Revelation: Christ and the Churches

Is Your Back Against The Wall Yet - Part 1

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2023-02-02

Synopsis: In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver examines Judges 2:6-19 to warn that just as a generation arose in Israel that did not know the Lord or His works, so today many professing Christians are ignorant of God and biblical history, leading to paganism and immorality. He argues that without a personal, intimate relationship with God through Christ, people inevitably descend into false worship and self-destruction. The message calls believers to know God and His mighty works, lest they find themselves with their 'backs against the wall'—hard-pressed with no escape—and urges them to seek God before reaching that point of desperation.

[John Weaver] your Bibles today to the book of Judges chapter 2 Judges chapter 2 and the title of the message is is your back against the wall yet now let me just say this is part 1 of part 2 and Lord willing I will bring conclusion of this message next Lord's Day. So Judges chapter 2 and let's begin reading there with verse 6. Judges 2 and verse 6. And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man into his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel. And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died being 110 years old.

[John Weaver] And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the Mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers. And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Balaam. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them up out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and they provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtoreth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of the spoilers that spoiled them, And he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whether server they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn into them and they were greatly distressed.

[John Weaver] Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoil them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges. But they went a-whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them, and turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord. But they did not sow." Years back, I preached a message from this very text which I titled, Another Generation.

[John Weaver] And that is, this sermon today is not that sermon. But I was looking at this passage again as I was reading through the book of Judges and it hit me when you look at verse 7 the Bible says and the people serve the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel then you skip down to verse 10 and Also all that generation were gathered under their fathers and there rose another generation after them Who knew not the Lord nor yet the works which he had done for Israel? It just takes one generation for truth to disappear.

[John Weaver] And it seems as if reading this text, that as long as people have an overseer, as long as people have someone who holds them accountable and responsible, in one sense of the word, they kind of remain faithful, exercise a little character and integrity. But when the one who holds them accountable dies, they just simply lose everything it seems. I've seen in 57 years of preaching this happen many times because there have been people who profess to be Christians and they get upset, they get angry, and they quit coming to church. And they don't go to another church, they just simply quit.

[John Weaver] And they go downhill and downhill until they are in an absolutely catastrophic condition in their lives. So it does indeed teach us something right here. It teaches us that it is those who are mature in the faith and mature in life who maintain their character and their integrity and their faithfulness even in a world of change. It's interesting as you read through the Bible. There are a multitude of verses that command us to hold fast. And I want to just give you some of those, and I want you to listen carefully at what we are to hold fast unto. For instance, in 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 21, the Word of God says, prove all things, hold fast that which is good. So that which is good, that which is truthful, we're to hold fast. You remember the passage in Hebrews 2 where he said, that we were indeed to not just hold on, but we should be aware that we forget not, lest we let them slip. And so what the author of Hebrews is saying, if we do not hold on to truth, it certainly will slip away.

[John Weaver] And then the apostle Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 and verse 13, hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is in Jesus Christ. So he says, hold fast the form of sound words. And then in Hebrews four and verse 14, seeing then that we have a great high priest that has passed in the heaven, even Jesus, the son of God, let us hold fast our profession or we hold fast our confession as we confess and we profess that Jesus Christ is God. that Jesus Christ is the only Redeemer, Lord, Savior. So he says, hold fast our profession. And then in Hebrews 10 and verse 23, he says it again. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that promise. And then finally, in Revelation 2 and verse 25, our Lord said to the church, but hold fast that which you already have till I come.

[John Weaver] Now one of the interesting things, as I was looking up the term, whole fast, there were actually about three Greek words that were translated as whole fast, but one of them was the Greek word, which would be Kratos, which would be power. And actually Kratos means to have power, to retain, to be master of, to rule over and to lay hands on so that you can retain. It's almost kind of like when you and I start to move furniture and it's a little bit heavy and someone picks up before we're ready and we say, wait, wait, let me get a better hold on this thing. And so that's exactly what this word means. We get a good hold and we're to hold all of these things that he's spoken up.

[John Weaver] So this message, I hope, is going to begin demonstrating to you that if our backs are not up against the wall right now, they soon will be. And Lord willing, next Sunday, I'm going to point this out in greater detail.

[John Weaver] Now, my first question today is this, have you ever thought about where our sayings originate. I have a book in my library that is entitled, Why We Say It. And there's all kind of sayings that we've had all of our lives, and actually the lives of our forefathers too. And this book explains where these sayings came from, how they originated. I could not find in that book having your back up against the wall. But I did some more research, and I came up with two answers. The first one is this. Some express the fact that this saying, having your back up against the wall, refers to execution by firing squad, because now they are placed against the wall.

[John Weaver] And if you understand it in that sense of the word, it means finality, because it means fatality. You're dead. But there is another source of this saying as well. It refers to being hard-pressed, to making a last stand, and the expression comes from fighting, and especially from war, because you are backing up against the wall. And when you back up against the wall, it has an advantage in the sense that no one can slip up on you, but it also has a disadvantage because you cannot retreat, you cannot escape, you're just simply up against the wall. And so the source said this, the term has been used since the 16th century, but became famous near the end of World War I, when General Douglas Haig of Great Britain, according to the London Times, April 13th, 1918, ordered his troops saying, Every position must be held to the last man. With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight to the end. So once again, then, probably this has a great deal of emphasis, having your back up against the wall, relating to being hard-pressed, with nowhere to go, you just simply have to fight your way out of it.

[John Weaver] I suppose it could be also understood as a term of being helpless and hopeless because once your back is up against the wall, you really have nowhere to go. And the strange thing is this, if you will examine your life and usually the lives of other people, the light did not dawn on to most people until their backs were up against the wall. And then they realized something has to be done. Although this phrase, up against the wall, is not in the Bible, there is another term that adequately expresses that. Ah, what is that term? It is the term a hardened neck. And a hardened neck refers to those who refuse to hear, refuse to obey, and it signifies stubbornness, hardheadedness, and rebellion.

[John Weaver] So let me show you. I want you to hold Judges chapter 2, but turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Kings chapter 17, and let's look at verse 14. We'll look at several passages very quickly because I want you to see having your back up against the wall and being hardened in your neck or stubborn is sometimes going to be equated. So in 2 Kings chapter 17, And verse 14, the Word of God says this. Look at it. The Bible says, notwithstanding, they would not hear.

[John Weaver] Now, what is the result of not hearing? But hardened their necks like to the neck of their fathers that did not believe in the Lord their God. So a refusal to hear always results in a hardened neck.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will turn right over to 2 Chronicles chapter 36, And look, if you would please, at verse 13. 2 Chronicles chapter 36 and verse 13. Look at it. And he, now we're talking about Zedekiah, King Zedekiah. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him, Zedekiah, swear by God. But he, Zedekiah, stiffened his neck hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel." So note if you would please, now this stiff neck, this hardened heart prevents one from turning to the Lord God of Israel. Then if you would turn over, the next book should be Ezra and then Nehemiah. Look in Nehemiah chapter 9 verses 16 and 17 and you'll be amazed at how all of these things are put together for you. Look at it, Nehemiah chapter 9, beginning there with verse 16. Nehemiah 9, verse 16.

[John Weaver] But they and our fathers dealt proudly, there's pride, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, and refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them, but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsake them not.

[John Weaver] Now, go back to verse 16. But they and our fathers dealt proudly. The result is they hardened their necks. That result means, that resulted in hearkening not to thy commandments, which meant they refused to obey. which also led them not being mindful of the wonders that God performed. And then of course there was open rebellion. And so the truth is really this. Most people really do not pay any attention to anything until they get their backs up against the wall.

[John Weaver] I heard an old joke years ago when I was a boy. about a fellow who sold his mule to a neighbor. And, of course, he told the neighbor, yes, the mule obeys. The mule will follow any command that you give the mule. And so the neighbor bought the mule, then tried to plow with the mule, and the mule wouldn't listen, wouldn't obey, wouldn't do anything. And the man came back to his neighbor and said, look, you told me that this mule would obey, that this mule would plow. I can't get him to plow. And so the neighbor reached down and picked up a two of four and handed it to his neighbor. He said, I forgot to tell you, you have to get his attention first.

[John Weaver] Well, that's about the way it goes with people. You basically have to get their attention first.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in your Bibles back to Judges chapter two, and I want to call your attention to verse 10 again. And I want you to understand how Israel in this book, which we'll see more next week, came to have their backs up against the wall, so to speak. So in verse 10, the Bible says this, and also all that generation were gathered under their fathers.

[John Weaver] That would be Joshua and the elders that outlived him. And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. So we basically find ourselves today in the same situation that Israel found themselves in thousands of years ago. The generation that followed Joshua and those elders ended up with two major problems. And those two major problems are given to us in verse 10. The very first major problem they had is this. The Bible says there arose another generation after them which knew not the Lord. So their first problem was soteriological.

[John Weaver] That is, it related to salvation. They did not know the Lord. They were not saved. It's just like it is today. We have a generation that really and truly does not know the Lord. Most of the time they were in church because they're very religious. In fact, these people in the book of Judges were very religious. In fact, when you read the rest of Judges chapter 2, which I read some of, you find that, yes, they worshiped. They just did not worship the one true and the living God. So they had plenty of religion, but they certainly did not have the true religion. They did not know the one true and the living God.

[John Weaver] Now, the Hebrew word for know in verse 10 is the word yadah. And with the negative, it means not knowing and not knowing by experience. So it means that there was no personal relationship between these people and the One True and the Living God. They may have known of Him, but they did not know Him. They may have known about Him, but they certainly did not have a personal relationship with Him. May I remind you that in the New Testament, John 17 verse 3, Our Lord defines eternal life.

[John Weaver] He tells us exactly what it is. He said, and this is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. So note, if you would, this is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

[John Weaver] Now the word know, the Greek word gnosko and it means literally to learn to know to perceive to understand to acquire a knowledge of but even more than that it also is a word of intimacy you will find this word used throughout the scripture and Adam knew his wife and she conceived and bear a child and you remember there in Genesis chapter 19 When the angels came to Lot and they went into his house at night, the men of Sodom surrounded said, bring these men out that we may know them. And then Lot said, no, he said, I have two daughters here that have never known man. And about this time, the angels just smoked them with blindness and snatched Lot back in.

[John Weaver] So the point I'm trying to make is it does indeed refer to an intimate knowledge. Now, If you look in your Bibles holding Judges 2, but turn if you would to Amos chapter 3, you will see this also very clearly. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look at it if you would. Look in Amos chapter 3 and notice if you would please verse 2 at what God says to Israel. He said in verse 2, you only have I known of all the families of the earth.

[John Weaver] Therefore I will punish you for all of your iniquities Now stop and think about that. You only have I known of all the families of the earth Well did not God know the Philistines and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Kyrgyz Shites and the Amorites and all the other acts and the answer is yes He knew them because he judged them. He destroyed them But what does it mean when he said you only have I known of all the families of the earth and if you look back in verse 1 Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, So, what God is saying, you're the only family that I've had an intimate relationship with. You're the only family of the earth that I've entered into a covenant with. You're the only family that I've chosen, basically. And so God is here, once again, talking about a personal intimate relationship. There exists, then, between the One True and the Living God and His children a real, personal, intimate relationship through the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Without it, there is no salvation. So, let me point this out again. Salvation is not just being saved from destruction. Salvation is not being saved from judgment. That is a byproduct of being saved. But if you will remember in Matthew 1 and 21, The Bible says concerning Jesus Christ, thou shalt call his name Jesus. Why? For he shall save his people from their sins. So salvation then is basically from sin, that's the negative, but it is unto a personal, intimate relationship with the one true and the living God through Jesus Christ. That's why he said, and this is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

[John Weaver] If you will look back in your Bibles to Judges chapter 2, once again, here's a statement and I'm going to demonstrate it for you. When you do not know the one true and the living God personally, intimately, experientially, in salvation, you always descend into paganism and immorality. So in Judges 2, look in verse 10, And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers. And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Balaam. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers. which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods of the gods of the people that were around about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger, and they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtoreth." Now, Baal and Ashtoreth were Canaanite gods, and they were worshipped with licentiousness and immorality. Let me just give you one illustration, because in the Bible, There is the incident of Baal Peor, and the word Baal Peor literally means the Lord of the Gap.

[John Weaver] But if you will look in your Bibles, holding Judges chapter 2, but if you will look at Numbers chapter 25, let me show you, and then I want you to follow me in three or four scriptures to demonstrate how wicked, how awful, how pagan, how immoral this was. So in Numbers chapter 25 beginning with verse 1, And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. There it is, immorality. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods, and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods, idolatry. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one of his men that were joined unto Baal Peor. And behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought into his brethren a midnightish woman in the sight of Moses, And in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and when Phineas, the son of Eliezer, the

[John Weaver] son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand, and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel watch verse 9 and those that died in the plague were 24,000 Now I want to show you how this is spoken of very quickly So if you will turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 4 and look at verse 3 Deuteronomy 4 and verse 3 God says, Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal Peor. For all the men that followed Baal Peor, the Lord thy God had destroyed them from among you. Now if you will turn to Psalm 106. Psalm 106 and look at verse 28. Psalm 106 and notice verse 28. Here it is.

