[0:00] We're going to turn now to our Bibles. Phil Copeland has been preaching through the little! book of the prophet Habakkuk and we're going to read together from Habakkuk chapter 3.
[0:11] ! If you need a Bible, if you don't have a Bible with you, there are some visitors Bibles at the sides, at the back. Do feel free to go and pick one up and it will help you to follow along. So Habakkuk is one of those little prophets near the end of the Old Testament before Zephaniah and Zechariah just tucked in there after Nahum. Quite hard to find sometimes, but worth finding.
[0:37] We're going to be focusing this evening on the end of chapter 3, but I'm going to read the whole of the chapter. Habakkuk chapter 3 then at verse 1, a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet according to Shigianoth.
[0:52] O Lord, I've heard the report of you and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years, revive it. In the midst of the years, make it known. In wrath, remember mercy.
[1:07] God came from Timan and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His splendor covered the heavens and the earth was full of his praise. Selah. His brightness was like the light. Rays flashed from his hand and there he veiled his power.
[1:26] Before him went pestilence and plague followed at his heels. He stood and measured the earth. He looked and shook the nations. Then the eternal mountains were scattered. The everlasting hill sank low.
[1:42] His were the everlasting ways. I saw the tents of Kushan in affliction. The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
[1:53] The waters of the Lord. Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord? Was your anger against the rivers or your indignation against the sea when you rode on your horses on your chariot of salvation?
[2:03] You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah. You split the earth with rivers. The mountains saw you and writhed. The raging water swept on.
[2:17] The deep gave forth its voice, lifted its hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear.
[2:32] 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.
[2:45] You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah. You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors who came like a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret. You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters.
[3:10] I hear and my body trembles. My lips quiver at the sound. Rottenness enters into my bones. My legs tremble beneath me.
[3:23] Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, nor produce of the olive fail, the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls.
[3:48] Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God the Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the deer's. He makes me tread on my high places.
[4:08] To the choir master with stringed instruments. Amen. May God bless to us his word. Amen.
[4:22] Well please do have your Bibles back open to Habakkuk chapter 3. That will be most helpful as we go through tonight. Well in chapter 3 Habakkuk is singing. He's singing.
[4:40] A beautiful prayer of submission and praise in response to what the Lord God had revealed to him. You remember if you've been here for the past three Sundays.
[4:51] That the Lord has told Habakkuk of two waves of coming judgment. The first wave of judgment will sweep over Judah. The people of God in the Old Testament.
[5:06] In the form of the Babylonian army. The Lord assures Habakkuk that he has seen all of the evil rebellion that's taken place within his Old Testament church.
[5:16] And as a consequence the Lord has sovereignly raised up this Babylonian international war machine. To be his instrument of judgment and discipline.
[5:27] And it's coming straight for Judah. Not even the righteous remnant of faith. The group of real believers of whom Habakkuk is the spokesperson for. Within the land.
[5:38] Not even they will escape the invasion. The true people of God in Judah will be swept up in the Lord's discipline. But the Lord also tells Habakkuk about a second much much larger wave of judgment coming.
[5:55] And it will come at the Lord's appointed time in history. When according to chapter 2 verse 14. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
[6:05] As the waters cover the sea. And on that day. All those who have proudly set themselves against the Lord and his people. They will face the retribution they deserve for having done so.
[6:19] That is Babylon. And all those who have lived by the same heart attitude as Babylon. With pride. Self-righteousness. Self-reliance.
[6:30] All those who have lived that way will get their comeuppance. And justice will be done says the Lord. In other words Habakkuk has heard that the Lord is going to judge everyone.
[6:42] Yes. Judgment will begin as 1 Peter says with a household of faith. In the church. And then the rest of the world will follow. And my friend the only hope for any of us.
[6:54] In the face of the wrath to come. Is found in chapter 2 verse 4 of Habakkuk. Where the Lord promises. That he will punish the proud. But most crucially.
[7:06] Chapter 2 verse 4. The righteous shall live by faith. Or live by his faithfulness. However you want to translate it. It means the same. It's such a key verse in Habakkuk. Isn't it?
