Work Faithfully. Wait Patiently.

INTRODUCTION:

READ:

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. Habakkuk 2:12-14

ILLUSTRATION:

The prophet Habakkuk wrote these words in the midst of confusing, discouraging, and troubling times. The Lord had just revealed to him that Babylon, a hostile and ruthless foreign nation, would invade his nation, Judah.

What a terrifying thought.

Habakkuk describes for us how he felt in chapter 3 verse 16 when he says,

16  I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Habakkuk 3:16

Then, as the reality sank in further, Habakkuk’s quivering lips turned turned into questioning lips, and he looks towards heaven and out of confusion and frustration says to the Lord,

“Why do you look idly?”

And

“Why do you remain silent?”

These questions, though asked by Habakkuk 2,600 years ago, feel all too relevant to us in our own sorrowful, confusing, and frustrating times.

And while we don’t face a literal Babylon in our day, 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 human fame, it is something that God hates with all of his being. 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 judgement oracles against wicked, proud Babylon. Because God alone is worthy of glory, and honor, and praise, and he will allow no rival.

BRIDGE THE GAP:

These judgements, they were intended to comfort Habakkuk, and they serve to comfort us by extension. Because, in his mercy, the Lord hasn’t remained silent, like Habakkuk accused him of being. He hasn’t ignored the suffering of his people or the wickedness of those who oppress them. He knows the Kingdom of Christ is always under assault by the Kingdom of Man, and he will act to bring an end to sin and injustice.

Why will he do this? Because, verse 14, God is determined that his glory, and not the glory of man, will fill his earth. This is how God comforts and encourages Habakkuk, he gives him a glorious picture of the future, and that pictures gives Habakkuk profound hope for the present.

Given our specific emphasis on missions today, we could even say it like this, God gives comfort to his people in the midst of severe opposition by giving them a glorious vision of the success of international missions — “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

This hope has sustained Christians in the darkest and most discouraging of times throughout church history. That is how God encouraged Habakkuk, and that is how God encourages us today.

So as we consider this text together, we’ll consider both of these kingdoms — the Kingdom of Man and the Kingdom of Christ. And as we do, it is my prayer that God would encourage our hearts with this truth — the Kingdom of Man may rage strongly against us, but God, his ways, and his purposes will win.

TRANSITION:

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

MAIN POINT 1:

READ:

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?” Habakkuk 2:12-13

EXPOSITION:

The Kingdom of Man builds in this world in a way that is foundationally selfish. They use others to their advantage and to accomplish their own selfish ends. 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. 16 for by them he lives in luxury and his food is made rich.” Habakkuk 1:15–16

What’s described here is disturbing. 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. And what kind of life awaited these conquered nations? They would be used to build more Babylonian homes and cities — an empire built on blood and iniquity. A life of luxury at the expense of others.

TRANSITION:

And as they did this with one nation after another after another, Babylon’s true intention was revealed. They weren’t content with just a small amount of land for their name and glory — no, they had their eyes set on world domination.

Consider Habakkuk 2:5,

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 his power is felt by all. So wicked Babylon seeks to extend its kingdom across the earth, extending to all people, conquering every nation — the greed of the Kingdom of Man cannot be satisfied until his glory covers the earth.

TRANSITION:

But Ironically, while they seek to establish for themselves peace and security by extending their rule, we find in chapter 2 verse 13 that their labors and ultimately futile, because the Lord is not in them.

READ:

“Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that poeples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?” Habakkuk 2:13

EXPOSITION:

From Babylon’s perspective, their glory is increasing, their security is being established, and an impressive nation is being built.

But from God’s perspective, he looks down from his throne in heaven and is not impressed. He saw not a glorious nation, but bloodshed and iniquity. The very means Babylon uses to build a name for themselves in this earth, God sees as the reason they will perish from the earth.

Ultimately these efforts of the Kingdom of Man to make a name for themselves in this world will come to an abrupt and sudden end. Why? Because although they work, the Lord is not in their work. Their works will burn up and their labors will be for nothing.

These Babylonians will know from experience that,

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1

So it is will all labor done for the glory of man — it comes to nothing, and it ends in nothing.

TRANSITION:

Why is this? Because the Lord is jealous for his own glory, and he will not share it with another.

Like the sheriff in those old westerns, he says “this town ain’t big enough for the both of us.”

