Good morning to you. Hope that you are doing well and
yeah, my name is Kyle. I served as lead Pastor here.
Not lead singer. As Alan said, I would be a bad
idea. None of you would show up each
week if that were the case. But like, Alan just told me when
you're married to Patricia and she seems like she does.
There's no need for me to sing. Anyway, right.
So, anyway, it's good to see you guys this morning.
I hope you're well, hope you are having a good week.
If you have your Bible, like to ask you to open that up, turn to
habakkuk. Chapter one habakkuk chapter one
habakkuk comes between the books of nachum and Zephaniah towards
the end of your Old Testament. So maybe that's helpful while
you're turning there. I'll just kind of give a short
little synopsis of what we did last week.
Last week, we started a new series in the book of habakkuk
the subtitle of the series comes from verse 4 and chapter two,
which will look at today where God says the righteous shall
live by faith. And we've just gone shall live
by his faith. We've gone with the subtitle the
righteous live by faith. The outline, as I mentioned last
week of habakkuk is pretty easy to identify.
It comes to us in three parts parts.
One and two are complaints from habakkuk to God, and then God's
answers back to habakkuk. And then, in part 3, we have a
prayer from habakkuk and the, in a moment of worship a piece that
was actually meant for Stringed instruments and a choir.
And so I think that's interesting.
I think it really helps round out the book and so I'm excited
to get into it next week, but before you can really experience
the climax of anything, right? Of any book of any movie of any
Story, You've got to go through the difficult pieces of it.
And that's what that's what today is today is sabac, accept
and complaints. The book of habakkuk teaches us.
A really important lesson. I think, if I were going to kind
of round, Round out the lesson. It would be this way.
And back teaches Believers to stop saying, what if this
happens, or what if that happens and to be.
So concerned about that, and, instead, Believers should start
saying, even if those things happen, I will worship God.
So, it's the difference between saying, what?
If and even if it's the difference between faith and
doubts or faith and worry. Habakkuk teaches us to live by
faith, but listen doesn't come to us as succinctly as it might
and other places of scripture take Philippians, 4, 6 and 7.
For example there we read very plainly.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests
be made known to God. And then in verse 7, Paul writes
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will
guard your hearts. And Minds in Christ.
Jesus, verse actually serves as a really good summary of what's
taking place in habakkuk, a back is coming to the Lord, with his
anxieties, he's coming to the Lord with his worries, he's
making it known in prayer, and he's doing his, his even in his
complaints, he's thankful for the Covenant that he has.
With God, he's thankful for the attributes.
He knows about God which will see today as a backup begins to
Proclaim those things. But it's All of those things
that he knows about God, that he struggles to understand the evil
that's present in his life, currently the evil.
That's present, especially as persecution is coming on the
nation of Judah, which were widely thought to be God's
people though. They were mostly in open
Rebellion to God. And habakkuk we get a ringside
view into the wrestling match of Faith between God and his
people. It's a wrestling analogy.
Alan, you're welcome. Habakkuk teaches us how to go to
God. Teaches us.
How to deal with unexpected answers from God and you go to
God, sometimes with your complaints, right?
And then God, you receive an answer.
That's different. Then what you had hoped for.
It's different than what you had thought.
God might say, And so habakkuk teaches us how to deal with that
as God teaches habakkuk how to deal with that. again, the
phrase, the righteous shall live by his faith is important for us
to remember, And our text from last week habakkuk was wondering
where God was, as evil was growing around him as those who
were seemingly. Righteous were enduring
persecution. Back at comes to God and says
what's going on? Where are you?
Where is justice? And God answered him by saying,
I am doing a work that you would not believe.
Even if you were told, I'm raising up the Chaldeans.
That is the Babylonians as judgment against my people in
Judah. If you weren't here last week
and you kind of wonder about the backstory.
I encourage you to go, listen to that sermon from last week.
But in our passage today, a bacchic now questions, God's
answer, you know that the question is this?
How could you do this first? It was.
Where are you? And then when he gets the
answer, he doesn't like he goes to God with.
Well, how could you God do this? How can you use a wicked Nation
to punish a seemingly less Evil Nation is habakkuk question?
Why does evil go unpunished in your sides habakkuk?
Ask and God answers habakkuk saying all will receive their
just punishment. All evil will receive, it's just
punishment. But the righteous shall live by
faith. And that's what we're going to
look at today, is the Action between habakkuk and God but let
me pray for us before we get into that.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word.
