1
00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:02,080
Welcome to Common Ground One 
book. 

2
00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:04,720
We are so glad you've joined us 
for today's message. 

3
00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:08,400
Whether you tuning in from home 
or catching up on another go, we

4
00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,000
pray that this word encourages 
you, strengthens your faith, and

5
00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,640
draws you closer to God. 
If you'd like to learn more 

6
00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:17,480
about our church, connect with 
us or get involved, you will 

7
00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:19,800
find all the details in the 
description. 

8
00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:22,400
Now let's dive into today's 
message as you. 

9
00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:28,000
Know we're currently busy with 
our series in the book of 

10
00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:33,160
Habakkuk under the subject to 
under the theme A nation under 

11
00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:40,320
God's judgement, A nation under 
God's judgement, Habakkuk 

12
00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:45,160
chapter 1 Amen. 
Please feel free to go to your 

13
00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:49,200
contents page and then look at 
where you can find Habakkuk 

14
00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,440
because it might take you a 
whole hour to get there. 

15
00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,400
Amen. 
I once preached from the book of

16
00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:57,920
Obadiah and someone says, I 
never realized you have a book 

17
00:00:57,920 --> 00:00:59,560
called the Book of Abadiah in 
the Bible. 

18
00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,760
So it's one of those books that 
we really people don't read as 

19
00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,280
much. 
So Habakkuk chapter 1. 

20
00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,240
And we read last week from verse
5 to verse 11. 

21
00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,640
And so this morning let us 
quickly read from verse 12. 

22
00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:20,200
Are you not from everlasting? 
O Lord, my God, my holy one, we 

23
00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:24,280
shall not die. 
Oh Lord, you have ordained them 

24
00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,320
as a judgment, and you, O rock, 
have established them for 

25
00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:32,240
reproof. 
You who are of pure eyes than to

26
00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:37,280
see evil and cannot look it 
wrong, why do you ideally look 

27
00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,200
at traitors? 
To remain silent when the wicked

28
00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,120
swallows up the more righteous 
than he. 

29
00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:48,440
You make mankind like the fish 
of the sea, like crawling things

30
00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,800
that have no ruler. 
He brings all of them up with a 

31
00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,240
hook. 
He drags them out with his net, 

32
00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:57,960
and he gathers them in his 
dragnet. 

33
00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:03,440
So he rejoices and is glad. 
Therefore he sacrifices to his 

34
00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,720
net and makes offering to his 
dragnet. 

35
00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:10,080
For by them he leaves in luxury,
and his food is rich. 

36
00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:15,280
Is he then to keep on emptying 
his net and mercilessly, 

37
00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:17,640
mercilessly killing nations 
forever? 

38
00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:23,680
I will take my stand at my watch
post and station myself on the 

39
00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:28,840
tower and look out to see what 
he will say to me and what I 

40
00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,120
will answer concerning my 
complaint. 

41
00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,720
Take away to Pam Guba in Dulin 
and Dabba's back corner is with 

42
00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:43,040
our comedy calling me Gonna 
Pagadi Tetanathan Gallu Take 

43
00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:49,680
away to XNNG come, oh God, and 
dwell among us this morning 

44
00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,760
through the proclamation, the 
teaching and the preaching of 

45
00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:58,120
your word this morning, Oh God, 
we echoed the words of the 

46
00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:03,080
psalmist that oh, how much we 
love your law, for your law is 

47
00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:08,640
sweeter than honey. 
And so, Lord, we pray that come 

48
00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:14,600
and speak to us this morning for
the right of Hebrews. 

49
00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,640
Oh, God declares that your word 
is sharper than a double edged 

50
00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:20,440
sword. 
Therefore release it among us 

51
00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:22,400
this morning. 
Therefore, that I pray that let 

52
00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:26,680
the Saints be edified this 
morning and you be glorified in 

53
00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:30,520
our midst. 
We ask this in your name, Amen. 

54
00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:35,440
So the title of this message 
this morning is The Mystery of 

55
00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:40,160
God's Ways. 
The interrogative statement for 

56
00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:44,760
this message today is how should
you respond when we cannot make 

57
00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:51,560
sense of what God is doing? 
And we will look at that under 2

58
00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:53,600
points this morning. 
I'm sure they'll probably be up 

59
00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:58,120
on the screen. 
And for those of you perhaps who

60
00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:01,800
weren't here last week, and 
perhaps just a recap for those 

61
00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:06,080
who were here last week, because
I think for us to understand 

62
00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:11,200
these verses from verse 12 to 
verse 17 and chapter 2 of verse 

63
00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:15,280
one, again, we need to be 
reminded of the context. 

64
00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:18,640
Indeed, Habakuk is not a easy 
book to understand. 

65
00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:21,680
But when we understand the 
context, it becomes a little bit

66
00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,840
easy to unlock the the, the 
message that Habakuk wants to 

67
00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:29,520
bring to us this morning. 
And So what is the situation 

68
00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:34,240
that is confronting the prophet?
As we have said last week, that 

69
00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:39,520
this is a lament that Haba 
Google sees Israel or the nation

70
00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:43,280
of Judah, the southern nation of
Judah has backslidden. 