[7:18] And it's also a key verse. In the whole Bible actually. It's quoted frequently in the New Testament. Such as in Romans. Galatians. And Hebrews. They all quote Habakkuk 2 verse 4.
[7:30] And apply its message. To all of us. Living in these last days. Because friends. Still today. The only hope for us. In the face of God's coming wrath. His wrath that is being revealed now from heaven.
[7:42] But his wrath will also finally be revealed on the last day. The only hope for us. In the face of such things. Is to have faith in God's Savior. Jesus Christ.
[7:54] The one in whom all of God's Old Testament promises. Find their yes. And their amen. But here's a question. What does saving faith like that look like?
[8:04] And what does it sound like? And the answer is. Habakkuk chapter 3. As we listen to Habakkuk's prayer song in this chapter. We hear the voice of genuine faith.
[8:16] The faith that Willie said a minute ago. Was laid out in James chapter 1 verse 2. That we heard about this morning. Here it is here. In action. As is often the case with the Old Testament prophets.
[8:29] The messenger becomes the message. And in this song. Habakkuk takes the faith that he's professed. And he works out his faith. In this prayer.
[8:40] Through his current grim circumstances. So that the people of God back then in ancient Judah. And the people of God today. Are all invited to hear this song of Habakkuk.
[8:52] And sing along with him as it were. In our hearts. That is we're invited to follow his example. Living by the same faith. Even if our circumstances.
[9:03] Become really really grim. We're to follow Habakkuk. So that we will persevere. And not fall away from our Savior. Well last week.
[9:15] Just let me give you a quick recap. Start of chapter 3 verses 1 to 15. We saw Habakkuk spends most of the prayer song. Remembering the past ways. In which the Lord appeared.
[9:27] To save his people from their enemies. And at the same time. Wipe out. The enemy. Habakkuk remembered. That the Lord showed terrifying power.
[9:38] When he appeared. When the Lord turned up on Mount Sinai. The sky was engulfed. In his splendor. Flashing rays of pure light. Fired out from the palms of his hands.
[9:49] The whole created order. Shook. And the nations trembled in terror. At the power. Of the covenant God of Israel. And Habakkuk also remembered.
[10:00] That the Lord came with a ferocious arsenal. An unrivaled weaponry. No human power on earth. Can compare to that of our God. For when he appeared.
[10:11] He did so as the ultimate warrior. Pestilence and plague. Were two of his weapons of choice. And also the rivers. The sea.
[10:22] The deep. The earth. The lightning. The sun. The moon. All of the created orders. Described as being things. Which the Lord can call upon. At his disposal. To bring down.
[10:33] Upon those who oppose his name. And oppress his people. And Habakkuk also remembered. The ways in which the Lord. Time and time again. Throughout history. Crushed the head.
[10:44] Of the enemy. He does it again and again. Throughout history. Giving Habakkuk hope. That one day soon. The Lord's going to do. Exactly the same thing. To the king of Babylon.
[10:56] And the Lord may even use. The enemy's own. Fiery darts. His own weapons. And turn them back upon the enemy. In ultimate humiliation. In the future. Habakkuk remembers all of these things.
[11:07] In his prayer song. In order to give him a glimpse. Of what is to come. He looked back. To look forward. And we must do the same.
[11:18] As the people of God. We must be people. Who remember the mighty acts. Of God in the past. So that will fill us. With hope. For the future. And we can do that friends. Because God's former judgments.
[11:30] In history. Are little foretastes. Of the final judgment. Judgment. On history. Well in our passage this week.
[11:41] Having remembered all of that. All of that powerful imagery. Of the Lord. Of his glory. Habakkuk finishes his prayer. By declaring. He will rejoice. In the Lord of grace.
[11:52] No matter what happens. And with the rest of our time. Let's notice. From this little section. At the end. Three marks. Of genuine faith.
[12:02] That Habakkuk displays. Three marks. Of genuine faith. Firstly. Notice. Genuine faith. Trembles. At the Lord who speaks.
