Hope: the Questions & Response of Faith (??!)

Advent—A Season of Preparation (Week 1)

This was the first Sunday of Advent, traditionally focused on Prophecy and hope for the coming Messiah. Last week, in our reading of Acts 13, we read this quote from the OT

Acts 13:40-41 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

           “‘Look, you scoffers,
    be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’” [Hab. 1:5]

Perhaps you have never even heard of Habakkuk. But it is appropriate that we take time to hear his important questions this week, for they are likely our own.

Habakkuk was written some 2600 years ago near the end of the kingdom of Judah. Probably about 607 bc when Chaldeans/Babylonians are just on the rise, after defeating Nineveh the capital of Assyria. Judah’s king was likely Jehoakim (aka Eliakim) who had been put in place by the Egyptian Pharaoh Necco in 608 after Josiah’s death.

This short book is filled with profoundly serious questions, challenging answers, and transcendently wonderful truths. It is one of what we call the Minor Prophets (minor only in that they wrote less than the “Major” prophets.

Habakkuk is different than most prophetic books and is more like Job. Here the prophet is not directly delivering a message from God to the people, but bringing the concerns of the faithful before the Lord. God’s answers are recorded for the people…both Jews and Gentiles.

We can use three punctuation marks, “??!” to remind us of the contents of the Book of Habakkuk because it is structured around two questions, two answers, and an exclamation of faith and praise. This morning I would like to survey the entire book with you (all 56 verses) in the context of the hope recognized during Advent.

For Habakkuk the situation was grim. The reforming King Josiah had died, a compromised wicked king was in charge, and things were in shambles from the perspective of a righteous Jew.

Habakkuk’s 1st Question—How Long shall I cry and You will not hear?  (1:1-4)

“How Long” is a frequently asked question–How Long: Until we get to Grandma’s house? Until dinner? Until Christmas? Election time is always a Habakkuk time for me. “How long O Lord?”

Habakkuk’s question was much more serious for he struggled with deep, troubling questions like…“Does God hear me? Why do the wicked prosper? Why doesn’t God do something?”

I like the way the NLT translates this passage,

“Must I forever see this sin and misery all around me? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralyzed and useless, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, and justice is perverted with bribes and trickery.” (1:3-4 NLT)

Habakkuk was struggling with being able to reconcile what he saw with who God was supposed to be. Can we relate to his concern? I think we can, and because of that, I am glad that the true God of the Bible is not afraid of our questions. I might be afraid of them, but God is not.

God’s Answer– “I am going to Intervene !” (1:5-11)

The “Look among the nations” promise of v. 5 that all these things will happen soon was a mixed blessing for it involved Habakkuk’s wicked countrymen being judged (i.e. conquered and exiled) by the Chaldeans.  Habakkuk could look and see the end of a long-time superpower in the defeat of Assyria in 612 bc (Nineveh) after hundreds of years in power. As well as the death of good King Josiah (609 bc) at the hands of the Egyptians who were then themselves defeated at Haran (608) and Carchemish (606). Who would have thought it? Changes indeed!

However, the Lord’s description of those he was raising up to do this brought fear and trembling. Here are some of the highlights…

• v. 6 “I am raising up the Chaldeans (Babylonians), that bitter and hasty nation.”
• v. 7 Their justice and authority originated with themselves. They were their own idols.
• v. 8 Their cavalry was compared to swift leopards, fierce wolves, and devouring eagles.
• v. 11 They will sweep through and pass on. But they will be held guilty, they whose own strength is their god.

I think that Habakkuk’s response to God’s answer might have been, “Wow! OK, Lord, that wasn’t what I was expecting…” And then he formulates his follow-up question, actually a complex of questions that can be combined into one.

Habakkuk’s 2nd Question—“How Come?” (How come you are using them? They’re worse than we are)” (1:12-17)

• “How come you look on/use those who deal treacherously?” (v. 13) Habakkuk does what we do so well when faced with our own sin, he makes horizontal comparisons with other people who appear even worse than ourselves. God doesn’t deny the claim but really it is beside the point.
• “How come you keep silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous?” (v.13)
• “Are we men to be caught like fish?” (v. 14)
• “Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?” (v. 17 NLT)

Habakkuk was also concerned that the Chaldeans would use this victory over Judah to glorify “their nets” (themselves) as a result. They were not in it to serve God. By the way, this did not surprise God.

