Sermon Tone Analysis

Greetings:

10 Years ago, I was studying Bible for my undergrad.

And there was one sermon that gripped me, a sermon on the need for missionaries to go places where the gospel is known but is quickly being forgotten.

The speaker made an extraordinary claim that morning that there are churches in this world where the pastor is simply the oldest man in the tribe, and untrained men would gladly give a limb just for one hour of class at Bible College.

There are places in this world where the presence of the gospel is a mile wide and an inch deep, places where missionaries have come and shared the gospel, but unless we come behind them and strengthen their work, false teaching will go and destroy it in just one generation.‌

Constantinople was once the capital of Christianity today; Istanbul, that same city, is overrun by Muslims today.

Do you know how that happened?

Not through warfare, where Muslims forced Christians them to convert.

It happened because Bishops stopped sending pastors to churches.

In one generation, the capital of Christianity was overrun by Islam.

That’s the seriousness of the task you’re training for.

Souls hang in the balance, not just the souls of the men and women in front of you but those who will come hundreds of years after them.

There is no mundane task in serving Jesus, but there are tasks with higher steaks than others, and I can’t think of a task with higher steaks than a minister of the gospel of Christ.

I wonder, if some of you here, the Lord is calling you to leave behind your home and be a part of what he is doing to advance his kingdom outside of America.

When we left the US, we went with Acts chapter 13, especially in mind.

The church in Antioch sent out Paul and Barnabas as the church’s first missionaries.

Paul and Barnabas were sent out from a local church to plant local churches in the Gentile world.

And after they planted those churches, they raised elders to pastor them.

I believe it’s meant to be an example of what missions should look like.

Local churches send out church planting teams across the state or country and worldwide.

Our missiology must not be divorced from our ecclesiology; rather, biblical missiology is a subset of ecclesiology.

The church's mission is to make disciples of all nations; the best way to make disciples is through the local church.

With this topic of missions in mind, would you please turn with me in your Bible to Habakkuk chapter 2. We’ll look at verses 12-14 together this morning, emphasizing verses 14.

› READ:

“Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!

Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:12-14

› EXPLINATION/ILLUSTRATION:

The prophet Habakkuk wrote these words amidst confusing, discouraging, and troubling times.

The Lord had revealed to him that Babylon, a hostile and ruthless foreign nation, would invade his country, Judah.

What a terrifying thought.

Habakkuk describes for us how he felt in chapter 1 as he looked towards heaven and, out of confusion and frustration, said to the Lord,

“Why do you look idly?”

And “Why do you remain silent?”

As we continue to read our Bibles, we find the New Testament authors will use ancient Babylon as a picture of worldliness, of those who, like Babylon, labor for their own glory in this world and not for the glory of Christ.

And this striving for human glory and fame is something God hates, and he will not allow those who seek to make a name for themselves on this earth to stand.

This is why chapter 2 is filled with judgment oracles against wicked, proud Babylon.

Because God alone is worthy of glory, honor, and praise, he will allow no rival.

› BRIDGE THE GAP:

These judgments were intended to comfort Habakkuk, and they serve to comfort us today.

Because the Lord hasn’t remained silent, as Habakkuk accused him of being.

He doesn’t ignore the suffering of his people or the wickedness of those who oppress them.

He knows the Kingdom of Christ is constantly under assault by the Kingdom of Man.

And he will act to bring an end to sin and injustice that stands against him and his kingdom.

Why will he do this?

Because, in verse 14, God is determined that his glory, not man's glory, will fill his earth.

Given our specific emphasis on missions this morning, we could say it like this: God comforts his people in the midst of severe opposition with the promise of the success of international missions.

We cannot always understand the sovereign purposes of God in history, but we can always be confident of this -- no matter how dark the night, our God rules over the nations of men, and he is working in all things to build his eternal kingdom for his glory and our good.

So as we consider this text together, we’ll consider both of these kingdoms — the Kingdom of Man and the Kingdom of Christ.

And after we’ve finished our exposition of verses 12-14, we’ll look back toward the beginning of chapter 2 to explore how we can make these truths practical in our lives.

And as we do, it is my prayer that God would encourage our hearts with this truth — the Kingdom of Man may rage intensely against us, but God, his ways, and his purposes will win.

› TRANSITION:

Let’s look at verses 12-13 and consider the description of the Kingdom of Man.

› MAIN POINT 1:

› READ:

“Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!

Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?”

Habakkuk 2:12-13

› EXPOSITION:

Do you see how Babylon is described here?

They build their nation on the blood and the backs of others.

They are violent and oppressive.

We see this clearly in our text, but it’s made even more explicit If we look back in chapter 1, verses 15-16

“He drags them out with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; he so rejoices and is glad.

for by them he lives in luxury and his food is made rich.”

Habakkuk 1:15–16

To show their dominance over the nations they conquered, Babylon would put hooks through the mouths and out the noses of their defeated enemies, then pull them together in a line back to their kingdom to be used to build more Babylonian homes and cities.

› TRANSITION:

And as they did this with one nation after another, Babylon’s true intention was revealed: they had their eyes set on world domination.

› READ:

“His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he never has enough.

He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.”

Habakkuk 2:5

› EXPOSITION:

Like death that swallows up all people until all feel his power, so wicked Babylon seeks to extend its kingdom across the earth.

› TRANSITION:

But Ironically, we find in chapter 2, verse 13 that their labors are ultimately futile because the Lord is not in them.

› READ:

“Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?”

Habakkuk 2:13

› EXPOSITION:

From Babylon’s perspective an impressive nation is being built.

But from God’s perspective, he looks down from his throne in heaven and is not impressed.

› TRANSITION:

Why is this?

Because the Lord is jealous of his glory, he will not share it with another.

Let’s look at verse 14 as we consider the Kingdom of Christ.

› MAIN POINT 2:

› READ:

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

(Habakkuk 2:14)

› TRANSITION:

Those who rage against the Kingdom of Christ will not stand because the Lord will ensure that his kingdom and his glory will fill his earth.

Let’s consider further the description of this kingdom.

› SUB-POINT 1:

First, let’s consider the nature of this kingdom.

› EXPOSITION:

This kingdom is characterized by the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.

That is, the Lord will not only be known about but he will be known in his glory.