God, we thank you for this book of habakkuk which teaches us how
to deal with hardship. It teaches us how to do with
persecution. It teaches us how to think about
you how to approach you how to trust you.
In our times of distress. God, whether those times be
personal or, or Global in our view, There are many times we
wonder. Why is evil prospering?
And Lord this book teaches us how to handle those questions.
And so I pray father today, that you would Enlighten us that you
would grant us deep faith in you.
That you would help us to trust your goodness, your kindness,
your Sovereign plan. Father, we ask that your spirit
teach us today in. Christ's name I pray.
Amen. Let's just start by reading
habakkuk, s complaints. There in habakkuk chapter 1,
verse 12, again, backaches answering God, and he says this,
he says, are you not from Everlasting?
O, Lord my God, my Holy One. We Shall Not Die.
Oh Lord. You have ordained them as a
judgment. So now he's talking about the
Chaldeans and Dane ordained as a judgment, and you will rock have
established them for reproof you who are of purer eyes than to
see evil and cannot look at wrong.
Why do you idly look at Traders and remain silent?
When the wicked swallows up? The man more righteous than he
You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things
that have no ruler. He brings all of them up with a
hook. He drags them out with his net.
He gathers them in his Dragnet. So he rejoices, and is glad
therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his
Dragnet for by them. He lives in luxury and his food
is rich, is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly
killing Nations forever. I will take my stand at my
watch, foes and station myself on the tower and look out to see
what he will say to me. And what I will answer
concerning my complaints. so, let's walk through this a little
bit. Once again, we need to take note
of how bacchic addresses God is Devotion to the Lord shines
through, in the very beginning of his his prayer, his
complaints. Habakkuk teaches us how to go to
God during our distress. Are you not from Everlasting?
O? Lord my God, my Holy One.
Again, we see habakkuk using the Covenant name.
For God, he's addressing him as Lord.
This is how God's people addressed him in the Old
Testament. It was, he is our Lord, he does
not approach. God, like an unbeliever.
He doesn't issue just vain accusations against the Lord.
He doesn't say things. Like, if you're such a good God,
then why do you allow evil? I think he's asking this
question, but it's not, it's not an accusation.
That essentially, God must not exist, is what I'm getting at.
He's clearly saying O, Lord my God, my Holy One, and in doing
so he's recalling the attributes of God.
He's going to God, as a Believer, something that only
Believers would know about God as how he's addressing God, my
Lord. My God.
My Holy One. Are you not from Everlasting?
In other words, he's declaring the, the Eternal nature of God.
He's saying in a sense. I know you are a good God.
You are Eternal. You Are Holy.
You are all-powerful. And then he gets to his
question. So why do you allow evil to go
unpunished? How can you use the wicked
Nation to punish your people? The habakkuk doesn't understand
what's going on. It doesn't understand the
workings of God. He continues to Proclaim his
faith in God. O Lord my God.
My Holy One. Are you not from Everlasting?
And I think that's, I think that's important.
I think the difference between the unbelieving in the believing
approach, may seem faint at first but if you examine the
words and it's a glaring difference, the words that are
used by habakkuk to describe God's, he knows he knows that
God is good, he knows that God is Holy, he knows that he's
Eternal that he's righteous that he's just And that's why
struggling to see. What are you doing?
God. Why would you do this God?
I know that these things are true about you.
So why are you doing this to understand the difference
between that and the way an unbeliever my tissue vein
accusations against God? He goes on in habakkuk 1 verse
13. He says this, he says, you who
are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong.
Why do you idly? Look at Traders and remain
silent? When the wicked swallows up?
The man more righteous than he Yeah, the idea here is and some
translations might do a little bit better job of explaining
what exactly what habakkuk is saying.
That the idea here is that you are.
So pure God, there's no way that you can look favorably at wrong.
It's not that he can't look upon.
It's not that. He doesn't see Sinners.
He sees Sinners, but there's no way he can see Sinners and be in
favor of what they're doing. And this is what habakkuk is
recalling about. The goodness of God.
The just nature of God is that there's no way God that you can
be looking on what they're doing.
And justify it. There's no way you can look upon
what they're doing and be in favor of it.
And this is the the true. This is one of the difficulties
about understanding. God, is that he is, Sovereign,
he is in control of all things. He is ruling over all things,
but he is not the cause of evil. He's not the author of evil
scripture, says, Right? And so it's hard to reconcile
the two, but what we see, this isn't in my notes, but it's
probably worth mentioning. what we see about God, is that there
are there are two There's one will in God.
