Living By Faith

If you look at the sermon notes, you might be tempted to see them as simplistic, but ironically, this is the deepest and most theologically rich passage in the Book of Habakkuk.

In it we will see a very practical way to wait among the fig trees.

Specifically, How do you live in the midst of suffering?

It’s one thing to question God, but it’s a totally different thing to live with suffering

What do you do when the pain in your life is not a sting but more like a dull ache?

We ended with Hab 2:1 with Habakkuk waiting for God to answer his second question, and I want to pick it up there:

Habakkuk 2:1 (ESV)

1 I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

Habakkuk 2:2–4 (ESV)

2 And the Lord answered me:

Don’t skip past the fact that the Lord answered Habakkuk.

God doesn’t play a cosmic game of Hide and Seek. When it is time for God to answer - He answers`

“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.

Original readers would have known they were nearing the apex of the book.

2:4 is the chiastic center

Habakkuk has

Listen to the truth of God’s Word. (2:2-3a)

God’s Word is to be remembered.

“Write the vision; make it plain on tablets,

Same idea with 10 Commandments. They were written to be remembered.

Armana Letters - Clay tablets with messages written in them for messengers to take

If God wanted you to be his stenographer, don’t you think you’d pay special attention to what he was going to say?

“Listen up, I’m going to tell you what is about to happen.”

“Hey, I have a word from God — nope, I’m good.”

This was written for you. God made sure that these words would sit here for you for more than 2000 years.

We need to memorize God’s Word. That’s how we write it down.

(James - Consider it pure joy)

God’s Word can be trusted.

God’s Word does not lie.

ILLUST - Fireball and Sodom

From a recent article titled, “An asteroid demolished a Middle Eastern city and everyone in it 3,600 years ago — possibly inspiring the biblical story of Sodom”

“As the inhabitants of an ancient Middle Eastern city now called Tall el-Hammam went about their daily business one day about 3,600 years ago, they had no idea an unseen icy space rock was speeding toward them at about 38,000 miles per hour.

Flashing through the atmosphere, the rock exploded in a massive fireball about 2.5 miles above the ground. The blast was around 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima. The shocked city dwellers who stared at it were blinded instantly. Air temperatures rapidly rose above 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit (2,000 degrees Celsius). Clothing and wood immediately burst into flames. Swords, spears, mudbricks and pottery began to melt. Almost immediately, the entire city was on fire.”

https://www.businessinsider.com/asteroid-hit-ancient-middle-eastern-city-inspired-sodom-bible-story-2021-9

The scientists who wrote this report on the Jordan River Valley fireball state, “An eyewitness description of this 3600-year-old catastrophic event may have been passed down as an oral tradition that eventually became the written biblical account about the destruction of Sodom.”

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/september/sodom-meteor-biblical-archaeology-tall-el-hammam-airburst.html

There is validation of the BIble’s claims that stretch farther back than Sodom and Gomorrah.

The truth of God’s Word dispels the lies of fear

ILLUST - the truth flashlight of Gods Word for Coby’s fears

God’s Word should be shared.

“Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.

Another translation my be: “So he may run into it who reads it.

But there is also the idea that the words were written down on the tablets and Habakkuk is a public prophet.

God’s Word is meant to be shared and the best way to do that is to run into 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.

Sometimes we see the promises in God’s Word but we wonder not IF but WHEN?

Count on the goodness of God’s timing. (2:3b)

ILLUST - questioning God’s timing - My mom died from Covid-19 just a few days before they approved the use of the Covid-19 vaccine. Couldn’t God have help back the disease one or two months?

In order to count on the goodness of God’s timing, we need to remember two truths:

God’s time is the right time and always right on time.

I love how the phrase here points out that God’s word is true and sure and the rest of time and history need to catch up.

God never hesitates nor procrastinates and He is never late. It is we who are impatient.

“A focus on God’s timing comes from a desire to control.”

The troubles of earth only make sense with the timing of heaven.

