WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.400 The scripture reading comes from Habakkuk chapter 3. Please follow along on the screen. 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:12.900 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigianoth. 00:00:13.500 --> 00:00:18.980 O Lord, I have heard the report of you and your work. O Lord, do I fear. 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:24.379 In the midst of the years, revive it. In the midst of the years, make it known. 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:26.580 In wrath, remember mercy. 00:00:26.579 --> 00:00:32.219 I hear and my body trembles. My lips quiver at the sound. 00:00:32.899 --> 00:00:36.820 Rottenness enters into my bones. My legs tremble beneath me. 00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:42.820 Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. 00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:47.859 Though the fig trees should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:52.379 the produce of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food, 00:00:52.380 --> 00:00:57.540 the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls. 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:03.700 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:09.020 God, the Lord, is my strength. He makes my feet like the deer's. 00:01:09.460 --> 00:01:11.900 He makes me tread on my high places. 00:01:11.900 --> 00:01:13.880 This is the word of God. 00:01:18.880 --> 00:01:20.960 Great. Thank you, Jeremy and Judy. 00:01:21.340 --> 00:01:23.280 And good morning, Watermark family. 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:28.600 It is great to be with you in a surreal sense. 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:31.800 It's so strange doing this online. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.640 And you've got to know that on behalf of the elders, 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:38.900 we love gathering together as a church family. 00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:41.420 We love the fact that every Sunday, 00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:47.239 diverse people from different backgrounds and cultures and languages and ethnicities 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:50.579 come together to worship Christ our King, 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:53.200 to encourage one another in the gospel. 00:01:53.939 --> 00:01:59.799 And so this online thing feels like a very third-rate, distant experience for now. 00:02:00.340 --> 00:02:03.319 But we're grateful for God that we are able to do it, 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:06.919 and we look forward to soon, hopefully very soon, 00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:10.419 being able to gather as a church family together. 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:14.819 Now, in this time of fear and confusion, 00:02:15.299 --> 00:02:16.659 this time of difficulty, 00:02:16.819 --> 00:02:19.919 there's so much going on in our world and in our city. 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:24.120 As a church, we're going to be spending the next couple of weeks 00:02:24.120 --> 00:02:26.319 looking at a couple of passages of Scripture 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:32.340 that lift our eyes and our gaze off of the circumstances around us 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:36.879 and remind us of the bigness and the majesty of our God. 00:02:37.080 --> 00:02:42.240 We're going to look at some Scriptures that call us to live by faith in His faithfulness. 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:46.699 At times like this, we don't just need words of good advice. 00:02:47.180 --> 00:02:49.900 We don't just need a pep talk or a little bit of inspiration. 00:02:50.340 --> 00:02:56.340 We need to be reminded of the majesty and the sovereignty and the bigness of our God. 00:02:56.340 --> 00:02:58.200 And so over the next couple of weeks, 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:01.800 we're going to be looking at passages of Scripture that help us to do that. 00:03:02.659 --> 00:03:06.939 Now, today we're looking at this passage in Habakkuk chapter 3. 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:12.480 If you remember as a church, we actually looked at this passage in about June last year. 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:20.480 But the reason we're coming back to it is because God's Word isn't just there to give us some inspiration. 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:25.579 God's Word isn't just something we come to to learn something new or interesting. 00:03:26.139 --> 00:03:30.579 We come to God's Word to encounter the living God, to meet with Him, 00:03:30.899 --> 00:03:36.699 and to have our hearts lifted up and encouraged as we encounter Him in His Word. 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:39.039 God's Word is living. It's active. 00:03:39.239 --> 00:03:40.859 It means it's constantly fresh. 00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:42.579 It's constantly speaking to us. 00:03:42.580 --> 00:03:47.080 And as we come to God's Word, even passages that we may know very well, 00:03:47.700 --> 00:03:54.080 God's Word has the ability to shape us, to mold us, and to form us into the people that He wants us to be. 00:03:54.580 --> 00:03:58.700 And so this passage that we've looked at a year ago, we come back to it again today 00:03:58.700 --> 00:04:04.020 because it's one of those passages that challenges us but also is deeply encouraging. 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:06.220 And so the context is this. 00:04:07.100 --> 00:04:11.780 Habakkuk is a prophet in the nation of Israel around 600 B.C. 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:14.740 But Habakkuk is not in a very good state. 00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:17.420 Things are not going well in Israel. 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:19.379 There is rampant injustice. 00:04:20.060 --> 00:04:23.040 There is rampant wickedness and corruption in the nation of Israel. 00:04:23.620 --> 00:04:29.339 The people of God that are meant to be following God and trusting Him don't care about God. 00:04:29.779 --> 00:04:31.399 They don't care about their relationship with Him. 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:34.759 They're not trusting Him or loving Him or obeying Him. 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:39.000 And so things in Israel are not in a good place as well. 00:04:39.379 --> 00:04:41.340 And Habakkuk is crying out to God. 00:04:41.779 --> 00:04:43.679 He's saying, God, where are you in all of this? 00:04:43.859 --> 00:04:45.339 Don't you see what's going on? 00:04:45.859 --> 00:04:47.479 God, have you fallen asleep? 00:04:47.819 --> 00:04:51.000 Are you blind and ignorant to what's going on amongst your people? 00:04:52.799 --> 00:04:57.179 But just when Habakkuk finishes complaining, things get worse. 00:04:57.180 --> 00:05:00.560 Because God comes to him and He speaks to him. 00:05:00.819 --> 00:05:06.439 And God says to him that things are going to get worse for Israel before they get better. 00:05:07.340 --> 00:05:13.340 God tells Habakkuk that he's about to bring disaster on the nation of Israel and on the people of Judah. 00:05:13.339 --> 00:05:19.019 Because what's going to happen is the nation of Babylon, that ruthless and hasty nation from the north, 00:05:19.359 --> 00:05:23.500 are going to come down and attack Israel, bring God's judgment on them. 00:05:23.899 --> 00:05:28.959 And the people of Israel are going to be taken as slaves into exile back into Babylon. 