Habakkuk - Part 8

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. Go ahead and open in your Bibles to the book of Habakkuk, Habakkuk chapter 3. Habakkuk chapter 3.

Responding to God When Things Are Not as They Should Be

So I want to start with a question. When things are not as they should be or when things don't go as one has hoped, how should a person respond? How should the people of God respond in difficult times?

Well, in this final sermon from the book of Habakkuk, we are going to see the response of the prophet. Times were difficult in the nation of Judah. And from here on out, as we've been looking at, things were only going to get worse.

And the prophet understood that. Habakkuk saw all that was happening in his nation. He saw all that was going on around him. And you remember it caused him to question God. And he questions God. He says, Oh, Lord, how long?

Basically, why aren't you doing anything about the violence and the strife and the plundering and the perverse judgments that are going forth? And he got an answer. The Lord gave him an answer. The Lord was not obligated to respond, but he did.

And the Lord told him that he was going to raise up the Chaldeans. But he told Habakkuk after Habakkuk responds again. Basically, how can you do that? You can't even look upon evil. How can you prosper this wicked nation?

You remember what the Lord told Habakkuk? He said the just must live by his faith. And that's the most important statement in all of the book of Habakkuk. And as far as the Christian and our responsibility, it's perhaps the most important statement in all of the Bible for us that the just must live by his or her faith.

So the nation was going through very difficult times. He's questioning God and him and the Lord are in this dialogue together. And now the questioning has come to an end. And Habakkuk in his brokenness after being corrected by God, he cries out to God and praise to God for mercy.

Look at Habakkuk chapter three, starting in verse one, a prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet on Shigenoth. Oh Lord, I have heard your speech and was afraid. Oh Lord, revive your work in the midst of the years.

In the midst of the years, make it known. In wrath, remember mercy. Let's pray. Father, we thank you again for this opportunity to gather together corporately. We think of our brothers and sisters around the world and in this nation that are being told they're not permitted to do so.

Father, be with them, encourage them, give them strength to do that which is right. But be with this assembly this morning as we offer the sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of our lips. And Father, as we open your word, may our minds be focused, our hearts be open, and may our spirit be strengthened as we feast on the meat of thy word, which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

We pray this all in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.

Amen. All right.

In Wrath, Remember Mercy

We'll take a look at verse two. Verse two ends with Habakkuk praying to God this statement. What does he say? In wrath, remember mercy. In wrath, remember mercy. Remember back in chapter one, the Lord told Habakkuk that he was going to do a work in his day.

I will do a work in your day. I will raise up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation. So God was going to allow his people, the Jews, to go through a great time of affliction. And if you think about it, that's not really anything new.

God had done that before. God had allowed his people to spend 400 years in slavery, in bondage, in the land of Egypt. So God has allowed this kind of thing to happen before, and he was going to allow it to happen again.

But if you remember when they were enslaved in Egypt, the Lord allowed affliction. But what else did he do? He delivered his people. Did he not? And Habakkuk says in verse two, he says, Oh, Lord, revive your work, revive your work.

So apparently in Habakkuk's mind, I think what's going on here is the way things look. God really hadn't been doing anything in a while. Have you ever had that thought? You look around and you say, is God doing anything?

Is he working? Is he working in our nation? Is he working in the world? Is he working in my life? Of course, we know that God is always at work, don't we? What did Jesus say in John 5, 17? He said, my father has been working until now, and I am working.

So we know that God is always at work. But as far as major events, cataclysmic judgments, miraculous deliverance, like parting the Red Sea, or you remember Joshua going to battle and he commanded the sun to stand still.

Those types of things don't seem to be happening, certainly in our day. And I think that's what Habakkuk is thinking. Lord, revive your work. You're not doing the things that you once did in the past.

Lord, revive your work. So that type of thing was just not happening in the nation of Judah. And I think we can relate to this. Because anyone who's ever read and studied the Bible, you open it up and you see the mighty works done by Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Jesus and the apostles.