After expressing his concerns to God, we see Habakkuk’s faith in even larger terms.

Habakkuk’s Resolve “I will stand my watch” (2:1)

In our house, we had a rule we instituted when our son was little. When you call for someone, count to ten before you call their name again. This cut down on the reverberating calls of “Mom…mom...mom” or, “Aunt…Aunt…Aunt” and allowed time for the adult to answer and intervene appropriately. Now as we are getting older, we had to add the corollary, “If you can’t see them, don’t assume that they can hear you.” Habakkuk had asked his question and was committed to listening for the answer. His hope now expected an answer…eventually!

God’s Answer: “Write it plainly on tablets!” (2:2-20)

I paraphrase this verse, “Make it easy for all to see! So they can tell others!”

God is in essence saying, “I will deal with the Chaldeans. They will not get away with it forever.” In fact, this section contains a series of five “woes” making God’s answer clear for all to read even when mounted on the swift horses of Chaldea. These woes function as prophetic Burma Shave signs (e.g., Big Mistake/ Many Make/ Rely on Horn/ Instead of Brake/ Burma Shave) to the Chaldeans and Jews alike. The faithful could put their hope in God’s promise that the Chaldeans would be judged for their own sins.

It helps to see these as five “tablets” like a series of Burma Shave signs of Chaldean guilt. Woes were declared for Babylon’s...

1. Selfish Ambition  (2:6-8)
2. Covetousness / greed  (2:9-11)
3. Violence  (2:12-14)
4. Moral Shame  (2:15-17)
5. Idolatry  (2:18-19)

Pride is a soul problem and the proud Chaldeans who had mocked all before them, would themselves be mocked... at the appointed time, wait for it! Two ways were made clear:

1. The proud, puffed up, dishonest, drunken, dissatisfied Chaldeans will have death.
2. The just, godly, righteous Israelites will have life through faith in the living God.

Highlighted against this dark passage of well-deserved judgment are three transcendent statements that seem to reach far beyond Habakkuk’s immediate context. These are statements that should engender great hope if we embrace them and we don’t forget:

• “but the just shall live by faith” (2:4)
• “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” (2:14) This describes an intimate experiential knowledge…not just an objective knowing.
• “But the Lord is in his holy temple”! (2:20) As idols keep silent before their makers, we should do the same. Picture of waiting on the Lord for direction and teaching, rather than finding our judgment and dignity coming from ourselves (1:7)

Habakkuk’s Response: “How Wonderful!” (3:1-19)

This is the exclamation mark of the outline. Habakkuk’s response included prayer, a hymn, and his own personal creed or faith statement as a result.

A.  His Prayer  (3:1-2)

Warren Wiersbe writes: “Habakkuk prayed because he was overwhelmed by God’s splendor. He was in awe of God’s deeds. He had seen a vision of the greatness of God (v. 3-15) and this vision had left him weak and helpless (v. 16). All he could do was cry out to God.”

      What did he pray? After admitting his fear, he prayed,

• Keep doing Your Work (e.g., revive it, reveal it, but…). What God was doing was not what Habakkuk would have chosen, but he accepted God’s plan and prayed, “Thy will be done... let Thy work continue!” 
• In wrath remember mercy (for both Israel and Babylon). We place our hope in his mercy rather than in our own worthiness.

B.  His Hymn   (3:3-15)

Wiersbe splits up this hymn into three parts;

1. God came in splendor (v.3-5)
2. The Lord stood in Power (6-7) For instance, “measured” (v.6) was a symbol that you possess something and can do what you want to with it.
3. God marched in victory (8-15) He will deliver his people, wherever they are found!

   You marched through the earth in fury;
    you threshed the nations in anger.
   You went out for the salvation of your people,
                         for the salvation of your anointed. (v.12-13)

C.  His Creed (3:16-19) “Yet…”

Habakkuk concludes this short book with his own statement of faith. Instead of panicking and acting out of worry and fear…

 He resolved to wait quietly for the day of trouble (v. 16, echo of v.2)

I hear, and my body trembles;
    my lips quiver at the sound;
rottenness enters into my bones;
    my legs tremble beneath me.
Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble
    to come upon people who invade us.