[John Weaver] Psalm 106 verse 28 they joined themselves Also into Baal Peor and ate the sacrifices of the dead Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions and the plague broke in upon them Then stood up Phinehas and executed judgment. And so the plague was stayed One more passage if you would turn over to the book of Hosea chapter 9 Daniel Hosea Look in Hosea chapter 9 and verse 10. Again, God reminds them of this sin. Hosea 9 and verse 10. God said, I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness.

[John Weaver] I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig tree at her first time. But they went to Baal Peor and separated themselves into that shame their abominations were courting as they loved."

[John Weaver] Now, I want to give you three very quick truths in light of this. First of all, man by nature is inherently religious. He may not serve the one true and the living God, but he is going to serve some God. In fact, man will very easily, readily, and quickly follow false gods who offer him whatever he wants and whatever he desires. Usually, if he is not running after some false god, he is making a god of himself. He is idolizing himself. He's pampering himself. He's fulfilling the lusts and the desires of the flesh. In other words, he's setting himself up as a god. He may not be running around saying, I'm God, I'm God. But he's certainly acting as if the one true and the living God does not exist and that he himself alone is God. In fact, the Bible tells you very clearly that this is known as will worship. You will find this in Colossians 2 and verse 23, where the Word of God says this, which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship.

[John Weaver] So you have to stop and ask, what in the world is will-worship? Ah, listen to this. The Greek word happens to be ethilotheresia, which means worship which is prescribed by oneself and for oneself. It is completely arbitrary, and it is contrary to the one truth of the living God. So Gary could say, I'm going to worship this way. Steve could say, I'll worship this way. I could say, I don't want anything to do with that. I'll do what I want to do. I'll worship another way. And someone else could. In other words, it's completely arbitrary. You just simply set up what you want to set up. You do what you want to do. Now, I want you to turn to first Corinthians chapter 10, and I want you to see what the apostle Paul said about will worship. and about worship that is not centered on the one true and the living God, and worship that is not centered in the word of God. So in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, if you look at verse 20, Paul writes and he says, but I say that the things which the Gentiles or the nations, I suppose the word is ethnos, I didn't check it, the nations sacrifice They sacrifice to devils and not to God.

[John Weaver] I would not that you should have fellowship with devils. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils. You cannot be partaker of the Lord's table and the table of devils. In other words, if you're not worshipping the one true and the living God, the only alternative is you're worshipping devils. You're worshipping demons. Yeah, you're not worshipping the one true and the living God. You are worshipping false gods. They cannot help you at all and cannot save you at all.

[John Weaver] So, will worship is nothing more than devil worship. All men are inherently religious. In fact, there is a term for that, a Latin term, simen religionis. It just means that by nature all men are religious. All men will end up worshiping someone or something. Here's the second truth, and you can see this very plainly and very clearly in Judges chapter 2. Not only are all men inherently religious by nature, but the second truth is this.

[John Weaver] Man left to himself will always ascend to the lowest level. He will take the lowest course. He will always follow his fleshly desires and whatever pleases and satisfies him. So, let me show you. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Jeremiah chapter 13. Jeremiah chapter 13. God was so upset with Israel in Jeremiah chapter 13, that he gave Jeremiah an object lesson. He told him to take a new girdle and go bury it in a hole by the river Euphrates. And Jeremiah did so. And so after a while, God told him to go back and dig out that girdle and look at it. And when he did, the girdle was rotten, shattered, torn, worthless. So look what God says in Jeremiah 13 in verse 10. Look what he says about his people, quote unquote, this evil people, this evil people. And of course, he's talking primarily about Judah and Jerusalem. But watch, this evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods to serve them and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

[John Weaver] So note, if you would, what God says. He said, this evil people, number one, They refuse to hear my words. Consequently, because they refuse to hear God's word, therefore, in verse 10, they walk after the imagination of their own heart. When you refuse to hear God's word, you will always walk after the imagination of your own heart. And when you walk in the imagination of your own heart, you will walk after other gods and serve them and worship them. That is exactly what God says. Jeremiah 13 in verse 10 so refusing to hear and obey the Lord and walking after your own imagination always ends up in Idolatry with you worshiping other gods now Here's the third truth and it is equally obvious and that is this apart from the grace and mercy of God and Jesus Christ There

[John Weaver] is no hope So let me say this another way Not only does man descend to the lowest level man will destroy himself so if you look in your bibles to psalm 9 psalm 9 and let's begin reading there with verse 15 psalm 9 and look if you would at verse 15 psalm 9 verse 15 again he says it like this the heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made In the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth. The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God. Wow. So man left to himself ends up destroying himself. Why?

[John Weaver] because he walks after the imagination of his own heart, and he always serves false gods. Now, I want you to go back to Judges chapter 2 and look at verse 10 again, because here is the second problem that new generation had. Here it is. Judges 2 and verse 10, And also all that generation were gathered under their fathers, and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, that's a soteriological problem, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel, that is a historical problem. In other words, they were totally, absolutely, completely ignorant of the providence of God in delivering Israel. The first generation, that is those people that came out of Egypt, along with Joshua, and those who survived the wilderness wanderings.

[John Weaver] Of course, the 600,000 fighting men were killed in the desert. But there were others who did go in, who came out of Egypt. They may have been exceedingly young, but they did go in. And the Bible says that they saw, they saw the works of God.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you this. I want you to hold, judges, to But go back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 4. In fact, we'll just stay in Deuteronomy. But look at this. Look at what is emphasized. Deuteronomy chapter 4, look if you would please at verse 9. Look what God says. He tells these people, only take heed of thyself and keep thy soul diligently. Lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life, but teach them thy sons and thy sons' sons. Notice what God said. Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen. You saw firsthand. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 21. Deuteronomy 10. Verse 21. Watch this. Deuteronomy 10, verse 21. The Bible says, He, that is God, is thy praise, and He is thy God. Now note, if you would, He is thy praise, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things which thine eyes have seen.

[John Weaver] You saw this. Look in chapter 11 and verse 7. He'll say it again Deuteronomy 11 and verse 7, but your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did One more passage look in Again, God says this, And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and in all his servants, and to all his land, the great temptation which thine eyes have seen, the signs and those great miracles. Hmm. Wow. Now, go back and look Judges 2 and verse 10 and I want this to sink in Watch if you would Look at verse 7 and The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua who had seen the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel now verse 10 and And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers, and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel."

[John Weaver] Do you realize, at least it is to me, it should be to you, it is absolutely mind-boggling and completely unimaginable that Generation could have risen right after the first generation Who not only did not know God but did not know of God's wondrous works in delivering their fathers out of the land of Egypt and everything that God had done they were absolutely totally completely ignorant in one generation Let me tell you something else It is also absolutely mind-boggling and completely unimaginable that we today have started a generation that is completely ignorant of God and His so great salvation and the doctrines of salvation. Moreover, we've started a generation that are completely ignorant of Christian heritage and our Christian history and our Bible history and our church history and they know absolutely nothing of the great works of God. If you were to ask the average Christian, I don't care which church you go to, I don't care if it's Presbyterian, Baptist, Church of God, I don't care. If you ask the average Christian to explain the doctrine of justification by faith alone, he couldn't.

[John Weaver] If you ask them to explain sanctification, what is sanctification? They could not. If you were to ask them To distinguish for you between regeneration and conversion, they could not do so. Ask the average Christian to identify and teach on, let's see, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Huss, Silvana Rola, John Wycliffe, William Tyndall, Martin Busser, Pierre Viret. Who are these guys? There are men that died for the faith. There are men that gave us the reformation. There are men who stood for truth. You ask the average Christian, if you would, to please identify the Huguenots, the Waldensians, the Lollards. Please speak about 15 minutes on the Inquisition and what happened to some of those Waldensians. They could not.

[John Weaver] You know, the truth of the matter is, Christians today are just like Israel. In Judges chapter 2, we do not know God and we do not know our own history. We do not know how our forefathers suffered for truth's sake. Neither do we know how God miraculously and marvelously delivered them in many instances. You ask the average Christian to name ten miracles. that were done by Christ or the prophets in either testament or both testaments. Just name 10 miracles. Ask the average Christian just to name the 10 commandments. Ask the average Christian to name the books of the Bible. There's only 66. And if he can't name 66, well, give me the 39 of the Old Testament. Well, if you can't give me the 39, give me the 27 in the New Testament. Well, if you can't name those, how about at least giving me the books of the law? Well, I don't know about the books of the law, but well, okay. How about give me, list the historical books for me? How about listing the poetical books?

[John Weaver] I'm just simply pointing out the fact that the average Christian Is so completely ignorant of the bible in our history most most christians don't even know the difference between an epistle and an apostle Someone told me one time they thought an epistle was an apostle's wife. I said no, it's that's not true But i'm simply saying the truth is most most christians say they cannot tell you what is christian and what is not christian You know why they don't know their bible They don't know their Bible. They don't know Bible doctrine. They do not know church history.

[John Weaver] And consequently, listen to me, we're finding ourselves in exactly the same spot that these people did in Judges chapter 2. And if we haven't gotten our backs up against the wall, it's not going to be long. I'm going to show you why. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, please, to Psalm 78. Look in Psalm 78.

[John Weaver] Now let's begin reading there with verse one. Psalm 78, verse one. Here we go. Psalm 78, verse one. The Bible says, give ear, O my people, to my law. Pay attention, says God. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old.

[John Weaver] Now look at verse three, which we have heard and known our fathers have told us so there were some that did pass down the truth watch verse 4 we will not hide them from their children showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that he had done here it is for he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children. Why? that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them as their children. Why? That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments, and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their heart at right, whose spirit was not steadfast with God. Do you realize, without a personal intimate relationship with the One True and the Living God through the Lord Jesus Christ, there will not be any personal knowledge of His mighty works.

[John Weaver] And therefore, we cannot communicate that which we do not know. We cannot communicate that of which we are completely and totally ignorant. And God said, look, I've established this for testimony. I've appointed a law. You teach your children. You teach your children's children. Why? Look in verse 5. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed law in Israel, which he commended our fathers, that they should make known to their children, that the generations to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise, and declare them to their children, watch, without this knowledge They cannot set their hope in God. He said, you teach them this, that they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments and don't be like their stubborn, rebellious fathers. Wow.

[John Weaver] So let me ask you this question. Why was, must we know about our fathers? Why must we know about the judgment of God? And the answer is so that we will not repeat the sins or the rebellion of the fathers and so that we will not reap their judgment in our lives. We don't want to be part of a generation that do not know the Lord nor his works. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Zachariah chapter one. Zachariah is next to the last book in the old Testament, right before the book of Malachi. So if you will look in Zechariah chapter 1 and notice if you would be getting there with verse 2. Zechariah chapter 1 verse 2. This one verse is an eye opener. The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers.

[John Weaver] Stop and think about that. The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers.

[John Weaver] Now you know that in Hebrews chapter 12, our earthly fathers are compared in one sense of the word to our heavenly father. But I remember when I was a boy and my earthly father was so displeased with me, he didn't smile. He took a peach tree limb and just Whip the living daylights out of me, because he was sore displeased with me, because I had sinned against him. Do you think that your heavenly father will not chastise you? Read Hebrews chapter 12. Now watch this. He said, the Lord has been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, thus saith the Lord of hosts. Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.

[John Weaver] Now look at verse four. Be not as your fathers, on whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you now from your evil ways and from your evil doings. But they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, said the Lord. Now watch this. And your fathers, where are they? Oh, they're dead now. And the prophets, do they live forever? Those that preach to them know they're dead now too. Watch verse 6, But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? And they returned, that is the fathers, and said, Like is the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. What is God saying? Look at history. Look at those men that sinned against me, rebelled against me, that forsook me.

[John Weaver] Denied me where are there? They're dead where all the preachers had preached to them. They're now dead, but my words are not dead and These people who tried to outrun the Word of God and get away from God They had to come back and say oh ha ha our fathers may be dead and the prophets and preached us may be dead but What God said he was

[John Weaver] going to do to us, he did to us. God spoke the truth. We cannot outrun his word. I'm going to show you next week how these people had their backs up against the wall. And the truth of the matter is this. If we do not repent and come back as a people, As a people, we're really going to discover what it's like to have our backs up against the wall.

[John Weaver] We do not want to be like this lost generation in Genesis and Judges chapter two, who knew not the Lord nor his marvelous works. No, we need to know the Lord and we need to know his marvelous works. Now, I want you to turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 44, because I only have two applications. And I want you to listen to them very carefully. If you'll look in Psalm 44, here's the first application. It is impossible for you and I to be encouraged in desperate situations without knowing Bible history, church history, mighty works of God So look in Psalm 44 in verse 1 the psalmist says we have heard with our ears.