Isaiah 65:17 (ESV)

17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 (ESV)

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

The timeline is less important than the One who holds time.

To second-guess (or first tell) the timeline is really an effort to control time.

Living by faith understands that faith to be in God not His schedule.

Habakkuk (The Expected Response to the Vision)

Faith means being faithful to God rather than relying upon a specific timeline. Temptation seduces believers when they begin to rely on God’s schedule for security and hope rather than on God himself. This is a kind of disordered love, which will lead to disordered lives. A timeline may take our eyes away from the One who gave it.

This is true as we look at world events today. We must be careful we do not spend more time plotting a timeline than we do pleading with Christ to come soon.

It is not the timeline we should want to see but our Savior.

Jesus calls us to watch and be ready, but we must always remember who it is we are ready for. The Pharisees were watching but they were more concerned with the signs and the missed the Son.

Live while trusting in God’s faithfulness. (2:4)

4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Not only is the second half of verse four found here but it is quoted three times in the NT, especially when Paul and the author of Hebrews are dealing with concepts that are foundational to our faith.

However, it is a notoriously difficult passage to translate.

This is why you may see several different translations.

Living by faith begins with Jesus-first.

Two parts to this verse — shows two ways to live:

Trusting yourself (4a)

Trusting God (4b)

Or 1. self righteousness

2. God’s righteousness

Self-righteousness

4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,

This is talking about the Babylonians - complete disregard for God and his ways.

but there are two looks to self-righteousness - religious and non-religious

The Babylonians were non religious

1:16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet;

The corrupt Jewish leaders that Habakkuk talks about in Chap 1 are religious and self-righteous.

Galatians 3:11–13 (ESV)

11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Moving from self-righteousness to God’s righteousness is moving from condemnation to justification.

God’s righteousness

God’s righteousness comes through Christ:

Romans 1:16–17 (ESV)

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We have Christ’s righteousness imputed to us.

not by works — This was the clincher for Luther

It is a grace-given faith

“Help my unbelief”

God’s righteousness comes through Christ and when we have God’s righteousness we are guaranteed by His faithfulness and se can live by faith.

You don’t need a lot of faith - you just need an active faith.

Living by faith is actively trusting.

Emphasis is on the living.

It is not a statement of faith; rather, it is living by faith.

An example of living by faith = trusting

Jonah, Nahum, Habbakkuk, Zephaniah (Bridging Contexts)

Faithful living and trust (steady faith) are inextricably bound together. If I have faith in a bridge over a chasm to hold me but I will not cross it, I am not living by that faith.

Biblical definition of faith

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Assurance = being sure of

Do you trust in your chair?

Conviction of things not seen

Do you trust your brakes?

ILLUST - not pumping brakes after a brake job - showed we implicitly and actively trust brakes

Sometimes I think it is crazy how I can have more active faith in a chair than I do in God.

(But it’s a bigger problem than sitting down - no comparison)

But the Creator God is bigger than all - no comparison!!

Faith is not trusting in a concept but a person.

Active faith is not claiming a statement, it is developing a relationship

If I have faith in marriage but am not faithful to my wife, do I keep faith or live by it?

Jonah, Nahum, Habbakkuk, Zephaniah Bridging Contexts

Faith is what faith does.

Our faith in Christ - our being made righteous because of that faith allows us to be able to have an active faith - what can this works give us that heaven won’t heal?

Many of us have claimed a faith in Christ and I believe have a real faith, but this season in your life may the first time you need an active faith. One that lets you sit and rest in God. One that allows you to patiently wait among the bare fig trees.

Hebrews 10:32–11:4 (ESV)

32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

English Standard Version (Chapter 11)

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Conclusion

The good will come:

with God’s promise

in God’s timing

by God’s power.

You can:

Count on it

Tell about it

Wait for it

Experience it

What do you need to do this week to ACTIVELY trust in God?

Making the commitment of faith?

Stop trying on your own?

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