Habakkuk
Habakkuk, I say it. again See don't you feel better already?
It's not habakkuk. Well, it could be you do it how you want Austin, but we come to habakkuk or habakkuk this morning as we've been studying through the prophets. We've been looking at these men of God that I the Lord spoke through so many thousands of years ago and yet finding I trust and I hope that we've been finding this applies to our life today. And here's what I want us to do today as we look at the prophet habakkuk. I want us to understand how this applies to us. I want us to understand that some of the questions that we wrestle with today are questions that people have wrestled with. Throughout history, right? And in the question that habakkuk for tickly draws out is a question. I think that that many of us could relate to what do we do when life doesn't make sense?
What do we do when life doesn't make sense? That's that's the problem that habakkuk faces, right and most of the profits that we've looked at all of them. But most of them have been the sermons that they preached to other people right that that hears God's word for the people. I think it gives us God's word for his people but he does so in a different way habakkuk is this conversation A prayerful conversation between the prophet and between the Lord and and habakkuk is wrestling with this difficulty. He knows the history of God's people he knows what they're supposed to be right God chose a people God chose a people and set them apart so that they would demonstrate the Holiness of God the righteousness of God the love of God in that they would do so in such a manner that the nation's Woodstream to Israel to learn about their God knows that Israel was meant to be different. They were meant to live differently to look differently and two Demonstrate the character of the god that they served about that knows that you can't make sense of it says he looks at the people of Israel. He doesn't see any difference between them and the Nations around them. He doesn't see any difference between these people who say they were submitted to God. We want to follow Yahweh. And the people who are worshiping idols and sacrificing their children to Molech. He didn't see any difference in that does not make sense to him. And so if you're sitting here this morning and life doesn't make sense to you. And you're looking at the world and you're saying I don't understand if there's a good God, why are all these bad things happening? Or maybe you're sitting here and you're looking at the church anything and I don't understand if the church is supposed to be this why it's this. That's very much. Like the question that habakkuk was considering. Why are things the way they are and not the way they should be? Right and so and habakkuk then because this is one of those perennial questions where those questions that always comes up, why are things like this and not this why doesn't life make sense? I think we get a glimpse in habakkuk of of what should be into most of us a familiar story. And I do want to say like if you've never wondered. About life if you never questions, you know God's goodness. If you've never looked at the world and thoughts man something desperately wrong here. Can I just say How Deeply envious I am of your blinker. Optimism
But I think most of us have recognized at times most of us have wrestled with why do things not lineup. So let's is this part's not going to be open or it's like to be on the screen rather. So have your Bible open the back if you don't have one there should be one under a seat around you and find habakkuk. It's towards the end of the Old Testament before you get into the gospels with Matthew and Mark. It's after nayhoo. We looked at last week and that was another one that was fun to pronounce but find habakkuk and we're just going to kind of walk there. I'm going to be reading these texts, but I'm just going to give you an overview of how this book precedes as habakkuk is saying God. This doesn't make sense the Lord answers and habakkuk says God this doesn't make sense again. And then the Lord answers in the back of just finishes with well, we'll see it through for we have this introduction. And and what this is this is habakkuk kind of initial prayer and it is it basically boils down to this God when I look at your people. I don't see you and that's a problem because God's people are meant to reflect the god that they serve their meant to look like the god in whose image. They were made in the back. If I don't get it when I look at your people God what I see is violence and Injustice what I see is no concern for the other but only a selfish desire for gain.