[John Weaver] Oh God Our fathers have told us What work thou didst in their days in times of old? Some did communicate the truth. They said we've heard we know now watch what they were told how thou that is God didst drive out the heathen with thy hand and Planted them that is Israel and thou didst afflict the people. That's the heathen and cast them out for they that is Israel Gotten up the land in possession by their own sword neither did their own arms save them But thy right hand and thine arm and the light of thy countenance Because thou hast a favor unto them now watch verse 4 thou art my king Oh God command deliverance is for Jacob. What is he saying? Oh He's saying Lord. We've heard all of these mighty Marvelous miraculous works that you've done Lord. We're in trouble now. We're in desperation now Oh Lord thou art my king command deliverance is for Jacob in other words do again what you've done in time past Do it now Oh Lord do it for my people now you did it for your people in times past do it again do it again You can never

[John Weaver] be encouraged in desperate situations if you do not know the mighty works of God. Here's the second one. Why is it that we're so ignorant of the mighty works of God? Why are we so ignorant of our history? I'm talking about Bible history. I'm talking about church history. Why are we so completely, totally ignorant? Well, there's a verse that will tell you that Psalm 111 and verse two.

[John Weaver] Let me just quote it. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all of them that have pleasure therein. If we have no pleasure in God, if we have no pleasure in his mighty works, if we have no pleasure in what he's done in time and history, we'll not seek out what he's done. We don't care. Because we have no pleasure in God, we have no pleasure in what He has done. But those that have pleasure in Him, they will seek out those mighty works.

[John Weaver] The point I'm trying to make is this. If we do not know God, if we do not know His mighty works, And like these people and judges, we descend more into paganism and immorality. We're going to have our backs up against the wall. And if they're not up against the wall yet, they shall be shortly. And Lord willing next Sunday. You're going to see how both of those definitions of having your backs up against the wall are really, truly applicable to us today. We need not be in the position of having our backs against the wall, but unhappily. That's the only way most ever really learn. when we get so hard pressed that there's no other way out. And just like in Judges 2, they finally cry to the Lord.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And Lord, we thank Thee that Thou art God alone. and besides thee there is no other. Thou art the one true and the living God who has revealed thyself in Jesus Christ. May, Father, we know thee, may we know thy wonderful works, that we may, Lord, pray, do it again, O Lord, do it again.

[John Weaver] Awaken us, stir us, and move us. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.

[John Weaver] so

Is Your Back Against The Wall Yet - Part 1

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	GQ9WeCU11Bs
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Christ and the Churches
Genre	Sermon
Date	2023-02-02
Dictation Name
Book	Book 192: Is Your Back Against The Wall Yet — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	66

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Weaver introduces the sermon from Judges 2:6-19, noting it is part one of a two-part message, and reads the passage describing Israel's apostasy after Joshua's generation died.

Your Bibles today to the book of Judges chapter 2. Judges chapter 2, and the title of the message is "Is Your Back Against the Wall Yet?" Now let me just say this is part 1 of part 2, and Lord willing, I will bring conclusion of this message next Lord's Day. So Judges chapter 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 6. Judges 2 and verse 6:

Scripture Reading — Judges 2:6-19

"And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man into his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel. And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old." "And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the Mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers. And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them up out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and they provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtoreth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of the spoilers that spoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed." "Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a-whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them, and turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so."

Years back, I preached a message from this very text which I titled, "Another Generation."

The Danger of Losing Truth in One Generation

He observes that it takes only one generation for truth to disappear, as seen when the generation that knew God's works died and a new generation arose that did not know the Lord.

And that is, this sermon today is not that sermon. But I was looking at this passage again as I was reading through the book of Judges, and it hit me. When you look at verse 7, the Bible says, "And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel." Then you skip down to verse 10: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers, and there rose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." It just takes one generation for truth to disappear. And it seems as if reading this text, that as long as people have an overseer, as long as people have someone who holds them accountable and responsible, in one sense of the word, they kind of remain faithful, exercise a little character and integrity. But when the one who holds them accountable dies, they just simply lose everything, it seems. I've seen in 57 years of preaching this happen many times, because there have been people who profess to be Christians and they get upset, they get angry, and they quit coming to church. And they don't go to another church, they just simply quit.

The Call to Hold Fast

Weaver cites multiple New Testament verses commanding believers to hold fast to what is good, sound words, their profession of faith, and what they have, emphasizing the Greek word kratos meaning to grasp firmly.

And they go downhill and downhill until they are in an absolutely catastrophic condition in their lives. So it does indeed teach us something right here. It teaches us that it is those who are mature in the faith and mature in life who maintain their character and their integrity and their faithfulness even in a world of change. It's interesting as you read through the Bible, there are a multitude of verses that command us to hold fast. And I want to just give you some of those, and I want you to listen carefully at what we are to hold fast unto. For instance, in 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 21, the Word of God says, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." So that which is good, that which is truthful, we're to hold fast. You remember the passage in Hebrews 2 where he said that we were indeed to not just hold on, but we should be aware that we forget not, lest we let them slip. And so what the author of Hebrews is saying, if we do not hold on to truth, it certainly will slip away.

And then the apostle Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 and verse 13, "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." So he says, hold fast the form of sound words. And then in Hebrews 4 and verse 14, "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession." Or we hold fast our confession as we confess and we profess that Jesus Christ is God, that Jesus Christ is the only Redeemer, Lord, Savior. So he says, hold fast our profession. And then in Hebrews 10 and verse 23, he says it again: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)." And then finally, in Revelation 2 and verse 25, our Lord said to the church, "But that which ye have already hold fast till I come."

Now one of the interesting things, as I was looking up the term "hold fast," there were actually about three Greek words that were translated as "hold fast," but one of them was the Greek word which would be kratos, which would be power. And actually kratos means to have power, to retain, to be master of, to rule over, and to lay hands on so that you can retain. It's almost kind of like when you and I start to move furniture and it's a little bit heavy and someone picks up before we're ready and we say, "Wait, wait, let me get a better hold on this thing." And so that's exactly what this word means. We get a good hold and we're to hold all of these things that he's spoken of.

So this message, I hope, is going to begin demonstrating to you that if our backs are not up against the wall right now, they soon will be. And Lord willing, next Sunday, I'm going to point this out in greater detail.

Origin and Meaning of 'Back Against the Wall'

He explores the saying's possible origins—execution by firing squad or a military last stand—and connects it to the biblical concept of a hardened neck, signifying stubbornness and rebellion.

Now, my first question today is this: Have you ever thought about where our sayings originate? I have a book in my library that is entitled, "Why We Say It." And there's all kind of sayings that we've had all of our lives, and actually the lives of our forefathers too. And this book explains where these sayings came from, how they originated. I could not find in that book "having your back up against the wall." But I did some more research, and I came up with two answers. The first one is this: Some express the fact that this saying, "having your back up against the wall," refers to execution by firing squad, because now they are placed against the wall. And if you understand it in that sense of the word, it means finality, because it means fatality. You're dead. But there is another source of this saying as well. It refers to being hard-pressed, to making a last stand, and the expression comes from fighting, and especially from war, because you are backing up against the wall. And when you back up against the wall, it has an advantage in the sense that no one can slip up on you, but it also has a disadvantage because you cannot retreat, you cannot escape, you're just simply up against the wall. And so the source said this: The term has been used since the 16th century, but became famous near the end of World War I, when General Douglas Haig of Great Britain, according to the London Times, April 13th, 1918, ordered his troops saying, "Every position must be held to the last man. With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight to the end." So once again, then, probably this has a great deal of emphasis, having your back up against the wall, relating to being hard-pressed, with nowhere to go, you just simply have to fight your way out of it.

I suppose it could be also understood as a term of being helpless and hopeless because once your back is up against the wall, you really have nowhere to go. And the strange thing is this: if you will examine your life and usually the lives of other people, the light did not dawn on to most people until their backs were up against the wall. And then they realized something has to be done. Although this phrase, "up against the wall," is not in the Bible, there is another term that adequately expresses that. Ah, what is that term? It is the term "a hardened neck." And a hardened neck refers to those who refuse to hear, refuse to obey, and it signifies stubbornness, hardheadedness, and rebellion.

So let me show you. I want you to hold Judges chapter 2, but turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Kings chapter 17, and let's look at verse 14. We'll look at several passages very quickly because I want you to see having your back up against the wall and being hardened in your neck or stubborn is sometimes going to be equated. So in 2 Kings chapter 17 and verse 14, the Word of God says this. Look at it. The Bible says, "Notwithstanding they would not hear."

Israel's Two Major Problems: Soteriological and Historical Ignorance

Weaver identifies the new generation's problems: they did not know the Lord (soteriological) and did not know His works (historical), leading to idolatry and immorality as they served Baal and Ashtoreth.

That would be Joshua and the elders that outlived him. "And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." So we basically find ourselves today in the same situation that Israel found themselves in thousands of years ago. The generation that followed Joshua and those elders ended up with two major problems. And those two major problems are given to us in verse 10. The very first major problem they had is this: The Bible says there arose another generation after them which knew not the Lord. So their first problem was soteriological. That is, it related to salvation. They did not know the Lord. They were not saved. It's just like it is today. We have a generation that really and truly does not know the Lord. Most of the time they were in church because they're very religious. In fact, these people in the book of Judges were very religious. In fact, when you read the rest of Judges chapter 2, which I read some of, you find that, yes, they worshiped. They just did not worship the one true and the living God. So they had plenty of religion, but they certainly did not have the true religion. They did not know the one true and the living God.

Now, the Hebrew word for "know" in verse 10 is the word yada. And with the negative, it means not knowing and not knowing by experience. So it means that there was no personal relationship between these people and the One True and the Living God. They may have known of Him, but they did not know Him. They may have known about Him, but they certainly did not have a personal relationship with Him. May I remind you that in the New Testament, John 17 verse 3, our Lord defines eternal life. He tells us exactly what it is. He said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." So note, if you would, this is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Now the word "know," the Greek word ginosko, and it means literally to learn to know, to perceive, to understand, to acquire a knowledge of, but even more than that, it also is a word of intimacy. You will find this word used throughout the scripture: "And Adam knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare a child." And you remember there in Genesis chapter 19, when the angels came to Lot and they went into his house at night, the men of Sodom surrounded, said, "Bring these men out, that we may know them." And then Lot said, "No," he said, "I have two daughters here that have never known man." And about this time, the angels just smoked them with blindness and snatched Lot back in. So the point I'm trying to make is it does indeed refer to an intimate knowledge. Now, if you look in your Bibles holding Judges 2, but turn if you would to Amos chapter 3, you will see this also very clearly. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look at it if you would. Look in Amos chapter 3 and notice if you would please verse 2 at what God says to Israel. He said in verse 2, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth."

"Therefore I will punish you for all of your iniquities." Now stop and think about that. "You only have I known of all the families of the earth." Well, did not God know the Philistines and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and all the other "ites"? And the answer is yes, He knew them because He judged them. He destroyed them. But what does it mean when He said, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth"? And if you look back in verse 1, "Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying..." So, what God is saying, you're the only family that I've had an intimate relationship with. You're the only family of the earth that I've entered into a covenant with. You're the only family that I've chosen, basically. And so God is here, once again, talking about a personal intimate relationship. There exists, then, between the One True and the Living God and His children a real, personal, intimate relationship through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Without it, there is no salvation. So, let me point this out again. Salvation is not just being saved from destruction. Salvation is not being saved from judgment. That is a byproduct of being saved. But if you will remember in Matthew 1 and 21, the Bible says concerning Jesus Christ,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 1:21

"Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins."

So salvation then is basically from sin—that's the negative—but it is unto a personal, intimate relationship with the one true and the living God through Jesus Christ. That's why he said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

If you will look back in your Bibles to Judges chapter 2, once again, here's a statement and I'm going to demonstrate it for you. When you do not know the one true and the living God personally, intimately, experientially, in salvation, you always descend into paganism and immorality. So in Judges 2, look in verse 10: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers. And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtoreth." Now, Baal and Ashtoreth were Canaanite gods, and they were worshipped with licentiousness and immorality. Let me just give you one illustration, because in the Bible, there is the incident of Baal Peor, and the word Baal Peor literally means "the Lord of the Gap."

The Inevitable Descent into Paganism and Self-Destruction

He argues that man is inherently religious but left to himself will worship false gods or himself, ultimately destroying himself, as illustrated by the Baal Peor incident and Jeremiah 13.

But if you will look in your Bibles, holding Judges chapter 2, but if you will look at Numbers chapter 25, let me show you, and then I want you to follow me in three or four scriptures to demonstrate how wicked, how awful, how pagan, how immoral this was. So in Numbers chapter 25 beginning with verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Numbers 25:1-9

"And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab."

There it is, immorality.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 25:1-9

"And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods, and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods"

—idolatry.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 25:1-9

"And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor. And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the

son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel." Watch verse 9: "And those that died in the plague were 24,000." Now I want to show you how this is spoken of very quickly. So if you will turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 4 and look at verse 3. Deuteronomy 4 and verse 3: God says, "Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you." Now if you will turn to Psalm 106. Psalm 106 and look at verse 28. Psalm 106 and notice verse 28. Here it is.

Psalm 106 verse 28:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 106:28-30

"They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them. Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed."