71
00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:46,960
The people of God have moved 
away from God. 

72
00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:51,200
So we see wickedness, immortal 
decay, we see violence, and we 

73
00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:55,360
see injustice. 
Judah at this time is in the 

74
00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:59,080
brink of invasion. 
The economy is collapsing, there

75
00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:02,560
is lawlessness and there is 
political chaos. 

76
00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:08,800
But more importantly so, the law
of God is paralyzed that the 

77
00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:11,840
people of God have neglected the
Torah. 

78
00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:15,200
Religion has become 
nationalistic as well as 

79
00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:17,120
ritualistic. 
In other words, there is no 

80
00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:22,000
longer true worship from Judah. 
Judah is no longer worshipping 

81
00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,960
in truth nor worshipping in 
spirit. 

82
00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,080
The situation is worse that as 
you read the book of Habakkuk, 

83
00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:33,240
you'll find that good man with 
silence and evil man had the 

84
00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:37,080
stage and is the complaints. 
In Habakkuk chapter one verse 

85
00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:41,320
one to four, you can see more 
clearly that those were supposed

86
00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:45,040
to uphold the law of God, 
ignored the law of God 

87
00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:50,480
altogether. 
The guilty was set free and the 

88
00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:55,120
innocent was punished to such an
extent that in Judah at this 

89
00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:59,240
time, the judges would ignore 
the crimes of the powerful and 

90
00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:03,120
the connected, and in fact they 
would punish the innocent. 

91
00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:07,240
It gets worse, Judah. 
At this point in time, the kings

92
00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:08,680
themselves. 
In fact, if you study the 

93
00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:12,560
history of Abu, you'll find that
the king that was leading at 

94
00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:16,720
this point in time was an evil 
king to such an extent that they

95
00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:20,760
would offer, they'd offer 
sacrifices to Molech and burn 

96
00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:24,080
their own children towards that 
God. 

97
00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,760
It is a situation where godly 
worship is twisted. 

98
00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,960
Good voices have been silenced. 
We see the people of God have 

99
00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:38,080
rebelled against God. 
They have become wicked before 

100
00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,600
God. 
And in this situation, God 

101
00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:46,520
raises up a prophet because his 
own people have become so 

102
00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,960
wicked. 
He raises up a prophet to speak 

103
00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,600
on his behalf. 
Because a prophet is the mouth 

104
00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:57,800
of God to God's people. 
He is going to speak a message 

105
00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,040
of God. 
But Habakkuk himself is going to

106
00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,960
struggle with what God is going 
to say to him. 

107
00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:07,800
Hence his name means an embracer
because Habakug is going to have

108
00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:12,520
to embrace the burden for Judah,
but also he's going to embrace 

109
00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:16,200
his own strong faith towards 
Yahweh. 

110
00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,280
He's going to wrestle with 
theological questions because 

111
00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:25,160
God is going to rock his 
theological world because he is 

112
00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:30,160
living under the nation and he 
is living under God's judgment. 

113
00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:36,240
Habakug is wrestling with the 
fact that how can a good God act

114
00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,680
in a way in which he's going to 
act? 

115
00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:42,880
As we're going to see now, he is
struggling to reconcile the 

116
00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:47,080
goodness of God, the character 
of God, the nature of God, with 

117
00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:50,240
the reality that he sees right 
in front of him. 

118
00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:55,280
So chapters 1 and chapter 2, it 
is Habaggook's dialogue with 

119
00:07:55,280 --> 00:08:00,280
God, a conversation with God, a 
prayer to God, and God answers 

120
00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:02,520
Habaggook. 
And as we as we would see in 

121
00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:06,240
chapter 3, when God answers 
Habakkuk, Habakkuk worships. 

122
00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,920
He prays and worships and writes
a poem. 

123
00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:11,880
And in this poem we read in 
chapter 3 that ought to be 

124
00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:15,680
played with an instrument. 
So chapter 1 and chapter 2, 

125
00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:19,120
Habakkuk is frustrated. 
In chapter 3 Habakkuk is filled 

126
00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:26,840
with faith for what God is doing
and so having that background as

127
00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:30,800
we look at the the verses from 
verse 12 to verse 17 and chapter

128
00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:35,400
2 verse one church, we first 
ought to be reminded that the 

129
00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:38,960
manner in which Christians face 
trials sometimes is quite 

130
00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,159
different from the non Christian
world. 

131
00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:46,280
Often we don't see things from 
the way the world see things. 

132
00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:51,480
We also have to see things from 
a God perspective and for us to 

133
00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:54,920
see things from the God 
perspective, we must have an 

134
00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:59,640
understanding of the character 
of God and who God is. 

135
00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:05,120
And so as we read Ephesians one,
verse 11, it says this God is 

136
00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:09,600
working all things after the 
counsel of his will. 

137
00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:13,280
God determines history. 
God knows history. 

138
00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:16,760
God controls everything. 
In other words, there is nothing

139
00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:20,000
in this world that takes God by 
surprise. 

140
00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:24,320
No matter how good, no matter 
how bad, God is never surprise. 