Let me explain it this way. There's one willing.
God his will is to glorify himself and all the Earth
because this is what's best for Humanity is that God be
glorified? Is that we understand his glory?
That we see his glory that we praise him.
If there's anything that deserves Glory over God.
Well then that thing would be God right?
We should worship it. Not God and so God being God
knowing he's caught Was that it's best that we glorify his
name and so there are two ways this thing flushes itself out
one is, we have the written will of God, we have what we might
call the, I guess the the decreed will of God.
These are the things that he has said, and we know that these
things are, his will Thou shalt not murder.
Is the will of God, right? It's the will of God that no one
murder. Someone.
Amen. Can we agree on that?
Maybe. Okay, maybe we need to back up.
Start a new series, ten commandments.
All right. It's wrong to murder.
Yes or no, right? And so God says, Thou shalt not
murder, but as we looked at last week in Acts chapter 2, we read
that God foreordained, the murder of Christ to accomplish
his will, amen. And so he uses murder to
accomplish great good but God was not the author of the
murder, but he was able to use the murder to cause good.
Amen. How many of, you know, the death
of Jesus Christ is where we see the glory of God at its finest,
it's on display. And it now opens it up as will
see towards the end of this sermon.
It opens us up to be able to experience the glory of God
because Atone for our sins, which separate us from God.
And so, now, through Christ, we can come to God and we can truly
glorify God in ways that we could not previously.
And so there's one willing God and that is that his name be
glorified in all the Earth and he will accomplish that will,
however, he must And thankfully, he is Sovereign, he's big
enough, he's powerful enough, he knows all things and so he can
orchestrate providentially, the events of everything to glorify
his name, the best, amen. It's one of the great mysteries
of God, it's one of the reasons that the psalmist says, your
ways are higher than my ways. Your thoughts are higher than my
thoughts. We can't fully arrive at a full
knowledge, a perfect knowledge of God, but there's much to be
learned. There's much to be discovered
and so in habakkuk 14 first 14, sorry.
Back at chapter 1. And 13 habakkuk is wrestling
with this understanding of the justice of God is, how can you
allow the wicked and Babylon to punish the less Wicked and
Judah. And so he's assuming that Judah
is more righteous because there's at least a Remnant left
in Judah who are believing the Lord who are seeking to follow
the lord faithfully and so they're at least more righteous
in that sense. I may be guilty of a ton of sins
but they're at least more righteous God.
So how can you use Babylon to punish Judah.
Habakkuk thinks. Surely surely that's enough to
keep you from punishing the whole nation.
It's very, it's very similar to Abraham's interaction with the
angel of the Lord in Genesis just before the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah. If there be 50, their Lord.
Will you still destroy if there be 40?
Would you still destroy? If there be 30, if there be 20,
if there be ten? Would you still destroy?
Alright, it's kind of that, that idea.
Save The Righteous preserve, the righteous.
And so in verse 14 habakkuk charges god with allowing
mankind to act, like lower creatures, who have no rulers.
They have no judges because their wickedness marches onward.
Remember last week they were described God describes them as
a wind that just comes through and blows everything.
A scorching wind, it just comes from blows everything in its
path away. It's stood one day, Day.
And now it's gone because the Babylonians have come through In
verse 15 and 17. We get habakkuk, describing the
Evil Nation, we know that he's describing Nation because he
uses the word, he, and the, he and verse 15 references.
Back to the he that we had in, at the end of verse 13.
So you see in verse 13, He says, the man more righteous than he.
And then in verse 15, he starts with.
He brings all of them up with a hook.
That's maybe a literal reference as well.
One of the things that would happen in Back in these days is
Captains were often taken away by ropes that were fixed to
Rings or hooks in their nostrils.
Let away it was a way of humiliating causing further harm
even to their captives. It was a way of saying your
hours. We're going to treat you lower
than animals. and then he says, he drags them out with his net,
he gathers them in his Dragnet, he rejoices and is glad the
Babylonians were literally seen as Gathering up nations of
people Like catching a fit like catching a load of fish in the
net. Again, the reference might be
literal. There are stork images.
On Rock faces and Mesopotamia that show people being hauled
away and Nets. So what is the Evil Nation do?
What does this evil King and Babylon?