One more passage, if you would turn over to the book of Hosea chapter 9. Daniel, Hosea. Look in Hosea chapter 9 and verse 10. Again, God reminds them of this sin. Hosea 9 and verse 10: God said, "I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness;

I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved." Now, I want to give you three very quick truths in light of this. First of all, man by nature is inherently religious. He may not serve the one true and the living God, but he is going to serve some god. In fact, man will very easily, readily, and quickly follow false gods who offer him whatever he wants and whatever he desires. Usually, if he is not running after some false god, he is making a god of himself. He is idolizing himself. He's pampering himself. He's fulfilling the lusts and the desires of the flesh. In other words, he's setting himself up as a god. He may not be running around saying, "I'm God, I'm God." But he's certainly acting as if the one true and the living God does not exist and that he himself alone is God. In fact, the Bible tells you very clearly that this is known as will-worship. You will find this in Colossians 2 and verse 23, where the Word of God says this: "Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship."

So you have to stop and ask, what in the world is will-worship? Ah, listen to this. The Greek word happens to be ethelothreskeia, which means worship which is prescribed by oneself and for oneself. It is completely arbitrary, and it is contrary to the one truth of the living God. So Gary could say, "I'm going to worship this way." Steve could say, "I'll worship this way." I could say, "I don't want anything to do with that. I'll do what I want to do. I'll worship another way." And someone else could. In other words, it's completely arbitrary. You just simply set up what you want to set up. You do what you want to do. Now, I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 10, and I want you to see what the apostle Paul said about will-worship and about worship that is not centered on the one true and the living God, and worship that is not centered in the word of God. So in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, if you look at verse 20, Paul writes and he says, "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles"—or the nations, I suppose the word is ethnos, I didn't check it—"the nations sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God."

"I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." In other words, if you're not worshipping the one true and the living God, the only alternative is you're worshipping devils. You're worshipping demons. Yeah, you're not worshipping the one true and the living God. You are worshipping false gods. They cannot help you at all and cannot save you at all.

So, will-worship is nothing more than devil worship. All men are inherently religious. In fact, there is a term for that, a Latin term, semen religionis. It just means that by nature all men are religious. All men will end up worshiping someone or something. Here's the second truth, and you can see this very plainly and very clearly in Judges chapter 2. Not only are all men inherently religious by nature, but the second truth is this.

Man left to himself will always descend to the lowest level. He will take the lowest course. He will always follow his fleshly desires and whatever pleases and satisfies him. So, let me show you. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Jeremiah chapter 13. Jeremiah chapter 13. God was so upset with Israel in Jeremiah chapter 13 that He gave Jeremiah an object lesson. He told him to take a new girdle and go bury it in a hole by the river Euphrates. And Jeremiah did so. And so after a while, God told him to go back and dig out that girdle and look at it. And when he did, the girdle was rotten, shattered, torn, worthless. So look what God says in Jeremiah 13 in verse 10. Look what He says about His people, quote unquote, "this evil people." And of course, He's talking primarily about Judah and Jerusalem. But watch: "This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods to serve them and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing."

So note, if you would, what God says. He said, "This evil people,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 13:10

" number one, they refuse to hear my words. Consequently, because they refuse to hear God's word, therefore, in verse 10, they walk after the imagination of their own heart. When you refuse to hear God's word, you will always walk after the imagination of your own heart. And when you walk in the imagination of your own heart, you will walk after other gods and serve them and worship them. That is exactly what God says. Jeremiah 13 in verse 10. So refusing to hear and obey the Lord and walking after your own imagination always ends up in idolatry with you worshiping other gods. Now here's the third truth and it is equally obvious and that is this: apart from the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ, there

is no hope. So let me say this another way: Not only does man descend to the lowest level, man will destroy himself. So if you look in your Bibles to Psalm 9. Psalm 9, and let's begin reading there with verse 15. Psalm 9 and look if you would at verse 15. Psalm 9 verse 15: Again he says it like this:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 9:15-17

"The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

Wow. So man left to himself ends up destroying himself. Why?

Because he walks after the imagination of his own heart, and he always serves false gods. Now, I want you to go back to Judges chapter 2 and look at verse 10 again, because here is the second problem that new generation had. Here it is. Judges 2 and verse 10: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers, and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord"—that's a soteriological problem—"nor yet the works which he had done for Israel"—that is a historical problem. In other words, they were totally, absolutely, completely ignorant of the providence of God in delivering Israel. The first generation, that is those people that came out of Egypt, along with Joshua, and those who survived the wilderness wanderings.

Modern Parallels: Ignorance of God and Christian Heritage

Weaver laments that today's average Christian is ignorant of basic doctrines, church history, and the Bible, mirroring the Judges generation, and warns this ignorance leads to being hard-pressed.

Do you realize—at least it is to me, it should be to you—it is absolutely mind-boggling and completely unimaginable that a generation could have risen right after the first generation who not only did not know God but did not know of God's wondrous works in delivering their fathers out of the land of Egypt and everything that God had done. They were absolutely, totally, completely ignorant in one generation. Let me tell you something else. It is also absolutely mind-boggling and completely unimaginable that we today have started a generation that is completely ignorant of God and His so great salvation and the doctrines of salvation. Moreover, we've started a generation that are completely ignorant of Christian heritage and our Christian history and our Bible history and our church history and they know absolutely nothing of the great works of God. If you were to ask the average Christian—I don't care which church you go to, I don't care if it's Presbyterian, Baptist, Church of God, I don't care—if you ask the average Christian to explain the doctrine of justification by faith alone, he couldn't.

If you ask them to explain sanctification—what is sanctification?—they could not. If you were to ask them to distinguish for you between regeneration and conversion, they could not do so. Ask the average Christian to identify and teach on, let's see, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Huss, Savonarola, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Martin Bucer, Pierre Viret. Who are these guys? There are men that died for the faith. There are men that gave us the Reformation. There are men who stood for truth. You ask the average Christian, if you would, to please identify the Huguenots, the Waldensians, the Lollards. Please speak about 15 minutes on the Inquisition and what happened to some of those Waldensians. They could not.

You know, the truth of the matter is, Christians today are just like Israel in Judges chapter 2. We do not know God and we do not know our own history. We do not know how our forefathers suffered for truth's sake. Neither do we know how God miraculously and marvelously delivered them in many instances. You ask the average Christian to name ten miracles that were done by Christ or the prophets in either testament or both testaments. Just name 10 miracles. Ask the average Christian just to name the 10 commandments. Ask the average Christian to name the books of the Bible. There's only 66. And if he can't name 66, well, give me the 39 of the Old Testament. Well, if you can't give me the 39, give me the 27 in the New Testament. Well, if you can't name those, how about at least giving me the books of the law? Well, I don't know about the books of the law, but well, okay. How about give me, list the historical books for me? How about listing the poetical books?

I'm just simply pointing out the fact that the average Christian is so completely ignorant of the Bible and our history. Most Christians don't even know the difference between an epistle and an apostle. Someone told me one time they thought an epistle was an apostle's wife. I said, "No, that's not true." But I'm simply saying the truth is most Christians, they cannot tell you what is Christian and what is not Christian. You know why? They don't know their Bible. They don't know their Bible. They don't know Bible doctrine. They do not know church history.

And consequently, listen to me, we're finding ourselves in exactly the same spot that these people did in Judges chapter 2. And if we haven't gotten our backs up against the wall, it's not going to be long. I'm going to show you why. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, please, to Psalm 78. Look in Psalm 78.

The Necessity of Knowing God's Works for Encouragement

Using Psalm 44 and Psalm 111, he shows that knowing God's past mighty works enables believers to pray for deliverance in present troubles, and that pleasure in God motivates seeking His works.

We do not want to be like this lost generation in Judges chapter 2, who knew not the Lord nor his marvelous works. No, we need to know the Lord and we need to know his marvelous works. Now, I want you to turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 44, because I only have two applications. And I want you to listen to them very carefully. If you'll look in Psalm 44, here's the first application. It is impossible for you and I to be encouraged in desperate situations without knowing Bible history, church history, mighty works of God. So look in Psalm 44 in verse 1. The psalmist says, "We have heard with our ears,

O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old." Some did communicate the truth. They said, "We've heard, we know." Now watch what they were told: "How thou"—that is God—"didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them"—that is Israel—"how thou didst afflict the people"—that's the heathen—"and cast them out. For they"—that is Israel—"got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them." Now watch verse 4: "Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob." What is he saying? Oh, he's saying, "Lord, we've heard of all of these mighty, marvelous, miraculous works that you've done. Lord, we're in trouble now. We're in desperation now. O Lord, thou art my King: command deliverances for Jacob." In other words, do again what you've done in time past. Do it now. O Lord, do it for my people now. You did it for your people in times past, do it again. Do it again. You can never

be encouraged in desperate situations if you do not know the mighty works of God. Here's the second one. Why is it that we're so ignorant of the mighty works of God? Why are we so ignorant of our history? I'm talking about Bible history. I'm talking about church history. Why are we so completely, totally ignorant? Well, there's a verse that will tell you that: Psalm 111 and verse 2.

Let me just quote it. "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." If we have no pleasure in God, if we have no pleasure in His mighty works, if we have no pleasure in what He's done in time and history, we'll not seek out what He's done. We don't care. Because we have no pleasure in God, we have no pleasure in what He has done. But those that have pleasure in Him, they will seek out those mighty works.

Conclusion and Anticipation of Part Two

Weaver concludes that if we do not know God and His works, we will have our backs against the wall, and promises to show in the next sermon how both definitions of the phrase apply today.

The point I'm trying to make is this: If we do not know God, if we do not know His mighty works, and like these people in Judges, we descend more into paganism and immorality, we're going to have our backs up against the wall. And if they're not up against the wall yet, they shall be shortly. And Lord willing next Sunday, you're going to see how both of those definitions of having your backs up against the wall are really, truly applicable to us today. We need not be in the position of having our backs against the wall, but unhappily, that's the only way most ever really learn: when we get so hard pressed that there's no other way out. And just like in Judges 2, they finally cry to the Lord.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And Lord, we thank Thee that Thou art God alone, and besides Thee there is no other. Thou art the one true and the living God who has revealed Thyself in Jesus Christ. May, Father, we know Thee, may we know Thy wonderful works, that we may, Lord, pray, "Do it again, O Lord, do it again." Awaken us, stir us, and move us. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The rapid loss of truth across generations

Summary: A single generation can lose knowledge of God and His works, leading to widespread apostasy.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'It just takes one generation for truth to disappear' (02:49-03:32) and points to Judges 2:10 where a new generation arose that 'knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.'

The necessity of a personal, intimate relationship with God

Summary: Salvation is not merely rescue from judgment but knowing God intimately through Jesus Christ, as defined in John 17:3.

Evidence: Weaver explains the Hebrew word yada and Greek ginosko, emphasizing that eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ, and that without this relationship, people descend into paganism.

Man's inherent religiosity and descent into idolatry

Summary: All people are inherently religious and will worship something; left to themselves, they will follow false gods or make themselves god, leading to immorality and destruction.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Man by nature is inherently religious... he is going to serve some god' and cites will-worship in Colossians 2:23 and the Baal Peor incident in Numbers 25.

The danger of ignorance of biblical and church history

Summary: Modern Christians are largely ignorant of Scripture, doctrine, and the history of God's works, leaving them vulnerable to the same judgment as ancient Israel.

Evidence: Weaver lists examples of ignorance—justification, sanctification, Reformers, the Inquisition—and says, 'Christians today are just like Israel in Judges chapter 2. We do not know God and we do not know our own history.'

The call to hold fast to truth

Summary: Believers are commanded to hold firmly to sound doctrine, their confession, and what they have received, using the Greek concept of kratos (power, mastery).

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 2 Timothy 1:13, Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 10:23, and Revelation 2:25, and explains kratos as getting a good hold.

The hardening of the neck as stubborn rebellion

Summary: The phrase 'back against the wall' parallels the biblical concept of a hardened neck, which signifies refusal to hear and obey God, leading to judgment.

Evidence: Weaver connects the saying to 2 Kings 17:14, 2 Chronicles 36:13, and Nehemiah 9:16-17, showing that a hardened neck prevents turning to God.

The importance of knowing God's works for present faith

Summary: Knowledge of God's past mighty works enables believers to pray for deliverance in current crises, as seen in Psalm 44.

Evidence: Weaver reads Psalm 44:1-4, where the psalmist recalls God's past deeds and then prays, 'Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.'

The inevitability of judgment for those who forget God

Summary: Those who refuse to hear God and walk after their own imagination will face destruction, as God's words always come to pass.

Evidence: Weaver cites Zechariah 1:2-6, where the fathers who disobeyed are dead, but God's words took hold of them, and Psalm 9:15-17, where the wicked are snared in their own works.

Key Arguments

A generation that does not know God personally will inevitably turn to false worship and immorality.

Summary: Weaver argues that the new generation in Judges 2 lacked a saving knowledge of God, which led directly to serving Baal and Ashtoreth with licentious practices.

Evidence: He states, 'When you do not know the one true and the living God personally, intimately, experientially, in salvation, you always descend into paganism and immorality' and points to Judges 2:11-13.

Modern Christians are as ignorant of God and His works as the Judges generation, placing them in the same peril.

Summary: Weaver contends that today's believers cannot explain basic doctrines or identify key figures of church history, mirroring the ignorance of the generation that 'knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.'