141
00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:29,960
We can never plan a surprise 
party for God because He knows 

142
00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,160
all things. 
God is all wise. 

143
00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:36,240
God sees far and in Habakkuk in 
chapter 12, you can see the 

144
00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:38,920
words that he is using there. 
In fact, you could just preach 

145
00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:42,720
on verse 12 here alone because 
verse 12 is loaded. 

146
00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,600
There's so much to say in verse 
12 as you can see that God who 

147
00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:51,360
is everlasting, God, who is all 
knowing God's sovereignty is 

148
00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:55,240
never connect, is never 
disconnected from his character.

149
00:09:56,080 --> 00:10:00,760
God remains good. 
God is all wise. 

150
00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:04,760
As I've said, He never acts in a
way that is contrary to his 

151
00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:09,280
nature and his character. 
Unlike the God of the Chaldeans.

152
00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:13,240
Habakkuk reminds us that God, he
is from eternity. 

153
00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:19,400
From eternity, His throne is 
above the world and he is above 

154
00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:24,480
time and outside of time. 
And so God, we must be reminded 

155
00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:28,680
that God is supreme and 
sovereign. 

156
00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,640
And so even as ABBA book is 
battling and struggling with 

157
00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:34,400
questions, but he must still 
think about the very character 

158
00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:39,800
of who God is. 
Theology proper is very 

159
00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:45,240
important to understand the very
nature of who God is. 

160
00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:51,120
Ecclesiastes 311 says can we 
cannot find out what God has 

161
00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:53,320
done from the beginning to the 
end. 

162
00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:58,720
Romans 1133, God's judgment are 
unsearchable and his ways 

163
00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:01,160
incomprehensible. 
To whom are they 

164
00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:07,520
incomprehensible to us? 
And so that is why Habakkuk is 

165
00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:12,880
battling because he can't 
understand what God is doing and

166
00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,720
why is God doing what he is 
doing? 

167
00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:21,840
If God is holy, how does he use 
evil and sin towards his own 

168
00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:27,000
people? 
Habakkuk is battling with this. 

169
00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:30,960
He knows that these people are 
violent. 

170
00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:37,080
The the, the, the Chaldeans, the
Babylonians are violent and they

171
00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:41,680
are coming for the people of God
to bring God's discipline to 

172
00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:44,600
them. 
And Habakkuk is battling because

173
00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,360
he's battling with the fact that
God, you have chosen us. 

174
00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:52,400
We are the children of Abraham. 
You are the one who have set us 

175
00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:56,080
apart. 
Why then would you use these 

176
00:11:56,080 --> 00:12:01,880
people to discipline us? 
Not as Habaguk says we shall not

177
00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:06,000
die as he gives himself hope. 
But God had told him before. 

178
00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:08,280
Listen, Habagu is going to be 
bad man. 

179
00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:13,880
He's going to be bad. 
I am not sending a weak army to 

180
00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:17,840
deal with you. 
I am sending a strong, a 

181
00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:22,880
violent, a hasty army to come 
and deal with you. 

182
00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:24,840
They're going to wipe you out. 
Me. 

183
00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:30,240
I'm sending them and God is 
saying I am sending them because

184
00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:34,680
they are going to be my reproof,
my discipline, my judgment to my

185
00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:39,280
people. 
We must never forget that God 

186
00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:44,840
does discipline His own people 
is throughout Scripture. 

187
00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:47,440
You can see it from Adam and 
Eve. 

188
00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:49,640
You can see it from David's 
life. 

189
00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:52,160
You can see it from Jonah and 
many other people. 

190
00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:59,240
God does discipline his people. 
Job 517 says blessed is the man 

191
00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:04,040
who God corrects. 
God does discipline. 

192
00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:07,320
In fact, God's discipline is a 
blessing for the church. 

193
00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,320
Why? 
Because the discipline of God 

194
00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:15,920
purifies the church. 
God disciplines us for our good 

195
00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:19,960
so that we may share in His 
Holiness. 

196
00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:29,120
Now, is God's discipline easy? 
No, God's discipline is hard. 

197
00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:31,840
Listen to what Hebrews 12 verse 
11 says. 

198
00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:36,560
No discipline seems pleasant at 
the time, but painful later on. 

199
00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:40,000
However, it produces a harvest 
of righteousness and pit for 

200
00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:42,960
those who have been trained by 
it. 

201
00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:47,080
Discipline can be distasteful, 
it can be hard, but it is meant 

202
00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:52,120
to be corrective. 
God does discipline His own 

203
00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:55,160
people. 
It's not just a New Testament 

204
00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:58,440
thing, even Old Testament, but 
also we sit in the New Testament

205
00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:02,360
where God disciplines His people
to bring them into a new 

206
00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:05,840
direction, to change in their 
sinful attitudes, their actions,

207
00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:10,280
their thoughts. 
God uses that, Puritan Stephen 

208
00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:14,120
Channock writes. 
We often learn more of God under

209
00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:19,240
the road that strike us than 
under the staff that comforts 

210
00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:24,800
us. 
God disciplines those he loves. 

211
00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:28,240
Now think of yourself as a 
parent. 

212
00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:31,680
Imagine a parent who never 
disciplines their children. 