[12:13] Genuine faith. Trembles. At the Lord. Who speaks. Please look at verse 16. Habakkuk says. As I hear. And my body trembles.
[12:25] My lips quiver at the sound. Rottenness enters into my bones. My legs tremble beneath me. So Habakkuk has heard the news of the Lord's coming judgment.
[12:38] That's what he's heard. And he's confessing now to the Lord. Lord. I believe you. And also he's saying that this word. Has rocked the very core of his being.
[12:49] The word of God. Is shaking him. In other words. He's full of healthy fear. He's actually stated this at the start of his prayer. Back in chapter 3 verse 2. Look at that.
[13:00] He says. I have heard a report of you. And your glorious work. Oh Lord. Do I fear. Fear. Well he comes back to that fear now. In verse 16. And he gives this fourfold description.
[13:13] I wonder if you heard it. As we were reading it out. Both earlier in the service. And just there. It kind of amplifies up. And you get a picture that builds upon fear. That shows the quaking that's going on.
[13:24] Within his whole physical being. Let me read verse 16 again. Chapter 3 verse 16. What does he say? My body trembles. My lips quiver. And my bones.
[13:35] The very core of my being. That I look to for stability. Rottenness has entered into them. And my legs tremble. Here is a man physically responding appropriately.
[13:49] To the word of the Lord. He is paralyzed with fear. And agony. Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones.
[14:00] The renowned Welsh preacher. Once wrote a very helpful and stimulating book. On Habakkuk. He wrote it back in the 1950s. I know some of you know this book.
[14:10] Because you've told me you've got it. Someone even kindly offered me a copy. But I already have it. So there you go. And I've read it. So there you go. But anyway. It is a really helpful book. Really insightful.
[14:21] It's what you would expect from the doctor. That was his nickname. However. I don't think he had very much to do with the title of the book. Do you know what the title of the book is called? Habakkuk.
[14:32] From Fear to Faith. Friends. That is not the journey that Habakkuk goes on in this book. For a start. He never moves from a position of unbelief.
[14:43] To faith. As we have seen. He is a man of faith throughout. He is perplexed. And full of pain at the beginning of the book. And at the end of the book. He is no longer perplexed.
[14:54] But he is still fearful. And in fact. Even if you went back to the start of the book. He never moves from a place of fear. To non-fear. That is also not a right way to read the book.
[15:05] Because in fact. At the end of the book. Habakkuk is more fearful than ever before. He is terrified at the end of the book. And it is because of the word of the Lord.
[15:17] That he is heard. And believes in. Friends. Please don't miss what this teaches about genuine faith. Very key lesson. Very quick to skim over this. But this is a very key lesson.
[15:28] Turmoil. And the anguish. That is within Habakkuk. That he is going through here. Is not an evidence of unbelief. It is an evidence of faith. He is all upset.
[15:40] Precisely. Because he believes the Lord's word. His trembling. His agony. Is caused. By his trust. In the Lord. Now I reckon.
[15:51] That if all of us were being honest. I reckon. That pretty much all of us here. Wouldn't think this way. About anguish. Toil. Turmoil. Trembling. And faith. I reckon most of us. If we are honest. We would say.
[16:01] That if a believer is feeling. The inner turmoil. And trembling. That Habakkuk feels here. That it is a sign of weakness. It is a sign of unbelief. And that he is flawed. But that is not the case here.
[16:17] Turmoil. Is in his heart. Because of his faith. In the word of the Lord. It is evidence. That he is a believer. Yes. Habakkuk knows. That a great day of deliverance. Is coming.
[16:28] When the mighty divine warrior. Of verses 3 to 15. Will appear. But that. Future glorious salvation. Will only come. After the church. Has gone through.
[16:39] Heavy suffering. Brutal oppression. Babylonian blasting. God had said. That is what the case will be. And so Habakkuk says.
[16:51] Oh Lord. I hear that. And I believe it. And that is why I am shaking. I shake and I quiver. Genuine faith. Will tremble. That the Lord who speaks. Because sometimes.
[17:02] The Lord who speaks. Speaks words. That disturb us. For our good. Old Palmer Robertson. Says this. He is a great Bible commentator.