Let’s look now 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 endure, because the Lord will ensure that his kingdom, and his glory will fill his the 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 gory of the Lord. That is, the Lord will not only be known about, but he will be known for who he truly is; he will be known in his glory.

Surely in Habakkuk’s mind as he wrote this was the awesome spender of the glory of the Lord which filled the tabernacle and the temple under the Old Covenant. When the priests entered that Holy of Holies, or Israel saw the pillar of fire dwelling in their midst, there was no doubt that God was present, and God was with them.

That’s what’s described here, the knowledge of the Lord that only being in the very presence of his splendor and majesty can bring — experiential knowledge of God. Close and intimate companionship with him, his ways, his character.

GOSPEL / CHRIST-CONNECTION:

This intimate knowledge of God, where is it known and felt for us today? Not in a temple in Jerusalem, but in the One who has revealed to us God himself.

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkenss,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6

Do you hear that? What has been revealed to us? The knowledge of the glory of God. Where? In the face of Jesus Christ.

Where do we find this knowledge of God? In the gospel itself.

The good news that, although we once also labored for our own glory in this world — although we were like Babylon, and deserving of the very same judgement — Jesus Christ came to earth to take that judgement for us.

It’s the good news that God has mercifully and graciously rescued us out from the Kingdom of Man, and placed us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. And he changed us from people who seek our own glory in this world into people who love to say,

“Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to your name give glory.” Psalm 115:1

So reading this text with our New Testament glasses on, we can’t help but see that the knowledge of God spoken of by Habakkuk, is only make possible through this glorious gospel, that brings undeserving sinners right into the very presence of God himself, and makes us his friends.

TRANSITION:

But that’s not all that’s said here. Not only are we given a description of the Kingdom of Christ, but, second, we are also told of the extent of the Kingdom of Christ.

SUB-POINT 2: The Extent of the Kingdom

Do you see that?

“the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.”

EXPOSITION:

What is the extent of this kingdom?

It’s throughout the earth.

And not just here and there throughout the earth, but the earth will be filled with this knowledge. Not partially, but fully. Every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.

And as if this language were not explicit enough, the Lord etches it into our minds for us with a picture. It’s just like the way the waters cover the sea, so the earth in its entirety will be covered, filled, and submerged in the knowledge of Christ.

That glory of the Lord which Moses saw and experienced on top of Mt. Sinai, that glory will be felt and known by on every mountain top on earth as men and women are brought face-to-face with the glory of God through the gospel of Christ.

Babylon tried to do this, but Christ will do this.

In a complete reversal of Babylon’s cruelty, Christ too called us to be fishers of men, but in a radically different sense than Babylon was — we bring men and women away from their striving and slavery to the one who says to them,

“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

The Kingdom of Man may pull in men like a dragnet, but the Kingdom of Christ

it is like a netdrag that was throne into the sea and gathered fish of every kind until it was full. (Matthew 13:47)

This terrifying description of Babylon is gloriously true of Jesus Christ,

“He gathers to himself all nations, and collects for himself all people.”

The knowledge of the glory of the Lord that was felt and known in Israel will not just be felt and known in Israel, but in Moscow, and Beijing, and Berlin, and Washington D.C., and New Delhi, and Istanbul, and Bangkok, and Havana, and Warsaw, and Addis Ababa. Do you believe it?

This kingdom will fill the earth because it’s built, not upon the blood of slaves and iniquity, but upon the blood of Christ and his righteousness. That blood of Christ, which purchased men and women from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, it is so precious in the sight of God the Father that victory is certain.

So let us say with the psalmist,

“Blessed be his glouris name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with his glory!” Psalm 72:19

ILLUSTRATION/APPLICATION:

Oh, this vision, it encourages us, but it also confronts us. Because we feel as keenly as Habakkuk did that this vision hasn’t been realized yet.

As many of us know, it’s all too common here in American for people to know of God, but not to know God himself. To think that just because they are “good people” that they are somehow followers of Christ.

And this shallow knowledge of the Lord isn’t just an American problem. It’s felt around the world.

This past Summer as I was teaching on Ephesians at Evangelical Theological College out in Addis Ababa, one of my students began having a seizure as I was finishing up a class. Another student was able to help him as I finished up teaching. After the class, I approached him and asked if he was OK and there was anything I could do to help him. He told me that he was fine and that he had had epileptic seizures since birth. He told me terrible stories of him waking up at the bottom of a flight of stairs, having fallen down them during a seizure. Of him waking up with his face in a puddle, having almost drowned. Of him waking up with his head in the middle of a busy road with cars rushing by. Then he looked up at me and he said these words, “and I hate God because he hasn’t kept his promises to me.”