213
00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:36,200
That's not a good parent. 
But also we must remember that 

214
00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:38,960
children at times don't like to 
be disciplined. 

215
00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:42,000
You know, they'll throw toys at 
times, but they don't like 

216
00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:44,760
discipline. 
But the parent still needs to 

217
00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:46,880
discipline. 
And the child might even say, 

218
00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:49,480
Dad, I hate you, mum, I hate 
you. 

219
00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,800
But the parent still needs to to
discipline. 

220
00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,080
Why? 
For the good of that child. 

221
00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,240
That's how God does it at times.
When we say, God, why are you 

222
00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:00,800
doing this? 
And God said it's for your own 

223
00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:04,320
good that I'm actually 
disciplining you. 

224
00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:09,280
But I also want you to to note 
this and so that we are careful.

225
00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:13,840
It does not mean when we go 
through difficult time in our 

226
00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,240
lives that God is disciplining 
us all the time. 

227
00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:21,120
OK, We must note that in Job, 
the Bible says he was an upright

228
00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:23,520
man. 
He was a blameless man, and yet 

229
00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:25,400
he suffered. 
He didn't do anything. 

230
00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:30,480
So sometimes difficulty and 
suffering does not mean we've 

231
00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:33,600
actually done anything wrong. 
That's why even God rebukes one 

232
00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:40,840
of Job's friends by the times. 
God does use discipline to bring

233
00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:46,440
us into the right path. 
And so Habakkuk is battling his 

234
00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:49,960
saying to God, I know the 
discipline is coming and the 

235
00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,440
discipline is going to be so 
he's saying God, but your eyes 

236
00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:55,640
are too pure to look at evil. 
In other words, God, why would 

237
00:15:55,640 --> 00:16:02,520
you use evil to discipline your 
righteous people while in verse 

238
00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:05,520
13 it says why do you either 
look at traitors and remain 

239
00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:09,200
silent when the wicked swallows 
up the man more righteous than 

240
00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:12,560
he, Lee and and Ryan can come 
forward. 

241
00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:14,600
I just want to quickly 
illustrate this and come 

242
00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:19,760
forward, please. 
So here's the OK, we'll make you

243
00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:21,240
have a cook today. 
That's fine. 

244
00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:24,280
Sorry man, you, you the bad 
guys. 

245
00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:30,840
OK, so so if we pretend this is 
have a cook and this is the the 

246
00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:35,320
Chaldeans, this is Babylonians 
and Habakkuk in chapter in in 

247
00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:38,160
verse 13, he is battling with a 
dilemma. 

248
00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:42,600
God, he is saying we have sinned
against you. 

249
00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:48,880
We know that we've sinned, but 
we are much better than these 

250
00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,160
guys. 
These guys are violent. 

251
00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,880
These guys worship pagans. 
They worship, they worship false

252
00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:58,000
gods. 
They don't know true worship. 

253
00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:03,720
At least we are your own people.
Therefore why would you use the 

254
00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:09,119
worst people to discipline those
who are at least OK? 

255
00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:13,640
Like why? 
We can sit down guys. 

256
00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,520
Thank you. 
So he, he is battling with the 

257
00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:19,400
character of God. 
He he's not denying that they've

258
00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:21,280
sinned. 
He said, no, we know God, we 

259
00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:28,040
have sinned, but why would you 
use the Babylonians against us? 

260
00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:33,880
These guys are wicked. 
We, in fact, the Bible used the 

261
00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:35,640
word righteous. 
In other words, Habakkuk seems 

262
00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:39,480
to suggest it is we are a little
bit more righteous than these 

263
00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:44,280
people. 
And so too, Habakkuk, he's faced

264
00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:46,160
with two things. 
God, why are you using evil? 

265
00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:49,960
Why are you using sin #2? 
Why are you using these people 

266
00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:52,760
who are worse than us to 
discipline us? 

267
00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:58,600
Why are you dealing with them? 
You know they're evil too. 

268
00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:00,320
Why are you dealing with us 
only? 

269
00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,120
Why can't you deal with the 
Babylonians as well? 

270
00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:09,640
What a dilemma for the prophet 
don't we have? 

271
00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,320
Don't we sometimes have similar 
questions in our own lives? 

272
00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:18,600
Don't we sometimes ask why do we
have wicked people in positions 

273
00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:22,120
of power? 
We ask the times, why are we led

274
00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:27,120
by the wicked? 
Why are they in power? 

275
00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:32,920
We may even ask ourselves, why 
are we seeing those who commit 

276
00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:37,160
crimes not not not not being 
punished for that? 

277
00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:41,800
Why does it seem as though the 
corrupt is succeeding and and, 

278
00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:48,440
and it's flourishing? 
We may ask ourselves Lord, what 

279
00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:53,640
we saw at Tembisa Hospital when 
the SIU said 2 million has 2 

280
00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:57,320
billion has been stolen at the 
hospital and we can we say Lord 

281
00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:00,200
please what? 
What's that when 2 billion can 

282
00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,920
be stolen from the poor? 
We say Lord, what is this? 

