CVMBC Waiting On God 010922

 Habakkuk 2: 1-5 Morning Song: God Is by Rev Cleveland Sermonic Hymn: I Don't Mind Waiting by Juanita Bynum LOOK AT THE CLOCK Good morning, Clearview Family and Friends. I give honor to the Father and my Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ for the privilege to stand to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on this second Sunday of 2022. He has blessed us with 9 days, that is a reason to praise His Holy name. When I think about the goodness of the Lord and all He has done for me, my soul cries out. I need you oh, I need thee; Every hour I need thee; oh, bless me now my Savior, I come to thee. Let us go before the Throne room of grace and mercy. Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Lord, as we walk through this maze called life, we can't always see what's around the corner. Will you give us greater faith as we exercise our faith muscles daily? Please lead us, guide us into this new season that you have prepared. Now let the words of my mouth and mediation of each one of our heart be acceptable in Your sight. in the name of Your Son Jesus the Christ we pray. Amen, There is a word from the Lord that can be found in the book of (Habakkuk 2:1-5. 2 Corth 4:1-2, 13. CSB) I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the lookout tower. I will watch to see what he will say to me and what I should reply about my complaint. The Lord answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it. 3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late. Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith. 4 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. Church, If I may speak to you this morning on the subject of Waiting on God. Waiting on God, does not mean doing nothing. It means not going outside of His will while you do something. Our brother Paul, while being denied every comfort in a dark prison cell penned these words to us; I don't say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. Phil 4:11 A writer tells a story of a king who went to his garden one morning, only to find everything withered and dying. He asked the oak tree that stood near the gate what in the world is the problem? The oak said it was tired of life and determined to die because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine tree. The pine was troubled because it could not bear grapes like the grapevine. The grapevine was determined to throw its life away because it could not stand erect and produce fruit as large as peaches. The geranium was fretting because it was not tall and fragrant like the lilac. And so, it went throughout the garden. Yet coming to a violet, the king found its face as bright and happy as ever and said, "Well, violet, I'm glad to find one brave little flower in the midst of this discouragement. You don't seem to be the least disheartened." The violet responded, "No I'm not. I know I'm small, yet I thought if you wanted an oak or a pine or a peach tree or even a lilac, you would have planted one. But, since I knew you wanted a violet, I'm determined to be the best little violet I can be. As the violet you must remember. Others may do a greater work, but you have your part to do And no one in all God's family, can do it as well as you. Church, people who are God's children without reservation "have learned to be content whatever the circumstances," His will becomes their will and they desire to do for Him whatever He desires them to do. When you seek first your own desires, your own plan and your own program and agenda. God always end up getting what's left over. The first thing to suffer is time with Him, obedience to him and then our commitment to his plan. And yet at the same time we are praying "Dear God, bless my rule, my reign, my plan. But Church God is not going to bless any plan but His own. The secret to living out the fullness of your destiny is found in one word "First" This word represents your highest priority; to advance the rule of God and His Kingdom in every area of your life. Mathew 6:33 declares: Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." There is a hierarchy in God's kingdom and it always start with Him being first. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. You can listen to a million sermons, read million books and pray a million prayers, but none of these things will empower you to live out your destiny until you put God first. God must be first in our lives. Along everyone's life path to their destiny, there will be trials and there will be tribulation. Listen to this wise counsel that our brother James gives us for a season such as this: Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4 CSB) And God promises that when you do, "all these things will be added to you. I AM TELLING YOU WHAT I KNOW. You will experience the fullness and maximum potential of who you are along with all of the spiritual blessing that He has in store for you as you enter into what He has ordained for you to be. In our text this morning we find ourselves in the book of Habakkuk. A short book, but a powerful story of prayer, faith, and trust. The bible doesn't tell us anything except he was a prophet; otherwise, nothing else is known about him. But the unique thing about him is that where most prophets spoke to the people on behalf of God, Habakkuk spoke to God on behalf of the people. Church, I don't know about you, but I thank God for someone speaking to Him on my behalf and you should also. Habakkuk was a perplexed prophet who lived in the last days of the southern kingdom of Judah, before the Babylonians invaded it and took the people into captivity. He struggled, just like we do because God used the evil Babylonians to judge His people; in other words, He used clearly the unrighteous to judge the more righteous. And Habakkuk wrestled with this thing; whether God, was fair for doing such thing. Psalm 37:28 declares: For the Lord loves justice and will not abandon his faithful ones. They are kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked will be destroyed. While we all struggle with this issue at times Church, this book of Habakkuk serves as an invitation to all believers to look at the "who" when we don't understand the "why". It prompts us to trust God's sovereignty over His Kingdom (The Church) and His purposes and will even when we don't comprehend them. We can take a cue from Job on this matter. He understood this and declared in Job 37:5: God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. For he says to the snow, "Fall to the earth," and the torrential rains, his mighty torrential rains, serve as his sign to all mankind, I often stand at awe when the torrential rains come and reminding God that He said that earth will not flood again. Nothing can compare to God. His power and presence are awesome, and when He speaks, we must listen. Too often we presume to speak for God (as did Job friends), to put words in His mouth, and we interpret His silence to mean that He is absent or unconcerned about us. But God cares. He is in control, and He will speak into our circumstances. Psalms 95:7-8: For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep under his care. And, we must be ready to hear His message in His Word, in our life through the Holy Spirit, and through