00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:32.639 Well, this just makes no sense to Habakkuk. 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:38.359 He cannot fathom why God would allow this to happen to His coming people. 00:05:39.139 --> 00:05:45.000 And so Habakkuk is faced or filled with all the questions that we are filled with in a time like this, 00:05:45.179 --> 00:05:46.240 in a time of difficulty. 00:05:46.899 --> 00:05:47.799 God, where are you? 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:50.199 Why would you allow this to happen? 00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:52.460 God, why don't you stop this? 00:05:53.100 --> 00:05:55.900 God, don't you care about what's going on in our nation? 00:05:56.939 --> 00:06:04.639 Friends, how many of us have asked questions like this over the last year as our city has faced difficulty after difficulty? 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:07.720 But God doesn't stay silent. 00:06:08.740 --> 00:06:11.420 God answers Habakkuk a second time in chapter 2. 00:06:12.100 --> 00:06:14.340 And as He answers him, He does two things. 00:06:14.339 --> 00:06:17.779 The first thing He does is He gives Habakkuk a vision. 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:20.379 He speaks to him and tells him what's going to happen. 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:25.359 And He says to Habakkuk, write down what you see because it's going to come to pass. 00:06:25.779 --> 00:06:26.899 It may take a little while. 00:06:27.299 --> 00:06:29.319 It may not happen in the timing that you want. 00:06:29.719 --> 00:06:32.819 But the things that are planned, this is what's going to take place. 00:06:33.479 --> 00:06:34.259 God has spoken. 00:06:34.979 --> 00:06:39.019 But the second thing that God does is He calls Habakkuk to live by faith. 00:06:39.339 --> 00:06:43.959 In chapter 2, there's this incredible verse that the New Testament actually quotes three times 00:06:43.959 --> 00:06:46.579 to describe this life of faith. 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:47.539 He says, 00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:54.239 The ungodly is puffed up with pride and self-sufficiency, but the righteous will live by faith. 00:06:54.939 --> 00:06:56.199 And so God calls Habakkuk. 00:06:56.299 --> 00:06:57.620 He says, I know things are difficult. 00:06:57.799 --> 00:06:59.979 I know you do not understand what's going on. 00:07:00.500 --> 00:07:01.219 Trust me. 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:02.879 Will you trust me? 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:08.240 God promises Habakkuk that he's at work in the world, that he knows what he's doing, 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:10.040 that he hasn't abandoned his people. 00:07:10.600 --> 00:07:16.740 And He promises that he's working all things for his glory, but also for the good of his people. 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:23.300 But He also tells Habakkuk, it won't happen in the form or the manner in which you expect it, 00:07:23.620 --> 00:07:26.839 and it also won't happen in the timing which you want. 00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:30.060 And yet still, will you trust me? 00:07:30.699 --> 00:07:32.099 Will you trust me? 00:07:33.459 --> 00:07:35.239 How should Habakkuk respond? 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:37.699 Friends, how should we respond? 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:42.759 When God comes and says, trust me, how should we respond? 00:07:44.559 --> 00:07:47.620 Well, Habakkuk chapter 3, which is the passage we're looking at today, 00:07:48.279 --> 00:07:49.899 records Habakkuk's response. 00:07:50.339 --> 00:07:54.679 And the way that Habakkuk responds is he turns to God in prayer. 00:07:54.680 --> 00:07:58.480 Habakkuk chapter 3 really is the record of his prayer. 00:07:59.060 --> 00:08:00.360 But it's an unusual prayer. 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:03.620 It's a very different prayer to the kind of prayers that we normally pray, 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:04.840 especially in difficulties, 00:08:05.340 --> 00:08:10.000 because Habakkuk gives us an amazing picture of what prayer looks like 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:12.360 and where it ought to lead us. 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:15.899 Rather than coming out with a list of things that he wants 00:08:15.899 --> 00:08:19.800 or a bunch of things that he desires God to do, 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:23.259 almost nowhere in this prayer does he ask for anything. 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:27.159 Rather than this prayer, we see a mixture of Habakkuk, 00:08:27.219 --> 00:08:29.279 on the one hand, calling out to God, 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:32.340 but also preaching the gospel to his own heart. 00:08:32.700 --> 00:08:35.899 He is both crying out to God, but he's doing more than that. 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:41.059 He's reminding himself in this prayer of God's incredible faithfulness 00:08:41.059 --> 00:08:43.379 to his people throughout the ages. 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:48.319 And that, friend, actually is what the power and the significance of prayer is. 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:53.320 Prayer, on the one hand, is the means by which God accomplishes his purposes in the world. 00:08:53.420 --> 00:08:53.940 That's true. 00:08:54.420 --> 00:08:58.440 But it's also his means by which he aligns our own hearts to him. 00:08:59.160 --> 00:09:00.980 Prayer does move God. 00:09:01.040 --> 00:09:01.520 That's true. 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:04.879 But prayer most powerfully actually changes us. 00:09:05.700 --> 00:09:08.280 Prayer is not just telling God what we need. 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:09.200 He's sovereign. 00:09:09.340 --> 00:09:10.000 He's our Father. 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:11.180 He knows what we need. 00:09:11.820 --> 00:09:16.500 Prayer is actually the means by which we get a heavenly perspective on the world, 00:09:16.500 --> 00:09:20.539 by which we see what's going on in the world from heaven's perspective. 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:25.139 And, friends, that's why in times like this, when things are so uncertain, 00:09:25.580 --> 00:09:29.840 when the world all around us is going in a direction we don't understand, 00:09:30.220 --> 00:09:33.659 when the stock market is falling and the economy is under difficulty, 00:09:34.299 --> 00:09:38.139 when jobs are on the line and there's this worldwide health crisis, 00:09:38.779 --> 00:09:40.919 friends, one of the most important things we can do 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:43.519 is to come before our Father in prayer. 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:47.079 And so that's what Habakkuk does in chapter 3. 00:09:48.139 --> 00:09:49.460 Friends, maybe I can ask us, 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:52.360 what's your prayer life like recently? 00:09:55.100 --> 00:09:56.720 Look at where this prayer ends. 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:00.840 Habakkuk knows the situation in Israel is not good. 00:10:01.500 --> 00:10:05.919 God is sending the Babylonians to bring his judgment on his covenant people. 00:10:06.679 --> 00:10:10.840 Israel is going to be taken as captives, exiles, back to Babylon. 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:14.519 And that may mean that some loved ones are going to pass away. 00:10:15.100 --> 00:10:18.600 It may mean that some, in the heat of battle, lose their lives. 