I see sin God when I look at your people I see sin. And here's her back is kind of unstated think why don't you stop it. Why won't you stop I guess it's not unstated. Why won't you stop this guy. Why is this still going on? We got answers and in the next section there verses 5 through 11. We have the Lord's response to habakkuk. Scry. The Lord says I'm going to do something that's never been done before I'm going to do something that you'll be astounded to. See I'm going to bring the Chaldeans were the Babylonians. I'm going to bring them in. to judge my people So God says okay habakkuk. You're not understanding how the my people can be such a mess. You're not understanding why there's sin going on here. Tell you what, I'll deal with it. I'm going to send the Babylonians to judge the nation of Israel. Springs up habakkuk second complaint because as he says in in verse 12 chapter 1 through verse 1 of chapter 2 God How in the world can you fix the sin problem in your people by bringing people who are even worse sinners in? How in the world does this make sense that you would use sinners? to fix sin
and God says well, that's not the end of the story and it in Chapter 2 verses 2 through 20. That's what God says. He said just because I use Sinners to accomplish my wheel doesn't mean that the stories over or that they won't bear the consequences of their sin, but does not say is that you're right habakkuk ultimately can never be dealt with by sinners. And so your desire habakkuk to see Justice your desire to see righteousness is not going to be accomplished by Babylon it so I can be accomplished by Israel. You're just going to have to have faith that I will bring about salvation that I will bring about righteousness in my own time. And in my own way, no matter how many years are how many steps in between you're going to have to trust me a backache and then in chapter 3 habakkuk Says, okay. I'm going to do that because of who you are God and because of what you've done I will trust you even if it makes no sense to me. I will trust you even though it makes no sense to me in this is the epitome of humility. to stand before God who'd would deign to answer and to say Yeah, it still doesn't make sense. But that's okay. I'm going to trust you to the question again. What do you do when life doesn't make sense?
What do I do when life doesn't make sense? What do we do when we don't understand why things are the way things are. Well, this is where we can take the book of habakkuk and we can see some answers to that. What do you do when life doesn't make sense turn back to chapter one with me?
And this will be on the screen.
I think I put it in there. Yeah. Habakkuk chapter 1 2 3 4. This is habakkuk. First complaint. Oh Lord, how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear or cry to you violence and you will not save why do you make me see iniquity? And why do you idly look at wrong destruction and violence are before me strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed Justice never goes forth for the wicked surround the righteous. So Justice Goes Forth perverted. Abacus looking at the nation. He says this doesn't make sense God that your people would look the way they do be that you would just sit there and do nothing what we see in habakkuk years just honesty. After the first thing I would encourage you to do when life doesn't make sense. It's just be honest about it. Own it. Now some people say you know what this is this is permission to be mad at God. I don't think it's permission to be mad at God and I want to encourage you if that's where you're at in life. I would encourage you to start taking steps to move Beyond anger at the Almighty. Anger at the gods who is good and righteous just and loving. But that doesn't mean even if we can get away from the anger of it doesn't mean that we still don't look at God and sometimes they God this doesn't make any sense to me. I think it's important to own that right for far too long. some of us in here have had just sat and said well. Life doesn't make sense, but I'm going to pretend like everything's okay.
Now take the example of a back. You can just be honest about it if life doesn't make sense. It's okay to admit that fears the cool thing about God. He knows everything. And it you are not fooling him. If you just keep traipsing along your Merry way as if nothing's wrong, but the whole time you're seething with this doubt inside of you, why are things the way they are God? Why aren't you acting God? Why is this this way, but you just smile and pretend like everything's okay. Knock it off. Nobody has helped yourself the people around you the cause of Christ in general. Nobody has helped by a fake faith. As a matter of fact, I think it said very detrimental thing. To us to pretend that there are things we can understand that. We don't really understand and so here's my challenge to us collectively as a church. Can we be honest with one another when we doubt things? Let me ask you a question. Can I be honest with you? as a pastor
can Richard be honest with you as a pastor? Could Lee be honest as a Sunday school teacher and say hey, you know what? There's some things that I just don't understand. I love getting questions throughout the week is you guys are reading your Bibles or whatever. You might text me or text or call one of the other pastors and just say I've got a question about this. I love that and I know they do too.
But would it be okay if sometimes we were back until you know, I'm not real sure.
Are we at church where it's okay, are we the people of God okay with being honest with God and with one another and with ourselves saying hate we don't grasp everything. This is a good thing by the way. This is a good thing that we don't understand everything. Why? Because each of us needs to learn a very important lesson. There is a God. And I'm not him. If you want a life philosophy that you can take with you today, that's it. There is a God and you're not him. And if the God who is is all-knowing and I'll present and all-powerful.