You see, this man had been promised that if only he gave his life to Jesus, his sickness would be gone, he would have all the money he needed, he would have all the children he wanted. And he had bought into the lies of the prosperity gospel. And remember, this student is at Bible College studying to become a pastor. And the sad thing is this, his story is not unusual, it’s the norm for protestants in Addis Ababa. As Paul said in Romans 9, they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

The Lord says this isn’t enough. He will not only be heard of, he must be known.

The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, but we’re not there yet.

So may this student and millions more like him say with Job,

“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.” Job 42:5

TRANSITION:

So what do we do? How do we live now? How do we live as those who desire and pray for Christ’s kingdom to come but, like Habakkuk, are aware of the many ways in which it hasn’t yet.

For the answer to that question, let’s look back further in chapter 2 verses 2 through 4.

READ:

“And the Lord asnwered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. 3  For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. 4  “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:2-4

EXPOSITION/APPLICATION:

The simple answer is this: we live by faith. We live a life of undisturbed confidence in the God who always accomplishes his will. It’s a life lived in faithful trust, and steady confidence, and sure conviction that the Lord, his purposes, and his kingdom will win, no matter how strongly the enemy may rage.

It’s a life of inner stability in the midst of outer chaos. It’s a life that can say,

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountians ve moved into the heart of the sea.” (Psalm 46:1–2)

The life of faith believes the Lord is accomplishing his purpose is in the world, even when current events seem to deny that. Because

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

But what does that look like? In the day to day? What does it look like to live this life of faith? I believe this verse gives us two principles that will help us.

The life of faith works faithfully for the progress of the kingdom, and waits patiently for the fullness of the kingdom.

Or, put simply, we work faithfully and wait patiently.

SUB-POINT 1:

First, we work faithfully.

READ:

“And the Lord answred me: ‘write the vision’ make it plain to tablets, so that he may run who reads it.” Habakkuk 2:2

EXPOSITION:

When the Lord gave this vision to the prophet Habakkuk, he wanted him to make the message clear, easy to remember, and easy to repeat. Why? Because he wanted the person who read it to be able to run with it. The Lord wanted this message to spread from person to person, from house to house, from city to city, and from nation to nation. How? Through people. People like you and me. People who hear the Lord’s message and who share it.

Really, this might be the closest verse we get in the Old Testament to what will later become,

Matthew 28:19-20: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.

ILLUSTRATION:

When the missionary William Carey argued in the late 1700s for the importance of for international missions, he was told by an older member present,"Young man, sit down! You are an enthusiast. When God pleases to convert the heathen, he'll do it without consulting you or me."

ILLUSTRATION/APPLICATION:

Of course we hear that and find it hard to believe that anyone would say that, but do we live our lives as if this is true? Do we pray for the conversion of our neighbors and family members without actually sharing the good news with our neighbors and family members? You see, the Lord will make his kingdom come, but he uses means. He uses people like you and like me. He uses conversations over coffee and at the dinner table. He uses invitations to church. He uses bible studies. He uses moments where we say “can I pray for you?”

Brothers and sisters, we are members of a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us labor for it with unshakable faith. It is the Kingdom of Man that is laboring for nothing. Not us.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be stedfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

Brothers and sisters, we are members of a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us labor for it with unshakable faith.

TRANSITION:

But that’s not all this passage leaves us with. It both comforts us with promises of victory and it also consoles us when victory seems so far off.

We not only work faithfully, but....

SUB-POINT 2:

Second, we wait patiently.

READ:

“For still the vision awaints its appointed time; it hastens to the end — it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:3

Exposition/Application:

The Lord knows our impatience and our tendencies towards discouragement when things don’t work out like we had hoped, in the way that we had hoped, or in the timeline that we had hoped. And the longer we live, the slower it seems.

But this verse gives us confidence that, though the spread of Christ’s kingdom in this world may be slow, it won’t be late.

Illustration:

Like Gandalf, it arrives precisely when it means to.