Do he rejoices he's glad the back they could say not only do
they commit great evil Against Humanity but they rejoice in it
their hearts are glad the Babylonians not only going
punished their prospering Right. The prospering And so back, it
says, is he then to keep on emptying his net, is he to keep
on mercilessly killing Nations forever?
And here we get the heart of habakkuk complaint.
If you being a holy God, essentially will not put an end
to this, then who will? That's what that's what habakkuk
is asking. God.
Back is discovering that it's hard to reconcile.
God's character with his seeming passivity.
This is a question that's gone throughout the ages.
Is the question we ask today as we survey the landscape of the
world, we live in its it's an easy question to find yourself
asking Why is it that habakkuk is struggling to do this?
Because what we see, is that he correctly affirms, the many some
of the many attributes of God. He's Eternal.
He's holy he's all-powerful, he's good.
He's just how can he continue to look on evil right there for
habakkuk questions. God, and he's essentially saying
this because these things are true about you because you are,
holy and you're good and you're righteous.
You just your all-powerful, how can you identify Stand by while
evil prevails. How can you look upon evil?
Surely you don't look favorably upon the wrong that's being
done. He can't comprehend how God
uses. The more wicked nation of
Babylon to punish the seemingly less Evil Nation of Judah for
God's Own people. And so habakkuk, concludes his
complaint. With a really wise statement.
I think he says, I will take my stand at my watch pose and
station myself on the tower and I'll look out to see what he
will say to me. And what I will answer
concerning my complaints back here is choosing to wait on the
response of God. He's made his case and now he
waits This is faith in action. This is what faith does.
Faith is content to wait on God. Habakkuk fortifies.
His faith by remembering his Covenant with God.
He fortifies his faith by proclaiming the attributes of
God. Nothing.
Strengthens weak Faith. Like remembering your salvation,
remembering the character of God In Prayer.
Remember your salvation recall, your salvation if you read
psalms, you'll notice this theme throughout the Psalms that
there's lots of hardship. There's lots of Heartache, it's
lots of real world, scenarios difficult emotions.
But over and again, the psalmist Proclaim, God is Lord the
recalling, their covenants. They remember you'll see phrases
like Patricia red. One this morning.
We'll remember the steadfast love of God.
They'll say things like, he's always faithful.
One of those moments. They don't feel like he's always
faithful. That's them.
Reminding themselves. God is always faithful.
And this is what habakkuk is doing.
Here is reminding himself, he is my Lord.
He's my God, he's my Holy One. He's from eternity past.
I know he's faithful. But I'm struggling right now.
This is how Faith, how you go to God, in faith, in the midst of
turmoil, the stress particular Shannon.
Whatever you're going through. I've heard it said, I remember
hearing this a lot. I grew up in kind of didn't grow
up in. I spent a lot of time, any kind
of Word of Faith, style churches, where anything that
seems, as though it has some doubt to it or some questions
about God, is seeing as having no faith, or little faith.
And I remember hearing the statement this statement at
times, that worry is practical atheism, Anybody maybe it's just
me. Maybe I'm making this up.
I think I remember. This worry is practical atheism.
Another words it's worry. Is when a Christian says, I
don't believe in God. I don't believe God.
But and I used to wear that. Walk around pretty discouraged.
You know, when I would worry about something I am here, I am
not believing God again. But I think it's better to say
as I've gotten older. I think that this is more true.
One that worry is practical atheism, doesn't exist in
scripture as to what does show up in scripture?
Is that worry is more akin to practical idolatry.
What worry is not the absence of Faith.
It's misplaced Faith. It's putting faith in the wrong.
Things, your doubts, your fears, your worries.
Your concerns are not evidence of no faith or evidence of
misplaced faith, I'm placing my faith in someone.
I'm placing my faith in something.
Some job, some whatever, some good news.
Some King, right? It's not working out for me.
Habakkuk does with all believers.
Must do habakkuk remembers his salvation and because God's
attributes, he brings his questions to God.
He chooses, then to wait on God's response.
So back is clearly planting his flag in the solid ground of
faith in God. That's where he sets up camp,
even though habakkuk does not understand everything that God
is doing. And God told him, you wouldn't
understand it, you wouldn't believe it.
Even if you were told What habakkuk understands is that the
righteous shall live by faith in every situation?
And he write that down today that I think this is the point
of habakkuk is that the righteous shall live by faith in
every situation. Over again, we get these
encouragement throughout scripture.
Habakkuk is just one more place. We find this encouragement.