00:10:19.460 --> 00:10:23.500 It will almost certainly mean that hunger and famine is going to come to Jerusalem 00:10:23.500 --> 00:10:26.519 as the Babylonians lay siege to the city of Jerusalem. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:32.780 It means for most people, their security, their financial savings are going to be eaten away. 00:10:33.580 --> 00:10:37.780 For everyone, it means the future is uncertain and things are unknown. 00:10:37.779 --> 00:10:42.019 And yet, having wrestled with God in prayer, 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:48.899 Habakkuk gets to the place where he ends off his prayer with these incredible verses. 00:10:49.039 --> 00:10:50.679 And so look at verse 17 with me. 00:10:51.500 --> 00:10:52.100 He says, 00:10:52.100 --> 00:11:22.080 It says, 00:11:22.100 --> 00:11:29.940 What an incredible prayer. 00:11:31.060 --> 00:11:33.899 Maybe a modernized version would be something like, 00:11:34.620 --> 00:11:37.720 Though the food stalls and shelves are empty, 00:11:38.659 --> 00:11:41.399 Though the cash flow of our business runs out, 00:11:42.700 --> 00:11:46.820 Though the economy should falter and the stock market should crash, 00:11:46.820 --> 00:11:51.820 Though my job is on the line and I'm not sure how I'm going to pay next month's rent, 00:11:52.280 --> 00:11:55.020 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. 00:11:55.220 --> 00:11:58.280 I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 00:11:58.279 --> 00:12:05.480 Now, when Habakkuk says that he will rejoice in God or take joy in who the Lord is, 00:12:05.579 --> 00:12:10.579 He's not just talking about a frivolous kind of a happy-go-lucky joy. 00:12:10.779 --> 00:12:12.860 He's not talking about a light-heartedness, 00:12:12.899 --> 00:12:15.939 As if, you know, the circumstances around us don't really matter. 00:12:16.079 --> 00:12:18.360 Let's just trust Jesus and carry on. 00:12:18.740 --> 00:12:21.919 Keep calm and carry on because we're Christians, right? 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:23.979 That's not what he's talking about. 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:30.379 In the Psalms, whenever the psalmist talks about rejoicing in God or taking joy in who God is, 00:12:30.779 --> 00:12:33.719 In the same breath, he talks about trusting God. 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:36.599 He talks about putting his hope and his confidence. 00:12:36.779 --> 00:12:43.360 He talks about a deep-seated contentment in who God is despite the circumstances around him. 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:51.419 150 years ago, there was a pastor in England who wrote a prayer for his own heart, 00:12:51.620 --> 00:12:53.500 As well as for his congregation. 00:12:54.139 --> 00:12:55.820 And he writes this. 00:12:56.620 --> 00:12:57.000 He says, 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:04.980 Remember, O my soul, that he who is the ground of your faith is also the substance of your joy. 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:09.639 Therefore be happy in him, O my heart, and in nothing else. 00:13:10.220 --> 00:13:12.940 Rejoice in the giver and in his goodness. 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:20.740 For whatever a man hopes in and trusts in, from that too he expects his happiness. 00:13:21.399 --> 00:13:22.800 And that's what Habakkuk is doing. 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:25.480 He's praying, but he's also preaching to himself. 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:33.180 He's reminding himself that his circumstances are limited in their ability to provide contentment, 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:38.180 deep-rooted joy, to maintain the peace and the security that he longs for. 00:13:38.500 --> 00:13:41.000 It's the same thing that the psalmist says in Psalm 42. 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:41.519 He says, 00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:43.879 Why are you downcast, O my soul? 00:13:44.179 --> 00:13:46.019 Why such turmoil within you? 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:47.220 Hope in God. 00:13:47.379 --> 00:13:48.740 Trust in the risen Lord. 00:13:49.539 --> 00:13:50.919 Habakkuk is not being stoic. 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:52.379 He's not being unrealistic. 00:13:53.019 --> 00:13:56.639 He's not just closing his eyes and grimming at the facts. 00:13:56.919 --> 00:13:58.080 He's facing the facts. 00:13:58.620 --> 00:14:02.340 He's aware that very soon difficulty is coming his way. 00:14:02.820 --> 00:14:03.799 Economic hardship. 00:14:04.019 --> 00:14:04.840 Food shortages. 00:14:04.840 --> 00:14:07.460 That the future is desperately uncertain. 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:10.740 And yet he's reminding himself where his hope lies. 00:14:12.540 --> 00:14:15.519 Habakkuk doesn't deny the reality of the circumstances. 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:22.139 But he is denying the circumstances have the final say over his hope and his joy. 00:14:23.280 --> 00:14:24.440 And so he looks to God. 00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:27.040 He looks to the sovereign God. 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:32.659 Now, friends, the question is, where does Habakkuk find this kind of faith? 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:37.120 When you start off the book of Habakkuk, he doesn't start there. 00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:38.899 In chapter 1, he's deeply unsettled. 00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:41.539 But how does he get to this place? 00:14:42.059 --> 00:14:49.779 What happens between chapter 1 and chapter 3 that Habakkuk finds the deep-seated confidence in who God is? 00:14:50.779 --> 00:14:52.720 In this book, we find three things. 00:14:53.379 --> 00:14:55.539 Three brief things I'd love to leave us with. 00:14:56.079 --> 00:14:57.079 The first one is this. 00:14:57.659 --> 00:15:00.740 Habakkuk has come to know God personally. 00:15:01.539 --> 00:15:05.299 Last week, Chris spoke to us about the importance of great theology. 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:09.839 As we looked at Jeremiah 32, Jeremiah has this great theology. 00:15:10.059 --> 00:15:10.220 He says, 00:15:10.220 --> 00:15:17.179 Our Lord God, you who have made the heavens and the earth by your outstretched hand, nothing is too difficult for you. 00:15:18.099 --> 00:15:19.299 And A.W. Tozer said, 00:15:19.620 --> 00:15:23.779 The most important thing about a person is what he believes about God. 00:15:24.239 --> 00:15:27.019 But the important thing is not just what we believe intellectually. 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:30.139 It's not just what we would write on a theology exam. 00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:32.279 It's what we actually believe in our hearts. 00:15:32.599 --> 00:15:34.479 It's what we actually know about God. 00:15:34.539 --> 00:15:38.599 Not just in our heads, but existentially in our hearts. 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:42.359 Look at what Habakkuk says here in verse 18. 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:43.179 He says, 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:45.319 I will rejoice in the Lord. 00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:47.920 The word Lord there is the covenant name. 00:15:48.020 --> 00:15:49.500 It's the personal name for God. 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:53.660 It's the name that God gave to himself when Moses said, 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:55.360 Who should I say you're sending me? 00:15:55.800 --> 00:15:57.140 Which God is sending me? 00:15:57.180 --> 00:15:57.460 And he says, 00:15:57.560 --> 00:15:58.560 Tell them this God, 00:15:58.720 --> 00:15:59.660 Yahweh the Lord, 00:15:59.760 --> 00:16:01.400 my personal covenant name. 