WEBVTT

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 Good evening, brothers and sisters.

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 God has brought us here tonight to hear his word.

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! And fortunately, the blessing you will receive

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!

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 But this is God's word.

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 It is a living word.

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 It's a word that he quickened to his holy prophets and apostles.

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 And now as we read it, it continues to be alive and powerful.

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 You know, I think of the words of Jesus.

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 He said, the words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life.

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 And so our prayer is that this evening that God's word tonight would be a living word to you.

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 Quicken to your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, gripping your heart.

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 You know, I was asked to teach a Bible study several months ago.

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 This was at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.

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 And I thought, what would be an encouraging word for people as they're facing the COVID-19 crisis,

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 as they're facing lockdown, as they're facing fatalities from COVID-19,

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 as they're facing economic difficulties, and many people were facing unemployment.

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 So I thought of an example of faith in the Scripture, a great example of faith in the Old Testament.

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 And when you think of an example of faith in the Old Testament, who do you think of?

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 Naturally, you think of Abraham.

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 Exactly.

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 But that's not who we're going to look at tonight.

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 We're going to look at a man tonight, and I pronounce his name a little funny.

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 You know him as Habakkuk.

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 But I'm in the habit of mispronouncing his name by saying Habakkuk.

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 And guess what?

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 I'm too old to change.

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 So when you hear me say Habakkuk, you can know in your hearts that I mean Habakkuk, the prophet.

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 I want us to read from Habakkuk chapter 3, verses 17 through 19.

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 Wonderful passage of Scripture, especially for times like this.

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 This is beginning in verse 17.

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 I'll be reading from New American Standard.

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 You may have NSD, so it may vary just a little here.

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 Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines.

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 Though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food.

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 Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls.

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 Yet I will exult in the Lord.

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 I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

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 The Lord God is my strength.

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 And he has made my feet like hinds feet.

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 And makes me walk on my high places.

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 Let's bow together in prayer.

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 Father, we do thank you for your word.

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 We can't think of the words of your son.

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 That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of your mouth.

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 And these are words that you put on the heart and lips of your prophet, Lord.

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 This is your word.

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 And we pray that this would be your word tonight.

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 We pray that it would be a living word.

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 We pray that you would give us the strength, the ability, by your spirit and by your grace,

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 to live by faith in a time of crisis.

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 Just as Habakkuk did.

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 Father, we thank you for what you will do tonight.

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 And we pray in Jesus' name.

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 Amen.

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 Well, indeed, we are living in crisis times.

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 It was encouraging last week to see in our service to see Michael Hurd.

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 Do you know how old he is?

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 He said, I am 94 years old.

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 And he said, in my 94 years, I've never seen anything like this.

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 This was the most difficult thing he had ever seen, the greatest crisis he had ever seen.

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 And obviously, he had lived through quite a few of them in his 94 years.

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 I want us to look tonight at a crisis in the history of God's people 600 years before Jesus was born.

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 God's people experienced the exile, a captivity, because of their idolatry.

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 God sent his people, the nation of Israel.

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 He sent another nation.

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 He sent Babylon to conquer them and to carry them away, captive to Babylon.

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 So here's the question.

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 God's people, when they were carried away to Babylon, were they all believers?

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 Did they all worship the true God in their hearts?

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 And obviously, the answer is no.

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 They were all outwardly God's people.

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 They were descendants of Abraham.

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 But not all of them were believing in the true God in their hearts.

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 He tells us that in the end of Romans.

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 It says, not all Israel is Israel.

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 There's two concentric circles.

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 One is national Israel, those who are born Jews.

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 But then within that, in the Old Testament, there was another circle,

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 the inner circle, those who had faith in their hearts.

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 People are doing.

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 And he was upset with God.

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 Why don't you do something about it?

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 And then God told him what he was going to do.

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 God had a plan.

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 It wasn't a plan for Habakkuk life.

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 God was going to bring the armies of Babylon to destroy the nation,

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 to destroy the city, to take the people captive,

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 to destroy the temple.