The live by faith. Let's look at the Lord's
response. It's it's quite lengthy.
And so I won't spend a ton of time on it, but I'll try to
summarize statements that we see God make so that we can work our
way through this. And the Lord answered me back to
verse 2, when the read 2 through 5 and then we'll, we'll talk
about it for a moment. Back to 235 and the Lord
answered me. Write the vision, make it plain
on tablets. So he may run who reads it for
the vision, awaits its appointed time, it hastens to the end, it
will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it.
It will surely come. It will not delay.
Behold his soul is puffed up. Now we're talking about the evil
man. Again, his soul is puffed up, it
is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his
faith. Moreover wine is a traitor, an
arrogant man who is never at rest.
His greed is as wide as she'll like death.
He has never enough. He gathers for himself All
Nations and and collects as his own.
All Peoples, God is pronouncing judgments there in Verses 4 and
5 on the evil man. But in two and three, he's
telling a bacchic, wait for it. Live by faith.
And this response what God is doing is, he's assuring habakkuk
that he will, in fact, act in Justice, I've not forgotten
Justice. I've not forgotten goodness, I'm
not forgotten righteousness. I will punish all the wicked.
When the right time comes, there's an appointed time for
it, and it's not yet habakkuk. They're serving my purpose
first. In verse 2, he says write this
Vision so he may run who reads it back.
It was to record. These interactions for the sake
of the faith of God's people both then.
And now these, these words are Holy Spirit, inspired as is the
rest of the Holy scriptures. They were from the Lord, as we
read habakkuk, we don't read one man's pinned words.
We read words from God written for his people.
Today. Hebrews tells us that the word
of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged
sword. And so we know that these words
have a way of piercing down into US, purifying us.
Great making us more like Christ and so when we read words like
this we need to know God is speaking.
He speaking to us I think the phrase where he says, the one
who reads it will run. It seems that it could have a
double meaning in my study this week.
It's a message on one hand. That's likely a message that is
meant to be spread for the sake of the faith of God's people.
Another word, whoever reads this run and tell others make it
known quickly, encourage the Saints.
Amen. And that's what I'm trying to do
today is a Herald of habakkuk is doing Courage.
The Saints, the second purpose, I think that exists is that it
is a message of God's judgment on the wicked.
He is saying, I will not look favorably on them.
I will not allow Wicked to go unpunished wickedness to go
unpunished. And so the one who reads it, the
one who hears these words coming from God, who is standing in his
wickedness, has no faith in the Lord.
Us run from his wickedness and run to the Lord for salvation.
In verse 3, he says the vision awaits the appointed time.
Wait for. In other words, I have not lost
control of back. I've not forgotten you.
I've not forgotten my people, everything is happening.
According to my predetermined plan, I am sovereignly
orchestrating the events for the good of my people and the glory
of my name. Therefore wait for it.
Hope in God. Historically, the Judgment
coming to Jupiter Judah would happen rather quickly.
But the punishment on the Babylonians, would not come for
about 5 more decades. God pronounces his judgment on
the Babylonians in verse 4. He sticks with that singular.
Personification. That habakkuk used, right?
The evil one, he refers to as he the wicked Nation nation is
puffed up the unrighteous and they might have the king of
Babylon in mine, but but God says, however, the righteous
shall live by his faith, it takes faith in God to exercise
patience and tribulation takes faith in God.
That exercise patience in turmoil and trouble in times of
difficulty. And so God encourages Just uh
backing he encourages the Believers in Judah to live by
faith. But this is the kind of faith
that holds on to God. It's the kind of faith that
won't. Let go of his promises just as a
back. Extending.
This is who you are. I know this is who you are and
now God is saying, you're exactly right, hold on, to those
things. It is who I am.
I've not forgotten you. I've not forgotten that they're
evil. I've not overlooked it Faith
like this. Trust God.
In the middle of things, going off the rails.
The righteous shall live by faith in every situation.
And in verse 6, through 20 God declares 5 woes against the
Babylonians. There's five warnings here that
That we can break into five different ones because they all
have the phrase whoa in them. What was a way of warning?
The evil ones with so it's a way of warning, the wicked Winds of
their wickedness. And he ensures his people that
he is fully aware of the wickedness by pronouncing these
five woes. He calls every one of the things
that habakkuk is most concerned about, he calls them all out.
The the whoa sections, end with two sections.
That are statements about the glory and the greatness of God
in verse 14 and 20. And I think that's an
interesting way to look at these.
