HABAKKUK-LEARNING TO TRUST GOD, ALWAYS: Need For Godly Character & Principled Living

 Need For Godly Character & Principled Living Habakkuk 2:1-20 2,500 years ago a prophet named Habakkuk wanted to see his people, the Jews, living a more Godly lifestyle. He saw his people surrounded by their enemy and wondered for how long this would go on. Even today if you look at Israel it’s a miracle, I think an actual literal miracle, that it exists as a country. It is a country surrounded by people, who want to take the land and who hate the Jews. In chapter 1:12-2:1, God said that He would judge the Chaldeans, in our section today, He describes 5 woes that describe the Chaldeans undoing: pay attention to them and see if you think these things exist in our culture today: 1. Greed and plundering what isn’t theirs, loan sharking V. 6-8 2. Prideful security by trampling on strongholds of other nations V. 9-11 3. City built on bloodshed and violence V. 12-14 4. Drunkenness and exploitation V. 15-17 5. Idolatry V. 18-20 To me this reads like a playbook for a downfall. This reads like step-by-step plan for distancing yourself from God - and it begs for principled living and high character in a world of no principal and low character. Our world is one that works to pull you in deeper and push you out further - what stops you from the seduction. It can seem like the grass is greener on the other side, and sometimes it is, because sometimes that greener grass is fake. It’s built on greed and plundering, on pride and violence, on drunkenness and exploitation and leads to idolatry which takes us completely away from God and that should scare us - alas, there is a remedy and we’ll focus on that today from these 15 verses. Habakkuk 2:6–20 (ESV) Woe to the Chaldeans 6 Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, “Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own— for how long?— and loads himself with pledges!” 7  Will not your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you tremble? Then you will be spoil for them. 8  Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them. 9  “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! 10  You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. 11  For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond. 12  “Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity! 13  Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing? 14  For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 15  “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! 16  You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory! 17  The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them. This part - this final woe is one we should really slow down on, think about and consider - this one is sneaky and can get us all, its the key gate to the other 4. Start allowing this in your life and you’ll go anywhere: 18  “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! Why does someone in a position of power take advantage of others? Why do married people cheat on each other? There are lots of reasons - maybe they don't feel satisfied in their relationship or valued or cared for as well as they’d like, maybe things have become distant and they don’t treat each other the way they did when they were pursuing one another, but it’s more than that - it’s satisfaction with what God has given. We allow our hearts to stand up idols. Our idol may be the end goal for a time, the sexual encounter, the conjuring of another, but that’s simply temporary - the idol is ourselves and we must be served at any cost. Whatever we feel would make us happy now; everyone must bow to that. Add power to the mix, and suddenly we don’t just want these things that make us happy - we can have them. Lets keep reading: 19  Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it. Idols aren’t to be overly simplified. They’re projected here onto objects, but they’re a picture of where our affections, our allegiances, and our obedience’s lie. 5 woes, 14 verses and they’re wrapped up and resolved in one single verse. 20  But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” Let the remedy sink in, and wash over you. Habakkuk 2:20 (ESV) 20  But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” If you actually did that, often, like daily how would it change your life. To be still, be silent and remember that God is in his holy temple? How would principled living change your thinking, daily? How would remembering that idols that you create cannot teach you, cannot help you, and that the world in Habakkuk’s day - isn’t that much different from today; it calls you in with promises of greener grass. And sometimes, the grass IS greener - but it’s fake. And it’s temporary. Culture has said, Christians your principles from your dusty book are old fashioned, we know better now - but look at the world, does it seem like ignoring God’s way and marching under our own understanding is working well? Kevin Spacy: predator. Matt Lauer: predator. James Levine (yeah, he WAS the conductor of the Metropolitan Opera): predator. Louis CK: predator. Harvey Weinstein: predator. Our culture amazes me. On the one hand, it’s angry with sexual predators. On the other hand, it completely encourages sexual predators. Have you listened to music on the radio, or been watching TV? I’m really not sure how our world on the one hand listens to the radio, and then on the other hand wonders, why there is so much of a sexually charged environment in powerful places. I feel like Captain Obvious in crazy town, I’m WAY more surprised that everyone is surprised. We’ve completely abandoned, not only THE creator God, but also any construct of creation with a purpose. We’ve made God’s Holiness and sin the butt of jokes and we’ve plowed our own way, all while celebrating sex, not that would be fine in the context of Godly relationships where sex is supposed to be enjoyed, rather sexually charged insanity that degrades and hurts people. Here is where we can learn from History, following every sexually charged self-satisfying desire won’t take you to great places. Following after greener grass, will get you to greener grass, but green grass isn’t the goal, God is - and green grass just dies and fails us. Want the secret to life I have it. 1. Get God. 2. Be content, thankful and joy filled - this IS the Christian life, because we have perfect hope in Christ! Is Jesus the security for your victory, your hope, and your life? If not - I pray that you’ll see perhaps for the first time, that God created us, we’re not an accident, and all of life is structured, for life to bring God glory, so that more and more and more would see and know and love Him. That His son, Jesus lived perfectly, to be the perfect sacrifice to satisfy all sin. And not simply for really bad sin, like murder and violence, sexual sin(s), etc. - but the root of sin, the desire for sin that is in us. Then be still, and know - God is God, He is Holy, and Jesus is sacrifice for the roots of sin and full grown sin in your life - He is the sustainer and the only way to God, collapse Habakkuk 2:4 and Habakkuk 2:20 and you have patterns for life as a Christian 2500 years later. Habakkuk 2:4 (ESV) 4  “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:20 (ESV) 20  But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” HABAKKUK – LEARNING TO TRUST GOD, ALWAYS: Need For Godly Character & Principled Living Pastor John Weathersby Transcend Church 4 of 4 Sunday12/3/2017