 He resolved not only to trust God but to rejoice in the God of Salvation. (v. 17-18)

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

This is still Thanksgiving weekend in the USA, and we would do well to remember that the Pilgrims left England as refugees persecuted for their beliefs.

• They knew they served a great God who would be their Lord wherever they lived.
• They gave thanks for his great works in salvation, and in bringing them to America
• They very much embraced His mission and desired to be sincere and humble servants…to take the gospel to the whole earth.

Let me use those sincere, but imperfect people as an illustration of hope in difficult times.

Despite a very difficult first year at Plymouth, at harvest time the Pilgrims gave thanks abundantly in and for all things. That first Thanksgiving was after a year in which 47 out of 102 Pilgrims had died [doing the math we find that 55 survived] because of the rigors of three months at sea followed by a brutally cold winter with poor shelters and marginal nutrition. However, as their ranks thinned, they drew closer together and prayed even harder—never giving in to despair. Then in October 1621, as they set aside time to thank God for their first harvest, 90 Native Americans showed up and brought additional food with them to add to the celebration. Such was the first Thanksgiving. But the difficulties were not past.

In November 1621, another ship arrived and dropped off 35 more people with no supplies of any kind. This increased population severely taxed their food supply until the next harvest. That second winter the daily ration was ultimately reduced to five kernels of dried corn per day, yet miraculously no one died of starvation. They never despaired, but always gave thanks and during really bad times they gave thanks even more. putting their hope in the Lord So when the time came for the second Thanksgiving celebration, the first course was five kernels of corn lest anyone should forget.

            He re-states his faith… “The Lord is my strength” (v. 19; contrast to 1:11) 

                He previously was trembling in fear, now able to run on the high places!

"God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer's;
    he makes me tread on my high places."

D.  Our Own Statement of Faith: What if the six earthly things we most depended on failed? Habakkuk lived in an agrarian society, and in v. 17-18 listed the six things that were what the people needed to survive…not just to be comfortable. How would we write this passage for our own lives?

This week we concluded our service by lighting the Candle of Prophecy… as a symbol of hope, looking for the light of Christ in our darkened world. We do not trust in our own light, nor in our own strength, but hope in Jesus Christ! He is so much more than the reason for this season!

"It Was Necessary"—Thankfully! (Acts 13)

Some Pre-Thanksgiving Lessons from Turkey 

Our approach this week is not so much a line-by-line exposition but we will skim this narrative in Acts 13 and draw out of it a few reminders that should incite an increase in our gratefulness. As we walk through the days leading up to our Thanksgiving celebrations and beyond, such simple reminders may prove helpful.

In setting the table for this part of the narrative, allow me to say that no Thanksgiving holiday would be the same without travel… (v. 13-14).

Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and

                                                        came to Perga in Pamphylia.

And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 

                                  but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia.

And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 

They sailed north to Perga, then it is likely that they hiked a fairly rugged 100 miles over the mountains to Pisidian Antioch (there were as many as 16 different cities named Antioch at that time). Where is Pisidia? It is in modern Turkey, hence the subtitle of this message,

As it is appropriate that we examine ourselves before taking communion so that we don’t take it for granted. I wonder if, as we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday this week, it might help enrich our expression of gratitude to remember a few things.

 

1.     Remember Where We Came From (13:17-18)

     After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, 

                       the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying,

       “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 

   So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:

                            “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 

   The God of this people Israel chose our fathers

      and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt,

                                  and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 

   And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 

God took a people who had not been a nation, much less his nation and made them one. He delivered them from Egyptian slavery and planted them in the Promised Land! However, over time, they demonstrated profound and enduring unfaithfulness to the Lord their Deliverer. As a result, they came to be known prophetically as “not my people, not loved, and scattered” in Hosea. The Lord instructed the prophet to name his children in a way that described the northern kingdom of Israel at that time. Here are the names and the related passages from Hosea 1.

Jezreel (Scattered): v.3-5 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”

Lo-ruhamah (no mercy): v. 6-7 Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. But I will have compassion on the house of Judah and deliver them by the Lord their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen.”

Lo-ammi (not my people): v.8-9 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your God.”