[17:12] He says this. If you are not convinced. That this is a mark. Of true faith. And just think about. Later on in the Bible. In the scene. That took place. In a garden. Where the remnant.
[17:24] Of Israel. Of faithful Israel. Was reduced. To a single individual. A similar circumstance. Developed. Alone in the garden. Peering into the awesome abyss. Of hell.
[17:35] And contemplating. The spiritual exile. That he was about to experience. On the cross. The Lord Jesus himself. Sweated drops of blood. Such was his inner turmoil.
[17:47] Even though. He was assured. That the father. Would not leave his soul. In hell. As the scripture promised. Yet the reality. Of the agonies. That he had to endure. Before his deliverance.
[17:59] Overwhelmed him. His soul. Was exceedingly troubled. And Jesus body. Responded. With an awesome sign. Of sympathy. For in genuine faith.
[18:12] Trembles. At the Lord's word. We can see that. In Habakkuk. And we see it also. In God's ultimate prophet. Part. Excellence. Christ Jesus. The word of God himself.
[18:24] So my friend. If you are here this evening. If you find yourself. Trembling at the word of the Lord. Doesn't necessarily mean. That you lack faith. There are some things.
[18:35] In the word of God. That should rightly. Rattle. And rock us. In a good way. So that we respond. Like Habakkuk. Maybe for example. You've come across. Acts chapter 4.
[18:45] 14 verse 22. Acts 14. 22. Says this. Through many tribulations. We must enter the kingdom of God. Through many.
[18:56] Not some. Through many tribulations. We must enter the kingdom of God. You hear that part of God's word. And it turns your legs to jelly. Your heart rate starts to pump a bit faster.
[19:07] You feel yourself trembling. What God has said. What may lay ahead for you. Around the corner. And for the church. Well good. It's a sign of faith.
[19:19] You take God's word seriously. We sometimes think faith will relieve the pressure. And the stress that we come under. In our minds. And it will always give us a peaceful easy feeling.
[19:32] Sometimes that's true. But often faith will cause the opposite. Genuine faith trembles. At the Lord who speaks.
[19:44] Secondly. Notice. Genuine faith. Waits upon the Lord's timing. Genuine faith. Waits upon the Lord's timing. Back at the start of chapter 2.
[19:56] Before the Lord promised to bring justice to his people. Before he promised to judge Babylon. The Lord told Habakkuk. He will need to wait patiently for it. Please look back to chapter 2.
[20:08] Verse 3. Chapter 2. Verse 3. The Lord says this. For still the vision awaits its appointed time.
[20:20] The vision being the thing I'm about to tell you. Habakkuk. The message awaits its appointed time. It hastens to the end. It will not lie. If it seems slow.
[20:31] Wait for it. You see that? Wait for it. It will surely come. It will not delay. That is what the Lord asked of his servant. He says. I will deliver the righteous by faith.
[20:43] And I will judge Babylon. If it seems that it's slow in me bringing about the fulfillment of that promise. It's not slow. I've got my own diary Habakkuk. You must wait.
[20:56] And that's what Habakkuk in chapter 3 says he will do. Please look at chapter 3 verse 16. The end of it. So he says. I hear. My body trembles. My lips quiver at the sound.
[21:07] And rot in the center of my bones. My legs tremble beneath me. He's full of fear. Yet. I will. Quietly. Wait. For the day of trouble to come on.
[21:19] Upon. The people who invade us. Friends. This. You want to know what faith is? There's all sorts of funny fancy things. Get past this faith today. Faith is a technical word from the Bible.
[21:31] That the Bible gives us many many pictures of. And here is a wonderful beautiful example. Of what real faith is. The Lord has said something. And real faith goes. Yep. I accept that.
[21:43] And I trust that. Real faith means. Hearing what the Lord has said. And doing it. In this case. The Lord has told Habakkuk to wait. For the Lord's day of judgment.
[21:55] And that's what Habakkuk is going to do. For real faith. Submits. And waits upon the Lord's timing. Which is perfect. And for we too must be patient.