283
00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:07,120
And we are filled with holy 
anger at that moment as the 

284
00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:11,000
people who needs those services 
and money stolen, we say that 

285
00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:15,520
what is happening to our nation?
Why are we seeing so much 

286
00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:21,640
injustice in our nation? 
And we cry out like Habakkuk as 

287
00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:25,840
well and we say, Lord, why don't
you deal with the Chaldeans? 

288
00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,440
Why don't you deal with those 
who rob and steal a corrupt? 

289
00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:33,760
Why don't you do that? 
Let me guarantee you, God does 

290
00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:39,960
not look away. 
God deals with these things as 

291
00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,880
you would see. 
God has not ignored the 

292
00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,400
Babylonians. 
He has not ignored the Chaldeas.

293
00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:49,720
He will deal with them in his 
own time, but for now He is 

294
00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:52,920
dealing with his own people. 
He's saying, let me start with 

295
00:19:52,960 --> 00:20:00,400
you, then we will move to them. 
God does not look away. 

296
00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:05,440
Therefore, if God does not look 
away from injustice, we too 

297
00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:10,200
ought not look away. 
Church we are not. 

298
00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:14,080
We are called to speak for the 
voiceless, those who are 

299
00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:18,640
marginalised, those who are at 
the bottom of the pyramid, those

300
00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:22,400
who are unfairly treated. 
The church and all of us 

301
00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:30,080
corporate the voice for them. 
This work among family members, 

302
00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:41,120
we have to speak up in our 
country, the gender violence and

303
00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:46,720
has been the president has 
declared it to be a national 

304
00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:50,840
disaster. 
It means something has got to be

305
00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:54,440
done and the church cannot keep 
quiet regarding gender based 

306
00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:57,600
violence and femicide. 
The church has got to speak up 

307
00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:02,080
for women and children who have 
been abused and killed. 

308
00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,440
We can't. 
God must bring brings his 

309
00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:10,120
justice, but also he uses us to 
speak up. 

310
00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:19,160
It was Edmund Burke who said 
silence in the face itself. 

311
00:21:22,120 --> 00:21:35,680
Keep quiet around these. 
God calls us to speak. 

312
00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,480
I think I was sharing with 
someone the other day, the, the,

313
00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:42,960
the lady, my former boys, my 
former boss, a lady that I work 

314
00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:44,280
with. 
I have so much respect for her. 

315
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:47,800
I've worked for that Lady for 14
years of my life. 

316
00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:50,800
An extraordinary leader with a 
sharp mind. 

317
00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,880
But one of the things I loved 
about serving under her for so 

318
00:21:54,880 --> 00:22:01,800
many years was that she would 
never compromise her core, her 

319
00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:05,000
conviction at the altar of 
convenience. 

320
00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:08,560
She never did that and people 
would say can we give you money 

321
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:10,920
for that and that and do the can
we do money for this and this 

322
00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:14,000
and she would say if this thing 
does not align with our values 

323
00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:16,320
as a Christ centered 
organization, we don't want your

324
00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:20,440
money. 
We rather not and we think we 

325
00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:25,440
need that money. 
This is not we can't keep our 

326
00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:33,880
kids this particular thing in 
Logue good Christ. 

327
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:39,200
And that's what it means at 
times, the cost that one has to 

328
00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:43,200
pay because of their conviction,
because of their own values and 

329
00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:49,800
what God has called us to do. 
Therefore, Habakkuk must be 

330
00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:54,320
reminded of God's covenant. 
Love Church. 

331
00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,560
I want us to remind us also too,
that in in hard times and in 

332
00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:03,200
trials, at times we again may 
feel that God is distant, that 

333
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:07,640
God has deserted us, that God is
not longer close to us. 

334
00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:12,440
But can I remind you that the 
character of God and the nature 

335
00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:16,960
of God does not change? 
I want you to notice a few 

336
00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:21,200
people from Scripture. 
God did not stop loving the 

337
00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:24,440
apostles when they were 
imprisoned, beaten, whipped and 

338
00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:28,640
stoned and shipwrecked. 
God did not stop loving Job when

339
00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:30,840
he lost his wealth, his 
children, his health. 

340
00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:35,160
He did not stop. 
God ultimately did not stop 

341
00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:39,240
loving Jesus when he was forced 
to convicted, beaten, tortured, 

342
00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:45,320
and crucified. 
God does not stop loving us even

343
00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:48,720
when we find ourselves on the 
sea of affliction. 

344
00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:54,480
God has not stopped loving us. 
God is with us. 

345
00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:57,880
In fact, in Romans 83540 says 
Who shall? 

346
00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:00,040
What shall separate us from the 
love of Christ? 

347
00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:03,480
Shall tribulations distress, 
persecution, famine or 

348
00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:06,760
nakedness, or dangerous sword as
it did written for your sake? 

349
00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:08,680
We are being killed all day 
long. 

350
00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:10,880
We are regarded as sheep to be 
slaughtered. 