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 And he was going to use Babylon as his instrument to do this.

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 And now Habakkuk had a second problem.

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 The first problem was the sin of the people.

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 God is going to do something about it.

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 He's going to send this evil nation of Babylon to judge his people.

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 Now Habakkuk has an even greater problem.

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 And his problem is this.

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 God, how are you going to use them as your instrument to judge your people?

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 They are worse morally than we are.

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 They are idolaters.

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 We've become idolaters.

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 But in addition, they are cruel people.

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 How could you use people like this to accomplish your purpose?

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 You know, I believe that the book of Habakkuk gives us a model

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 of how we are to live in a time of crisis.

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 It was a time of crisis for Habakkuk.

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 This was the end of the world.

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 The nation had gone into captivity.

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 The city was destroyed.

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 And Habakkuk lived through all of this into captivity.

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 And I want us to see how he's a model.

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 He's a paradigm.

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 He's a pattern for our faith today.

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 If you're following in the Bible, look at chapter 2 and verse 4.

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 God answered his questions.

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 And he brought him to a place of peace.

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 And God said, Habakkuk, in all of this, you need to live by faith.

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 There's a famous word quoted in the New Testament.

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 It's just Habakkuk 2.4.

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 Behold his soul.

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 Talking about Babylon.

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 It's talking about the king of Babylon.

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 And the Babylonian people, they're proud.

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 They're puffed up.

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 They're arrogant.

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 They're not upright.

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 But God said, it's for you.

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 You will live by faith.

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 You know something?

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 You, of course, know that these words are quoted in the New Testament.

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 They're quoted twice in the New Testament.

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 In Romans 1.17.

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 And in Galatians 3.11.

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 And from the New Testament, we understand what that means.

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 The righteous shall live by faith.

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 We interpret that in light of the gospel.

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 And what God gives us in the gospel.

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 When God says to Habakkuk here, he says, the righteous will live by faith.

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 What does he mean?

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 Does he mean that if you're righteous, if you're good enough, then you can trust God?

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 That's not what it means.

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 We know from these two passages, the one in Romans, the one in Galatians, that quotes this verse.

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 When God says, the righteous shall live by faith.

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 That this is in the context of God's care and God's protection.

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 When it says, the righteous shall live by faith.

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 He talks about those who are righteous in the gospel.

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 Who have received righteousness as a gift from God.

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 What does God do for us in the gospel?

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 What does God do for us in salvation?

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 What does God do for us when he justifies us?

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 He does two things.

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 Number one.

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 He forgives us.

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 Our sins are gone.

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 That's a wonderful thing.

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 We get rid of our own record.

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 Our record of sin and failure.

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 We're forgiven.

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 It's gone.

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 But does God do anything else for us in salvation?

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 Yes, he does.

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 He does something even better than forgiveness.

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 Forgiveness is good.

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 But what is better than forgiveness?

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 It is to be made righteous in God's sight.

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 It is to be declared righteous.

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 Have you ever thought, what is the difference between those two things?

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 Have you ever made that distinction in your mind?

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 Between being forgiven and being made righteous?

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 That's an important distinction.

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 Righteousness.

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 Excuse me.

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 Forgiveness is good.

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 But righteousness is better.

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 Forgiveness is getting rid of our own bad record.

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 That's good.

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 But what's better than that?

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 We're given the record of Christ.

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 What he did as a man.

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 His perfect obedience.

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 His obedience to the death of the cross.

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 And that is given to us in the gospel.

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 In the gospel, when we are righteous by faith, we are given the very record of Christ.

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 So that when God looks at us because we are in Christ, he sees the obedience of Christ.

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 You know, why do you and I have confidence to live by faith?

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 Why do we have confidence to live by faith in a time of crisis?

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 Is it because we're good enough?

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 No.

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 If I had to stand before God in the hope that he would help me because of my righteousness, because of how good that I am, I would have no confidence.

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 But you see, when we're made righteous, then we can live by faith.

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 You see the connection between those two.

