1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:07,880 My Bible in 365 brothers and sisters, we have arrived at one 2 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:12,440 of my all time favorite books of the Bible, one of the minor 3 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,240 prophets, and there's nothing minor about his work. 4 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:16,840 We'll talk about that in a second. 5 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:24,160 The Great Prophet Habakkuk and I want to tell you this is a great 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:29,000 1 and I hope you guys will enjoy the summary because it is so 7 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:33,760 important considering the day and the time in which we are 8 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:35,560 living Now I want to make myself clear. 9 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:41,000 If you want to get more in depth to this book you need to go to 10 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:46,480 jamescadice.com where I will dig deep for you and you are going 11 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:48,400 to love all the content that comes. 12 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,720 Out of it it. Is a phenomenal, phenomenal 13 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,600 passage. It's a great, great time of 14 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,000 study and there's so much that we learned. 15 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:03,200 Listen, the book of Habakkuk is incredibly relevant. 16 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:07,200 To the days. That we are living in right now. 17 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:09,400 OK, let me just ask you a question. 18 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:13,240 Have you ever looked around? And I'm certain many. 19 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,720 Of you have thought this before. Where you are seeing what's 20 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,560 happening in the world and. Wondered Lord. 21 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:24,560 What in the world is going on? Like why are you allowing this 22 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:27,520 to happen? And I think the why questions 23 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:32,320 are OK to ask the Lord. We see wickedness increasing. 24 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:33,520 We see. Corruption. 25 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,600 Literally everywhere and injustice is being. 26 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:40,280 Celebrated nowadays. And people who are doing evil 27 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,360 seemingly are getting away with it. 28 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:48,640 That's exactly what Habakkuk was going through at the time of his 29 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,080 ministry. He looks at the condition of his 30 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,680 nation and he basically asked, God, Lord, how long are you 31 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,560 going to allow this to continue? And then God answers him, and 32 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:01,880 his answer is probably the last thing that Habakkuk was 33 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,960 expecting to hear, God tells. Him. 34 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:07,480 He's. Going to use the. 35 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:09,240 Babylonians by. The way. 36 00:02:09,479 --> 00:02:12,080 A nation. That's even more wicked than 37 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,760 Judah to bring judgment to his own people. 38 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:21,040 Now Habakkuk has even an even bigger problem. 39 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:23,560 He knows God is. Righteous. 40 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:28,440 So in his mind, how could God possibly use a nation more 41 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,360 wicked than his own to accomplish his purposes? 42 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,600 And here's what I love about this book, you see? 43 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:38,520 Habakkuk doesn't get an explanation. 44 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,920 For everything that God is doing, it's it's not working 45 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:44,640 that way. What happens is he learned 46 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:48,320 something far more important than the explanation to the 47 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:50,560 question that he's actually. Asking. 48 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:55,360 He learns that God can be trusted even when nothing makes 49 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,000 sense. It's so interesting because God 50 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,800 basically tells him, mind your own business, then just shall 51 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:03,960 live by faith. And we'll go over that in just a 52 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:07,040 second by the time we get to the end of the book. 53 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,720 Habakkuk circumstances have not changed one bit. 54 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:14,280 But. His. 55 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:16,480 Entire attitude. Has and. 56 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:21,560 I want you to notice what he says in the final three. 57 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:23,400 Verses. Of this. 58 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,240 Amazing book. Let me read this to you. 59 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:28,520 Let me read verse 17. It's very. 60 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,120 Very important, he says, although the fig tree shall not 61 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:36,400 blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, The labor of the 62 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:41,560 olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat. 63 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:46,480 The flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no 64 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:48,120 herd in the stalls. OK. 65 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:49,440 Before. I go. 66 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:51,400 On do. You understand what have a 67 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:53,800 hookah is describing? You understand what he's saying 68 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:55,880 here? He's describing complete 69 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:58,000 economic disaster. Like, you get that? 70 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,640 No more figs, no grapes, no olives, no crops, no sheep, no 71 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:06,000 cattle, nothing that could be used to produce income for him. 72 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:08,880 It's all gone. Everything that these people 73 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,160 depended upon for survival history, it's no longer there. 74 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:14,080 Think about what that would mean today. 