And then you look around at our current situation and you compare the two and you say, Lord, what are you doing? Is God still working? And we might be tempted to say, and you probably have. Oh, Lord, maybe not in these words, but you say, oh, Lord, revive your work.

Raise up servants who would do great exploits for God, just like you did back then. Maybe even show signs and wonders in the heavens that men might believe. I think some want to see that so much that people try to manufacture such miraculous events and healings, and we know it just does not work that way.

But Habakkuk, he realizes something is going to happen. The Lord told him he knows something big is going to happen. And what is his initial response? I think he's afraid. I think he's fearful. He understands there is going to be.

It's kind of funny to put it this way. There's going to be an event of biblical proportions. It was at the door. Judgment was coming to the nation. God was going to do a work in his day. And the prophet prays to God and he says he knows what's coming.

Lord, in your wrath, remember mercy. Habakkuk then goes on to praise God because he knows that when God is going to do a work of judgment, God is also going to do a work of deliverance. This is the way the Lord works.

When there is a judgment, there will be deliverance for the people of God. And again, I think this is relatable to us. Again, in our time, there just doesn't seem to be this miraculous outpouring of the power of God.

We don't see the things happening today like they did in Bible times. And it might get you to think that God really isn't doing a whole lot. But we know, don't we? We know that something is coming. There is still a mighty work of God that is going to happen in our future.

And the Bible says that that time period, that event is always what?

At hand.

The coming of the Lord is at hand. So with that in mind, let's just say hypothetically.

All right.

For the sake of argument.

Hypothetically, if the Lord told us or if somehow we knew and we don't and we won't, I don't believe. But if we did, if we knew the great tribulation was going to happen, if God was going to do work in our day, like in my lifetime, in a number of years from now, or maybe sooner, if we knew that.

Some people would be afraid, wouldn't they? You better believe they'd be afraid. And some people should be afraid. And if I knew that that was going to happen, you know what I would do? I would pray to God and I'd say, Lord and wrath.

Remember, mercy. Remember, mercy. But I would know that when God does his work of judgment, you will also do his work of deliverance. So the tribulation in the day of the Lord. That's a day of darkness.

That's what the Bible says. The day of the Lord is a day of darkness. Woe unto those who desire the day of the Lord. But the coming of Christ in the clouds with great power and glory, which is connected to the day of the Lord.

That is our blessed hope. And that is certainly good for God's people. Again, Habakkuk 3 verse 2. Oh, Lord, I have heard your speech and was afraid. Oh, Lord, revive your work in the midst of the years.

In the midst of the years, make it known in wrath. Remember, mercy. And we always need to remember mercy. We're asking God to remember mercy. Hey, remember mercy in your life, in your interactions, in your dealings with your neighbors and coworkers and church members.

Remember, mercy.

Remember, mercy.

So the invasion of Judah by Babylon in the 70 years of captivity that was to follow, this was going to be a devastating time for the nation. But the deliverance and the restoration of the Jewish people, that would be a glorious event.

It would be a wonderful time. So Habakkuk prays. And he, I believe, is initially afraid. But then we see him moving towards hope. He becomes hopeful. Now, I just want to make a few comments because you're going to see a few words here in Habakkuk 3.

What does that mean?

Or how do you pronounce this? I don't even know if I'm pronouncing it right.

Shigenoth.

What is Shigenoth? Or in verse 3, we see the word Selah or Selah. You know, we don't even really know what these words refer to. But if you look at the last, just skip to the last verse in Habakkuk 3, the last statement.

What does Habakkuk say? To the chief musician with my stringed instruments. So the best theory is that these words, it's some sort of musical reference. So the term Selah is probably a pause or a break in the rhythm.

Because this is, yes, it's poetry. But it also appears to be a song or a hymn or a psalm. The Psalms were songs, essentially. And this was likely sung in Hebrew worship, perhaps even in the temple. But whatever the case, the prophet has received an answer from the Lord.

And now he is praising or he is praying to God and praising God for his mighty works. And I think what you see is Habakkuk's fear. His fear is starting to turn. His fear and doubt now is turning to praise and trust.

Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, MorrisCornickChurch .com.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.