[22:07] We must be a people marked by waiting. As Christians we are waiting people. The Lord will bring his promise to fulfillment. According to his sovereign timing.
[22:17] On the day when the Lord Jesus returns in glory. Might not be in our life thing. But he will come. We've got to wait. And as I mentioned a couple of Sundays ago.
[22:30] I don't know about you. I just always when I heard the word wait in the Bible. It always makes me think of just sitting around on the sofa. Waiting for other members of my family to get ready. Going out the door. I will not mention any names. But it's not me.
[22:42] I'm never late. That's not true. But waiting in the Bible. It's not a passive thing friends. Waiting in the Bible is active. Active. It is an active thing. It's not a passive activity.
[22:55] Back in Habakkuk's time. As he waited for the Lord to bring trouble upon Babylon. He was not to stop living for the Lord. Seeking to obey his law. Seeking to bring glory to the Lord's name.
[23:07] Even whilst he was a captive in exile. And also as God's prophet. Habakkuk had a lot of speaking to do. Whilst he waited upon the Lord. Just look at verse 3 verse 16 again.
[23:19] He says I will wait quietly. Just be careful there. What he means by that is he will wait quietly. In the sense that he will no longer bring any more perplexed. Painful prayers to the Lord.
[23:32] Concerning the evil that surrounds him. For the Lord has answered his prayers. Concerning all of that. Earlier on in the book. He's not talking about he'll be totally quiet.
[23:42] Because in another sense. As the prophet. He's going to have a very noisy time. Ahead of him. Because as covenant curses sweep over the land of Judah. Habakkuk has been given a key message to proclaim.
[23:55] Hasn't he? Back in 2 verse 2 again. Look at 2 verse 2. He said write the vision. The Lord said to Habakkuk. Write the vision. Make it plain on tablets.
[24:06] So that he or you may run. Who reads it. In other words. The Lord called upon Habakkuk. To write a message on tablets.
[24:16] And then run around proclaiming that message. And what was the message? Judgment is coming. But the righteous shall live by faith. That was the message. In other words.
[24:28] In 2 verse 2. The Lord called his prophet to go and proclaim. 2 verse 4. And proclaim it to all of Judah. Both the faithful of Judah.
[24:39] The righteous remnant of faith. But also Habakkuk was to go and proclaim that. To the rebels of Judah. In other words. He was to go around proclaiming. The gospel.
[24:50] Yes. So that the righteous remnant. People who were believers. Might be strengthened. Carrying on what they're doing. Walking by faith. But also that rebellious members of Judah.
[25:01] Might hear. And turn to the Lord. Walk by faith. And so flee the wrath to come. And friends. As we wait patiently. For that great and awesome day of the Lord to come.
[25:14] The day when spiritual Babylon. Will be destroyed forever. Our waiting. Is to be active as well. With the same activities. We are not to sit back passively.
[25:25] As a church. We are to continue to walk by the obedience of faith. To show off God's beauty around us. And be like Habakkuk. Also as a church.
[25:36] Proclaiming the same gospel of God. In 2 verse 4. There have been plenty of times. Throughout the past 2,000 years. Where the church has been tempted to wait passively.
[25:47] And most of the time. It's due to fear of Babylon. It's due to fear of the world. What other people will think of us. Getting received and hatred. And so forth. But we are to not do that.
[25:57] Friends. Let's wait. Let's make sure that we wait well. I was thinking this earlier today. Wouldn't that be great. If as a church. We had this little phrase. Where we came up and said. How are you doing this week?
[26:08] Are you waiting well? Are you waiting well? Let's pray that the Lord will help us to wait well. Here's our final point this evening.
[26:20] Final thing. And it is this. Genuine faith rejoices. In the Lord who saves. Genuine faith rejoices. In the Lord who saves.
[26:30] And genuine faith rejoices. In the Lord who saves. Even. When your life. Has completely. Been plummeted. Into the depths of darkness. Please look at verse 17.
[26:44] Habakkuk says. Though the fig tree should not blossom. Nor fruit beyond the vines. The produce of the olive fail. And the fields yield no food.
