John 16:33 -- "These things I have spoken to you, So that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world."
John 14:27 -- "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I did not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid."
Welcome to this week's sermon. I hope that everyone is staying healthy and having a good week. I thank the Lord that I am doing well.
Last week, we began a new series of messages based on the book of Habakkuk. We saw that the prophet called out to the Lord wondering when the Lord was going to do something about the sinfulness of the people. He wondered when things where going to change. Often, we wonder the same thing in our day. As those who know the Lord Jesus, we know that He has promised that He will come again and restore all things to the way that they existed before sin entered into the world.
Today, we see what the Lord's response was to Habakkuk. We learn that the Lord fully understood the situation that the prophet described to Him. In fact, the Lord lets Habakkuk know that He is raising up a people to bring about judgment if His people do not repent. The Lord says that He is raising up the Babylonians to be His instruments of judgment.
This catches the prophet completely off guard. He doesn't understand how the Lord can use a people that are even more sinful than his own people to be the instrument of judgment. He doesn't understand what God is doing, and he asks God what is going on.
There are two things from this that I want to focus on. First of all, the Lord often works in ways that we do not expect in order to bring about His will in this world. We may be like Habakkuk and not understand it all, but the Bible is clear that the ways of God are above our ways. His thoughts are above our thoughts. In times when we don't understand what God is doing, that is the time when we have to have faith. We must lean in on the fact that we know that the Lord has done what is right and good in our lives in the past, therefore we believe that the Lord will work all things out to help us and to fulfill His divine purpose.
Jesus and His ministry on earth wasn't what some people expected. At one point, even John the Baptist sent a delegation to ask Jesus if He really was the promised one, or if they should be looking for someone else. Jesus wasn't doing what John and some others expected. However, He was perfectly fulfilling all that the Father had sent Him to do.
Just because God is doing something in a way that we don't understand doesn't mean that we have to doubt. The Lord knows what He is doing, and all will be well.
The second thing that I want to focus on today is Habakkuk's response. He made a complaint to the Lord. And the Lord was not angry with Him. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking the Lord what is going on. There is nothing wrong with questioning what God is doing. Job did this as well, and so did Asaph. The Lord does not get angry if we truly call out to Him wanting an answer to what is happening in our lives. We just need to have the right attitude of humility.
It is always easy to understand what the Lord is doing in this world and in our lives. However, we can rest assured in the knowledge that the Lord Jesus has all in control, and He is only doing that which is good and that which will bring about the best outcome. Amen.
Prayer Request
This weekend, the forecast for my area is for a lot of snow. Please pray that it won't be very bad. I don't like to drive to work on the slick roads.
Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that the sick will recover.
Let us all pray for peace in the world. Pray that there will not be a conflict between Russian and Ukraine. Pray for peace in Yemen, Syria and Ethiopia.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Brunei and Guinea-Bissau. Pray that many will come to know the love of Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with our series in Habakkuk. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will have a review midweek. May God bless you all.
On this date many years ago, my friend Toby came to live with me. I will never forget that day. I thank the Lord for bringing us together and allowing us to share many wonderful years together. I know that we will be together again someday.
I like to watch animal movies and documentaries, so I was excited to find a documentary called "We Don't Deserve Dogs" at the library. I have to say that this is the most disappointing film about dogs that I've watched in a very long time. First of all, the subtitles are so small and light colored that you cannot read them half the time. Also, there are some very upsetting stories featured in this film. One is about a stray dog that no one seems to want to take the responsibility for getting off of the streets and into a permanent home. The worst one is about dogs in Vietnam. There are very disturbing images in this part of the film. I don't really have much good to say about this documentary. It was not at all what I was expecting.
If you are looking for an uplifting documentary about what dogs bring to our lives, this isn't the one. I would not recommend allowing younger viewers to watch this. There are a lot better documentaries out there about dogs and how they make our lives better.
Psalm 82:3 -- "Give justice to the weak and fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute."
Isaiah 1:17 -- "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and plead the widow's cause."