75 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:18,000 Like like if you, if you were to just draw a parallel, think of 76 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,399 your income disappearing, your savings being gone, the economy 77 00:04:21,399 --> 00:04:23,400 collapsing. Everything you've depended upon 78 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,720 is suddenly completely taken away. 79 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:30,240 Have a hook is. About to make one of the most 80 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:33,880 remarkable declarations of faith that you read in the. 81 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:37,000 Bible and. Here's the point if my. 82 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,960 Confidence. In God is based upon everything 83 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,280 going right. What happens when something goes 84 00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:47,120 wrong that's. Not the kind of faith God wants 85 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:49,200 us to have. And we learned that. 86 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,040 Look at what happens here in verse 18. 87 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,640 He says this yet? This after everything falls 88 00:04:55,640 --> 00:05:02,720 apart, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God. 89 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:07,560 Of my salvation. I love the first word, and I 90 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:11,240 don't even think I read it with the right kind of emphasis, he 91 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:12,360 says. Yet. 92 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,720 Even if everything falls apart, even if I lose everything, even 93 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,200 if nothing works out the way that I hoped it would, yet I 94 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:23,440 will rejoice in the Lord. I noticed something. 95 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:24,160 This is. This is. 96 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,560 Incredibly important to. Pay attention to Habakkuk. 97 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:31,040 Isn't rejoicing because his circumstances have changed. 98 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:34,520 He's rejoicing because he knows who God is. 99 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,280 There's a huge difference between finding my joy in what 100 00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:43,880 God gives us and finding joy in God himself, who I myself 101 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:45,720 excited as I'm talking about this. 102 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:50,280 Habakkuk started this book frustrated and confused and and 103 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:53,320 and and maybe even a little angry and he's questioning what 104 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:57,880 God was doing. Now he's a worshipping the very 105 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,160 God whose ways he couldn't understand, the very God who 106 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:03,600 basically said mind your own business that just shall live by 107 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,080 faith. What changed? 108 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:08,280 Not his. Circumstances. 109 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,840 No way. His perspective changed, folks. 110 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,360 God doesn't stop being good just because life gets difficult. 111 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,600 He he doesn't stop. Being faithful. 112 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,640 Just because we don't understand what he's doing. 113 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:29,480 That's something we desperately need to remember. 114 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:34,440 Look at verse 19. This is so powerful. 115 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:41,240 The Lord God is my strength and He will make my feet like Heinz 116 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:43,600 feet, and he will make. Me to walk. 117 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:50,880 Upon mine high places to the chief singer on my stringed 118 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:59,400 instruments. Want you to notice this Habakkuk 119 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:05,320 doesn't say God is going to make all his all my problems 120 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:08,040 disappear. God is. 121 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:10,240 Not going to change his mind regarding. 122 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:25,960 The things that he's allowed. He says. 123 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:36,880 He says the Lord is by strength. You know, the hind is a word 124 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:38,760 that's not really familiar to a lot of people. 125 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,960 It's a female deer. It's known. 126 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:47,800 Actually for its ability to navigate very dangerous and 127 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:49,840 like. Rocky. 128 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:53,000 Mountain terrain without losing its footing. 129 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:55,560 Kind of interesting how that works. 130 00:07:57,520 --> 00:07:58,800 You don't. Really learn about the 131 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:01,800 significance of those animals until you go to Israel and you 132 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:04,280 you kind of study the picture and Getty. 133 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:06,120 It's it's. Just an. 134 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:09,920 Unbelievable thing to. See, I think that's the picture 135 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:18,350 here. That Habakkuk is giving us the 136 00:08:18,350 --> 00:08:24,110 terrain may be dangerous. You think about the path that 137 00:08:24,110 --> 00:08:26,070 you're on. It might be difficult in the 138 00:08:26,070 --> 00:08:29,950 moment. But God will give you the. 139 00:08:29,950 --> 00:08:33,150 Strength to keep you going. That's the picture. 140 00:08:34,789 --> 00:08:39,240 Look, sometimes God removes the obstacle and, and and when. 141 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:40,760 That happens. Listen, let's rejoice. 142 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:43,240 That's great. But other times he gives us the 143 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:46,280 strength to overcome it. I think more times he gives us 144 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:48,520 the strength to overcome it. Our confidence isn't in the 145 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:51,280 absence of trouble. The confidence that we have is 146 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:53,200 in the presence of Almighty God and. 147 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:58,040 When we understand that, we can face whatever comes our way. 148 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:02,160 You think about it, and I've already quoted it, The entire 149 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:03,800 book really comes down to one statement. 