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 If you have faith that you have been made righteous in Christ before God,

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 then you'll have faith that God will take care of you and meet you in all the circumstances of life.

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 Interpreting it to live by faith in the context of this book, in the context of the book of Habakkuk,

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 one thing it means.

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 It means to trust God when we do not understand.

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 Have you had that experience?

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 We all have.

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 That's a very common thing for believers.

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 It was in Habakkuk's day, and it is in our day.

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 But we can trust God to take care of us.

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 We can trust him when we don't understand because we have been made righteous in the gospel.

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 That's pretty bad.

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 Remember, this is agrarian society.

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 What did they have?

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 Nothing.

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 This is really bad.

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 It just could not get any worse in the circumstances in Judah during the captivity.

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 But what is his response?

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 Here is this remarkable response in light of these terrible circumstances, which could not get worse.

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 What did he say?

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 He said, yet I will exult in the Lord.

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 I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

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 Some translations say, I will rejoice in the Lord.

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 And then again, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

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 What is the reason for his rejoicing?

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 Is there a reason for his rejoicing?

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 I believe there is.

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 I will rejoice in what?

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 In the God of my salvation.

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 And what is that salvation?

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 It is that the righteous shall be fired.

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 What is that salvation?

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 It is that not only that our sins have been forgiven as we put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ,

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 but also that we have been declared righteous.

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 That is the reason we rejoice.

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 There's an objective reason for you and I to rejoice tonight.

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 It transcends our circumstances.

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 It is the fact that God, the God, the creator of heaven and earth is also the God of your salvation.

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 That is a reason to rejoice.

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 No matter how bad it gets, you always have a reason to rejoice.

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 Because of God and his salvation and what he's done for you.

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 You know, this tells us about the nature of Christian joy.

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 Christian joy is not dependent upon circumstances.

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 It's in spite of circumstances.

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 And it is often contrary to circumstances.

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 You know something?

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 Even though I know this intellection,

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 I know that God is the God of my salvation.

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 I know theologically, I know intellectually, I know conceptually,

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 what God has done for me in Christ.

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 Still, it is at times a hard thing for me to do to rejoice.

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 Even though I have an objective reason to do it, it's hard to rejoice.

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 You know something?

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 God has got to strengthen us to rejoice.

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 He's got to strengthen us to live by faith in troubled times.

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 And I like the picture of the life of faith.

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 And we're given that in verse 19.

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 It's all about a mountain.

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 There are a few mountains here in the UK.

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 Imagine you are going up a mountain.

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 And you're starting in the plain.

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 And you take the trail up a mountain.

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 And as you go up toward the summit,

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 as you go up toward the peak,

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 the trail narrows.

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 And the angle of the influx is steeper.

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 And all of a sudden,

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 there are rocks that are easily broken away.

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 And you look away to either side,

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 and there's an abyss on either side.

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 And if you fell off the trail,

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 if you slipped,

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 it would be certain death.

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 As you get up toward the path,

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 as you get up toward the top of the mountain,

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 it becomes a difficult path.

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 A dangerous path.

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 A treacherous path.

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 And that's the picture here.

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 He makes me walk

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 in my high places.

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 What are your high places?

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 Through the difficult paths

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 that God has chosen each one of us to walk.

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 Those are our high places.

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 And they're the same for many of us,

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 but they're different for many of us.

00:19:34.599 --> 00:19:37.599
 Those are our high places.

00:19:38.119 --> 00:19:39.240
 The path is slippery.

00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:40.000
 It's narrow.

00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:42.599
 It's easy to fall off of.

00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:45.579
 And what does God do?

00:19:46.779 --> 00:19:50.000
 He makes us to walk.

00:19:50.459 --> 00:19:51.159
 In other words,

00:19:51.219 --> 00:19:52.319
 He makes us walk

00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:53.980
 the life of faith

00:19:53.980 --> 00:19:55.959
 in a difficult path

00:19:55.959 --> 00:19:57.879
 in a time of crisis.

