21: If a law could give life, righteousness would be by the law; but it cannot.
Nehemiah 9:22-25: Acknowledgment of God's goodness in giving Israel the land and blessings.
Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31: Repeated call to praise the Lord for His goodness and wonderful works.
Romans 1:21: Ingratitude leads to vain imaginations and a darkened heart.
Nehemiah 9:26: Confession of disobedience, rebellion, and casting God's law behind their backs.
Hosea 4:6: God's people destroyed for lack of knowledge; rejecting knowledge leads to rejection.
1 Thessalonians 4:3: God's will is sanctification, specifically abstaining from fornication.
Nehemiah 9:27-30: Cycle of sin, oppression, crying out, deliverance, and returning to sin.
Nehemiah 9:31: God's great mercies prevented utter consumption.
Romans 9:29: Unless the Lord had left a seed, they would be like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Lamentations 3:22-23: God's mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.
Nehemiah 9:33: God is just in all brought upon them; they have done wickedly.
Psalm 103:10: God has not dealt with us after our sins or rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Lamentations 3:39: Why should a living man complain for the punishment of his sins?
Psalm 89:14: Justice and judgment are the habitation of God's throne; mercy and truth go before His face.
Habakkuk 3:2: Prayer for revival and for God to remember mercy in wrath.
Jeremiah 31:18-19: Ephraim's bemoaning, acknowledging chastisement, and asking God to turn him.

Historical References

Congressman Jerry Nadler's statement on C-SPAN, February 25, 2021: Nadler said God has no authority in the House and the will of God is of no concern to Congress.
Mayflower Compact: Undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith.
New Haven Colony Charter, April 3, 1644: Judicial laws of God as delivered by Moses were to rule all courts.
Charter of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, July 8, 1663: Granted by King Charles II; submitted to Jesus Christ and His laws.
Continental Congress, September 10, 1782: Authorized printing of the Bible, known as the Bible of the Revolution.
Constitution of Delaware, 1792, Article 22: Required officeholders to profess faith in the Trinity and divine inspiration of Scripture.
John Jay, first Supreme Court Justice, October 12, 1816: Stated it is the duty of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians as rulers.
U.S. Congress resolution, May 1854: Declared belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ as the conservative element of the system.
Supreme Court case Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, 1892: Justice Brewer stated laws and institutions must be based on the teachings of the Redeemer.
U.S. Congress joint resolution, October 4, 1982, Public Law 97-280: Designated 1983 as the Year of the Bible, acknowledging its role in shaping the nation.

Important Quotes

God has no authority in the House of Representatives.

Illustrates the secular rejection of God in modern government, contrasting with America's Christian foundations.

There is no political solution to a spiritual problem.

Core argument that government cannot fix sin; only spiritual renewal can.

Real genuine confession is when we say the same thing that God says.

Defines true confession as agreement with God's perspective on sin.

Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Emphasizes the importance of gratitude for God's goodness, repeated in Psalm 107.

Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs.

Highlights the confession of Israel's rebellion, paralleling modern sin.

Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly.

Acknowledges God's justice in judgment, a key element of genuine confession.

in wrath remember mercy.

A prayer for God to show mercy even while executing judgment, from Habakkuk 3:2.

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

Recognizes that only God can bring about true repentance and turning.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways do you see parallels between Nehemiah's Israel and modern America?

[Context]

Weaver draws extensive parallels between the rebellion of Israel and the current state of the nation.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'confess' sin according to the biblical definition Weaver gives?

[Context]

He explains that confession is homologeo—saying the same thing as God about sin.

[Question]

Why is acknowledging God's goodness an essential part of confession?

[Context]

Weaver points out that failure to thank God leads to further sin, as in Romans 1:21.

[Question]

How does the cycle of sin, judgment, and temporary repentance in Nehemiah 9:27-30 reflect human nature?

[Context]

The passage shows Israel repeatedly returning to sin after deliverance.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'take God's side' against ourselves in confession?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that true confession involves agreeing with God's judgment on our sin.

[Question]

How can we pray 'in wrath remember mercy' for our nation today?

[Context]

He references Habakkuk 3:2 as a model prayer for times of judgment.

[Question]

Why is it dangerous to say 'What have I done?' in response to sin, as in Jeremiah 8:6?

[Context]

Weaver warns that minimizing sin leads to rushing headlong into more sin.

[Question]

What role does corporate confession (confessing the sins of our nation) play in revival?

[Context]

He notes that Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel confessed not only personal but national sins.

Applications

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