Habakkuk Lesson 2_4

Text: Habakkuk 2:4

Title: Faith in the face troubles

Have you ever looked at the world with its injustice and violence, and asked the question: “Why doesn’t God do something?”

It looks like the wicked are prospering and the righteous are suffering. Godly people pray, but it seems their prayers do no good

In all of this trouble, where is God? And in all of the wickedness, crime, and all of the disease, and all the hatred, and murder, and all of the perversion, where is God?

Has God lost control, or is it that God just doesn’t even care?

CPS: God is in control, God does care, when the world around you is turned upside down God is still seated on His throne, and His words should ring loud in the hearts of the believer… The just shall live by faith.

Faith Tested 1:1-4

Questions

Explanation: Habakkuk is writing around 600 BC shortly after the fall of Nineveh. He looks around at the injustice found in Israel and he asks these questions.

Where are you God?

Why are you not answering me as I cry out to you?

Why do you not save us?

Why do you make me look at sin?

There is wickedness all around Habakkuk. There is wickedness all around us. We question why is this happening around me.

Illustration: Hope and I were watching T.V. the other night, chopped was on. Walked in the room after the show had started and one of the chiefs was obviously a girl but was dressed like a boy. When I saw her, I immediately looked at Hope and said is that a girl? Hope answered yes, she is “transgender.”

People applaud her for being so brave and courageous, they are saying “God made a mistake when He made you and now you are just being you.” Just be yourself. That is a twisted version of yourself, God made you a girl and God doesn’t make mistakes. You have fallen prey to the deceitfulness of sin and that is not something that is to be applauded but corrected.

The world is in all kind of confusion. In the 70’s the temptations wrote a song called “Ball of Confusion.” That’s what the world is today!

Hope pointed out to me the other day… Our friend and our boy’s “nanny” L.G. is now on face-page with another girl. I guess they are inseparable. I guess she is living a gay lifestyle. She grew up in church, Methodist church… she should know better. I’m sure her parents have an issue with it, but they just want their daughter to be happy.

In Habakkuk’s day the political leaders were wicked and oppressed the people Israel, the religious leaders were wicked and oppressed the people Israel, and the wealthy were wicked and they oppressed the people Israel.

Today, not much is different… Laws are passed to make murder legal… in 2017 approximately 879,000 babies were aborted… The lawmakers say that abortion is a right… Government Health insurance covers abortions…. But Hope can’t have a surgery approved that is needed, one that will give her a better quality of life. “We don’t care about the constant pain you are in, we only care about the painstaking change in lifestyle that a mother would have to make if they decided to keep her baby!

God, where are you? I pray… I ask God to heal Hope.

Many people justify abortion by saying, I don’t want to bring a baby into this world. That would be cruel! So, you murder him/her instead!

My baby will be born with special needs, perhaps down syndrome… I don’t want it to live a life like that, I don’t want this child to live that life. So, we will take its life, that is the humane thing to do.

NB) Life belongs to the LORD and Death belongs to the Lord!

Do you want to know what question I have asked most?

What will happen to Chum Chum after I am gone? I have asked and asked, and I have no answer, I have scripted and saved and I have no logical answer.

Answers

Explanation: God’s answer in vv. 5–11 only created a new problem for Habakkuk: He says I am raising up a nation that I will use to bring judgment on Israel because of its wickedness. But Habakkuk is perplexed that God would use an even more wicked nation than Israel to bring justice.

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do you tolerate those who are treacherous? Why are you silent while one who is wicked swallows up one who is more righteous than himself Hab. 1:13.

Application: There is nothing wrong with a believer wrestling with the problems of life and seeking to solve them. Sometimes it seems as though God does not care; it appears that He has forsaken His own and is helping the wicked.

God is sovereign and can do as He chooses to do. But we have a God who invites questions. Don’t ever let someone tell you that you shouldn’t question God.

Struggles can impact faith… Our faith can increase during times of struggle.

The two greatest lessons about faith I ever learned were during times of struggle. We will see this in the life of Habakkuk.

Transition: Faith Tested can turn into Faith taught.

Faith taught Vs. 2:1-3

Explanation: Instead of throwing up his arms and screaming I quit! I’m gathering up my toys and I’m going home. Habakkuk went to his prayer closet, to pray, meditate, and wait for the Lord.

Habakkuk knew that God heard his complaint and that He would send an answer soon. God did answer. “I have a plan and a schedule,” God said. “It will all work out in due time, so don’t become impatient.” Then God gave Habakkuk three very wonderful assurances to encourage and strengthen him during those difficult days.