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:04.420 Habakkuk calls upon the name of the Lord. 00:16:04.540 --> 00:16:05.320 And then he says this, 00:16:05.420 --> 00:16:07.040 I will rejoice in Yahweh, 00:16:07.280 --> 00:16:08.020 my God. 00:16:08.180 --> 00:16:11.380 I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 00:16:11.900 --> 00:16:13.200 Not just the God of my people. 00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:16.640 Not just the God of watermark or Israel. 00:16:17.280 --> 00:16:18.020 My salvation. 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:18.820 My God. 00:16:19.259 --> 00:16:20.280 For God the Lord, 00:16:20.420 --> 00:16:21.940 he is my strength. 00:16:23.060 --> 00:16:25.480 In the nation of Israel in the ancient times, 00:16:26.140 --> 00:16:28.960 to worship any other God was a capital offense. 00:16:29.520 --> 00:16:31.140 It wasn't very good news. 00:16:31.900 --> 00:16:34.940 And so everyone in Israel followed God. 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:38.020 Everyone would go to the temple and worship. 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:40.000 Everyone would sing the songs 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:42.639 and look at the scriptures in their family home. 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:44.559 And yet in ancient Israel, 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:46.620 much like in modern culture, 00:16:47.320 --> 00:16:49.539 there were many people that would go through the motions. 00:16:50.419 --> 00:16:52.120 And yet they didn't know God personally. 00:16:53.139 --> 00:16:54.539 And so when difficult times came, 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:55.720 when trouble came their way, 00:16:56.179 --> 00:16:58.399 their superficial faith couldn't withstand 00:16:58.399 --> 00:16:59.899 the crisis of the day. 00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:01.679 But for Habakkuk, 00:17:01.740 --> 00:17:02.620 there's something different. 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:05.380 Because his faith isn't just in God in general. 00:17:05.900 --> 00:17:07.340 It's not just the God up there. 00:17:07.900 --> 00:17:08.740 It's personal. 00:17:09.600 --> 00:17:11.340 God literally is his strength. 00:17:11.820 --> 00:17:13.200 His comfort in time of need. 00:17:13.320 --> 00:17:14.080 Look what he says here. 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:14.460 He says, 00:17:14.560 --> 00:17:15.060 Yahweh, 00:17:15.600 --> 00:17:17.180 you are my strength. 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:19.700 You're not just the God that I bring offerings to. 00:17:19.800 --> 00:17:22.200 You're not just the God that I sing to on a Sunday morning. 00:17:22.900 --> 00:17:24.700 You are my strength throughout the day. 00:17:25.360 --> 00:17:26.880 You're the one I look to for direction. 00:17:27.760 --> 00:17:27.880 You, 00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:28.740 when I'm overwhelmed, 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:30.260 you're my first port of call. 00:17:31.160 --> 00:17:31.560 God, 00:17:31.640 --> 00:17:32.720 you are my strength. 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:33.720 And friends, 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:35.240 great men and women of faith 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:38.660 that have persevered in the face of difficulty, 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:42.740 that have overcome opposition and persecution and difficulty, 00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:44.960 were those who weren't just religious. 00:17:45.900 --> 00:17:47.319 They were those who knew their Bible, 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:48.720 but they didn't just know their Bible. 00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:50.180 They knew the God of their Bible. 00:17:50.819 --> 00:17:53.640 They had a deep-seated faith in who God is. 00:17:54.779 --> 00:17:57.500 They were those that didn't just know good theology. 00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:59.380 They knew the God of their theology. 00:18:00.140 --> 00:18:01.400 And that's what we see with Habakkuk. 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:01.519 Okay, 00:18:01.600 --> 00:18:02.840 he knows God. 00:18:03.060 --> 00:18:04.200 He knows his theology, 00:18:04.540 --> 00:18:09.120 but his theology has brought him to a place of deep-seated strength in who God is. 00:18:09.860 --> 00:18:10.200 And friends, 00:18:10.280 --> 00:18:11.100 in times like this, 00:18:11.180 --> 00:18:12.180 we need good theology. 00:18:12.300 --> 00:18:12.720 That's true. 00:18:12.800 --> 00:18:14.700 But we need to know the God of our theology. 00:18:15.120 --> 00:18:16.660 We need to be able to cry out to him, 00:18:16.700 --> 00:18:17.460 to lean on him, 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:17.800 to say, 00:18:17.980 --> 00:18:18.300 God, 00:18:18.420 --> 00:18:20.000 you are my strength in this time. 00:18:21.460 --> 00:18:22.040 Habakkuk says, 00:18:22.120 --> 00:18:23.560 you are the God of my salvation. 00:18:24.460 --> 00:18:24.720 Friends, 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:26.620 it's good that we know God is our savior. 00:18:27.060 --> 00:18:29.060 Do you know that he's the God of your salvation? 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:30.059 Friends, 00:18:30.099 --> 00:18:33.000 do you know that Jesus didn't just die for the sins of the world? 00:18:33.059 --> 00:18:34.200 He died for your sins. 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:39.659 It was your judgment that you were under that led God to send Christ the Son to the cross. 00:18:40.399 --> 00:18:40.779 Friends, 00:18:40.859 --> 00:18:44.039 do you notice because God loved you that Jesus went to the cross? 00:18:44.440 --> 00:18:46.619 It wasn't just for God to love the world. 00:18:46.679 --> 00:18:47.099 That's true. 00:18:47.179 --> 00:18:48.179 But he loved you. 00:18:48.180 --> 00:18:53.420 It's his great love for you that led him to die on the cross and to hang there, 00:18:53.840 --> 00:18:57.200 to carry our sin and our shame upon the cross. 00:18:58.720 --> 00:18:59.980 Psalm 9 says this, 00:19:00.060 --> 00:19:02.279 the Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, 00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:04.160 a stronghold in times of trouble. 00:19:04.980 --> 00:19:08.759 Those who know your name put their trust in you. 00:19:09.640 --> 00:19:10.060 Friends, 00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:10.960 do you know his name? 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:13.120 Do you know his ways? 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:16.119 Do you know this God deeply and personally? 00:19:17.199 --> 00:19:19.000 In difficult times and circumstances, 00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:23.339 Habakkuk comes to call upon the God that he's known and encountered. 00:19:24.039 --> 00:19:25.279 Do we know him by name? 00:19:26.439 --> 00:19:28.199 And that leads us to the second thing, 00:19:28.619 --> 00:19:32.399 which is that Habakkuk encounters the living God in his word. 00:19:33.159 --> 00:19:33.879 We said earlier, 00:19:34.419 --> 00:19:35.699 in chapter one, 00:19:36.159 --> 00:19:37.539 Habakkuk is all over the place. 00:19:37.959 --> 00:19:39.119 Things are not going well, 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:40.939 and he's crying out to God, 00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:42.019 where are you God? 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:42.959 Don't you care? 00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:44.639 Why is this happening? 