Evidence: He asks rhetorical questions about justification, sanctification, and Reformers, concluding, 'Christians today are just like Israel in Judges chapter 2.'

Refusing to hear God's Word leads to walking in one's own imagination and ultimately to idolatry.

Summary: Using Jeremiah 13:10, Weaver shows a causal chain: refusal to hear God's words results in following one's own heart, which leads to serving other gods.

Evidence: He reads Jeremiah 13:10 and explains, 'When you refuse to hear God's word, you will always walk after the imagination of your own heart... always ends up in idolatry.'

Without knowledge of God's past works, believers cannot be encouraged in desperate situations.

Summary: Weaver argues that Psalm 44 shows the psalmist drawing strength from the history of God's deliverance to pray for current help, implying that ignorance of such works leaves one without hope.

Evidence: He says, 'You can never be encouraged in desperate situations if you do not know the mighty works of God' after reading Psalm 44:1-4.

The phrase 'back against the wall' describes the condition of being hard-pressed with no escape, which results from stubborn rebellion.

Summary: Weaver links the saying to the biblical 'hardened neck,' showing that persistent disobedience leaves people with no way out except to cry to God.

Evidence: He traces the saying to military last stands and connects it to 2 Kings 17:14 and Nehemiah 9:16-17, where hardening the neck leads to refusal to obey.

God's words and statutes inevitably take hold of the disobedient, even after the preachers and fathers are dead.

Summary: From Zechariah 1:2-6, Weaver argues that while the rebellious fathers and prophets died, God's words proved true and brought judgment, demonstrating that no one can outrun God's decrees.

Evidence: He paraphrases Zechariah 1:6: 'What God said He was going to do to us, He did to us.'

Pleasure in God is the prerequisite for seeking out His mighty works.

Summary: Weaver cites Psalm 111:2 to argue that ignorance of God's works stems from a lack of delight in God Himself; those who love God will study His deeds.

Evidence: He quotes, 'The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein' and explains, 'If we have no pleasure in God... we'll not seek out what He's done.'

Man left to himself will destroy himself through his own devices.

Summary: Weaver uses Psalm 9:15-17 to show that the wicked fall into their own pits and are snared by their own works, illustrating self-destruction apart from God's grace.

Evidence: He reads Psalm 9:15-17 and states, 'Man left to himself ends up destroying himself.'

Scripture References

Judges 2:6-19

Context: The primary text of the sermon, describing Israel's apostasy after Joshua's generation died and the cycle of sin, oppression, and deliverance.

1 Thessalonians 5:21

Context: Cited as a command to hold fast to what is good.

2 Timothy 1:13

Context: Paul's instruction to Timothy to hold fast the form of sound words.

Hebrews 4:14

Context: Exhortation to hold fast our profession (confession) of faith in Christ as high priest.

Hebrews 10:23

Context: Command to hold fast the profession of faith without wavering.

Revelation 2:25

Context: Christ's command to hold fast what they have until He comes.

2 Kings 17:14

Context: Illustrates hardened necks as refusal to hear and believe God.

2 Chronicles 36:13

Context: Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning to God.

Nehemiah 9:16-17

Context: Describes Israel's pride, hardened necks, refusal to obey, and rebellion, yet God's mercy.

John 17:3

Context: Defines eternal life as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ.

Amos 3:2

Context: God says He knew only Israel among all families, indicating an intimate covenant relationship.

Matthew 1:21

Context: Jesus will save His people from their sins, showing salvation is from sin unto relationship.

Numbers 25:1-9

Context: The Baal Peor incident where Israel committed immorality and idolatry, resulting in a plague and 24,000 deaths.

Deuteronomy 4:3

Context: God reminds Israel of the destruction of those who followed Baal Peor.

Psalm 106:28-30

Context: Recounts the Baal Peor sin and Phinehas's intervention to stop the plague.

Hosea 9:10

Context: God recalls Israel's devotion to Baal Peor as shameful abomination.

Colossians 2:23

Context: Mentions will-worship, which is self-prescribed worship contrary to God's truth.

1 Corinthians 10:20-21

Context: Paul warns that sacrifices to idols are to demons, and believers cannot partake of both the Lord's table and the table of demons.

Jeremiah 13:10

Context: God says the evil people who refuse to hear His words and walk after their own imagination will become worthless like a rotten girdle.

Psalm 9:15-17

Context: The wicked are snared in their own works and turned into hell; nations that forget God face judgment.

Historical References

General Douglas Haig's order during World War I (1918)

Context: Weaver cites the London Times report of Haig's command: 'Every position must be held to the last man. With our backs to the wall... each one of us must fight to the end,' as a famous use of the phrase.

Reformation figures: Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Huss, Savonarola, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Martin Bucer, Pierre Viret

Context: Weaver lists these men as examples of those who died for the faith and gave us the Reformation, noting that the average Christian cannot identify them.

Huguenots, Waldensians, Lollards, and the Inquisition

Context: He mentions these groups and the Inquisition as part of Christian heritage that modern believers are ignorant of, asking if they could speak about the suffering of the Waldensians.

Important Quotes

It just takes one generation for truth to disappear.

Significance: This succinctly captures the sermon's central warning about the rapid loss of faith and knowledge across generations, as exemplified in Judges 2.

When you do not know the one true and the living God personally, intimately, experientially, in salvation, you always descend into paganism and immorality.

Significance: This statement directly links the lack of a saving relationship with God to the inevitable moral and spiritual decline seen in Israel and today.

Man by nature is inherently religious. He may not serve the one true and the living God, but he is going to serve some god.

Significance: Weaver asserts the universality of religious impulse, which apart from true knowledge of God leads to idolatry or self-worship.

Christians today are just like Israel in Judges chapter 2. We do not know God and we do not know our own history.

Significance: This is the direct application of the ancient text to the contemporary church, diagnosing the same twofold ignorance.

The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

Significance: Quoting Psalm 111:2, Weaver explains that ignorance of God's works stems from a lack of delight in God Himself.

If we do not know God, if we do not know His mighty works, and like these people in Judges, we descend more into paganism and immorality, we're going to have our backs up against the wall.

Significance: This summarizes the sermon's thesis, connecting ignorance to the desperate condition of being hard-pressed with no escape.

That's the only way most ever really learn: when we get so hard pressed that there's no other way out.

Significance: Weaver laments that people often only turn to God when their backs are against the wall, underscoring the urgency of seeking Him before crisis.

Discussion Questions

What does it mean to 'know the Lord' in the sense of yada and ginosko, and how does this differ from merely knowing about God?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that the new generation in Judges 2 lacked an intimate, experiential knowledge of God, which is essential for salvation (John 17:3).

Why is it so easy for one generation to lose the truth, and what practical steps can we take to prevent this in our families and churches?

Context: The sermon notes that as soon as the elders who had seen God's works died, the next generation did not know the Lord or His works (Judges 2:10).

In what ways do we see modern Christians descending into 'paganism and immorality' when they lack a personal relationship with God?

Context: Weaver argues that without knowing God, people always turn to false worship and licentiousness, as Israel did with Baal and Ashtoreth.

How does the concept of 'will-worship' (Colossians 2:23) manifest in contemporary culture and even in churches?

Context: Weaver defines will-worship as self-prescribed worship that is arbitrary and contrary to God's truth, leading to demonic fellowship (1 Corinthians 10:20-21).

Why is knowledge of church history and the mighty works of God essential for enduring present trials, according to Psalm 44?

Context: The psalmist recalls God's past deliverances to pray for current help; Weaver says without such knowledge, we cannot be encouraged in desperate situations.

What does it look like to have a 'hardened neck' today, and how does that lead to having our 'backs against the wall'?

Context: Weaver connects the phrase to biblical stubbornness and rebellion (2 Kings 17:14; Nehemiah 9:16-17), which results in being hard-pressed with no escape.

How can we cultivate 'pleasure in the Lord' so that we naturally seek out His works, as Psalm 111:2 suggests?

Context: Weaver states that ignorance of God's works stems from a lack of delight in God; those who love Him will study His deeds.

What are some practical ways to teach the next generation about God's works and biblical truth, as commanded in Psalm 78:4-8?

Context: The psalm instructs fathers to make known God's works to their children so they would set their hope in God and not be rebellious.

Applications

Pursue an intimate, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Summary: Weaver urges that salvation is not just rescue from judgment but knowing God personally; believers must examine whether they truly know Him experientially.

Evidence: He explains the Hebrew yada and Greek ginosko, and cites John 17:3: 'This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.'

Diligently teach the next generation the works and Word of God.

Summary: To prevent a generation that does not know the Lord, parents and church leaders must intentionally pass down biblical truth and history.

Evidence: Weaver references Deuteronomy 4:9 and Psalm 78:4-8, which command teaching children and children's children so they set their hope in God.

Study church history and the mighty works of God to strengthen faith.

Summary: Knowing how God has worked in the past enables believers to trust Him in present crises and pray for deliverance.

Evidence: He uses Psalm 44:1-4 as a model: recalling God's past deeds leads to the prayer, 'Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.'

Hold fast to sound doctrine and the confession of faith.

Summary: Believers are commanded to grasp firmly the truths of Scripture and their profession of Christ, resisting the drift toward error.

Evidence: Weaver lists multiple 'hold fast' verses (1 Thessalonians 5:21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Hebrews 4:14; 10:23; Revelation 2:25) and explains the Greek kratos.

Examine your heart for stubbornness and rebellion against God's Word.

Summary: A hardened neck leads to refusing to hear and obey God, resulting in being hard-pressed; believers should repent before their backs are against the wall.

Evidence: Weaver connects the phrase to 2 Kings 17:14 and Nehemiah 9:16-17, and warns that most people only learn when they have no way out.

Cultivate delight in God as the motivation for seeking His works.

Summary: Ignorance of God's deeds stems from a lack of pleasure in Him; believers should foster love for God that drives them to study His Word and works.

Evidence: He quotes Psalm 111:2: 'The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.'

Learn from the judgment of past generations to avoid repeating their sins.

Summary: God's words took hold of the rebellious fathers; believers should heed history and Scripture to turn from evil ways and not share their fate.

Evidence: Weaver cites Zechariah 1:2-6, where the fathers acknowledged that God dealt with them according to their ways, and urges, 'Be ye not as your fathers.'

Recognize that all false worship is ultimately demonic and leads to destruction.

Summary: Any worship not centered on the true God through Christ is will-worship and fellowship with demons, ending in self-destruction.

Evidence: He references 1 Corinthians 10:20-21 and Psalm 9:15-17, showing that the wicked are snared in their own works and turned into hell.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:00:44Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T09:21:49Z

