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!

Pause (Acts 9:28-43)

Peace, Healing, & Resurrection in Christ

After the increasing persecution against the apostles and then the violent outbreak of severe persecution at the death of Stephen, the church was scattered taking the gospel message with them as the Lord had said that they would. Then in Acts 9, we have the account of the conversion of their chief persecutor—Saul of Tarsus (AKA Paul). After time alone in the desert, Saul returned to Damascus and preached boldly about Jesus. Some years later, when he journeyed to Jerusalem and everyone was afraid to trust him, Barnabas broke the ice and introduced Saul/Paul to the apostles and brothers at Jerusalem as one who had seen the Lord and had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. (v.27). Pastor Mark spoke on these events and more in a message last week about “Interruptions.”

This week we are reviewing a few of those verses and finishing Acts 9 with the theme, “Pause.” This passage comes as the transition between two major sections of Acts. Verses 9:28-31 summarize the preceding section and then v. 32-43 change focus from Paul to Peter and set the stage for the major events in Acts 10. It is in this “seam” that we can learn a few things from the “pause.”

1) God’s Plan & Timing are Best (v.28-30)

      So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem,

                preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 

    And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. 

But they were seeking to kill him. 

    And when the brothers learned this,

                         they brought him down to Caesarea

                               and sent him off      to Tarsus.

Here are a few thoughts from this passage:

• Sometimes we can win the battle and lose the war.
• Sometimes we can take upon ourselves a role that the Lord has not assigned. It seems that Paul naturally took up the ministry of Stephen, for whose death he was to some extent responsible. While this seems the honorable thing to do, God had a different plan for Paul…on no less filled with danger and suffering.
• The church didn’t need Saul to end up like Stephen at that time. Great violence had been released, now things were settling down.

This action on the part of the brother was neither compromise, nor cowardice, but caring intervention on behalf of their former enemy.

2) Peace—State of the Church Summary

    So the church

                  throughout all Judea and

                                         Galilee and

                                         Samaria

                        had peace and was being built up.

         And walking in the fear of the Lord

                      and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, 

                     it multiplied.

They had come through intense persecution into a period of relative peace. This would happen many times over the first 300 years of church history. They had benefited from the ministry of the Apostles and others such as Stephen and Philip the evangelist. God was doing his work whether in times of persecution, or times of peace, such as that which they now enjoyed.

A Peaceful Setting

The Lord’s “Pause” Brought…

• Purposeful Peace—instead of being torn down or worn down, this was a time not only of no persecution but of their being built up.
• Spiritual Peace—for they were walking in “the fear of the Lord,” which should be considered a combination of loving obedience and worship. It is an indicator of a greater level of relationship with the Lord.
• Internal Peace—for they were comforted by the Holy Spirit. At this moment they were experiencing greater encouragement from the Lord.
• Missional Peace—the church multiplied. It not only grew spiritually but also grew numerically as people heard the gospel and responded in faith.

What is the state of our church today?

• Are we persecuted or at peace?
• Do we fear the Lord or are we more concerned about something else?
• Do we sense the very real comfort of the Holy Spirit?
• Are we multiplying? Are we growing? I remember a quote from my late pastor (Ron Mehl) back in the late 1970s. When interviewed by the local newspaper and asked about the sudden growth of his church, he said, “I am more concerned about growing big people, not a big church.”

3) Downs & Ups: The Healing of Aeneas

   Now as Peter went here and there among them all,

                he came down also to the saints

                                                          who lived at Lydda.  [Plain of Sharon]

     There he found a man named Aeneas,

                                          bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. 

         And Peter said to him,        “Aeneas, 

                   Jesus Christ heals you;

                                                  rise and make your bed.”

                 And immediately he rose. 

                                   And all       the residents of Lydda

                                                                              and Sharon saw him,

                                       and they turned to the Lord.

One of my favorite things about this incident is Peter’s instruction to the man that was healed, “Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” This verse should be well used by parents don’t you think? The man has been bedridden for eight years and Peter tells him to make his bed. I find that hilarious…but also poignant. That season is past, a new season of purpose has come.

When people saw this miracle, they turned to the Lord. How was this different from today? If we saw someone who was paralyzed for 8 years get healed in the name of Jesus, would we “turn to the Lord”? I am not so sure. We have a saying in America that “seeing is believing”, but now that may not be entirely true. Recently on vacation, while standing in a parking lot, my nephew pointed his cellphone camera at me and told me not to move. I thought that he was going to take a picture, but instead he told me that I had a bug on my shoulder.  He was playing “Pokemon Go” and apparently there was a virtual insect on my shoulder that he was trying to capture. It seems that we have become jaded by special effects to the point that when posting photos on Instagram a popular hashtag is #nofilter. If a B-movie like Sharknado can have four or five sequels then we know we don’t really believe what we see.