But let's just look at the first one.
God says in habakkuk 26. She'll not all these, take up
their taunt, against him with scoffing and riddles for him and
say, woe to him. Who reaps up, what is not his
own for how long and loads himself with pledges will not
your debtors suddenly arise and those awake who will make you
tremble, then you will be spoiled for them because you
have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the people shall
plunder you for the blood of, man, and violence to the Earth
to cities and all who dwell in them.
So God, his first woe is a condemnation of their greed.
It's a condemnation of their greed, all the ones who you made
subject to, you will rise up and destroy you later on your greed,
will get you by your greed, you've caused a lot of harm.
And by your greed, you will reap a lot of harm.
Back to 9 through 11, woe to him, who gets evil gain for his
house to set. His nest, on high to be safe
from the reach of harm. You have devised, shame for your
house by cutting off many people's you have forfeited,
your life with the stone will cry out from the wall and the
beam from the wood from the woodwork respond.
God condemns them again. Now he's condemning them for
relying on what they have greedily obtained.
All of their possessions, their houses they've set themselves in
high places. They think that they are
protected. Because they have destroyed
everything in their path. They think they are the most
Mighty, they're trusting in chariots, the psalmist, might
say. But the righteous Trust In The
Name Of The Lord, Back to 12 through 13, woe to him who
builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity.
Behold. It is not from The Lord of hosts
that people's labor merely for fire and Nations weary
themselves for nothing. So now God condemns them once
again. This time for their violence for
their Injustice against others, the way they have harshly dealt
with plundered. Murdered so many Habakkuk 2:15.
318, the next set of woes woe to him who makes his neighbor's.
Drink, you pour out your wrath and make them drunk in order to
gaze at their nakedness. You will have your fill of shame
instead of Glory drink yourself and show your uncircumcision.
The cup is in the Lord's right hand, that sorry, the cup in the
Lord's. Right hand will come around to
you and utter shame will come up on your glory.
The violence done to Lebanon, will overwhelm you.
As will the destruction of the Beast that terrified them for
the blood of, man, and violence to the Earth.
Two cities, and all who dwell in them.
What profit is an idol. When it's maker, has shaped it.
A metal image, a teacher of lives for his maker, trust his
own creation. And into 15 through 17, I got
ahead of myself with into 15 through 17, God condemns Babylon
for its violence, against its neighbors, and to 18 and 19.
He then begins to condemn them for their Idol making and verse
19. He goes on to say, woe to him
who says, to a wooden thing awake to a silent Stone arise.
Can this teach he says, behold is overlaid with gold and silver
and there is no breath at all in it.
He's condemning the Babylonians for putting their trust in Idols
for worshipping, lifeless things.
God condemns Bible on for its idolatry.
The interesting thing to me about those woes, based on what
we looked at last week, and what we learned about the state of
Judah at this time, why were they coming coming under the
Judgment of God? Well, they were guilty of all of
these very same things. they were guilty of idol worship,
they were guilty of sacrificing their children, They were guilty
of greed. They were guilty of plundering.
I mean, they were guilty of all of these same things.
Judah was not being punished, unfairly Beautiful is only
getting. More.
A stronger version I guess of what they themselves were
already guilty of. And you got to think that
probably Judah did that probably rebelled against God?
They turned to Idols, they adopted the way of the
Babylonians. Why Probably to save themselves
and hopes of saving themselves. It's a, it's a conforming to the
world. Hoping that the world does not
destroy you. It's foolishness the world will
always destroy you. this is why Christ says, if any of you wants
to save himself, he must lose himself.
Christ says Lose Yourself for my sake and you will find life, but
if you seek to save your own life it will be destroyed.
But God assures habakkuk, the Babylonians will not get away
with their sinfulness. Either the nation of Judah
needs. This judgment is like we talked
about last week, the discipline of the Lord is good.
It's one of the hardest things to talk with people about in
counseling. It's one of the greatest
realizations I ever came to and it was it's been a few years
back now. I remember thinking to myself as
as Sin as being exposed, it stinks, It's not fun.
But what Grace, what Grace from God, to want, to expose our sin
that we might be rid of it and turn ourselves to the Lord.
Finally. And then if your sins not
exposed, if your sin doesn't come under judgment, if you
don't receive discipline from the Lord as a loving father
disciplines his children, Then you'll continue to run out into
traffic. You'll continue to touch hot
stoves, you'll continue to stick, screwdrivers and light
sockets. All right.