Clean Transcript

Is Your Back Against The Wall Yet - Part 1

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

Your Bibles today to the book of Judges chapter 2. Judges chapter 2, and the title of the message is "Is Your Back Against the Wall Yet?" Now let me just say this is part 1 of part 2, and Lord willing, I will bring conclusion of this message next Lord's Day. So Judges chapter 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 6. Judges 2 and verse 6: "And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man into his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel. And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old."
#1 | 0:11 to 1:11 | cleaned
"And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the Mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers. And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them up out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and they provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtoreth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of the spoilers that spoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed."
#2 | 1:11 to 2:17 | cleaned
"Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a-whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them, and turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so." Years back, I preached a message from this very text which I titled, "Another Generation."
#3 | 2:17 to 2:48 | cleaned
And that is, this sermon today is not that sermon. But I was looking at this passage again as I was reading through the book of Judges, and it hit me. When you look at verse 7, the Bible says, "And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel." Then you skip down to verse 10: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers, and there rose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." It just takes one generation for truth to disappear.
#4 | 2:49 to 3:32 | cleaned
And it seems as if reading this text, that as long as people have an overseer, as long as people have someone who holds them accountable and responsible, in one sense of the word, they kind of remain faithful, exercise a little character and integrity. But when the one who holds them accountable dies, they just simply lose everything, it seems. I've seen in 57 years of preaching this happen many times, because there have been people who profess to be Christians and they get upset, they get angry, and they quit coming to church. And they don't go to another church, they just simply quit.
#5 | 3:33 to 4:18 | cleaned
And they go downhill and downhill until they are in an absolutely catastrophic condition in their lives. So it does indeed teach us something right here. It teaches us that it is those who are mature in the faith and mature in life who maintain their character and their integrity and their faithfulness even in a world of change. It's interesting as you read through the Bible, there are a multitude of verses that command us to hold fast. And I want to just give you some of those, and I want you to listen carefully at what we are to hold fast unto. For instance, in 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 21, the Word of God says, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." So that which is good, that which is truthful, we're to hold fast. You remember the passage in Hebrews 2 where he said that we were indeed to not just hold on, but we should be aware that we forget not, lest we let them slip. And so what the author of Hebrews is saying, if we do not hold on to truth, it certainly will slip away.
#6 | 4:19 to 5:45 | cleaned
And then the apostle Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 and verse 13, "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." So he says, hold fast the form of sound words. And then in Hebrews 4 and verse 14, "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession." Or we hold fast our confession as we confess and we profess that Jesus Christ is God, that Jesus Christ is the only Redeemer, Lord, Savior. So he says, hold fast our profession. And then in Hebrews 10 and verse 23, he says it again: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)." And then finally, in Revelation 2 and verse 25, our Lord said to the church, "But that which ye have already hold fast till I come."
#7 | 5:45 to 6:52 | cleaned
Now one of the interesting things, as I was looking up the term "hold fast," there were actually about three Greek words that were translated as "hold fast," but one of them was the Greek word which would be kratos, which would be power. And actually kratos means to have power, to retain, to be master of, to rule over, and to lay hands on so that you can retain. It's almost kind of like when you and I start to move furniture and it's a little bit heavy and someone picks up before we're ready and we say, "Wait, wait, let me get a better hold on this thing." And so that's exactly what this word means. We get a good hold and we're to hold all of these things that he's spoken of.
#8 | 6:52 to 7:42 | cleaned
So this message, I hope, is going to begin demonstrating to you that if our backs are not up against the wall right now, they soon will be. And Lord willing, next Sunday, I'm going to point this out in greater detail.
#9 | 7:43 to 7:59 | cleaned
Now, my first question today is this: Have you ever thought about where our sayings originate? I have a book in my library that is entitled, "Why We Say It." And there's all kind of sayings that we've had all of our lives, and actually the lives of our forefathers too. And this book explains where these sayings came from, how they originated. I could not find in that book "having your back up against the wall." But I did some more research, and I came up with two answers. The first one is this: Some express the fact that this saying, "having your back up against the wall," refers to execution by firing squad, because now they are placed against the wall.
#10 | 8:00 to 8:55 | cleaned
And if you understand it in that sense of the word, it means finality, because it means fatality. You're dead. But there is another source of this saying as well. It refers to being hard-pressed, to making a last stand, and the expression comes from fighting, and especially from war, because you are backing up against the wall. And when you back up against the wall, it has an advantage in the sense that no one can slip up on you, but it also has a disadvantage because you cannot retreat, you cannot escape, you're just simply up against the wall. And so the source said this: The term has been used since the 16th century, but became famous near the end of World War I, when General Douglas Haig of Great Britain, according to the London Times, April 13th, 1918, ordered his troops saying, "Every position must be held to the last man. With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight to the end." So once again, then, probably this has a great deal of emphasis, having your back up against the wall, relating to being hard-pressed, with nowhere to go, you just simply have to fight your way out of it.
#11 | 8:56 to 10:30 | cleaned
I suppose it could be also understood as a term of being helpless and hopeless because once your back is up against the wall, you really have nowhere to go. And the strange thing is this: if you will examine your life and usually the lives of other people, the light did not dawn on to most people until their backs were up against the wall. And then they realized something has to be done. Although this phrase, "up against the wall," is not in the Bible, there is another term that adequately expresses that. Ah, what is that term? It is the term "a hardened neck." And a hardened neck refers to those who refuse to hear, refuse to obey, and it signifies stubbornness, hardheadedness, and rebellion.
#12 | 10:31 to 11:30 | cleaned
So let me show you. I want you to hold Judges chapter 2, but turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Kings chapter 17, and let's look at verse 14. We'll look at several passages very quickly because I want you to see having your back up against the wall and being hardened in your neck or stubborn is sometimes going to be equated. So in 2 Kings chapter 17 and verse 14, the Word of God says this. Look at it. The Bible says, "Notwithstanding they would not hear."
#13 | 11:30 to 12:09 | cleaned
Now, what is the result of not hearing? "But hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God." So a refusal to hear always results in a hardened neck.
#14 | 12:10 to 12:23 | cleaned
Now, if you will turn right over to 2 Chronicles chapter 36, and look, if you would please, at verse 13. 2 Chronicles chapter 36 and verse 13. Look at it. "And he"—now we're talking about Zedekiah, King Zedekiah—"and he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he"—Zedekiah—"stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel." So note, if you would please, now this stiff neck, this hardened heart prevents one from turning to the Lord God of Israel. Then if you would turn over, the next book should be Ezra and then Nehemiah. Look in Nehemiah chapter 9 verses 16 and 17 and you'll be amazed at how all of these things are put together for you. Look at it, Nehemiah chapter 9, beginning there with verse 16. Nehemiah 9, verse 16.
#15 | 12:23 to 13:41 | cleaned
"But they and our fathers dealt proudly"—there's pride—"and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, and refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not."
#16 | 13:41 to 14:10 | cleaned
Now, go back to verse 16. "But they and our fathers dealt proudly." The result is they hardened their necks. That resulted in hearkening not to thy commandments, which meant they refused to obey, which also led them not being mindful of the wonders that God performed. And then of course there was open rebellion. And so the truth is really this: Most people really do not pay any attention to anything until they get their backs up against the wall.
#17 | 14:10 to 14:47 | cleaned
I heard an old joke years ago when I was a boy about a fellow who sold his mule to a neighbor. And, of course, he told the neighbor, "Yes, the mule obeys. The mule will follow any command that you give the mule." And so the neighbor bought the mule, then tried to plow with the mule, and the mule wouldn't listen, wouldn't obey, wouldn't do anything. And the man came back to his neighbor and said, "Look, you told me that this mule would obey, that this mule would plow. I can't get him to plow." And so the neighbor reached down and picked up a two-by-four and handed it to his neighbor. He said, "I forgot to tell you, you have to get his attention first."
#18 | 14:50 to 15:38 | cleaned
Well, that's about the way it goes with people. You basically have to get their attention first.
#19 | 15:39 to 15:44 | cleaned
Now, I want you to look in your Bibles back to Judges chapter 2, and I want to call your attention to verse 10 again. And I want you to understand how Israel in this book, which we'll see more next week, came to have their backs up against the wall, so to speak. So in verse 10, the Bible says this: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers."
#20 | 15:44 to 16:10 | cleaned
That would be Joshua and the elders that outlived him. "And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." So we basically find ourselves today in the same situation that Israel found themselves in thousands of years ago. The generation that followed Joshua and those elders ended up with two major problems. And those two major problems are given to us in verse 10. The very first major problem they had is this: The Bible says there arose another generation after them which knew not the Lord. So their first problem was soteriological.
#21 | 16:11 to 16:54 | cleaned
That is, it related to salvation. They did not know the Lord. They were not saved. It's just like it is today. We have a generation that really and truly does not know the Lord. Most of the time they were in church because they're very religious. In fact, these people in the book of Judges were very religious. In fact, when you read the rest of Judges chapter 2, which I read some of, you find that, yes, they worshiped. They just did not worship the one true and the living God. So they had plenty of religion, but they certainly did not have the true religion. They did not know the one true and the living God.
#22 | 16:55 to 17:36 | cleaned
Now, the Hebrew word for "know" in verse 10 is the word yada. And with the negative, it means not knowing and not knowing by experience. So it means that there was no personal relationship between these people and the One True and the Living God. They may have known of Him, but they did not know Him. They may have known about Him, but they certainly did not have a personal relationship with Him. May I remind you that in the New Testament, John 17 verse 3, our Lord defines eternal life.
#23 | 17:36 to 18:21 | cleaned
He tells us exactly what it is. He said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." So note, if you would, this is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
#24 | 18:21 to 18:44 | cleaned
Now the word "know," the Greek word ginosko, and it means literally to learn to know, to perceive, to understand, to acquire a knowledge of, but even more than that, it also is a word of intimacy. You will find this word used throughout the scripture: "And Adam knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare a child." And you remember there in Genesis chapter 19, when the angels came to Lot and they went into his house at night, the men of Sodom surrounded, said, "Bring these men out, that we may know them." And then Lot said, "No," he said, "I have two daughters here that have never known man." And about this time, the angels just smoked them with blindness and snatched Lot back in.
#25 | 18:45 to 19:40 | cleaned
So the point I'm trying to make is it does indeed refer to an intimate knowledge. Now, if you look in your Bibles holding Judges 2, but turn if you would to Amos chapter 3, you will see this also very clearly. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look at it if you would. Look in Amos chapter 3 and notice if you would please verse 2 at what God says to Israel. He said in verse 2, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth."
#26 | 19:40 to 20:15 | cleaned
"Therefore I will punish you for all of your iniquities." Now stop and think about that. "You only have I known of all the families of the earth." Well, did not God know the Philistines and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and all the other "ites"? And the answer is yes, He knew them because He judged them. He destroyed them. But what does it mean when He said, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth"? And if you look back in verse 1, "Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying..." So, what God is saying, you're the only family that I've had an intimate relationship with. You're the only family of the earth that I've entered into a covenant with. You're the only family that I've chosen, basically. And so God is here, once again, talking about a personal intimate relationship. There exists, then, between the One True and the Living God and His children a real, personal, intimate relationship through the Lord Jesus Christ.
#27 | 20:16 to 21:26 | cleaned
Without it, there is no salvation. So, let me point this out again. Salvation is not just being saved from destruction. Salvation is not being saved from judgment. That is a byproduct of being saved. But if you will remember in Matthew 1 and 21, the Bible says concerning Jesus Christ, "Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." So salvation then is basically from sin—that's the negative—but it is unto a personal, intimate relationship with the one true and the living God through Jesus Christ. That's why he said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
#28 | 21:27 to 22:14 | cleaned
If you will look back in your Bibles to Judges chapter 2, once again, here's a statement and I'm going to demonstrate it for you. When you do not know the one true and the living God personally, intimately, experientially, in salvation, you always descend into paganism and immorality. So in Judges 2, look in verse 10: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers. And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtoreth." Now, Baal and Ashtoreth were Canaanite gods, and they were worshipped with licentiousness and immorality. Let me just give you one illustration, because in the Bible, there is the incident of Baal Peor, and the word Baal Peor literally means "the Lord of the Gap."
#29 | 22:15 to 23:40 | cleaned
But if you will look in your Bibles, holding Judges chapter 2, but if you will look at Numbers chapter 25, let me show you, and then I want you to follow me in three or four scriptures to demonstrate how wicked, how awful, how pagan, how immoral this was. So in Numbers chapter 25 beginning with verse 1: "And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab." There it is, immorality. "And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods, and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods"—idolatry. "And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor. And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the
#30 | 23:41 to 25:10 | cleaned
son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel." Watch verse 9: "And those that died in the plague were 24,000." Now I want to show you how this is spoken of very quickly. So if you will turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 4 and look at verse 3. Deuteronomy 4 and verse 3: God says, "Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you." Now if you will turn to Psalm 106. Psalm 106 and look at verse 28. Psalm 106 and notice verse 28. Here it is.
#31 | 25:10 to 26:13 | cleaned
Psalm 106 verse 28: "They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them. Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed." One more passage, if you would turn over to the book of Hosea chapter 9. Daniel, Hosea. Look in Hosea chapter 9 and verse 10. Again, God reminds them of this sin. Hosea 9 and verse 10: God said, "I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness;
#32 | 26:23 to 27:07 | cleaned
I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved."
#33 | 27:08 to 27:25 | cleaned
Now, I want to give you three very quick truths in light of this. First of all, man by nature is inherently religious. He may not serve the one true and the living God, but he is going to serve some god. In fact, man will very easily, readily, and quickly follow false gods who offer him whatever he wants and whatever he desires. Usually, if he is not running after some false god, he is making a god of himself. He is idolizing himself. He's pampering himself. He's fulfilling the lusts and the desires of the flesh. In other words, he's setting himself up as a god. He may not be running around saying, "I'm God, I'm God." But he's certainly acting as if the one true and the living God does not exist and that he himself alone is God. In fact, the Bible tells you very clearly that this is known as will-worship. You will find this in Colossians 2 and verse 23, where the Word of God says this: "Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship."