4) The Resurrection of Dorcas

   Now there was in Joppa     a disciple named Tabitha,

                                                                         which, translated,

                                                               means Dorcas. 

                         She was full of good works and

                                                  acts of charity. 

   In those days she became ill and died,

                                       and when they had washed her,

                                                       they laid her in an upper room. 

                                                                   Since Lydda

                was near Joppa, the disciples,

                                                 hearing that Peter was there,

                                                 sent two men to him,

                                                                 urging him, 

          “Please come to us without delay.” 

   So  Peter rose and went with them.

               And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room.

All the widows stood beside him weeping

                                             and showing tunics and other garments

                                                                    that Dorcas made

                while she    was with them. 

   But Peter put them all outside,

                   and knelt down and prayed;

                   and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.”

                  And she opened her eyes,

         and when she saw Peter she sat up,

    And he gave her his hand and raised her up.

                      Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 

    And it became known throughout all Joppa,

                              and many believed in the Lord. 

    And he stayed in Joppa for many days

                                          with one Simon, a tanner.

Joppa was a mostly Gentile town at the time, but here was a woman who worked hard for the poor. In Acts it is instructive to notice what people are “full of” for Luke uses the descriptive phrase at least nine times. Dorcas/Tabitha is described as being, “full of good works and acts of charity.” The crowd of widows were basically saying, “What will we do without her?” And their case for Peter’s intervention may be an appeal to Proverbs 31.

At this time I would like to list other examples of the dead being raised.

      Resurrections In the OT

• 1 Kings 17:17-22 The widow’s son raised by Elijah
• 2 Kings 4:32-35  The Shunammite’s son by Elisha
• 2 Kings 13:20-21 A dead man’s body accidentally touches Elisha’s bones and comes back to life (perhaps fulfilling the “double portion” request of Elisha).
• Jonah 2 There is some question whether Jonah’s language from the belly of the “great fish” is merely a figurative poetic description or an actual resurrection? Either way it is miraculous.

Resurrections In the NT

• Matthew 9:23-25 Jairus’ daughter by Jesus
• Luke 7:11-15 The widow’s only son
• Matthew 11:4-6 Jesus’ answer to John’s disciples (Luke 7:22;
• John 11:43-44 Lazarus raised on 4th day by Jesus
• Matthew 27:52-53 Many saints were raised when Jesus died
• Acts 9 6-40 This passage where Dorcus is raised by Jesus through Peter
• Acts 14:19-20 Paul was stoned at Lystra thought to be dead. This was either a mistake by the executioners or a miracle by God (or both).
• Acts 20:7-12 Eutychus raised by Paul after he fell asleep during a long sermon and fell out of a window (don’t try this!).
• Rev. 11:8, 11 the two witnesses (in Apocalyptic symbolism) are raised up to the dismay of the world.

And finally,

• Acts 3:15; 4:10; 13:30,34; Romans 6:9; 8:11, etc. testify that Jesus was raised from

  

  Empty Tomb

  the dead on the third day! 1 Corinthians 15 is the chapter on the theological ramifications of resurrection. If Jesus wasn’t raised we believe in vain. But because He was raised, we have hope.

5) Our Hope (Romans 8:10-11)

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin,

                                                  the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 

   If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,

                           he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead

                                                    will also give life to your mortal bodies 

                                       through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Eternal life is not so much a place, or a thing, but knowing/relating to a person, as Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

In like of this, we will now draw near to the Lord in Holy Communion. I like what John D. Zizioulas wrote about communion,

“In the Eucharist we can find all the dimensions of communion: God communicates himself to us, we enter into communion with him, the participants of the sacrament enter into communion with one another, and creation as a whole enters through man into communion with God. All this takes place in Christ and the Spirit, who brings the last days into history and offers to the world a foretaste of the Kingdom.” ― John D. Zizioulas, Communion and Otherness: Further Studies in Personhood and the Church

Let’s read together,

And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, 

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood.

Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

       For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,

                                you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Cor. 11:24-27)

It is as we pause, and proclaim his death on our behalf, that we in joy remember his resurrection that brings the hope we need until his return!