00:19:57.880 --> 00:20:02.280
 Now what other imagery

00:20:02.280 --> 00:20:03.320
 does He give us here?

00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:06.580
 He says,

00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:07.820
 I will give you

00:20:07.820 --> 00:20:11.000
 dearest feet.

00:20:11.520 --> 00:20:12.120
 In other words,

00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:13.600
 in this difficult path,

00:20:13.960 --> 00:20:15.020
 the path of faith

00:20:15.020 --> 00:20:16.100
 in a time of crisis,

00:20:16.540 --> 00:20:17.920
 I will make you

00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:19.880
 sure-footed

00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:22.500
 so that you can walk this path.

00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:24.340
 So you will not step.

00:20:24.339 --> 00:20:26.899
 And so you will not fall off.

00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:28.799
 Let's say again

00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:29.619
 to those words

00:20:29.619 --> 00:20:30.779
 in verse 19.

00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:33.019
 The Lord God

00:20:33.019 --> 00:20:34.039
 is my strength.

00:20:34.159 --> 00:20:35.859
 He has made my feet

00:20:35.859 --> 00:20:37.539
 like burning feet.

00:20:37.639 --> 00:20:38.939
 That is like deer feet.

00:20:39.299 --> 00:20:41.159
 And He makes me walk

00:20:41.159 --> 00:20:43.019
 on my high places.

00:20:45.139 --> 00:20:46.039
 In the gospel,

00:20:46.179 --> 00:20:46.819
 He forgives us.

00:20:46.899 --> 00:20:47.399
 In the gospel,

00:20:47.559 --> 00:20:48.679
 He makes us righteous.

00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:52.720
 And He quickens

00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:53.900
 our strengthens

00:20:53.900 --> 00:20:54.820
 our faith

00:20:54.820 --> 00:20:56.779
 to walk

00:20:56.779 --> 00:20:58.060
 rejoicing

00:20:58.060 --> 00:20:59.700
 in a long

00:20:59.700 --> 00:21:00.640
 difficult path.

00:21:02.340 --> 00:21:03.720
 So what do we see here?

00:21:04.740 --> 00:21:05.600
 Five things

00:21:05.600 --> 00:21:06.640
 I want us to take away

00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:07.920
 from this passage tonight.

00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:10.820
 You and I

00:21:10.820 --> 00:21:12.100
 can trust God

00:21:12.100 --> 00:21:13.420
 because

00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:15.779
 He's declared

00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:16.420
 His righteousness

00:21:16.420 --> 00:21:16.960
 righteous.

00:21:17.560 --> 00:21:18.420
 You don't have to worry

00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:19.340
 do I deserve

00:21:19.340 --> 00:21:19.880
 God

00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:21.200
 to take care of me.

00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:22.539
 Have I been good enough

00:21:22.539 --> 00:21:23.039
 for God

00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:24.240
 to take care of me

00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:25.460
 to meet my needs?

00:21:25.900 --> 00:21:27.039
 It's not about you

00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:28.039
 and your performance.

00:21:28.500 --> 00:21:29.680
 You have been declared

00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:30.360
 righteous

00:21:30.360 --> 00:21:31.700
 in the gospel.

00:21:31.860 --> 00:21:33.060
 You can trust God

00:21:33.060 --> 00:21:34.519
 because He's declared

00:21:34.519 --> 00:21:34.940
 you

00:21:34.940 --> 00:21:35.759
 righteous.

00:21:38.360 --> 00:21:38.960
 Faith

00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:40.420
 and trust in God.

00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:42.000
 Faith is trusting God

00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:43.060
 who we do not

00:21:43.060 --> 00:21:44.960
 understand.

00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:46.800
 Why did this happen?

00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:47.759
 Nebuchadnezzar did not

00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:48.440
 understand.

00:21:49.099 --> 00:21:50.319
 But he did the right thing.

00:21:50.460 --> 00:21:51.419
 He sought God

00:21:51.419 --> 00:21:51.940
 in prayer.