351
00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,360
No, in all these things we are 
more than conquest through 

352
00:24:14,360 --> 00:24:17,440
Christ who loves us. 
I am sure that neither nor 

353
00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:21,040
death, nor life, nor angels, nor
rulers, nor things present 

354
00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:24,760
things to come, nor powers, nor 
height, nor depth, nor anything 

355
00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:28,840
in all of creation, we'll be 
able to separate us from the 

356
00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:32,920
love of Christ. 
Absolutely nothing can separate 

357
00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:36,720
the redeemed, the sanctified 
from the love of Christ. 

358
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:41,200
No matter what is happening in 
our lives cannot remind you. 

359
00:24:41,360 --> 00:24:44,000
Do you want to know how much God
loves you? 

360
00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:49,160
Look at the cloth. 
That is how much God loves you, 

361
00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:52,640
that He would give His only 
begotten Son on your behalf to 

362
00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:56,400
die in your place for your sin. 
That's how much He loves you. 

363
00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:01,200
Therefore He will not. 
He will not desert you. 

364
00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:06,320
He will not leave you. 
He is with us. 

365
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:13,640
You ought to be reminded that He
gave His precious, precious gift

366
00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:17,240
to us. 
Therefore, when safety is taken,

367
00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:22,120
when comfort is taken, when 
security and shelter and peace 

368
00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:26,360
are taken from us, He does not 
mean God does not love us. 

369
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:32,200
He loves us infinitely. 
He loves us forever. 

370
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:45,880
So God may be disciplining us, 
but he still loves us. 

371
00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:52,120
And so we're going to see, as we
see now in Habakkuk verse 14 to 

372
00:25:52,120 --> 00:25:56,160
verse 17, there's an interesting
imagery and analogy from verse 

373
00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:58,720
14 to verse 17. 
It's quite a, it's quite an 

374
00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:02,840
interesting analogy. 
And as you can see from those 

375
00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:06,960
verses, that mankind are like 
the fish of the sea. 

376
00:26:07,120 --> 00:26:10,840
And of course, mankind in this 
context represents the people of

377
00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:14,600
God, the nation of Judah, the 
southern nation of Judah, the 

378
00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:17,720
Israelites. 
The fishermen in this context 

379
00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:21,240
represents the Chaldeans or the 
Babylonians. 

380
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:25,520
Notice the imagery here or this 
analogy that you make the fish 

381
00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:29,040
of the sea like crawling things 
that have no ruler. 

382
00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:34,400
What an interesting analogy. 
And and you would see that if 

383
00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,040
you study the history of the 
Babylonians and you read Daniel 

384
00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:42,360
and you read Jeremiah, you 
almost see that the image that 

385
00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:45,160
God is wanting to bring you, 
that you have the people of God 

386
00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:48,120
just who are like the fish in 
the sea. 

387
00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:52,520
They have no one for them. 
They have no one to protect 

388
00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:53,920
them. 
That's what Habaku is saying 

389
00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:55,240
here. 
We are like the fish and there's

390
00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:59,640
no one to protect us. 
But we also have this fisherman,

391
00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:02,800
and the fisherman is going to 
catch the fish. 

392
00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:06,080
Not only is he going to cast the
fish, is going to put the fish 

393
00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:09,760
on the net and is going to hook 
the fish. 

394
00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:16,040
What is that image all about? 
It is an image, an analogy of 

395
00:27:16,120 --> 00:27:20,560
slavery and captivity. 
When Babylonians would capture 

396
00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,600
their enemies, they would 
normally put them in Nets. 

397
00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:27,600
Not only and put them in Nets, 
they would take a hook and hook 

398
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:32,520
your bottom lip as a way of 
dragging you around. 

399
00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,160
Imagine the pain. 
And they would drag you with 

400
00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:37,840
your upper loop with that hook 
and drag you with your, with 

401
00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:40,360
your lower lip and then and then
put you in the net. 

402
00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:44,360
And so the image Habaku is 
talking about here is, is, is 

403
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:46,720
he's showing an image of what 
these guys do. 

404
00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:49,840
And he's saying, God, this is 
what they're going to do in a 

405
00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:56,000
way to us when when we are being
captured, this is what going to 

406
00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,680
do to us because the fish will 
not be able to fight back 

407
00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:03,000
because the fish has been 
captured. 

408
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:08,560
The fish is unable to resist 
because it has been captured. 

409
00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:12,840
This shows the might and the 
brutality and the power of the 

410
00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:16,560
Babylonian army. 
They are strong. 

411
00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:19,200
Make no mistake. 
As I said last week, they are 

412
00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,680
strong. 
They have no equal and they have

413
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:25,960
no match. 
And Hapaku says, I this is what 

414
00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:30,640
they're going to do to us. 
They're going to inflict pain, 

415
00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:36,720
humiliation and suffering. 
And Habakkuk says, but God not 

416
00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:42,640
as the end and not as 15 and 16.
They do this and then notice 

417
00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:46,120
that they live in luxury and and
his food is rich. 

418
00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:50,960
In other words, they capture 
nations, they conquer nations 

419
00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:54,600
and they take the spoils for 
themselves and that's what they 

420
00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:58,040
enjoy them. 
They enjoy the luxury and the 

421
00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:00,520
sports because why? 
They have defeated all their 

422
00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:03,480
enemies. 
Notice the other thing Habakkuk 

423
00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:09,440
says that not only do they do 
that in verse 15, in verse 16, 

424
00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:11,520
therefore he sacrifices to his 
net. 