#34 | 27:27 to 28:46 | cleaned
So you have to stop and ask, what in the world is will-worship? Ah, listen to this. The Greek word happens to be ethelothreskeia, which means worship which is prescribed by oneself and for oneself. It is completely arbitrary, and it is contrary to the one truth of the living God. So Gary could say, "I'm going to worship this way." Steve could say, "I'll worship this way." I could say, "I don't want anything to do with that. I'll do what I want to do. I'll worship another way." And someone else could. In other words, it's completely arbitrary. You just simply set up what you want to set up. You do what you want to do. Now, I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 10, and I want you to see what the apostle Paul said about will-worship and about worship that is not centered on the one true and the living God, and worship that is not centered in the word of God. So in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, if you look at verse 20, Paul writes and he says, "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles"—or the nations, I suppose the word is ethnos, I didn't check it—"the nations sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God."
#35 | 28:47 to 30:17 | cleaned
"I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." In other words, if you're not worshipping the one true and the living God, the only alternative is you're worshipping devils. You're worshipping demons. Yeah, you're not worshipping the one true and the living God. You are worshipping false gods. They cannot help you at all and cannot save you at all.
#36 | 30:17 to 30:49 | cleaned
So, will-worship is nothing more than devil worship. All men are inherently religious. In fact, there is a term for that, a Latin term, semen religionis. It just means that by nature all men are religious. All men will end up worshiping someone or something. Here's the second truth, and you can see this very plainly and very clearly in Judges chapter 2. Not only are all men inherently religious by nature, but the second truth is this.
#37 | 30:49 to 31:25 | cleaned
Man left to himself will always descend to the lowest level. He will take the lowest course. He will always follow his fleshly desires and whatever pleases and satisfies him. So, let me show you. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Jeremiah chapter 13. Jeremiah chapter 13. God was so upset with Israel in Jeremiah chapter 13 that He gave Jeremiah an object lesson. He told him to take a new girdle and go bury it in a hole by the river Euphrates. And Jeremiah did so. And so after a while, God told him to go back and dig out that girdle and look at it. And when he did, the girdle was rotten, shattered, torn, worthless. So look what God says in Jeremiah 13 in verse 10. Look what He says about His people, quote unquote, "this evil people." And of course, He's talking primarily about Judah and Jerusalem. But watch: "This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods to serve them and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing."
#38 | 31:26 to 33:05 | cleaned
So note, if you would, what God says. He said, "This evil people," number one, they refuse to hear my words. Consequently, because they refuse to hear God's word, therefore, in verse 10, they walk after the imagination of their own heart. When you refuse to hear God's word, you will always walk after the imagination of your own heart. And when you walk in the imagination of your own heart, you will walk after other gods and serve them and worship them. That is exactly what God says. Jeremiah 13 in verse 10. So refusing to hear and obey the Lord and walking after your own imagination always ends up in idolatry with you worshiping other gods. Now here's the third truth and it is equally obvious and that is this: apart from the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ, there
#39 | 33:06 to 34:02 | cleaned
is no hope. So let me say this another way: Not only does man descend to the lowest level, man will destroy himself. So if you look in your Bibles to Psalm 9. Psalm 9, and let's begin reading there with verse 15. Psalm 9 and look if you would at verse 15. Psalm 9 verse 15: Again he says it like this: "The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." Wow. So man left to himself ends up destroying himself. Why?
#40 | 34:02 to 35:06 | cleaned
Because he walks after the imagination of his own heart, and he always serves false gods. Now, I want you to go back to Judges chapter 2 and look at verse 10 again, because here is the second problem that new generation had. Here it is. Judges 2 and verse 10: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers, and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord"—that's a soteriological problem—"nor yet the works which he had done for Israel"—that is a historical problem. In other words, they were totally, absolutely, completely ignorant of the providence of God in delivering Israel. The first generation, that is those people that came out of Egypt, along with Joshua, and those who survived the wilderness wanderings.
#41 | 35:07 to 36:09 | cleaned
Of course, the 600,000 fighting men were killed in the desert. But there were others who did go in, who came out of Egypt. They may have been exceedingly young, but they did go in. And the Bible says that they saw, they saw the works of God.
#42 | 36:09 to 36:27 | cleaned
Now, I want to show you this. I want you to hold Judges 2, but go back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 4. In fact, we'll just stay in Deuteronomy. But look at this. Look at what is emphasized. Deuteronomy chapter 4, look if you would please at verse 9. Look what God says. He tells these people, "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons." Notice what God said. Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen. You saw firsthand. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 21. Deuteronomy 10, verse 21. Watch this. Deuteronomy 10, verse 21. The Bible says, "He"—that is God—"is thy praise, and he is thy God." Now note, if you would, "He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen."
#43 | 36:27 to 37:55 | cleaned
You saw this. Look in chapter 11 and verse 7. He'll say it again. Deuteronomy 11 and verse 7: "But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did." One more passage, look in Deuteronomy 29 and verses 2 and 3. Deuteronomy 29 verses 2 and 3. Again, God says this: "And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; the great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles." Hmm. Wow. Now, go back and look Judges 2 and verse 10 and I want this to sink in. Watch if you would. Look at verse 7: "And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel." Now verse 10: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers, and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel."
#44 | 37:56 to 39:38 | cleaned
Do you realize—at least it is to me, it should be to you—it is absolutely mind-boggling and completely unimaginable that a generation could have risen right after the first generation who not only did not know God but did not know of God's wondrous works in delivering their fathers out of the land of Egypt and everything that God had done. They were absolutely, totally, completely ignorant in one generation. Let me tell you something else. It is also absolutely mind-boggling and completely unimaginable that we today have started a generation that is completely ignorant of God and His so great salvation and the doctrines of salvation. Moreover, we've started a generation that are completely ignorant of Christian heritage and our Christian history and our Bible history and our church history and they know absolutely nothing of the great works of God. If you were to ask the average Christian—I don't care which church you go to, I don't care if it's Presbyterian, Baptist, Church of God, I don't care—if you ask the average Christian to explain the doctrine of justification by faith alone, he couldn't.
#45 | 39:40 to 41:14 | cleaned
If you ask them to explain sanctification—what is sanctification?—they could not. If you were to ask them to distinguish for you between regeneration and conversion, they could not do so. Ask the average Christian to identify and teach on, let's see, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Huss, Savonarola, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Martin Bucer, Pierre Viret. Who are these guys? There are men that died for the faith. There are men that gave us the Reformation. There are men who stood for truth. You ask the average Christian, if you would, to please identify the Huguenots, the Waldensians, the Lollards. Please speak about 15 minutes on the Inquisition and what happened to some of those Waldensians. They could not.
#46 | 41:17 to 42:23 | cleaned
You know, the truth of the matter is, Christians today are just like Israel in Judges chapter 2. We do not know God and we do not know our own history. We do not know how our forefathers suffered for truth's sake. Neither do we know how God miraculously and marvelously delivered them in many instances. You ask the average Christian to name ten miracles that were done by Christ or the prophets in either testament or both testaments. Just name 10 miracles. Ask the average Christian just to name the 10 commandments. Ask the average Christian to name the books of the Bible. There's only 66. And if he can't name 66, well, give me the 39 of the Old Testament. Well, if you can't give me the 39, give me the 27 in the New Testament. Well, if you can't name those, how about at least giving me the books of the law? Well, I don't know about the books of the law, but well, okay. How about give me, list the historical books for me? How about listing the poetical books?
#47 | 42:24 to 43:48 | cleaned
I'm just simply pointing out the fact that the average Christian is so completely ignorant of the Bible and our history. Most Christians don't even know the difference between an epistle and an apostle. Someone told me one time they thought an epistle was an apostle's wife. I said, "No, that's not true." But I'm simply saying the truth is most Christians, they cannot tell you what is Christian and what is not Christian. You know why? They don't know their Bible. They don't know their Bible. They don't know Bible doctrine. They do not know church history.
#48 | 43:49 to 44:28 | cleaned
And consequently, listen to me, we're finding ourselves in exactly the same spot that these people did in Judges chapter 2. And if we haven't gotten our backs up against the wall, it's not going to be long. I'm going to show you why. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, please, to Psalm 78. Look in Psalm 78.
#49 | 44:30 to 44:49 | cleaned
Now let's begin reading there with verse 1. Psalm 78, verse 1. Here we go. Psalm 78, verse 1. The Bible says, "Give ear, O my people, to my law." Pay attention, says God. "Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old."
#50 | 44:52 to 45:16 | cleaned
Now look at verse 3: "Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us." So there were some that did pass down the truth. Watch verse 4: "We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done." Here it is: "For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God." Do you realize, without a personal intimate relationship with the One True and the Living God through the Lord Jesus Christ, there will not be any personal knowledge of His mighty works.
#51 | 45:17 to 46:33 | cleaned
And therefore, we cannot communicate that which we do not know. We cannot communicate that of which we are completely and totally ignorant. And God said, look, I've established this for testimony. I've appointed a law. You teach your children. You teach your children's children. Why? Look in verse 5: "For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise, and declare them to their children." Watch, without this knowledge they cannot set their hope in God. He said, you teach them this, that they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments and don't be like their stubborn, rebellious fathers. Wow.
#52 | 46:33 to 47:31 | cleaned
So let me ask you this question. Why must we know about our fathers? Why must we know about the judgment of God? And the answer is so that we will not repeat the sins or the rebellion of the fathers and so that we will not reap their judgment in our lives. We don't want to be part of a generation that do not know the Lord nor his works. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah chapter 1. Zechariah is next to the last book in the Old Testament, right before the book of Malachi. So if you will look in Zechariah chapter 1 and notice if you would beginning there with verse 2. Zechariah chapter 1 verse 2. This one verse is an eye opener. "The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers."
#53 | 47:32 to 48:35 | cleaned
Stop and think about that. "The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers."
#54 | 48:37 to 48:43 | cleaned
Now you know that in Hebrews chapter 12, our earthly fathers are compared in one sense of the word to our heavenly father. But I remember when I was a boy and my earthly father was so displeased with me, he didn't smile. He took a peach tree limb and just whipped the living daylights out of me, because he was sore displeased with me, because I had sinned against him. Do you think that your heavenly father will not chastise you? Read Hebrews chapter 12. Now watch this. He said, "The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts."
#55 | 48:44 to 49:39 | cleaned
Now look at verse 4: "Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord." Now watch this. "Your fathers, where are they?" Oh, they're dead now. "And the prophets, do they live for ever?" Those that preached to them, no, they're dead now too. Watch verse 6: "But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? And they returned"—that is the fathers—"and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us." What is God saying? Look at history. Look at those men that sinned against me, rebelled against me, that forsook me.
#56 | 49:40 to 50:36 | cleaned
Denied me. Where are they? They're dead. Where are all the preachers that preached to them? They're now dead, but my words are not dead. And these people who tried to outrun the Word of God and get away from God, they had to come back and say, "Oh, ha ha, our fathers may be dead and the prophets that preached to us may be dead, but what God said He was
#57 | 50:37 to 51:05 | cleaned
going to do to us, He did to us." God spoke the truth. We cannot outrun His word. I'm going to show you next week how these people had their backs up against the wall. And the truth of the matter is this: If we do not repent and come back as a people—as a people—we're really going to discover what it's like to have our backs up against the wall.
#58 | 51:05 to 51:42 | cleaned
We do not want to be like this lost generation in Judges chapter 2, who knew not the Lord nor his marvelous works. No, we need to know the Lord and we need to know his marvelous works. Now, I want you to turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 44, because I only have two applications. And I want you to listen to them very carefully. If you'll look in Psalm 44, here's the first application. It is impossible for you and I to be encouraged in desperate situations without knowing Bible history, church history, mighty works of God. So look in Psalm 44 in verse 1. The psalmist says, "We have heard with our ears,
#59 | 51:43 to 52:43 | cleaned
O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old." Some did communicate the truth. They said, "We've heard, we know." Now watch what they were told: "How thou"—that is God—"didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them"—that is Israel—"how thou didst afflict the people"—that's the heathen—"and cast them out. For they"—that is Israel—"got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them." Now watch verse 4: "Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob." What is he saying? Oh, he's saying, "Lord, we've heard of all of these mighty, marvelous, miraculous works that you've done. Lord, we're in trouble now. We're in desperation now. O Lord, thou art my King: command deliverances for Jacob." In other words, do again what you've done in time past. Do it now. O Lord, do it for my people now. You did it for your people in times past, do it again. Do it again. You can never
#60 | 52:43 to 53:54 | cleaned
be encouraged in desperate situations if you do not know the mighty works of God. Here's the second one. Why is it that we're so ignorant of the mighty works of God? Why are we so ignorant of our history? I'm talking about Bible history. I'm talking about church history. Why are we so completely, totally ignorant? Well, there's a verse that will tell you that: Psalm 111 and verse 2.
#61 | 53:54 to 54:24 | cleaned
Let me just quote it. "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." If we have no pleasure in God, if we have no pleasure in His mighty works, if we have no pleasure in what He's done in time and history, we'll not seek out what He's done. We don't care. Because we have no pleasure in God, we have no pleasure in what He has done. But those that have pleasure in Him, they will seek out those mighty works.
#62 | 54:26 to 55:09 | cleaned
The point I'm trying to make is this: If we do not know God, if we do not know His mighty works, and like these people in Judges, we descend more into paganism and immorality, we're going to have our backs up against the wall. And if they're not up against the wall yet, they shall be shortly. And Lord willing next Sunday, you're going to see how both of those definitions of having your backs up against the wall are really, truly applicable to us today. We need not be in the position of having our backs against the wall, but unhappily, that's the only way most ever really learn: when we get so hard pressed that there's no other way out. And just like in Judges 2, they finally cry to the Lord.
#63 | 55:11 to 56:43 | cleaned
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And Lord, we thank Thee that Thou art God alone, and besides Thee there is no other. Thou art the one true and the living God who has revealed Thyself in Jesus Christ. May, Father, we know Thee, may we know Thy wonderful works, that we may, Lord, pray, "Do it again, O Lord, do it again."
#64 | 56:46 to 57:19 | cleaned
Awaken us, stir us, and move us. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.
#65 | 57:19 to 57:28 | cleaned
so
#66 | 57:57 to 57:58 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:00:44Z