00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:53.419
 God answered him

00:21:53.419 --> 00:21:54.059
 and gave him

00:21:54.059 --> 00:21:54.899
 insight.

00:21:56.139 --> 00:21:57.240
 Here's the third thing

00:21:57.240 --> 00:21:58.379
 I think we need to see.

00:21:59.500 --> 00:22:00.399
 Christian joy

00:22:00.399 --> 00:22:02.440
 is not

00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:03.859
 dependent on

00:22:03.859 --> 00:22:04.720
 circumstances.

00:22:05.720 --> 00:22:06.480
 Very often

00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:07.519
 it's contrary

00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:08.619
 to circumstances.

00:22:08.619 --> 00:22:11.119
 number four

00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:13.219
 there is

00:22:13.219 --> 00:22:14.799
 an objective

00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:15.579
 reason

00:22:15.579 --> 00:22:17.699
 for you to rejoice

00:22:17.699 --> 00:22:19.279
 as a Christian

00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:21.219
 and that is

00:22:21.219 --> 00:22:22.399
 your salvation

00:22:22.399 --> 00:22:23.599
 and the more

00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:24.399
 you meditate

00:22:24.399 --> 00:22:25.079
 on that

00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:25.959
 the more you meditate

00:22:25.959 --> 00:22:27.379
 on your sin

00:22:27.379 --> 00:22:27.939
 but now

00:22:27.939 --> 00:22:28.699
 in your sin

00:22:28.699 --> 00:22:29.579
 you've been made

00:22:29.579 --> 00:22:30.019
 righteous

00:22:30.019 --> 00:22:30.819
 the more

00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:31.899
 you will rejoice

00:22:31.899 --> 00:22:33.819
 as you focus

00:22:33.819 --> 00:22:34.919
 on what God

00:22:34.919 --> 00:22:35.319
 has done

00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:35.679
 for you

00:22:35.679 --> 00:22:36.359
 in Jesus.

00:22:36.359 --> 00:22:37.899
 fifth thing

00:22:37.899 --> 00:22:38.779
 I want us to see

00:22:38.779 --> 00:22:40.740
 God

00:22:40.740 --> 00:22:42.240
 strengthens us

00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:43.519
 to walk

00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:44.539
 this life

00:22:44.539 --> 00:22:45.039
 of faith

00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:47.179
 he strengthens us

00:22:47.179 --> 00:22:47.579
 to walk

00:22:47.579 --> 00:22:48.799
 in all high places

00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:50.479
 on difficult

00:22:50.479 --> 00:22:51.759
 mountain trails

00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:52.699
 that are dangerous

00:22:52.699 --> 00:22:54.059
 and treacherous

00:22:54.059 --> 00:22:57.619
 we all have

00:22:57.619 --> 00:22:58.519
 our high places

00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:00.939
 we all need

00:23:00.939 --> 00:23:01.559
 to walk

00:23:01.559 --> 00:23:02.459
 by faith

00:23:02.460 --> 00:23:04.460
 we all need

00:23:04.460 --> 00:23:05.019
 our faith

00:23:05.019 --> 00:23:05.519
 anchored

00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:06.559
 in the gospel

00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:07.920
 in what Jesus

00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:08.500
 has done

00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:09.120
 for us

00:23:09.120 --> 00:23:10.039
 forgiving us

00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:11.519
 and declaring

00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:12.259
 us righteous

00:23:12.259 --> 00:23:14.799
 we all need

00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:16.620
 to rejoice

00:23:16.620 --> 00:23:17.740
 and God

00:23:17.740 --> 00:23:19.299
 strengthens us

00:23:19.299 --> 00:23:20.380
 to do that

00:23:20.380 --> 00:23:21.380
 and to walk

00:23:21.380 --> 00:23:22.680
 in that

00:23:22.680 --> 00:23:26.200
 let's not get

00:23:26.200 --> 00:23:26.700
 any prayer

00:23:26.700 --> 00:23:27.279
 any prayer

00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:28.819
 any prayer

00:23:28.819 --> 00:23:28.819


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