circumstances and relationships that He has allowed. Habakkuk invites us to draw near to God even when we don't get all of our questions answered and even when it seems that God is working against us! He teaches that we can take our stand and praise God even when we don't grasp what He's doing. Habakkuk spoke to God about what he saw in his world according to (1:1) Let me share just a little history of what he was dealing with. All around him, he saw injustice, wrongdoing, oppression, violence, strife and conflict according (1:3) Specifically, King Josiah had loved the Lord and His law according (2 Kgs 23:1-27), but Josiah had been killed and replaced by his wicked son Jehoiakim who "did what was evil in the Lord's sight" according (2 Kgs 23:36-37). And Judah's citizens followed his example. So, Habakkuk determined that he was going to do something about it. He was a praying man, so cried out to God. How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen according to (1:2) But his prayer seemed to go unanswered: In time, Habakkuk decided God was taking too long to come through on His request. He asked, Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Church, have you ever felt alone in standing up for justice in this world, while God seemed to be indifferent with you? This happens when we forget that God alone can see the whole picture, the end before the beginning. He is the Alpha and Omega and the author and finisher of our faith. He is working out His sovereign plan in the midst of our chaos. Jeremiah 29:11 makes this clear: For I know the plans I have for you"-this is the Lord's declaration-"plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Church, if you don't get anything else out of the message today, I need you to remember this; that the Lord decides when to answer our prayers and how best to answer them. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: I say wait, on the Lord. Psalm 27:14 When you realize that He is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and holy (perfectly righteous in all that He does), then you will realize He knows how to run things better than me and you could ever do. God was listening to His prophet and now He answers according to 1:5-11. Indeed, He plans to do something about the injustice in Judah and it would leave Habakkuk utterly astounded. Many of you today are astounded at the position that Clearview is in during this season. What is your part in this? It is to Walk by faith and not sight. We don't know what tomorrow holds Church, but we know who holds our tomorrow. God names his minister or means of punishment: they were called the Babylonians, a bitter nation that was known for marching across the earth's open spaces to seize territories. While Habakkuk got his answer, it wasn't the response he was looking for. We must be prepared for God answer to our prayers, not us. Habakkuk cannot comprehend that God, who is righteous and pure gives free reign to an evil nation that does not give Him glory. In Habakkuk's mind, it's was not fair that God is using an ally of Satan to judge the people of His kingdom. So, he registers his frustration and says I will watch to see what he will say to me about my complaint. I love this about God. Though God is the Creator and Judge of the universe, He takes the time to respond to His servant request and let him in on what He is doing. He commands Habakkuk to write down this vision, so one may easily read it according to (2:2). History would be a witness to God's revelation in mankind journey. The Babylonians would surely invade at the appointed time (2:3). Yes, Habakkuk was exactly right about the Babylonian king. His ego was inflated. He is without integrity, arrogant and never satisfied according (2:5) But this is what Habakkuk and all us who follow God need to know above all else, the righteous one will live by his faith (2:4). He did not get a ten-point answer to his concerns. Nor did he receive a long, drawn-out discussion of God's ways. No, God simply told him and is telling us in essence, "Trust me and follow my instructions". What are they? Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus according to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Church, we can operate in this knowledge that God has everything under control. Yes, His agenda may be mysterious, but His will is perfect. Everything he does will bring Himself glory and is ultimately for the good of His people. Paul has made this clear We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 Do you love the Lord Church? Are you called according to His purpose? God would use the wicked Babylonians to punish Judah, but that didn't mean Babylonian would get off scot-free. The Babylonians, would be judged. The mocker would be mocked. The one who had plundered many nations would himself be plundered according to (2:8). God has a track record of consistency and persistent sin always brings about His judgment. Now with his perspective righted, Habakkuk stands in awe of God. As he considers God's deeds, what He has done in the past and what He will do in the future. Church looks what he does. He asks God to remember mercy even as He justly pours out His wrath according to (3:2) This is the kind of intercession on the behalf of others that we should do, in fact, this is what godly people should always do no matter what the circumstances are. It's what Moses did according to Exod 32:11-14 and It's what Daniel did in (-1-19. So, we should always be reminding God of His covenant promise and plead for mercy for His people. Habakkuk praises God for His splendor, brilliance and power according to 3:3-4. No one can stand before the Lord; he makes the earth tremble. In time, he will save His people, but in the meantime, Habakkuk would have to quietly wait for the day of distress to come against the invaders. Sometimes Church, in the midst of all out troubles, we too, must be patient, trusting God's promises and following His agenda for us. That in fact, was the posture behind Habakkuk's and should be our declaration of faith. Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the flocks disappear from the pen and there are no herds in the stalls, yet I will celebrate in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! In other words, whatever happens to me, I will praise the God who saves me because He is my rock and my strength. When you know God's character (Who He Is) and when you know His works (What He Has Done), you will know that you can trust Him even in the times of uncertainly. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes Lord, that grace and mercy, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. As I begin to close: I leave you the words of Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him to shew unto His servants 2:1-7 I know your works, I know your labor, and I know your endurance, and I know that you cannot tolerate evil people. I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name, and I know you have not grown weary. But I have this one thing against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Church be faithful even to the point of death, and God promise He will give you the crown of life. Church whatever you do and whatever happen, don't stop waiting on the Lord. Let Church say Amen 8