425
00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:14,280
This is an indication they have 
no God. 

426
00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:19,080
Interesting army here. 
They conquer other people and 

427
00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:21,000
then they don't go and worship 
anyone. 

428
00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:22,640
And Habakkuk says what do they 
do? 

429
00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:27,520
They go and worship themselves. 
They say, oh man, we are so 

430
00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:29,880
good. 
We're so good. 

431
00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:32,120
Look at how many armies we've 
conquered. 

432
00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:33,840
Look at how many nations we've 
conquered. 

433
00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:37,760
We are so good. 
Probably they look at themselves

434
00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:40,720
in the mirror and says, wow, 
we're so good. 

435
00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:48,040
And in doing so, Habakkuk says 
they worship themselves, they 

436
00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:52,280
have no view of who God is. 
And Habakkuk says, therefore 

437
00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:57,880
God, how can you use uncaring, 
arrogant, evil and adulterous 

438
00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:03,480
people to discipline us? 
And then Habakkuk says in verse 

439
00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:07,680
17, interestingly, is he then to
keep on emptying his net and 

440
00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:09,360
mercilessly killing nations 
forever? 

441
00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:13,840
Notice the word here forever. 
And God is saying no, no, no, 

442
00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:18,840
no, they are not going to do 
this forever. 

443
00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:24,080
It will come to a stop. 
Guess what? 

444
00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:30,160
In 539 BC, eight years after the
book of Habakkuk was written, 

445
00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:36,400
the Babylonians were defeated. 
You can read that in Daniel 5. 

446
00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:40,320
They were defeated. 
And so their might was not going

447
00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:44,040
to last forever. 
God was going to have His way 

448
00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:52,240
with them, and he did therefore 
be reminded that the Babylonians

449
00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:54,800
are not the only one. 
There's been many people in 

450
00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:57,600
history who have wanted to 
destroy the church. 

451
00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:02,000
We've had men like Nero who 
execute executed believers who 

452
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,320
burned them alive and made them 
human torches. 

453
00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:09,440
We have Jessica's who also paid 
homeless to Roman gods and 

454
00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:12,520
killed people. 
We have people dying even today 

455
00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:14,680
in parts of Africa, but church 
dead. 

456
00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:20,160
Let me remind you, even as evil 
advances, Jesus is not losing. 

457
00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:23,160
Jesus is winning. 
That the church continued to 

458
00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:28,480
advance in spite of persecution 
and in spite of many kings who 

459
00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:31,320
tried to destroy it. 
But the church continues to 

460
00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:36,600
rise, and it will continue to do
so until Jesus comes again. 

461
00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:41,800
All other empires have fallen to
the ground, but Jesus is still 

462
00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:47,320
sitting on his throne to die, 
for only his Kingdom will stand 

463
00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:54,760
and remain forever. 
Lastly, he is not only reminding

464
00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:59,400
him of his covenant love, he is 
also reminding him of active 

465
00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:07,080
endurance. 
Part of Habakkuk's process and 

466
00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:11,520
his knowledge of God being 
challenged, his theology, being 

467
00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:15,280
rocked by God, is also in a 
finding himself in a place where

468
00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:18,920
he has to learn what it means to
be patient with God. 

469
00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:23,920
Let me remind you, precious 
Saints, that at times God does 

470
00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:26,640
not give us the answers that we 
expect Him to give. 

471
00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:30,800
But at this point in time, 
Habakkuk is asking questions to 

472
00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:32,840
God. 
God is going to respond in all 

473
00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:34,360
these things, and Habakkuk he is
not. 

474
00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:38,400
He, but also Habakkuk has to 
learn what it means to wait on 

475
00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:42,480
God. 
Precious science, precious 

476
00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:46,200
science, Don't be too angry with
God. 

477
00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:50,080
Don't be too frustrated with 
God. 

478
00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:59,640
Be patient, wait and trust. 
Psalm 130 says verse 5 and 6. 

479
00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:03,800
I wait for the Lord. 
My whole being waits and His 

480
00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:07,960
word I put my hope. 
I wait for the Lord. 

481
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:10,440
More than Watchmen wait for the 
morning. 

482
00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:13,120
More than Watchmen wait for the 
morning. 

483
00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:17,440
That is not a suggestion. 
It is a command. 

484
00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:21,040
It is an imperative wait on the 
Lord. 

485
00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:24,760
Habaguk had to learn what it 
means to wait on the Lord. 

486
00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:30,280
God is always doing something in
the place where we are waiting. 

487
00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,680
Notice how Habaguk waits. 
He's not simply standing in his 

488
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:36,360
waiting. 
Notice what he does. 

489
00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:38,600
He is. 
He is in a dialogue with God. 

490
00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:40,600
In other words, Habaguk. 
He's praying. 

491
00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:48,600
We pray while we wait. 
We keep on bringing our request 

492
00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:52,200
before God. 
While we wait, we become like 

493
00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:56,240
the widow who went back to the 
unjust judge over and over 

494
00:33:56,480 --> 00:34:00,680
because she needed an answer. 
Habakkuk is not pretending. 