[26:55] The flock be cut off from the fold. And there be no herd in the stalls. That is though. The land that I look upon. Has been ravaged by Babylon. And though the covenant curses of the Lord.
[27:07] Has come upon us. Yet. Verse 18. Yet. Is another yet. I will rejoice in the Lord. I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
[27:21] So despite the fact that he is trembling. At the point of the coming invasion. Habakkuk resolutely sets his trust. In the Lord who promises. That the righteous shall live by faith.
[27:32] The Lord has told Habakkuk. That this. Will be the case. And so Habakkuk takes the Lord at his word. And says. I am going to resolutely stake. All my life upon this promise.
[27:45] And it is his knowledge of the Lord. And his faithfulness to such promises. That cause this great rejoicing in him. And it is a source of strength.
[27:56] For this trembling prophet. Because he knows that whatever Babylon does to the land. His relationship with the covenant God. Will stand firm. Because God has said it will stand firm.
[28:08] This is what he has promised. In fact you get the impression. That the entire present world order. Could pass away. But it still won't nullify God's gracious promises.
[28:20] To Habakkuk and to his people. We will endure. The righteous shall live by faith. And by his faith. He shall go on living. That is what Habakkuk is saying.
[28:32] Again. It is a great example. Of what we were hearing about. From James chapter 1 this morning. In the midst of this fiery trial. Here is what a real godly prayer sounds like.
[28:45] Verse 17. Habakkuk says. Even when these Babylonian brutes. Burst into the land. And seize it from us. By their violent ways. Even when they ravaged our produce.
[28:57] And sustenance. Even when our economy is trashed. Even when our livestock has been mauled. And we are completely in poverty. Even in the darkest moment.
[29:08] When we seem to be abandoned. I will rejoice. Not in the suffering. But I will rejoice in the Lord. Because I belong to him.
[29:20] He keeps his promises. And nothing Babylon can do to me. Can ever take them away from me. He has promised to deliver us. So he will. And that is why he rejoices.
[29:34] He is saying. I know Lord. That I must endure many hardships. And tribulations. To enter the kingdom of God. I may be deprived of all my material benefits. All of my comforts.
[29:46] All of my blessings. All of my health. Yet I can still rejoice. Because my faith is in the Lord. The covenant God. He will be my strength.
[29:58] And I need to stand firm. In this present age. He will be the one who sustains me. And ultimately. When he comes again in glory. He will deliver me. That is what the language of verse 19.
[30:10] Is all about. God the Lord is my strength. And he makes my feet. Like the deers. He makes me tread on high places. And really Habakkuk seems to be echoing the words of Psalm 18.
[30:26] Where King David praises the Lord for rescuing him. From the hand of all of his enemies. From the hand of Saul. Do you remember? All that David went through. The Lord helped David.
[30:38] And established David's kingdom. Because David says. For who is God. But the Lord. And who is a rock. Except our God. The God who equipped me with strength.
[30:50] And made my way blameless. He made my feet. Like the feet of a deer. And set me secure. On high places.
[31:01] In fact. Can I just say. If you are here this evening. And if you are maybe visiting our church. Maybe you are here. And you are not yet a Christian. Well it is absolutely wonderful.
[31:11] To have you with us. But I want you to please know. That this is what our God is like. The God of the Bible is the true God. He is not a God to be trifled with. He is not a God to be messed with.
[31:22] And rejected. But he is also so good. Beyond measure. To all of those. Who take him at his word. And all those who fear him.
[31:35] God's people here are described as being sure-footed. Untiring. Bounding with energy. The Lord's people may expect to ascend the heights of victory.
[31:46] Despite many severe setbacks in this life. And Habakkuk knows that he will receive all of this from the Lord. Even though his current circumstances would suggest otherwise.
[31:58] He is not going to walk by sight how things appear. But upon what the Lord has promised in his word. In Psalms like Psalm 18. The Lord will keep him.
[32:09] And the rest of his people. Through the invasion. And the Lord will deliver him and the rest of the people. And he will punish Babylon. But friends you know I think Habakkuk is looking even further beyond the return from exile.