00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:47.799 And Habakkuk's not in a very good place. 00:19:47.879 --> 00:19:49.000 At the end of chapter one, 00:19:49.399 --> 00:19:49.839 he says, 00:19:49.939 --> 00:19:51.219 I will take my stand. 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:53.099 I'll stand on the watch post 00:19:53.099 --> 00:19:55.099 and I'll see what God has to say to me. 00:19:55.479 --> 00:19:57.919 I'll see how God is going to answer my complaint. 00:19:59.379 --> 00:20:01.079 But by the end of chapter three, 00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:02.359 he's a different man. 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:05.399 Something has happened between chapter one, 00:20:05.399 --> 00:20:06.659 where he stands, 00:20:07.159 --> 00:20:08.839 seeing what God's going to answer him, 00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:10.359 and chapter three, 00:20:10.500 --> 00:20:11.059 where he says, 00:20:11.419 --> 00:20:13.299 even though chaos abounds, 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:15.679 yet I will rejoice in this God. 00:20:16.339 --> 00:20:18.779 What's happened between chapter one and chapter three? 00:20:20.179 --> 00:20:21.479 In Habakkuk chapter two, 00:20:21.879 --> 00:20:25.439 he encounters the living God in his living word. 00:20:26.379 --> 00:20:27.439 In the beginning of chapter two, 00:20:27.559 --> 00:20:28.979 God comes to him and he says, 00:20:30.439 --> 00:20:31.239 Habakkuk says, 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:32.339 the Lord answered me. 00:20:32.779 --> 00:20:33.339 And he says, 00:20:33.339 --> 00:20:35.339 write down the vision that I give you. 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:37.839 And then God speaks to him 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:39.459 and he gives him a revelation 00:20:39.459 --> 00:20:41.119 of what God is going to do. 00:20:42.119 --> 00:20:42.339 Now, 00:20:42.379 --> 00:20:43.159 up until this point, 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:44.279 God's dealing with the world 00:20:44.279 --> 00:20:45.779 doesn't make much sense to Habakkuk. 00:20:45.879 --> 00:20:47.419 It's left him confused and uncertain, 00:20:47.939 --> 00:20:49.319 scared and a little shaken. 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:50.839 Until, 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:54.019 until such time as God speaks to him 00:20:54.019 --> 00:20:56.179 and gives him his word. 00:20:58.019 --> 00:20:59.819 God's word to Habakkuk is challenging, 00:21:00.639 --> 00:21:01.799 sometimes uncomfortable, 00:21:01.799 --> 00:21:04.879 but God's word is living and active 00:21:04.879 --> 00:21:06.659 and it gives him hope. 00:21:08.159 --> 00:21:08.599 Friends, 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:09.359 in these days, 00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:11.599 we have more access to God's word 00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:13.299 on our phones, 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:14.359 on our iPads, 00:21:14.460 --> 00:21:15.139 on our computers 00:21:15.139 --> 00:21:16.839 than in any other generation 00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:17.960 in the history of the world. 00:21:18.399 --> 00:21:19.500 We've got more versions, 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:20.839 we've got more translations, 00:21:21.339 --> 00:21:22.559 we've got more commentaries 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:24.440 than any generation before us 00:21:24.440 --> 00:21:27.259 and yet we are the most illiterate generation 00:21:27.259 --> 00:21:29.480 when it comes to knowing God's word. 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:30.480 Friends, 00:21:31.539 --> 00:21:32.660 more than anything else, 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:33.980 in times like this, 00:21:34.120 --> 00:21:35.660 in times of global crisis, 00:21:36.339 --> 00:21:39.059 the temptation is to run to our phones 00:21:39.059 --> 00:21:40.220 and to spend time 00:21:40.220 --> 00:21:41.620 seeing what's happening 00:21:41.620 --> 00:21:42.579 with the global crisis. 00:21:43.120 --> 00:21:45.500 The temptation is to run to the news 00:21:45.500 --> 00:21:47.319 and to read up the latest report. 00:21:47.620 --> 00:21:49.319 The temptation is to go to the stock market 00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:50.240 and see what's happening 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:51.700 with the stock price. 00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:52.779 And yet, 00:21:52.900 --> 00:21:53.079 friends, 00:21:53.120 --> 00:21:56.220 the temptation is to go to bed at night 00:21:56.220 --> 00:21:57.500 and the last thing we've seen 00:21:57.500 --> 00:21:59.240 is to read the report on the virus 00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:00.680 or to check the stock price 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:01.940 and to wake up in the morning 00:22:01.940 --> 00:22:02.940 and the first thing we do 00:22:02.940 --> 00:22:04.019 is to grab our phones 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:05.140 and see what's happened 00:22:05.140 --> 00:22:06.140 while we've been asleep. 00:22:06.700 --> 00:22:07.180 And yet, 00:22:07.259 --> 00:22:07.460 friends, 00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:09.180 the most important thing we can do, 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:11.380 the most rock-solid thing we can do 00:22:11.380 --> 00:22:13.180 is to come to God's word 00:22:13.180 --> 00:22:14.500 and to anchor our hearts 00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:15.519 and our souls in this. 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:17.220 Habakkuk is shaken 00:22:17.220 --> 00:22:18.240 like a reed in the wind. 00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:19.620 He doesn't know which way to go 00:22:19.620 --> 00:22:20.400 and by the end, 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:21.599 he's rock-solid. 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:22.299 Why? 00:22:22.779 --> 00:22:24.519 Because he's encountered God 00:22:24.519 --> 00:22:25.799 in his word. 00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:28.700 In the Psalms, 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:30.319 Psalm 19 says, 00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:32.240 your word is true 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:34.200 and righteous altogether. 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:35.500 Friends, 00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:36.259 Psalm 19 says, 00:22:36.680 --> 00:22:37.960 your word has the ability 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:39.839 to revive my soul. 00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:41.559 Friends, 00:22:41.700 --> 00:22:42.859 building our life 00:22:42.859 --> 00:22:44.220 on the news reports, 00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:47.059 on the stock market price, 00:22:47.460 --> 00:22:49.019 on WhatsApp messages 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:50.720 is like building our lives 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:51.659 on a sandbank, 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:53.680 building our lives on the beach. 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:57.060 But there is a rock-solid foundation 00:22:57.060 --> 00:22:58.900 upon which we can bank our hope 00:22:58.900 --> 00:23:00.720 in times of crisis and difficulty. 