The discipline of the father is good for us, the discipline of a
righteous father is wonderful for us. in verses 14 and 20, I
mentioned that he issues the statements about his glory that
are really fascinating. Look at verse 14.
I think what he's doing in verses 14 to 20 is he's giving
Isaiah promises to hold onto in the middle of this.
Let me tell you something, I back.
Sorry. I said Isaiah, let me tell you
something. Habakkuk that you can hold onto
in the middle of this. In verse 14, he says for the
Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the
Lord as the waters, cover the sea.
Amen. As the waters, cover the sea.
The sea is water. Absolutely.
What a thought? It doesn't look like the world
that habakkuk is currently living in.
And habakkuk. No doubt thinks what in the
world but didn't look at verse 20.
They're making Idols, they're guilty of this in verses 18 and
19. And then in verse 20 says, but
the Lord remember the, he condemns them for Idol.
Making these Idols are lifeless. There's no breath in them and
then verse 20 says, but the Lord is in his holy Temple.
Let all the Earth keeps silence before him amazing.
There's a wonderful contrast, I think between 18 and 19 and then
verse 20 and 18, 19, you have Idols which are silence.
You have Idols, which are lifeless.
They're inactive their week, the can't do anything for you, you
sacrifice to them in vain, it's of no benefit to yourself.
And then, in verse 20, you have the Living God, who is active
and strong and he's saying I'm sitting in throne in heaven, I'm
ruling over the Earth perfectly. He is the one who is worthy of
all honor and praise. He's the one who's worthy of our
adoration. He's the one who's worthy of our
devotion, he will not be mocked. And all the Earth must keep
silent before him. God says, but all the Earth
keeps silence before him. No one can bring a charge
against God, that will stand. No one can put God in his debt.
You will. It, if you will keep silence
before the Lord. If you will watch his mighty
works, if you will seek to know him, you will see that his glory
is unmatched. The knowledge of the glory of
the Lord, will fill your life. If only you will trust him.
Brothers and sisters. The, I want this passage of
God's word to serve to strengthen your faith.
I wanted to deepen, your faith in Christ Jesus, deepen.
Your faith in the Lord because what's happening is God, is
showing habakkuk and he and then showing her back.
He's showing each one of us that evil may have its day in
prosperity, but it will never ultimately Prosper.
It will not stay prosperous, evil, will come to an end.
It will not Prosper because God is good.
God is holy God is righteous, he's just he's Everlasting.
He will see to it that it comes to an end.
He is Sovereign Lee orchestrating all things for his
own purposes. His righteous judgment may seem
slow to us but it will surely come if we will.
Wait New Testament Believers in Exile in the book of Peter.
He's right. Adding two new testament
churches that were in Exile. And in second Peter chapter 3,
he writes to them concerning this very thing about evil,
which was prevalent. Prospering evil.
And this is what Peter says, how God responds through Peter to
the concerns of his people and second Peter chapter 3, verse 8,
he says but do not overlook this one.
Fact beloved that with the Lord one day is a thousand years and
a thousand years as one day, the Lord is not slow to fulfill his
promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you.
Not wishing that, any should perish, but that all should
reach repentance. You see God doesn't measure time
like we do. He's outside of time.
He's infinite and we are fa nights.
His judgment is sure, but he waits so that many might come to
know his salvation through Christ Jesus, he's Gathering his
people and so there's no, there's no shortage of Earthly
kingdoms that rise to power in one breath and then fall in the
next, but our hope is never in Earthly kingdoms, it's never an
Earthly Kings. God's righteousness, will always
Triumph in the engine. The knowledge of the glory of
Lord will cover. The Earth is the same as the
water covers the Seas. I was promised in habakkuk
Chapter 2 is ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
Jesus. God's righteousness, will
Triumph. On the last day when Christ
returns as king of kings, and Lord of lords to execute the
righteous Judgment of God, every knee will bow.
And every tongue will confess that he is Lord to the glory of
God, the Father Paul writes in Philippians 2, 10 and 11.
Christ came first. As a baby, the live, a lot of
perfect life, as a Son of God, to satisfy the demands of the
law to atone for the sins of the people of God.
Resurrected, he stands before his disciples in Matthew chapter
28 and he says all authority on Heaven and Earth has been given
to me. And so now Christ Reigns as king
of kings, Lord of lords. He will.
Judge. Righteously on that last day.