Then there's going to be certain things that he can do that. You can't certain places. He can be that you won't certain things that he can know that you will not ever know and that's okay. So just be honest when life doesn't make sense, but don't stop there because sometimes we use that doubt we use that frustration as an excuse week. We sit there we sit there as the people of God we say well, I just don't know why a good God would let bad things happen that must mean the whole gospel is wrong in the Bible is not true. Therefore. I don't have to go to church. I don't have to read the Bible. I can just ignore all this Jesus stuff. That's not what the bacchic does. That's not what I would encourage you to do with your dad out. Take your dad out take those things that you don't understand and seek understanding look at chapter 3.
Look at chapter 3 and this is after habakkuk multiple complaints and after he gets answers from God twice. Look what he says in verse to read the report of you and your work Lord. Do I fear? Lord I have heard the reports of you and your work do I fear I've heard words about you God and I've seen what you've done and as such and then he launches into this prayer that says I'm going to trust you. Anyways, when life doesn't make sense when you have doubt don't stop there be honest about it. But then the next thing you do is you going to examine who got an exam in God's word. Do an exam in the report about him. We have a gift that habakkuk. Never had. Did you know that you sitting here today are more privileged than this Prophet whose words are recorded forever in scripture. Do you know what you have you have the whole revelation of God? You have not just the Old Testament, but the New Testament you have God's revelation of himself to you. And too many of us we have these doubts were confused. We don't understand and the whole time we say God, would you just show up and give us an answer? Meanwhile our Bible sits on a shelf Gathering dust. God speak to me. Well, he doesn't like to repeat himself. If he's already said it quit asking for new revelation go back to what he's already said and what we find when we begin to examine the word of God as we begin to see here are some of the answers for our doubt. Here are some of the people have wrestled with this before in here are the conclusions. They've come to how many of you have read the book of Ecclesiastes.
some of you were like heard it once at a funeral.
Let me encourage you if you're in a place where life doesn't make sense go read Ecclesiastes. Because that's all that's all a man who's riding it. That's all that he's worried about is why doesn't likes make sense. What's the purpose all this and you get to the beginning in your like kind of resonate with this guy vanity of vanities. Everything is Vanity a chasing after the wind. There's no meeting under the sun. That's in the Bible guys. Can you believe that?
God knows the doubts that we're going to face here Accords this for us through Solomon Inspire saw on the right and in that we see this challenge to us. If we ignore God and we just look at the world. Guess what our conclusion has to be. This is all meaningless. Paul in the New Testament says differently says look at Jesus is not raised from the dead then we are to be most pitied of all men. Just eat drink and be merry if Jesus is not who he said he was or God is Not on his throne cuz that's about all you got drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. But when you begin to dig into the word, you see what these guys who wrestled with these big questions we fall into a trap. What what CS Lewis called chronological snobbery. We fall into the Trap of assuming that just because we live when we do we're smarter than all those dumb people throughout history simply because Google we imagine that Were Somehow Superior. Let me tell you Google does not make us Superior as a matter of fact probably demonstrates the fact that we're more idiots than they were. We can't be troubled to remember anything just use our phone and pull it out when we need it. Okay, you guys were not idiots. They wrestled with the same questions. The big questions the little questions that we wrestle with until when we go to the word of God. We should not be surprised when Paul says but Jesus has risen and that changes everything about your life including the way you doubt in the will you will you deal with your questions and Solomon says at the end of the day if everything is meaningless Under the Sun than the only thing that matters is to trust the one who's above the son who is this outside of this plane outside of this world and to trust God fear God and keep his Commandments after everything is Beast been said, that is what matters these guys wrestled with the same things. So don't sit there stewing in your doubts kind of being the drama queen moping about things that don't make sense beactive consider what the word of God says about who God is considered what it says about what he's done consider what he says about what he will do. Because it doesn't make sense to me when I look out at the world. This is that part where I said, I'm going to be honest with you. If you'll let me it doesn't make sense to me. When I look at this world. I say God is good. And God is strong. He's probably can do whatever he wants and get to look out of the world Messi sin and Brokenness. famine and poverty and I think why God and I look at the word and I remember God is going to take care of that God's going to fix that how he fixes it now, is that by sending his people out into the world? That's how we deal with it. Now is he saves you from your selfishness and your sandinistas reinvents you reimagines you recreates you to be an instrument for him addressing the needs of the poor and the oppressed.
But we're also assured that one day.