00:23:01.480 --> 00:23:01.960 Friends, 00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:02.960 come to God's word. 00:23:04.519 --> 00:23:05.000 Watermark, 00:23:05.080 --> 00:23:06.240 are we reading websites 00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:07.779 more than we're reading God's word? 00:23:08.560 --> 00:23:10.640 Are we spending time on our phones 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:11.820 more than on our knees? 00:23:12.660 --> 00:23:15.200 Is Netflix occupying our time 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:16.820 while we're at home at the moment? 00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:19.200 Or are we drinking deep 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:20.680 from the fountain of God's word? 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:23.039 The psalmist said, 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:25.259 my soul melts away for sorrow. 00:23:26.019 --> 00:23:26.299 Oh, 00:23:26.420 --> 00:23:27.220 strengthen me, 00:23:27.339 --> 00:23:27.460 Lord, 00:23:27.539 --> 00:23:28.960 according to your word. 00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:31.059 You give great peace 00:23:31.059 --> 00:23:32.500 to those who love your word. 00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:34.740 Nothing can make them stumble. 00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:36.000 Friends, 00:23:36.079 --> 00:23:37.019 maybe the very best thing 00:23:37.019 --> 00:23:37.639 that we can do 00:23:37.639 --> 00:23:38.619 in times like this 00:23:38.619 --> 00:23:39.980 is to put away our phones 00:23:39.980 --> 00:23:40.720 each day, 00:23:41.159 --> 00:23:42.440 to wake up in the morning 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:43.819 and to not look at our phones 00:23:43.819 --> 00:23:44.960 before we spend time 00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:45.639 in God's word, 00:23:46.139 --> 00:23:47.099 until we've come to him 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:48.500 and heard him speak to us, 00:23:48.819 --> 00:23:49.899 until his living word 00:23:49.899 --> 00:23:50.639 has given us 00:23:50.639 --> 00:23:52.099 strength for the day. 00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:54.359 Habakkuk starts off 00:23:54.359 --> 00:23:55.439 incredibly unsettled 00:23:55.439 --> 00:23:56.439 by the circumstances 00:23:56.439 --> 00:23:57.559 he sees around him, 00:23:57.879 --> 00:23:59.259 and yet by the end of the book, 00:23:59.699 --> 00:24:01.599 the reality of those circumstances 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:02.359 are still there, 00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:04.379 but they've lost their grip 00:24:04.379 --> 00:24:05.359 on his heart 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:06.779 because he's encountered 00:24:06.779 --> 00:24:07.619 the living God 00:24:07.619 --> 00:24:09.039 in his living word. 00:24:10.179 --> 00:24:11.319 Thirdly and finally, 00:24:12.259 --> 00:24:13.240 Habakkuk remembers 00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:14.480 the God of his salvation. 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:15.719 Now, 00:24:15.899 --> 00:24:16.919 as we mentioned earlier, 00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:18.240 chapter three 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:19.039 is a prayer, 00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:20.279 and it's a remarkable prayer 00:24:20.279 --> 00:24:21.720 because hardly anywhere 00:24:21.720 --> 00:24:22.480 does Habakkuk 00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:23.779 ask for a single thing, 00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:26.019 but rather what he does do 00:24:26.019 --> 00:24:27.000 is he remembers 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:28.099 God's faithfulness 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:28.759 to his people 00:24:28.759 --> 00:24:29.859 and he remembers 00:24:29.859 --> 00:24:31.579 the various times 00:24:31.579 --> 00:24:32.859 that God miraculously 00:24:32.859 --> 00:24:34.180 delivered his people 00:24:34.180 --> 00:24:35.180 when their backs 00:24:35.180 --> 00:24:36.059 were against the war 00:24:36.059 --> 00:24:36.799 and it felt 00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:37.920 like they had no hope. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:39.079 In verse three, 00:24:39.159 --> 00:24:40.079 he remembers the way 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:41.339 that God called Abraham 00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:42.519 and made a covenant 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:43.319 of grace with him. 00:24:43.779 --> 00:24:44.500 In verse four, 00:24:44.579 --> 00:24:45.700 he remembers God's covenant 00:24:45.700 --> 00:24:46.899 with his people at Sinai, 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:48.139 how he came down 00:24:48.140 --> 00:24:49.520 with fire and power 00:24:49.520 --> 00:24:50.500 and he gave them 00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:51.320 the ten commandments. 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:51.759 He said, 00:24:51.840 --> 00:24:52.940 I will be your God, 00:24:53.060 --> 00:24:54.040 you will be my people. 00:24:54.900 --> 00:24:55.740 In verse seven, 00:24:55.820 --> 00:24:56.620 he remembers the way 00:24:56.620 --> 00:24:57.740 that God delivered 00:24:57.740 --> 00:24:58.180 his people 00:24:58.180 --> 00:24:59.120 from the Midianites. 00:24:59.460 --> 00:25:00.340 In verse 11, 00:25:00.440 --> 00:25:01.160 he remembers the way 00:25:01.160 --> 00:25:01.960 that God fought 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:03.200 on behalf of the Israelites 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:03.900 as they went 00:25:03.900 --> 00:25:04.960 into the promised land. 00:25:05.540 --> 00:25:06.800 But throughout this chapter, 00:25:06.980 --> 00:25:07.640 the one thing 00:25:07.640 --> 00:25:09.040 that keeps coming through 00:25:09.040 --> 00:25:10.900 is the way God saved 00:25:10.900 --> 00:25:12.240 and delivered his people 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:13.540 from Egypt 00:25:13.540 --> 00:25:15.240 through the Exodus 00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:17.180 by the blood of the Lamb. 00:25:17.180 --> 00:25:19.420 And so throughout chapter three, 00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:21.019 he constantly references 00:25:21.019 --> 00:25:23.000 God's great salvation 00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:23.779 of his people 00:25:23.779 --> 00:25:25.900 from slavery and bondage 00:25:25.900 --> 00:25:26.700 into freedom 00:25:26.700 --> 00:25:28.240 by the blood of the Lamb. 00:25:28.840 --> 00:25:29.799 Look at what he says 00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:30.720 in verse 13. 00:25:31.340 --> 00:25:31.680 He says, 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:32.380 you went out 00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:33.060 for the salvation 00:25:33.060 --> 00:25:33.900 of your people, 00:25:34.259 --> 00:25:35.180 for the salvation 00:25:35.180 --> 00:25:36.940 of your anointed ones. 00:25:37.980 --> 00:25:38.799 As Habakkuk looks 00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:40.640 at the horrifying situation 00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:41.200 around him, 00:25:41.560 --> 00:25:43.120 he considers the circumstances 00:25:43.120 --> 00:25:44.820 and he faces the fact 00:25:44.820 --> 00:25:45.660 of what's going on. 00:25:45.660 --> 00:25:46.180 That's true, 00:25:46.279 --> 00:25:47.340 but he does more than that. 00:25:47.840 --> 00:25:49.380 He also lifts his eyes 00:25:49.380 --> 00:25:50.860 above the circumstances 00:25:50.860 --> 00:25:51.580 around him 00:25:51.580 --> 00:25:52.920 and he remembers 00:25:52.920 --> 00:25:53.820 the faithfulness 00:25:53.820 --> 00:25:54.460 of his God 00:25:54.460 --> 00:25:56.080 towards his people. 