The Just shall live by faith Vs. 4

There are two kinds of people described in this verse. those who are “puffed up” because they trust in themselves, and those who are saved and humble because they trust in the Lord.

Yes, God raised up the Chaldeans, a wicked nation to conquer Judah and bring about judgment on the nation. But they will receive their due reward for their sinfulness. They were puffed up and prideful never coming to an understanding that it was God [Yahweh] who gave them the victory.

What does God do with those sinners who reject Him? They perish.

But the Just live by faith.

God is telling Habakkuk to be faithful, trust in Him against the visibly apparent odds.

Faith doesn’t walk by sight it believes the invisible has taken place already.

Adrian Rodger said this: Faith doesn’t live by appearance but by providence.

The faithful will be saved.

We are saved by faith…since we are saved by faith we live by faith… we walk by faith.

The earth shall be filled with His Glory Vs. 14

Judah in Habakkuk’s day hardly looked like God’s glory filled the nation neither does it ours.

God’s gives 5 woes in this chapter: A woe is statement that means judgment is coming.

Greed and covetousness. Vs. 5-11 WOE is found in vs. 6

Murder for gain. Vs. 12

Drunkenness. Vs. 15-16

Idolatry. Vs. 19

These are the very sins that are polluting nations today.

And God hates these sins today just as much as He did back in Habakkuk’s day. But the promise still stands that God’s glory shall one day fill this earth.

Jesus Christ is going to return, put down all sin, and establish His righteous kingdom.

The Lord is in His Holy TempleVs. 20

God tells Habakkuk that He is still on the throne.

Illustration: Isaiah 6 “in the year king Uzziah died… Isaiah was troubled about what would happen to the nation… He saw the glory of God and God wasn’t troubled… He wasn’t pacing around wondering “the righteous king is dead… what will happen now… no Isaiah saw God seated on His thrown!

He is ruling and overruling in the affairs of nations. Habakkuk thought that God was uninterested in the problems of life, but he discovered that God was very much concerned, and that He was working out His own plan in His own time

This is why the just live by faith

If we look at ourselves, or at our circumstances, we will be discouraged and want to quit, but if we look up to God by faith, and ahead to the glorious return of Christ, then we will be encouraged and enabled to go on in victory.

keeping our eyes on Jesus. the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. .Hebrews 12:2

This is God’s lesson to us, we struggle in this world, there is injustice in this world, there is sin all around us. As we struggle we come to God and ask Him questions but faith tested is faith taught. The just shall live by faith….. Keep your eye on Jesus!

Faith Triumphant Vs. 16-19

We learn a wonder lesson about faith from Habakkuk. He asked difficult questions. He struggled with God, but He handled it in the right way. He asked, then fell quite and waited for God to respond.

Habakkuk understood God was at work:

LORD, I have heard the report about you; LORD, I stand in awe of your deeds. Revive your work in these years; make it known in these years. In your wrath remember mercy! Hab 3:2.

Habakkuk recalls:

Look at the nations and observe be utterly astounded! For I am doing something in your days Hab.1:5

But, Habakkuk never gets an answer to His question of: why God allows evil to exist aside His holiness.. but understood that God would not allow evil to prevail.

3:3-16 - He reviews Israel’s history and the wonderful works of God, Habakkuk knew that God had worked in the past, and he could trust Him to work in the present and future.

At this though Habakkuk breaks out in praise…

Vs. 17- 19 represent one of the greatest confessions of faith found in the Bible.

“Though everything around me fail—the fields, the vineyards, the flocks, the herds—yet will I rejoice in the Lord.”

******* Faith Triumphs over troubles!

Application: Habakkuk’s faith grew and He understood that God was in control and that he needed to live by faith.

Habakkuk knew that he had no strength of his own, but that God could give him the strength he would need to go through the trials of life.

God is in control and we need to live by faith.

We see things more clearly now than they did during the times of Habakkuk; we have the completed cannon of Scripture to study.

We have the record of life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, as well as the promise of His coming again. If any people ought to walk by faith and rejoice in the Lord, it is the Christian today.

Conclusion: Habakkuk came to God struggling with life’s complexities but realized that God is good and He is enough.

We can be honest with God and realize that even in our questions we don’t have to lose faith or our joy.

Even in our questions we can still understand where our Salvation comes from.

A faith tested can be a lesson learned in faith and faith will always be triumphant!