Is Your Back Against The Wall Yet - Part 1

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver examines Judges 2:6-19 to warn that just as a generation arose in Israel that did not know the Lord or His works, so today many professing Christians are ignorant of God and biblical history, leading to paganism and immorality. He argues that without a personal, intimate relationship with God through Christ, people inevitably descend into false worship and self-destruction. The message calls believers to know God and His mighty works, lest they find themselves with their 'backs against the wall'—hard-pressed with no escape—and urges them to seek God before reaching that point of desperation.

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Weaver introduces the sermon from Judges 2:6-19, noting it is part one of a two-part message, and reads the passage describing Israel's apostasy after Joshua's generation died.

Scripture Reading — Judges 2:6-19

"And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man into his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel. And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old." "And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the Mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers. And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them up out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and they provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtoreth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of the spoilers that spoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed." "Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a-whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them, and turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so."

Years back, I preached a message from this very text which I titled, "Another Generation."

The Danger of Losing Truth in One Generation

He observes that it takes only one generation for truth to disappear, as seen when the generation that knew God's works died and a new generation arose that did not know the Lord.

The Call to Hold Fast

Origin and Meaning of 'Back Against the Wall'

He explores the saying's possible origins—execution by firing squad or a military last stand—and connects it to the biblical concept of a hardened neck, signifying stubbornness and rebellion.

Israel's Two Major Problems: Soteriological and Historical Ignorance

Scripture Reading — Matthew 1:21

"Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins."

The Inevitable Descent into Paganism and Self-Destruction

He argues that man is inherently religious but left to himself will worship false gods or himself, ultimately destroying himself, as illustrated by the Baal Peor incident and Jeremiah 13.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 25:1-9

"And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab."

There it is, immorality.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 25:1-9

"And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods, and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods"

—idolatry.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 25:1-9

"And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor. And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the

Psalm 106 verse 28:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 106:28-30

"They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them. Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed."

So note, if you would, what God says. He said, "This evil people,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 13:10

" number one, they refuse to hear my words. Consequently, because they refuse to hear God's word, therefore, in verse 10, they walk after the imagination of their own heart. When you refuse to hear God's word, you will always walk after the imagination of your own heart. And when you walk in the imagination of your own heart, you will walk after other gods and serve them and worship them. That is exactly what God says. Jeremiah 13 in verse 10. So refusing to hear and obey the Lord and walking after your own imagination always ends up in idolatry with you worshiping other gods. Now here's the third truth and it is equally obvious and that is this: apart from the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ, there

Scripture Reading — Psalm 9:15-17

"The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

Wow. So man left to himself ends up destroying himself. Why?

Modern Parallels: Ignorance of God and Christian Heritage

Weaver laments that today's average Christian is ignorant of basic doctrines, church history, and the Bible, mirroring the Judges generation, and warns this ignorance leads to being hard-pressed.

The Necessity of Knowing God's Works for Encouragement

Using Psalm 44 and Psalm 111, he shows that knowing God's past mighty works enables believers to pray for deliverance in present troubles, and that pleasure in God motivates seeking His works.

Conclusion and Anticipation of Part Two

Weaver concludes that if we do not know God and His works, we will have our backs against the wall, and promises to show in the next sermon how both definitions of the phrase apply today.

Is Your Back Against The Wall Yet - Part 1

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	GQ9WeCU11Bs
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Christ and the Churches
Genre	Sermon
Date	2023-02-02
Dictation Name
Book	Book 192: Is Your Back Against The Wall Yet — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	66

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Scripture Reading: Weaver introduces the sermon from Judges 2:6-19, noting it is part one of a two-part message, and reads the passage describing Israel's apostasy after Joshua's generation died.
The Danger of Losing Truth in One Generation: He observes that it takes only one generation for truth to disappear, as seen when the generation that knew God's works died and a new generation arose that did not know the Lord.
The Call to Hold Fast: Weaver cites multiple New Testament verses commanding believers to hold fast to what is good, sound words, their profession of faith, and what they have, emphasizing the Greek word kratos meaning to grasp firmly.
Origin and Meaning of 'Back Against the Wall': He explores the saying's possible origins—execution by firing squad or a military last stand—and connects it to the biblical concept of a hardened neck, signifying stubbornness and rebellion.
Israel's Two Major Problems: Soteriological and Historical Ignorance: Weaver identifies the new generation's problems: they did not know the Lord (soteriological) and did not know His works (historical), leading to idolatry and immorality as they served Baal and Ashtoreth.
The Inevitable Descent into Paganism and Self-Destruction: He argues that man is inherently religious but left to himself will worship false gods or himself, ultimately destroying himself, as illustrated by the Baal Peor incident and Jeremiah 13.
Modern Parallels: Ignorance of God and Christian Heritage: Weaver laments that today's average Christian is ignorant of basic doctrines, church history, and the Bible, mirroring the Judges generation, and warns this ignorance leads to being hard-pressed.
The Necessity of Knowing God's Works for Encouragement: Using Psalm 44 and Psalm 111, he shows that knowing God's past mighty works enables believers to pray for deliverance in present troubles, and that pleasure in God motivates seeking His works.
Conclusion and Anticipation of Part Two: Weaver concludes that if we do not know God and His works, we will have our backs against the wall, and promises to show in the next sermon how both definitions of the phrase apply today.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

A generation that does not know God personally will inevitably turn to false worship and immorality.

Weaver argues that the new generation in Judges 2 lacked a saving knowledge of God, which led directly to serving Baal and Ashtoreth with licentious practices.

He states, 'When you do not know the one true and the living God personally, intimately, experientially, in salvation, you always descend into paganism and immorality' and points to Judges 2:11-13.

Modern Christians are as ignorant of God and His works as the Judges generation, placing them in the same peril.

Weaver contends that today's believers cannot explain basic doctrines or identify key figures of church history, mirroring the ignorance of the generation that 'knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.'

He asks rhetorical questions about justification, sanctification, and Reformers, concluding, 'Christians today are just like Israel in Judges chapter 2.'

Refusing to hear God's Word leads to walking in one's own imagination and ultimately to idolatry.

Using Jeremiah 13:10, Weaver shows a causal chain: refusal to hear God's words results in following one's own heart, which leads to serving other gods.

He reads Jeremiah 13:10 and explains, 'When you refuse to hear God's word, you will always walk after the imagination of your own heart... always ends up in idolatry.'

Without knowledge of God's past works, believers cannot be encouraged in desperate situations.

Weaver argues that Psalm 44 shows the psalmist drawing strength from the history of God's deliverance to pray for current help, implying that ignorance of such works leaves one without hope.

He says, 'You can never be encouraged in desperate situations if you do not know the mighty works of God' after reading Psalm 44:1-4.

The phrase 'back against the wall' describes the condition of being hard-pressed with no escape, which results from stubborn rebellion.

Weaver links the saying to the biblical 'hardened neck,' showing that persistent disobedience leaves people with no way out except to cry to God.

He traces the saying to military last stands and connects it to 2 Kings 17:14 and Nehemiah 9:16-17, where hardening the neck leads to refusal to obey.

God's words and statutes inevitably take hold of the disobedient, even after the preachers and fathers are dead.

From Zechariah 1:2-6, Weaver argues that while the rebellious fathers and prophets died, God's words proved true and brought judgment, demonstrating that no one can outrun God's decrees.

He paraphrases Zechariah 1:6: 'What God said He was going to do to us, He did to us.'

Pleasure in God is the prerequisite for seeking out His mighty works.

Weaver cites Psalm 111:2 to argue that ignorance of God's works stems from a lack of delight in God Himself; those who love God will study His deeds.

He quotes, 'The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein' and explains, 'If we have no pleasure in God... we'll not seek out what He's done.'

Man left to himself will destroy himself through his own devices.

Weaver uses Psalm 9:15-17 to show that the wicked fall into their own pits and are snared by their own works, illustrating self-destruction apart from God's grace.

He reads Psalm 9:15-17 and states, 'Man left to himself ends up destroying himself.'

Scripture References

Judges 2:6-19: The primary text of the sermon, describing Israel's apostasy after Joshua's generation died and the cycle of sin, oppression, and deliverance.
1 Thessalonians 5:21: Cited as a command to hold fast to what is good.
2 Timothy 1:13: Paul's instruction to Timothy to hold fast the form of sound words.
Hebrews 4:14: Exhortation to hold fast our profession (confession) of faith in Christ as high priest.
Hebrews 10:23: Command to hold fast the profession of faith without wavering.
Revelation 2:25: Christ's command to hold fast what they have until He comes.
2 Kings 17:14: Illustrates hardened necks as refusal to hear and believe God.
2 Chronicles 36:13: Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning to God.
Nehemiah 9:16-17: Describes Israel's pride, hardened necks, refusal to obey, and rebellion, yet God's mercy.
John 17:3: Defines eternal life as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ.
Amos 3:2: God says He knew only Israel among all families, indicating an intimate covenant relationship.
Matthew 1:21: Jesus will save His people from their sins, showing salvation is from sin unto relationship.
Numbers 25:1-9: The Baal Peor incident where Israel committed immorality and idolatry, resulting in a plague and 24,000 deaths.
Deuteronomy 4:3: God reminds Israel of the destruction of those who followed Baal Peor.
Psalm 106:28-30: Recounts the Baal Peor sin and Phinehas's intervention to stop the plague.
Hosea 9:10: God recalls Israel's devotion to Baal Peor as shameful abomination.
Colossians 2:23: Mentions will-worship, which is self-prescribed worship contrary to God's truth.
1 Corinthians 10:20-21: Paul warns that sacrifices to idols are to demons, and believers cannot partake of both the Lord's table and the table of demons.
Jeremiah 13:10: God says the evil people who refuse to hear His words and walk after their own imagination will become worthless like a rotten girdle.
Psalm 9:15-17: The wicked are snared in their own works and turned into hell; nations that forget God face judgment.

Historical References

General Douglas Haig's order during World War I (1918): Weaver cites the London Times report of Haig's command: 'Every position must be held to the last man. With our backs to the wall... each one of us must fight to the end,' as a famous use of the phrase.
Reformation figures: Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Huss, Savonarola, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Martin Bucer, Pierre Viret: Weaver lists these men as examples of those who died for the faith and gave us the Reformation, noting that the average Christian cannot identify them.
Huguenots, Waldensians, Lollards, and the Inquisition: He mentions these groups and the Inquisition as part of Christian heritage that modern believers are ignorant of, asking if they could speak about the suffering of the Waldensians.

Important Quotes

It just takes one generation for truth to disappear.

This succinctly captures the sermon's central warning about the rapid loss of faith and knowledge across generations, as exemplified in Judges 2.

When you do not know the one true and the living God personally, intimately, experientially, in salvation, you always descend into paganism and immorality.

This statement directly links the lack of a saving relationship with God to the inevitable moral and spiritual decline seen in Israel and today.

Man by nature is inherently religious. He may not serve the one true and the living God, but he is going to serve some god.

Weaver asserts the universality of religious impulse, which apart from true knowledge of God leads to idolatry or self-worship.

Christians today are just like Israel in Judges chapter 2. We do not know God and we do not know our own history.

This is the direct application of the ancient text to the contemporary church, diagnosing the same twofold ignorance.

The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

Quoting Psalm 111:2, Weaver explains that ignorance of God's works stems from a lack of delight in God Himself.

If we do not know God, if we do not know His mighty works, and like these people in Judges, we descend more into paganism and immorality, we're going to have our backs up against the wall.

This summarizes the sermon's thesis, connecting ignorance to the desperate condition of being hard-pressed with no escape.

That's the only way most ever really learn: when we get so hard pressed that there's no other way out.

Weaver laments that people often only turn to God when their backs are against the wall, underscoring the urgency of seeking Him before crisis.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What does it mean to 'know the Lord' in the sense of yada and ginosko, and how does this differ from merely knowing about God?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that the new generation in Judges 2 lacked an intimate, experiential knowledge of God, which is essential for salvation (John 17:3).

[Question]

Why is it so easy for one generation to lose the truth, and what practical steps can we take to prevent this in our families and churches?

[Context]

The sermon notes that as soon as the elders who had seen God's works died, the next generation did not know the Lord or His works (Judges 2:10).

[Question]

In what ways do we see modern Christians descending into 'paganism and immorality' when they lack a personal relationship with God?

[Context]

Weaver argues that without knowing God, people always turn to false worship and licentiousness, as Israel did with Baal and Ashtoreth.

[Question]

How does the concept of 'will-worship' (Colossians 2:23) manifest in contemporary culture and even in churches?

[Context]

Weaver defines will-worship as self-prescribed worship that is arbitrary and contrary to God's truth, leading to demonic fellowship (1 Corinthians 10:20-21).

[Question]

Why is knowledge of church history and the mighty works of God essential for enduring present trials, according to Psalm 44?

[Context]

The psalmist recalls God's past deliverances to pray for current help; Weaver says without such knowledge, we cannot be encouraged in desperate situations.

[Question]

What does it look like to have a 'hardened neck' today, and how does that lead to having our 'backs against the wall'?

[Context]

Weaver connects the phrase to biblical stubbornness and rebellion (2 Kings 17:14; Nehemiah 9:16-17), which results in being hard-pressed with no escape.

[Question]

How can we cultivate 'pleasure in the Lord' so that we naturally seek out His works, as Psalm 111:2 suggests?

[Context]

Weaver states that ignorance of God's works stems from a lack of delight in God; those who love Him will study His deeds.

[Question]

What are some practical ways to teach the next generation about God's works and biblical truth, as commanded in Psalm 78:4-8?

[Context]

The psalm instructs fathers to make known God's works to their children so they would set their hope in God and not be rebellious.

Applications

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

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T09:21:49Z