And the evil that seems to Prevail today will have its day
of judgment. It will not go on prevailing.
It's in the perfect life of Christ.
It's in his sacrificial death, that's in his Victorious.
Resurrection as Eternal Reign that the glory of God is finally
revealed to all Humanity that we finally get the full picture of
the glory of God. And so God calls his people and
habakkuk chapter 2. He calls his people in Romans
chapter 1, Galatians chapter 3, Hebrews chapter 10, using this
very same phrase, saying the righteous shall live by faith.
He causes people to live by faith and it's by faith that you
embrace the grace of God that was revealed in Christ Jesus.
It Is by faith that Believers walk through life, but it's not
a blind faith. It's not just some hopeless
Faith. It's not some it's not built on
fairytales, it's not built on wild stories.
It's a faith. That's rooted.
In the promises of God, it's a faith.
That's rooted in the character of God, it's a faith.
That's rooted in the word of God.
Brothers and sisters. I encourage whether old or young
exercise a deep-rooted trust in Christ.
Trust the providential work of God trust that God is ever
present trust that he resides in heaven and that God is Not
stifled by the wicked. He's not his plans are not
thwarted by the wicked. He doesn't look upon witnessing
down my plan. Didn't it didn't work out again.
You see the wicked unbeknownst to themselves.
Serve the providential purposes of God.
The wicked unbeknownst themselves are glorifying.
The god that they say, that they hate so much.
For bringing glory to God. He accomplishes everything,
according to his own righteousness, according to his
own wife wisdom. The righteous shall live by
faith in every situation. In Psalm chapter 2, we have
this. Wonderful Psalm that goes so
well with the end of this. Me read it to you worship team.
You guys can come as I'm reading this says this.
Why do the nation's rage? And the people's plot in vain.
The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers.
Take counsel together against the Lord and against his
anointed saying. Let us burst their bonds apart
and Cast Away their cords from us.
In other words, the rulers of the world are saying.
Let us destroy God and his people. and then in verse for
the psalmist writes, he who sits in the heavens, laughs He holds
them in derision. Then he will speak to them in
his wrath and terrify them in his Fury saying.
As for me, I have set my king on.
Zion my Holy Hill, you think your Authority my purposes?
Haha, as for me I set my king upon my Holy Hill.
I will tell of the decree. The Lord said to me, you are my
son today. I have begotten, you ask of me
and I will make the nation's your heritage and the ends of
the Earth, your possession. You shalt break them with a rod
of iron and dash them in pieces like a Potter's vessel.
And then the warning back to the Kings now.
Therefore o Kings be wise, be warned, a rulers of the earth,
serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling kiss, the
son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way for his wrath
as quickly. Kindled blessed are all who take
refuge in him. Amen, take refuge by faith in
the Lord. Amen.
Unbelievers, you're in here today and you say, I don't
believe in Jesus Christ. I don't believe any of this.
I'm unsure of it. I encourage you to Bow before
the Son of God today, the surrender your life to him, to
turn away from your wickedness. It will not Prosper.
It will come under the Judgment of God.
But a few will today turn from your sin turn to the Lord Jesus.
You can be saved. And when the Lord looks at you,
he will look at his son Christ in you and you'll be saved from
your sins forever. Forever.
You will not come under the Judgment of God.
You'll receive the blessing, the reward of eternal life.
Brothers and sisters in here. Let us not waver in our faith
during these tumultuous days. Let us trust in the Lord Our God
above all else. Amen.
Did you stand your feet while I pray for you.
Father, we love you, we thank you.
Lord, for your kindness toward us, we thank you for your mercy,
your grace, which we've received and we've seen perfectly in
Jesus Christ. Heavenly father, would you help
us have a deep-seated faith? A faith that goes beyond.
What we see that is rooted in what?
We know from your word, it's rooted in, what we know about,
your, your character, it's rooted in your promises that no
matter what the world looks like right now, the knowledge of the
glory of the Lord will cover the Earth.
And though, it looks like the idols of man or prevailing there
breathless there lifeless, and our God.
Is enthroned in the heavens. Father, would you grant us the
strength each day to walk this life by faith?
Help us to not be worried about tomorrow and help us to trust
you today to live for you today. Help us to know that all of our
strength comes from Christ, Jesus.
That our only hope is Christ. And father, when we stand
before, you on that day, it will be because of Christ.
Lord, we love you in Christ's name we pray.
Amen. Lord, we love you in Christ's
name we pray. Amen.