495
00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:02,400
He's not saying God. 
I understand. 

496
00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:04,760
In fact, he's saying God. 
I do not understand. 

497
00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:08,840
But while I wait, I will be 
praying. 

498
00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:16,040
In my confusion, I'll be praying
even when I don't have the 

499
00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:27,000
answer, I will be praying. 
God often teaches us patience 

500
00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:33,800
and patience is very hard in our
world for some of us is going to

501
00:34:33,840 --> 00:34:37,360
tomorrow is Monday on the 
traffic in traffic tomorrow 

502
00:34:37,679 --> 00:34:40,080
you're going to open up your 
window and you're going to start

503
00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:41,639
doing this to people as they 
pass. 

504
00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:44,040
Why did you do that? 
Why did you do that? 

505
00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:48,679
Because we are just not patient 
for some of us don't like 

506
00:34:48,679 --> 00:34:51,080
waiting at the restaurant. 
Where is my food? 

507
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:54,120
I want my food now. 
It's been more than 10 minutes. 

508
00:34:56,760 --> 00:34:59,400
And one place that will teach 
you actually what it means to be

509
00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:02,320
patient is Home Affairs. 
If you want to learn what it 

510
00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:05,560
means to be patient, go to the 
Home Affairs and you will know 

511
00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:12,200
what it means to be patient. 
We've even coined the phrase 

512
00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:17,680
that time is money because we 
love everything that is easy. 

513
00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:21,960
We love the microwaved stuff. 
We don't like to wait. 

514
00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:25,360
We are an impatient generation. 
And because we are an impatient 

515
00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:27,880
generation, we expect God to 
hurry up. 

516
00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:31,640
And sometimes God says you're 
going to wait a little longer, 

517
00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:36,960
you're going to wait. 
But Habakkuk, in his waiting, in

518
00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:41,760
his confusion, he's pressing on.
He is praying, He is speaking to

519
00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:46,480
God. 
So may I encourage you this 

520
00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:51,720
morning in whatever we are 
facing as a collective and and 

521
00:35:51,720 --> 00:35:55,320
as this community wait upon the 
Lord. 

522
00:35:56,440 --> 00:36:00,440
I think it is in Isaiah where it
says those who wait upon the 

523
00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:07,040
Lord will renew their strength. 
Those who wait, I know it's hard

524
00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:15,400
to wait, but we ought to wait. 
In times of change, he remains 

525
00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:18,560
the same. 
In moments of confusion and 

526
00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:24,240
uncertainty, God is stable, God 
is sure, God is setting and God 

527
00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:28,920
is steadfast. 
He never shifts, Habakkuk 

528
00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:32,200
reminds himself. 
You are my God. 

529
00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:37,240
He clings to him. 
So no matter what we may be 

530
00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:41,480
facing in our life today, 
whatever way might occur in the 

531
00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:46,000
world around us, we ought to be 
reminded, like Habakkuk, that 

532
00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:49,360
our Lord, you are my rock of 
refuge. 

533
00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:53,560
You are my protection, You are 
my strength. 

534
00:36:54,240 --> 00:37:00,040
God is unshakable and his 
character is unchanging. 

535
00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:05,520
Father, in the name of Jesus, we
thank you this morning too, to 

536
00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:10,200
be reminded of the mystery of 
your ways, just like Habakkuk. 

537
00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:14,760
Oh God, who battled you to 
understand as to why you would 

538
00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:17,680
use the Chaldeans to bring about
discipline. 

539
00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:23,120
And yet, oh God, because you see
far, because you know the past, 

540
00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:26,560
the present and the future. 
You knew what you were doing, oh

541
00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:28,480
God. 
And so, Lord, even our own 

542
00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:31,440
lives, when we don't know what 
you are doing, help us to trust 

543
00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:34,400
in you. 
Help us to be patient, help us 

544
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:38,080
to pray, O God, to be on our 
knees in those moments. 

545
00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:42,400
Help us to be reminded of your 
covenant love, that you will 

546
00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:46,960
never leave us nor forsake us. 
But O God, you are with us every

547
00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:50,480
step of the way. 
Therefore, Lord, I pray this 

548
00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:55,000
morning, increase our faith. 
This morning, help us to stand 

549
00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:58,200
for those of God in our world, 
in our communities. 

550
00:37:58,200 --> 00:38:02,520
Lord Jesus, who who need someone
to speak up for them, help us to

551
00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:06,040
be that voice. 
Help us, oh God, in Jesus name, 

552
00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:09,480
Amen. 
Thank you for listening to 

553
00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:12,120
today's message. 
We hope you are encouraged and 

554
00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:14,760
challenged in your faith. 
If you're in the Saban suburbs, 

555
00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:17,920
we'd love to welcome you in 
person at one of our serves. 

556
00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:21,080
Don't forget to subscribe, share
this message with a friend, and 

557
00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:24,320
stay connected with us on social
media for more inspiration 

558
00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:26,960
throughout the week. 
Until next time, stay clear and 

559
00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:28,480
keep shining your light.