A HISTORY LESSON God has everything under Control Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Pastor Tom Olson HABAKKUK: If you want to read a fascinating Old Testament book, read Habakkuk. The book has many wonderful quotes such as: 2:20, “The Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth be silent before him.” Or 3:1 “…in wrath remember mercy.” Or 3:17& 18 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, thought there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” And certainly the last verse, “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Note that the book begins with Habakkuk “down in the dumps” and ends with his spirit running with the deer on the mountain heights! That is because the one lesson of this book is this: NO MATTER HOW BAD IT LOOKS, GOD HAS EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL. Amen? BACKGROUND: Habakkuk lived in a time of moral decline. The nation of Israel had turned to worshipping idols. Their political and religious infighting was making them a weak and divided nation…easy prey for foreign nations. The prophet was discouraged. Habakkuk complains and the Lord answers him. God shows him the big picture, which inspires one of the greatest prayers ever written. FIRST COMPLAINT: In Habakkuk 1:1-4 he complains to God saying, (Olson paraphrase): “God, why don’t you do something about the mess? All I see is violence and dishonesty. People are arguing and the government (law) is paralyzed.” What does that sound like….2013? ANSWER: God answers: “You think it is bad now? Just watch. I am going to allow evil terrorists from Iran and Iraq to come and destroy Israel…so there, what do you think of that?” SECOND COMPLAINT: Habakkuk reacts: “Wait a minute God. If you are holy, how can you use terribly wicked men to punish Israel, which is not nearly as wicked as they are?” ANSWER: Then in chapter two God gives His answer, which is this: “Just wait and see what happens in the long run. (Verse 4)—Have faith and you will live….I am going to wipe out the Babylonians once they are done punishing my people, for abandoning me. And when the dust settles (verse 20) all complaining and arrogance will be gone, I will be God and people will be humble and silent…that is when you will be willing to listen and let me make things nice again.” HISTORY LESSON: History reveals the biography of nations. Good nations begin with high ideals, moral character and faith in God, like the pilgrims. Then corruption and greed sets in. Eventually we lose our founding principles and collapse in our sin. Then God has to start over with us. Good parents teach their children to work hard, study in school, learn respect and manners… God disciplines his erring children too. Luke 12:48: “To whom much is given, much is required.” The United States and Israel…are slipping away from God…both nations are under God’s hand of discipline. And we are reminded that God often uses Babylon (Iraq and Iran) to get us back on our knees. AVOID REVENGE: Many problems today go back to 9/11 when we chose to take revenge on Iraq and Afghanistan for the 9/11 attacks. We felt we needed to punish someone…whether they did it or not. So instead of losing 3,000 in the 9/11 attacks, we have lost an additional 6,000 in the war on terror and we have killed hundreds of thousands of Iraq and Afghan citizens and they will seek revenge some day. That is why our nation is hated around the world. EYE FOR EYE: I like what Ghandi said in India to the warring Muslims and Hindus: “An eye for an eye and the whole world is blind!” LIBERIA: Sharon had to “flee for her life” when fighting started in Liberia…she left almost all her possessions behind. The warring tribes fought for 15 years and destroyed the nation, sending the people back into the Stone Age, starving in the jungle. When they got tired of killing each other the war stopped, and now they are starting over in rank poverty and illiteracy. Habakkuk 2:20: “But the Lord is in his holy temple…and all the earth is silent.” The former Liberian president is convicted of war crimes and he has been replaced by a Christian woman in her 60’s who has been mothering her nation back to life. God ultimately has his way, but the cost of hate and jealousy is high. SOLUTION: Does it have to be like this? Do things have to get this bad before they can turn around? The answer is: “It all depends…on when we turn back to God.” Amen? II Chronicles 7:14 makes it clear: “If my people, who are called by my name (our money says ‘In God we Trust!’), will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin AND WILL HEAL THEIR LAND.” Habakkuk said, “In wrath remember mercy.” God has had mercy upon us and has given his only Son Jesus to die for us and for His sake offers us the forgiveness of all sins as a free gift. That is mercy! WHAT ABOUT THE USA? Will our nation turn to the Lord soon? It doesn’t look like it. But it looks like we are only becoming more anti-Christ by the day. PREPARE: Now is the time to prepare for the hard times. Learn to be thankful. Learn to live simply. Find Christian friends who will help out in hard times. Pray for revival. Now is the time to commit to “My Hope with Billy Graham.” LIVE BY FAITH: God gives the secret of survival in chapter 2:4 “…the righteous will live by His faith…” Learn to live by faith…trust Jesus for salvation and provision. If the economy collapses and our savings dry up over night, we will have to learn to live by faith. We will have to learn to pray for healing. We will have to go beyond believing in miracles, we will have to learn to rely upon them! God always takes care of His obedient children. Now is the time to become a child of God. History teaches us the cycles of civilization. America, as we know it, may be near the end of the cycle. But God is faithful, and He is ultimately working to usher in a better day. Habakkuk 3:17ff: though the …fields produce no food, thought there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. So don’t be depressed, let your spirit run with the deer on the mountain heights, because: NO MATTER HOW BAD IT LOOKS, GOD HAS EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL. Amen?
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 11:50:21 +0000
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