00:25:56.700 --> 00:25:57.320 And particularly, 00:25:57.820 --> 00:25:58.500 he remembers 00:25:58.500 --> 00:25:59.420 his great salvation. 00:26:00.220 --> 00:26:00.740 He remembers 00:26:00.740 --> 00:26:01.440 that when Israel 00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:02.519 were slaves in Egypt, 00:26:02.980 --> 00:26:03.980 God saved them 00:26:03.980 --> 00:26:05.279 by the blood of the Lamb. 00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:06.500 He remembers 00:26:06.500 --> 00:26:07.220 that when Israel 00:26:07.220 --> 00:26:08.460 was without hope, 00:26:08.779 --> 00:26:10.400 no way of saving themselves, 00:26:10.840 --> 00:26:12.340 God came and did for them 00:26:12.340 --> 00:26:13.400 what they could not do 00:26:13.400 --> 00:26:13.960 on their own. 00:26:13.960 --> 00:26:15.100 He remembers 00:26:15.100 --> 00:26:16.240 how God defied 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:17.360 the forces of nature, 00:26:17.980 --> 00:26:19.120 rescuing and redeeming 00:26:19.120 --> 00:26:19.579 his people, 00:26:19.819 --> 00:26:20.900 parting the Red Seas 00:26:20.900 --> 00:26:21.860 so that they could be delivered 00:26:21.860 --> 00:26:22.559 and brought in 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:23.840 to the new land. 00:26:24.920 --> 00:26:25.360 Now, 00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:27.000 what does that mean 00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:28.240 for you and I today? 00:26:29.140 --> 00:26:29.900 What is God's word 00:26:29.900 --> 00:26:30.519 to us today? 00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:32.220 Friends, 00:26:32.259 --> 00:26:32.759 if you're a Christian 00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:33.319 this morning, 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:34.299 we find ourselves 00:26:34.299 --> 00:26:35.740 in a very similar situation 00:26:35.740 --> 00:26:37.079 to Habakkuk. 00:26:37.620 --> 00:26:38.680 Things are difficult, 00:26:39.420 --> 00:26:40.640 circumstances around us 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:41.460 aren't looking good, 00:26:41.460 --> 00:26:42.860 the world is full 00:26:42.860 --> 00:26:43.620 of difficulty. 00:26:44.360 --> 00:26:45.079 The news feed 00:26:45.079 --> 00:26:46.059 and the news cycles 00:26:46.059 --> 00:26:46.920 are either filled 00:26:46.920 --> 00:26:49.180 with wishful optimism 00:26:49.180 --> 00:26:50.600 or dire pessimism. 00:26:51.120 --> 00:26:52.140 We face the facts, 00:26:52.200 --> 00:26:53.600 we consider the circumstances, 00:26:54.059 --> 00:26:54.819 but this morning, 00:26:54.900 --> 00:26:55.559 God invites us 00:26:55.559 --> 00:26:56.400 to do more than that. 00:26:57.019 --> 00:26:57.819 He invites us 00:26:57.819 --> 00:26:58.960 to lift our eyes 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:00.340 off of the circumstances 00:27:00.340 --> 00:27:01.180 around us 00:27:01.180 --> 00:27:02.400 and to remember 00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:03.900 the God of our salvation. 00:27:04.620 --> 00:27:05.299 He invites us 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:05.720 to remember 00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:06.759 that when we were dead 00:27:06.759 --> 00:27:07.620 in our sins 00:27:07.620 --> 00:27:08.759 and had no way 00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:09.819 of saving ourselves, 00:27:10.180 --> 00:27:11.440 God did for us 00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:12.379 what we could not do 00:27:12.379 --> 00:27:13.379 for ourselves 00:27:13.379 --> 00:27:14.680 by saving us 00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:15.799 from eternal death 00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:17.259 by the blood of the Lamb. 00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:18.000 Friends, 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:18.960 when we were enemies 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:19.500 of God 00:27:19.500 --> 00:27:21.079 and under His just judgment 00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:22.759 because of our sin, 00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:24.079 God was the one 00:27:24.079 --> 00:27:25.059 who went before us 00:27:25.059 --> 00:27:25.920 and rescued us 00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:26.740 and redeemed us 00:27:26.740 --> 00:27:27.379 and brought us 00:27:27.379 --> 00:27:28.200 into His family. 00:27:28.879 --> 00:27:30.359 In Habakkuk chapter 3 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:31.180 in verse 14, 00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:31.559 it says, 00:27:32.019 --> 00:27:33.279 you take the arrows 00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:34.160 of the warrior 00:27:34.160 --> 00:27:35.539 and you destroyed 00:27:35.539 --> 00:27:36.200 our enemies 00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:38.440 with his own weapons. 00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:39.480 Friends, 00:27:39.539 --> 00:27:40.460 remember how Jesus 00:27:40.460 --> 00:27:41.339 went to the cross 00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:42.559 and He took death 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:44.160 and He overcame death 00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:45.379 by dying Himself. 00:27:46.059 --> 00:27:47.500 Jesus died the death 00:27:47.500 --> 00:27:48.220 that we deserve 00:27:48.220 --> 00:27:49.759 so that we can have life. 00:27:50.640 --> 00:27:50.960 Friends, 00:27:51.220 --> 00:27:52.359 when Habakkuk prays 00:27:52.359 --> 00:27:53.539 this remarkable prayer 00:27:53.539 --> 00:27:54.700 at the end of chapter 3, 00:27:55.059 --> 00:27:55.799 it's not because 00:27:55.799 --> 00:27:56.819 he's a super believer. 00:27:57.400 --> 00:27:57.980 It's not because 00:27:57.980 --> 00:27:58.940 he's got everything 00:27:58.940 --> 00:28:00.140 worked out 00:28:00.140 --> 00:28:00.900 and he knows 00:28:00.900 --> 00:28:02.180 how to persevere. 00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:04.200 This faith 00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:05.180 comes from a man 00:28:05.180 --> 00:28:06.079 that has wrestled 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:06.700 with God. 00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:08.079 A man who's wrestled 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:08.480 in prayer. 00:28:09.379 --> 00:28:10.079 A man who's come 00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:10.859 to God's word. 00:28:11.859 --> 00:28:13.180 But it comes to a man 00:28:13.180 --> 00:28:14.140 who has remembered 00:28:14.140 --> 00:28:15.039 the great acts 00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:15.640 of salvation 00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:16.839 and the faithfulness 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:17.519 of his God. 00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:19.660 And that faithfulness 00:28:19.660 --> 00:28:20.640 that he looks back 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:21.759 upon God's 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:23.359 unprecedented faithfulness 00:28:23.359 --> 00:28:24.500 causes him 00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:25.519 to look forward 00:28:25.519 --> 00:28:26.579 full of faith 00:28:26.579 --> 00:28:28.019 in God's faithfulness 00:28:28.019 --> 00:28:28.740 to his people. 00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:31.379 Habakkuk comes 00:28:31.379 --> 00:28:32.079 to the end 00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:33.500 of this wrestle 00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:34.000 with God 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:35.079 in uncertain times. 