[32:23] Again O. Palmer Robertson says this. Is it resurrection faith? That comes to an expression in these final words of the prophet? Is he speaking of an expectation of life after the last enemy has done his worst?
[32:39] Certainly his faith is not far from that point. I find I agree. I really think Habakkuk is speaking about the same reality that the apostle Paul would later write about in Romans 8.
[32:54] Verses that were very close to me. When this time last year I was pretty much told I was going to be dying soon. Here's these words. You'll know them and love them if you know the Bible.
[33:05] We God's people are more than conquerors through him who loves us. For I'm sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things in the present age nor things to come.
[33:16] Nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[33:27] Genuine faith rejoices in the Lord who saves even in the face of coming calamity and loss.
[33:42] Friends if you're a Christian here this evening and as I said last week remember remember always please that you are currently living in exile. As a Christian in this world you are a stranger and an alien living in this foreign land.
[33:59] Your real home is not Glasgow. Your real home is with the Lord in glory. And as long as we live in this world our status will always be that of exiles which means the enemies of the gospel will always surround us.
[34:13] Always. They are defeated enemies. The cross and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus assures us of that. But they're still powerful enemies.
[34:26] And active. Sin, Satan and death may well ravage the church in our day. Like Babylon did to Judah.
[34:36] Sin, Satan and death may well. Sin, Satan and death may well. Sin, Satan and death may well. The challenge for us today friends is to have real faith. To follow Habakkuk's example. In this life the church may well lose everything.
[34:51] God's word says that's a possibility. You might lose everything. I might lose everything. Worldly speaking. But also the Lord's word says to us that all those who live by the obedience of faith will be given all that we need to persevere by faith.
[35:08] And when the mighty divine warrior appears we will be raised in power by him. To live with him in glory forever and ever. A few years ago now.
[35:21] One of my good friends. You don't know him. He doesn't live in Glasgow. He lives elsewhere. But I remember talking to this friend. And he was going through just the most horrific time.
[35:33] There's people in this church who've lived through horrific times. But this friend of mine. He lived through just something. So horrific. It seemed like he was blasted time after time after time after time.
[35:45] It reminded me of the start of the book of Job actually. And pretty much all of the things that fill me with terror. And sometimes keep me awake at night. All of them seem to have come upon my friend's life.
[35:59] He received a right kick in from the enemies of the gospel. Especially the enemy of death. He lost a lot of loved ones around him in a very short space of time.
[36:12] Along with other things happening to him. Which I won't mention. And you know at that time. Every time I spoke to him. He reminded me of Habakkuk. He trembled in response to the Lord.
[36:25] And the fiery trials that the Lord had brought upon his life. But even through his trembling and his pain. He knew that the Lord had promised. That the righteous shall live by faith.
[36:38] And that the Lord is not one for breaking his promises. And so whilst he was full of trembling. He was also full of rejoicing. He was a wonderful, beautiful, weird mixture of both pain.
[36:54] But praise. Turmoil.! What will our song be?
[37:09] What will our song be? Well the next time the enemies of the gospel smash us as a church family. What will our song be corporately as a people together? Well we sing this song of Habakkuk's inner hearts.
[37:23] Will we remind one another of the glorious promises that God has made. So that we will rejoice in him. Even if we're feeling the deepest pain. Will we tremble.
[37:36] And heed the Lord's call to endure suffering now. Knowing that he will sustain us. And ultimately save us. And will we wait well.
[37:47] For his glorious appearing. Living for him. Reaching out with his gospel. Even if it costs us dearly. May the Lord our God help us.
[38:00] To do so. Amen. Let's bow our heads. And I'll pray for us. Our gracious heavenly father.
[38:17] We come before you in weakness. We come before you in faith. And we ask that you will give us. The desire to echo this prayer of Habakkuk.
[38:28] In our weary. And often downcast hearts. So that we will stand firm. As we wait for the glorious appearing of your son. Help us to look forward to that day.
[38:42] When the earth will be filled. With the knowledge of your glory. And all those who have trusted in your promises. Will be vindicated. And we pray this in Jesus precious name.
[38:56] And for his sake. Amen.