Exposition/Illustration:

When it says that it hastens to the end, we’re meant to feel here a sense of urgency, that the prophecy will be fulfilled. And it’s even more explicitly urgent in the original. This could be translated that it “pants” for the end, or it “breathes” for the end. There’s a sense of longing for the fulfillment of this prophecy intending to show us God’s own sure desire for his kingdom to come.

Exposition/Application:

Christ’s kingdom will surely come, and as Calvin says in his commentary on this text, “God will not disappoint you.”

If it seems slow, wait for it. Don’t lose heart. Don’t become discouraged. In our zeal for the kingdom to come, let us not forget the words of our Lord,

“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32

It grows like a tree, and that takes time, and patience. But it does grow, and it will come.

Exposition/Application:

Oh weary Christian, let this truth sink deep into your soul, the Lord in his ways will win.

Application/Summary:

The life of faith both works faithfully and waits patiently.

Holding these two realities in check, it protects us from the duel traps of naïve optimism and nihilistic pessimism because it’s easy to fall into one extreme or the other.

The missionary William Carey, after working and waiting on the mission field of India for five and a half years, finally saw his first conversion. On the evening of his baptism, he wrote,

“He was only one, but a continent was coming behind him. The divine grace which changed one Indian’s heart could obviously change a hundred thousand. The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord – that is enough. We can afford to work in faith, for Omnipotence is pledged to fulfill the promise...The seed being sown, the least of all seeds now, but it will grow a mighty tree. It is as it were a small stone cut out of a mountain, but it will fill the whole earth.”

That is the model of working faithfully and waiting patiently.

So let us also work faithfully and wait patiently. In our jobs, in our families, in our neighborhoods, and in our churches. Let me encourage you in this, because this isn’t just a verse for missionaries, because you are no less on the front lines than we will be in Addis Ababa. Dedicate yourself to Christ, his kingdom, and this gospel-preaching church, because everything done for Christ and his kingdom will endure. When the days seem long, and the nights seem even longer. Don’t give up hope.

While you work faithfully and wait patiently here, would you also work faithfully and wait patiently alongside us?

We are convinced the Lord has called us to work faithfully and wait patiently in Ethiopia by planting a church and by training pastors.

Church planting, and theological education.

We want to plant a gospel-centered, word-centered church right in the heart of where the prosperity gospel has dug its roots. Instead of offering false hopes of money and wellness and children and fame, we want to offer so much more: Jesus Christ himself.

And we want this church to be self-replicating. We want it to grow, and then we want to send out We want to train up and send out the next generation of Ethiopian pastors to lead gospel-centered, Christ- proclaiming churches.

We are excited to go. And we anticipate the Lord meeting us with a fruitful harvest. But we need your help.

When Andrew Fuller heard of William Carey going to bring the gospel to India, he said that it felt like God has called a few men to go into a deep, dark, unexplored mine. Carey replied to Fuller, “Well, I will go down, if you will hold the rope.” We need people like you as we go. People who can hold the rope as we bring the light of the gospel into the dark mines of Ethiopia. Because deep down in those mines are precious gems and jewels the Lord has ready for us.

First, would you pray for us? We need people who can pray for us regularly, who can put on their calendars to pray for us for 60 seconds once a month, or five minutes twice a month, or at family devotions once a week. People who can put it on their calendars to faithfully and regularly pray that the Lord will prosper our efforts for his kingdom in Ethiopia.

Second, would you become financial partners with us? Very simply, we need people like you who can not only pray for us, but who can partner with us financially in our mission. We want our time and efforts to be spent fully on the church plant and so we’re asking you to invest your money in our efforts to bring the kingdom across the world. We’re looking both for people who can partner with us both through one-time and monthly gifts. Your financial gifts will be what makes this church plant possible. We can’t do it without you.

This was Paul’s strategy. He asked churches to help fund his mission. Here’s Paul’s words to the Philippians, a church who partnered with him financially for the spread of the kingdom,

“Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Philippians 4:17–20)

Conclusion

And let us all together work faithfully and wait patiently. Because one day our prayers, “your kingdom come” will turn into the joyful celebration, “the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” Let us work, knowing that one day we will no longer be working, we will be resting. And let us wait, knowing that one day we wait, but we will be seeing face-to-face.

Because one day, the Holy City, the New Jersualem, the city not built upon blood and iniquity, but built upon the blood and righteousness of Christ, one day it will descend on this earth, all will be made right, our striving will be over, and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.