Proverbs 16:8 -- "Better is little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice."
I hope that all of you are doing well in this new year. With the new year, we are going to start on a new sermon series. Also starting next week, I will do my best to have a book or film review each week.
Today, we are starting a new sermon series on the book of Habakkuk. I believe that I have mentioned on the blog in the past that I did extensive study on what are known as the Minor Prophets when I was in Bible college. I have always felt that many of these smaller prophetic books are often ignored in preaching and teaching, and one of the things that I've tried to do from time to time is to go through some of the books of the Minor Prophets to see what they have to teach us today.
Before we get into the book of Habakkuk let me give you a little history that leads us up to the content of this book. When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became the new king. Right away, he faced a challenge to his leadership. He was not wise as was his father, and due to a bad decision on Rehoboam's part, the Kingdom of Israel was divided. The ten tribes in the north followed a man named Jeroboam, and he became the king of Israel which is also called Samaria in the Old Testament. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to the House of David. They became known as the Kingdom of Judah.
The Kingdom of Israel only had evil kings. No matter how many prophets the Lord sent to the north, they never truly turned their hearts back to the Lord. This land would be conquered by the Assyrians. Judah remained for a few more years. However, the land was experiencing great difficulties. The Babylonians were a growing threat to such a small nation.
Habakkuk wrote his prophecy in the time just before the fall of Jerusalem. It was a time when the people had fallen away from the Lord, and the nation was ruled by kings who did not want to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord sent many prophets to the people including Isaiah and Jeremiah, but the people would not listen.
Not much is known about the man Habakkuk. Many Bible scholars believe that he may have been a Temple prophet. Part of their job was to compose music, and the final chapter of Habakkuk is a Psalm.
As the book of Habakkuk opens, we find the prophet telling the Lord about the distress that he is feeling due to the fact that the people are wicked, violent and they do not follow the law nor the ways of justice. Habakkuk asks, "How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?" In other words, Habakkuk wanted to know when the Lord was going to do something about all of the sin and evil that was going on. Habakkuk was tired of what was going on in his world, and he wanted the Lord to do something about it.
I definitely understand where Habakkuk is coming from. I look at the world today, and I see many of the same things going on that were going on in the days of this prophet. In my country at least, the majority of the people have decided that they do not want to follow the law of God. They don't want to follow the way of Jesus. Even those who call themselves followers of Jesus preach a Jesus that has little resemblance to the Jesus of Scripture. Their Jesus is not the Jesus who preaches the way of peace and compassion. The Jesus they preach is not the Jesus who gave us the great teachings of the Sermon on the Mount.
All around the world there is injustice and oppression. The poor are taken advantage of by the rich and powerful. The world is full of exploitation. Like the prophet, I ask when the Lord will come and do something about it.
In the verses that follow, the Lord responds to Habakkuk. The Lord has responded in our day. We have the promise of the Lord Jesus that things will not always be the way that they are now. One day Jesus will come and restore all things to the way that existed before the Fall. He will bring justice and righteousness and peace to this earth. In the meantime, we are to work to bring justice, healing and hope to the nations by sharing the message of Jesus.
It is easy to get frustrated when we look at the state of this world. However, we can have hope in the Lord Jesus. He will come again, and in this we have hope. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Please pray for the people in Colorado who suffered due to the terrible fires. I know someone who lives in Louisville. Thanks be to God, they were not hurt, and their house did not catch on fire. Many are suffering. Let us pray that they will receive the aid that they need.
Let us also pray for those in the Southeast part of the US who are recovering from the storms that destroyed much in that region.
Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Get your vaccination and booster please. Pray for doctors and nurses who are overwhelmed right now. Pray that the sick will recover quickly.
We need to pray for peace in the world. Please remember to pray for peace in Yemen, Syria, Ethiopia and Afghanistan.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Iran and Chad. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue our series in Habakkuk. I will post the verses on Monday, and a review midweek. May God bless you all.
Matthew 11:28 -- " Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Psalm 119:114 -- "You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word."