150 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:10,320 That's verse 4 of chapter 2. Behold, his soul, which is 151 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:16,600 lifted up is not upright in him, but the just shall live by his 152 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:21,400 faith. Folks, this is the key to 153 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:23,600 understanding the entire book of Habakkuk. 154 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:29,160 The just shall live by faith. That statement is. 155 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:34,120 So important that it's actually repeated 3 times in the New 156 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:36,680 Testament. We find it, Paul quotes it in 157 00:09:36,680 --> 00:09:40,160 Romans chapter one that early in Romans chapter 1, I think around 158 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:42,440 verse 17. And by the way, it's 159 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:49,920 unbelievable because in that quote he explains what it means 160 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:53,560 to be justified by faith and he uses the quote of Habakkuk to 161 00:09:53,560 --> 00:09:56,600 explain it. Later on when he writes his 162 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:00,320 letter to the to the church in Galatia, he says the same thing. 163 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:03,480 This is in chapter 3. I believe it is. 164 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:05,120 I should have looked it up before we did this. 165 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:09,280 But it's important to understand that in that context, he's 166 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:11,960 actually using it to show that righteousness doesn't come 167 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:16,360 through keeping the law. And in Hebrews is when he 168 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:18,160 becomes the most articulate about. 169 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,400 This. I believe it's nestled in 170 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:24,240 Hebrews chapter 10. He actually uses it to emphasize 171 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:28,000 the importance of actually continuing in putting your faith 172 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,560 and trust in the Lord. Here's the thing that Habakkuk 173 00:10:32,560 --> 00:10:35,240 had to learn. It's it's. 174 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:42,320 So incredibly important you don't. 175 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:46,120 Have to understand everything God is doing in order to trust 176 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,920 Him. That's the lesson, and it was a 177 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:52,680 tough one for him to learn. God knows what He's doing even 178 00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:55,680 when we don't. His timing is literally perfect. 179 00:10:55,800 --> 00:11:00,480 His judgments, you guys, they are righteous and His promises 180 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:03,160 will never, ever, ever, ever fail. 181 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,440 The question isn't whether God can be trusted. 182 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:10,520 The question is whether we're actually willing to trust Him. 183 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:15,480 Remember, the best time to trust Him is when it doesn't make 184 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:23,200 sense when you look. At this incredible book I want 185 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:24,680 you to see. That it. 186 00:11:24,680 --> 00:11:26,880 Has an incredible transformation. 187 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:30,520 Think about the way the progression goes with. 188 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:33,240 The chapters in chapter 1. He's asking God why? 189 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:35,880 Why God are you allowing this wickedness to continue? 190 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:39,920 In chapter 2, God explains that judgement is coming and that the 191 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:43,040 righteous are going to have to live by faith because he doesn't 192 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:46,680 like the answer that God gives. And then? 193 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:49,400 In chapter 3 we see it happening. 194 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,560 Habakkuk is worshipping God even though he. 195 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:58,400 Knows that the worst days of his country are ahead of him. 196 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:03,120 Think about that. The book actually begins with 197 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:07,040 the man who's questioning God, and it ends with that same man 198 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:13,040 rejoicing. In him, nothing around Habakkuk 199 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,400 has gotten better by the time he gets to Chapter 3, but something 200 00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:21,680 inside of him has dramatically changed. 201 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:26,360 Folks, let me just simply say this, and I mean it with all my 202 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,280 heart. We're living in a world where 203 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:36,200 things can change overnight. Nations literally can fall 204 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:38,400 apart. We watch it. 205 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:42,520 Happen. Economies fail, things go. 206 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:46,320 Crazy. Look at what happened in the 207 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:48,960 last year. It's devastating the things that 208 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:56,400 can happen. Things that you depend on, they 209 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:03,680 could disappear, but our confidence is in those things 210 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:10,920 that only can be touched through faith in Christ. 211 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:15,720 If your confidence is in anything else, you're going to 212 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:19,240 live in constant fear. But if your confidence is in the 213 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,320 Lord. You have. 214 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:23,800 A reason to rejoice no matter what happens. 215 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:29,120 Habakkuk teaches us something we cannot afford to forget. 216 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:32,400 Let me say that one more time. He teaches us something we 217 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:36,720 cannot afford to forget. We may not know what tomorrow 218 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:40,800 holds, but we know the God who holds the future. 219 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,960 Guess what? That just shall live by faith. 220 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:52,160 So let's run, let's run hard and let's trust God, because for us 221 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:54,720 the best is yet to come. God bless you.