00:28:35.079 --> 00:28:36.480 And he says, 00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:37.420 though the fig tree 00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:38.380 should not blossom, 00:28:39.380 --> 00:28:40.440 though there be no fruit 00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:41.160 on the vines, 00:28:42.160 --> 00:28:43.200 though the produce 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:44.740 of the olive tree 00:28:44.740 --> 00:28:45.220 fail, 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:46.960 though the fields 00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:48.120 yield no food, 00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:49.839 even if there are 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:50.799 no flock 00:28:50.799 --> 00:28:51.519 in the fold 00:28:51.519 --> 00:28:52.660 and there are no more 00:28:52.660 --> 00:28:53.880 animals in the stores, 00:28:54.660 --> 00:28:56.200 yet I will rejoice 00:28:56.200 --> 00:28:57.579 in the God 00:28:57.579 --> 00:28:58.380 of my salvation. 00:28:58.860 --> 00:29:00.019 I will rejoice 00:29:00.019 --> 00:29:01.259 in the Lord. 00:29:01.259 --> 00:29:11.160 Let's pray together. 00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:15.980 O sovereign God, 00:29:16.759 --> 00:29:17.519 you who made 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:18.079 the heavens 00:29:18.079 --> 00:29:18.779 and the earth 00:29:18.779 --> 00:29:20.240 by your outstretched hand, 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:21.400 is anything 00:29:21.400 --> 00:29:22.079 too difficult 00:29:22.079 --> 00:29:22.720 for you? 00:29:23.720 --> 00:29:24.859 O Lord God, 00:29:24.920 --> 00:29:25.680 we come to you 00:29:25.680 --> 00:29:26.680 this morning, God, 00:29:26.759 --> 00:29:27.779 and we are deeply 00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:28.440 challenged 00:29:28.440 --> 00:29:30.160 by Habakkuk. 00:29:30.160 --> 00:29:31.980 deeply challenged 00:29:31.980 --> 00:29:32.880 by this man 00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:34.360 who, like us, 00:29:34.440 --> 00:29:35.360 God, starts off 00:29:35.360 --> 00:29:36.160 so uncertain, 00:29:37.140 --> 00:29:37.680 scared, 00:29:38.340 --> 00:29:38.980 afraid of 00:29:38.980 --> 00:29:40.200 the circumstances 00:29:40.200 --> 00:29:40.940 around him, 00:29:41.320 --> 00:29:42.120 not knowing 00:29:42.120 --> 00:29:42.880 where you are 00:29:42.880 --> 00:29:43.660 and what you're doing 00:29:43.660 --> 00:29:44.100 in the world, 00:29:44.220 --> 00:29:44.960 and yet, God, 00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:45.759 when your word 00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:46.400 comes to him 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:47.300 and when he considers 00:29:47.300 --> 00:29:48.360 your faithfulness, 00:29:49.080 --> 00:29:49.759 God, it's like 00:29:49.759 --> 00:29:50.560 you breathed 00:29:50.560 --> 00:29:52.920 steel into his bones 00:29:52.920 --> 00:29:54.660 and you fortified 00:29:54.660 --> 00:29:55.480 his faith. 00:29:57.000 --> 00:29:58.060 God, we come to you 00:29:58.060 --> 00:29:58.800 in the same position. 00:29:58.940 --> 00:29:59.680 We come to you 00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:00.440 weak, God. 00:30:01.740 --> 00:30:02.539 We come to you 00:30:02.539 --> 00:30:03.019 afraid. 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:04.759 We come to you 00:30:04.759 --> 00:30:05.759 uncertain, God. 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:07.960 And yet, God, 00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:08.580 we ask you 00:30:08.580 --> 00:30:09.580 to do to us 00:30:09.580 --> 00:30:11.160 watermark 00:30:11.160 --> 00:30:11.980 and in Hong Kong 00:30:11.980 --> 00:30:13.160 what you did 00:30:13.160 --> 00:30:13.880 with Habakkuk. 00:30:15.539 --> 00:30:16.680 God, open our eyes 00:30:16.680 --> 00:30:17.360 to see you, 00:30:17.400 --> 00:30:17.840 we pray. 00:30:19.060 --> 00:30:19.980 Give us faith, 00:30:20.120 --> 00:30:20.279 Lord. 00:30:22.080 --> 00:30:22.860 Father, give us 00:30:22.860 --> 00:30:23.660 faith this morning. 00:30:25.500 --> 00:30:26.400 God, this week 00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:27.240 as we go 00:30:27.240 --> 00:30:29.420 back to work, 00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:29.920 some of us 00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:30.519 from home, 00:30:30.920 --> 00:30:32.000 as we homeschool 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:32.680 our kids, 00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:34.620 as we maybe 00:30:34.620 --> 00:30:35.259 stay at home 00:30:35.259 --> 00:30:36.039 in isolation 00:30:36.039 --> 00:30:36.859 and we are all 00:30:36.859 --> 00:30:37.539 on our own, 00:30:38.339 --> 00:30:39.160 God, we pray 00:30:39.160 --> 00:30:39.640 that you will 00:30:39.640 --> 00:30:40.539 draw near to us. 00:30:41.700 --> 00:30:42.660 We pray that you 00:30:42.660 --> 00:30:43.279 will draw us 00:30:43.279 --> 00:30:44.079 near to yourself. 00:30:45.120 --> 00:30:45.620 We pray, 00:30:45.740 --> 00:30:46.299 Holy Spirit, 00:30:46.420 --> 00:30:47.120 that you will 00:30:47.120 --> 00:30:48.799 come and fill 00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:49.759 our hearts, God. 00:30:50.700 --> 00:30:51.519 Open the eyes 00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:52.059 of our hearts 00:30:52.059 --> 00:30:52.900 to see you 00:30:52.900 --> 00:30:53.920 and to trust you. 00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:56.440 Father, right now 00:30:56.440 --> 00:30:57.300 in our homes 00:30:57.300 --> 00:30:58.180 we bring to you 00:30:58.180 --> 00:30:58.720 our fears 00:30:58.720 --> 00:30:59.660 and our frustrations. 00:31:00.600 --> 00:31:01.460 We bring to you 00:31:01.460 --> 00:31:02.500 our anxieties. 00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:07.400 Christ, come and 00:31:07.400 --> 00:31:08.200 minister to us. 00:31:09.580 --> 00:31:10.240 Come and have 00:31:10.240 --> 00:31:10.660 your way. 00:31:14.860 --> 00:31:15.700 Come and help us 00:31:15.700 --> 00:31:16.340 to trust you, 00:31:16.420 --> 00:31:16.600 Lord. 00:31:21.779 --> 00:31:22.620 God, we pray 00:31:22.619 --> 00:31:24.279 that along 00:31:24.279 --> 00:31:25.399 with Habakkuk 00:31:25.399 --> 00:31:25.939 from two and a 00:31:25.939 --> 00:31:26.359 half thousand 00:31:26.359 --> 00:31:27.099 years ago, 00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:29.419 we too will be 00:31:29.419 --> 00:31:30.259 able to rejoice 00:31:30.259 --> 00:31:30.719 in you. 00:31:31.979 --> 00:31:33.000 We too will be 00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:33.559 able to find 00:31:33.559 --> 00:31:35.000 a deep-seated 00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:36.279 contentment, 00:31:36.959 --> 00:31:37.939 a peace, 00:31:39.479 --> 00:31:40.500 resting in 00:31:40.500 --> 00:31:41.239 who you are, 00:31:42.199 --> 00:31:43.059 knowing that 00:31:43.059 --> 00:31:43.419 you are our 00:31:43.419 --> 00:31:43.879 strength, 00:31:44.759 --> 00:31:45.119 you are the 00:31:45.119 --> 00:31:45.579 God of our 00:31:45.579 --> 00:31:46.019 salvation, 00:31:47.019 --> 00:31:47.559 you are the 00:31:47.559 --> 00:31:48.159 faithful God 00:31:48.159 --> 00:31:48.819 that has led 00:31:48.819 --> 00:31:49.459 us, God, 00:31:50.299 --> 00:31:51.019 and you will 00:31:51.019 --> 00:31:51.579 lead us going 00:31:51.579 --> 00:31:51.979 forward. 00:31:52.619 --> 00:31:59.079 Come, Lord Jesus, 00:31:59.239 --> 00:31:59.439 come. 00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:29.420 Thank you.