Our feeble efforts will be fulfilled in Christ returning and doing away with sin and suffering and death. When We examined God's word many of our doubts Are answered we have 2 As We examined God's word as we be honest about our house. We have to remember God's purpose as well. Look at verse 3 of chapter 3 God came from the Holy One from Mount Paran his Splendor covered the heavens and the Earth was full of his praise. We're Nazis to see here. This glimpse of who got is this glorious God whose creation is meant to be full of his praise. That's the purpose of God. The creation would see him for who he is and would worship whatever God does he does for the sake of his glory this includes one of the primary means that we experienced. This is the fact that he saves sinners. Look at look at verse 13 going to be the first part here. You went out for the Salvation of your people for the Salvation of your anointed. Why?
Why that question we want to ask so many times. Why does God do what he does so that he would be able to save those who would submit to him and that those who submit to him would see his glory we have to when we faced out when we faced questions. We have to remember the purpose of God how How does God do that? This is where I think the ultimate thing for us that habakkuk did not have this benefits habakkuk couldn't do this, but I would urge us to do this. when we Have that question. Why doesn't life make sense when we have those doubts in those other questions that pop up and on my we need to be honest about it. We need to remember to what God's purposes. We need to examine this world, but above all else. Let me encourage you look to Jesus look to Jesus. Look at chapter 2 verse 4.
And it's this last little phrase here of chapter verse 4 of chapter 2 the righteous shall live by his faith. It's it's it's almost just kind of popped in here to the Lord's answer to habakkuk. Just kind of just kind of smuggled in there. But what it is the gospel that we see bear fruit when we come to the New Testament to look at Galatians with me. Look at Galatians chapter 3.
I really should learn to Mark these passages.
Galatians chapter 3 starting in verse 10 for all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse for it is written cursed be everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the law and do them. Abacus question is God. Why aren't your people looking like your people? Why aren't they doing the right things? You've given them your lawyer. You've told them exactly what you expected them. Why aren't they doing it? Well habakkuk doesn't know what Paul knows later through the spirits. The law cannot save doing good works cannot save now. It is evident that no one is Justified before God by the law for and he quotes from habakkuk chapter 2 verse for the righteous shall live by faith, but the laws not redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone hung on a tree so they didn't Christ The Blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles that we might receive the promise Spirits through space. When life doesn't make sense look to Jesus.
Look to Jesus.
The righteous will live by faith. It doesn't say the righteous will live by his good works. It doesn't say the righteous will live by being kind it says the righteous will live by faith in in later on we know that faith is meant to be in Christ. Jesus is the object of the face. That we hold Jesus is the answer to the questions that we ask. Why doesn't a good god do something about all the evil in the world. He did he sent Jesus. To change the World to Change you and me to change selfish people into selfless people. That's why Jesus came to save those who could not save themselves. That's why Jesus came. And so when we have these questions when life doesn't make sense look to Jesus. That's God's answer. We're told in Hebrews that in the former days. God spoke through the prophets. He did he spoke to Joe and Isaiah and Jeremiah and all these guys are done looking at he spoke to them, but we have something better. We have something more complete. We have Jesus because the author of Hebrews goes on to say not only did God speak in the former days through the prophets. But in these last days he has spoken to us through his son. So if you have questions you want to know look at Jesus in finally ultimately. trust God look at Jesus. Bring your doubts bring your concerns to him and then trust God. Want to look at a back chapter 3 with you? Though the Fig Tree does verse 17 though. The Fig Tree should not blossom North Fruit be on the vines the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the Stalls and other words if everything is Stripped Away.
This is habakkuk after reflecting on who God is this should be us after we look at Jesus and all that. He's done for us. We should say though you take everything else. The food is gone. My job is gone the my money's gone. The my car is gone to my family's gone and my friends have abandoned me no matter what verse 18. I will rejoice in the Lord. I will take joy in the god of my salvation. God the Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the deer she makes me tread on my high places God no matter what you take no matter what we lack no matter what questions get answered or which questions don't get answered Lord. We're going to trust you the god of our salvation.
That's my challenge to you. Be honest about the questions that you have examined God's word. Consider God's purpose. Look at Jesus trust. God. Let us pray.