Thankfully the story doesn’t end there for in the next chapter the Lord proclaims,

I will betroth you to Me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice,

                                            In lovingkindness and in compassion,

And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.

           Then you will know the Lord.

“It will come about in that day that I will respond,” declares the Lord.

“I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth,

And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil,

And they will respond to Jezreel.

                                 “I will sow her for Myself in the land.

                                  I will also have compassion [Ruhamah] on her

                                  who had not obtained compassion [Lo-Ruhamah],

                          And I will say to those who were not My people, [Lo-Ammi]

                                                                      ‘You are My people!’ [Ammi]

And they will say, ‘You are my God!’” (Hosea 2:19-23)

In many ways, the people in the synagogue that day were still awaiting the fulfillment of this promise. Paul had the joy of proclaiming the answer to their heart longing! Thankfully, the answer is still in place for us today!

2.     Remember What God Has Done For Us (v.19-22)

   And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, 

                                            he gave them their land as an inheritance. 

   All this took about 450 years.

                     And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 

   Then they asked for a king,

                                  and God gave them Saul the son of Kish,

               a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 

                          And when he had removed him, 

                                           he raised up David to be their king,

                            of whom he testified and said,                          

                                      ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse 

               a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’

In this section, Paul retells some of the high points of the Spiritual history of Israel.

• God chose them
• God made them great
• God delivered them from slavery and death
• God put up with their whining in the wilderness for 40 years
• After destroying 7 wicked nations in Canaan, God gave them a place to live—their land as an inheritance.
• He gave them a government—judges until Samuel, Saul (people’s choice), and David (God’s choice)

Just as it was helpful for those in the Synagogue that day to review what God had done for them as a people in preparation for their receiving the Gospel message I think it is helpful for us to consider what God has done for us as churches and families as a primer for a release of thanksgiving. Questions such as… What is our spiritual history? How did the love of Christ get a hold of our lives? What path did he take us on to meet him? How has he transformed us since he came into our lives? How thankful are we?

3.     Remember God’s Promises (v.23-29)

   Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior,

                          Jesus, as he promised. 

   Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance

              to all the people of Israel. 

                      And as John was finishing his course, he said,

            ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.

                   No, but behold, after me one is coming,

                       the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

              “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham,

                                           and those among you who fear God,

                               to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 

   For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers,

         because they did not recognize him

                                     nor understand the utterances of the prophets,

                                                                       which are read every Sabbath, 

                                                  fulfilled them by condemning him. 

   And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, 

                       they asked Pilate to have him executed. 

      And when they had carried out all that was written of him, 

                       they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.”

Yahweh is a promise-making and promise-keeping God. Even before we existed he had set his plan for our redemption in motion!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (Eph. 1:3-4)

Some of the promises God made include the idea that he will rescue his people, and will not allow them to perish, and that he would send the promised Messiah. He would raise up a Son of David (Isaiah 11). In fact, there are a vast number of promises in the Old Testament, some are conditional while others are unconditional.

What are some promises that we cling to today? Or do we even have any?

4.     Remember that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s Promises (v.30-41)

   But God raised him from the dead, and

                    for many days he appeared to those 

                             who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, 

                             who are now his witnesses to the people. 

   And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers,

                                 this he has fulfilled to us their children

                                                              by raising Jesus,

                                       as also it is written in the second Psalm,  [Ps 2:7]

“‘You are my Son,                       

    today I have begotten you.’

                         And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, 

                                   no more to return to corruption,

                                           he has spoken in this way,

            “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ [Isa55:3]                                 

                           Therefore he says also in another psalm,    [Ps 16:10]

           “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

                                                         For David, after he had served

                                                                             the purpose of God

                                                                                  in his own generation, 

                         fell asleep and was laid with his fathers

                                                     and saw corruption,

    but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 

        Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, 

                                             that through this man 

                                      forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 

                         and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything 

                 from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

    Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

    “‘Look, you scoffers,

    be astounded and perish;

for I am doing a work in your days,

    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’” [Hab. 1:5]

Jesus Christ came in fulfillment of all that had been promised to the fathers. He brought both the love and justice of God together in a perfect life lived for others (Psalm 85:10; John 1:14,17) but verses 38-39 must have been a bombshell for the original audience and should be for us as well.  Forgiveness of sins is now proclaimed in Christ! Think what good news this was for those first hearing about it in Pisidian Antioch!

           Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, 

                                             that through this man 

                                      forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 

                         and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything 

                                      from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

It has long been jokingly said that the answer to every question in Sunday School is “Jesus” and 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 makes it official!

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.

That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

For this, we should ever be thankful!

5.     Remember to Thank God even in Difficult Times (v.42-52)

    As they went out,

         the people begged that these things might be told them

                                                                                         the next Sabbath. 

   And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up,

   many Jews and devout converts to Judaism

                                   followed Paul and Barnabas,  

                                                          who, as they spoke with them,

                   urged them to continue in the grace of God.

                                                                                         The next Sabbath

                                    almost the whole city gathered

                                                          to hear the word of the Lord. 

   But when the Jews saw the crowds,

                   they were filled with jealousy

                  and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.

   And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying,

                      “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. 

                                                                  Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life,

behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.    For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
    that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

                        And when the Gentiles heard this,

                    they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord,

                                   and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 

                                                                     And the word of the Lord was                          

                    spreading throughout the whole region. 

   But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing

                             and the leading men of the city, 

                                              stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas,

                   and drove them out of their district. 

   But they shook off the dust from their feet against them

                                                             and went to Iconium. 

   And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

What comes first? Gratitude or deliverance? It reminds me of the classic question about what came first, the chicken or the egg? In the book of Psalms, we see the psalmists regularly giving thanks in the Thanksgiving Psalms (75, 116, 118, 138) and they place their confidence in God through Psalms of Trust (5, 7, 9-10, 16, 23, 27, 52, 56, 61-63, 91, 115, 121, 125, 130-131) before anything has changed in their circumstances.

I am comforted to be reminded that I am not the first to experience difficult or tumultuous times or to thank a very present God during the storm (1 Thess. 5:17-18; Eph. 5:15-21). It also helps me to consider that opposition is not necessarily a sign of God’s anger… in fact, God is with us in our trials (v.45).

The witness of the apostles is clear that we should let gratitude arise in prayer before there is a change in our circumstances. In fact, gratitude may be the gate through which God’s peace enters our hearts and minds!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

do not be anxious about anything, 

                           but in everything by prayer and supplication 

                                                           with thanksgiving

 let your requests be made known to God.

                               And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 6:5-7)

6.     Remember That We Are Part of God’s Story Today (v. 51-52)

   But they shook off the dust from their feet against them

                                                             and went to Iconium. 

   And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Paul, Barnabas, and the saints were all part of the Lord’s team. We too are included! So, for what can we be thankful for today? Are there those who feel they will never add up? Jesus is the answer, being more than worthy to make a way for us. Are there those on the outside feeling that they will never be good enough? Jesus is good enough in our place. Are there those who are looking to serve a cause bigger than themselves? To serve Jesus is the greatest adventure! He has chosen us, qualified us, and prizes his relationship with us more highly than we know.

In answer to the words of Hosea considered earlier, Peter writes,

But you are a chosen race, 

                   a royal priesthood, 

                   a holy nation,

                   a people for his own possession,

that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you 

out of darkness into his marvelous light. 

 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people;

once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Pet. 2:9-10)

7. This Week’s Thanks Album

It is too easy for us to forget our happy thoughts! We need to be intentional about remembering those times when God delivered us, times when he spoke to us clearly through his Word, times when we sensed the love of Jesus through others, perhaps through something that seems odd but has “been necessary” and has been used by the Lord to bring us closer to him!

If you were to make a mental photo album of gratitude towards God what pictures would it contain? What are the memories you would put in the album? I won’t ask you to do anything weird like acting like a mannequin but if we write down one thing for which we are thankful to the Lord for the next 4 days then on Thanksgiving we will have something substantial to share with others… as we declare the praises of him who called us out of the darkness and into the light!

Sunday—Something for which we are grateful besides the Seahawks and this Sermon… for which we are all thankful.

Monday—What has God done for us in the past?

Tuesday—Is there a promise for which you are thankful?

Wednesday—How have we experienced Jesus’ love in a surprising way?

Thursday—Share with others!