Joy in Troubled Times
Series: Habakkuk
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 24th May 2020
Passages:
00:00:00 --> 00:00:09 Alan Francis Gardner was a 19th century British Royal Navy officer
00:00:09 --> 00:00:15 and missionary to Patagonia on the very southern tip of South America.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:24 In 1851, he found himself abandoned with a very small group
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 while he was trying to set up a mission station
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 on the remote island of Picton,
00:00:30 --> 00:00:34 which is right at the very bottom of South America
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 in fairly harsh conditions.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:41 Unfortunately, because of bad planning and a range of other things,
00:00:42 --> 00:00:48 the whole group died of starvation while waiting to be resupplied.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:54 Gardner was the last one of the group to die.
00:00:54 --> 00:01:00 When their bodies were finally discovered by the resupply ship,
00:01:01 --> 00:01:05 they buried the bodies and the only thing that they brought back with them
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 was Gardner's journal.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:14 So here's a man in a remote place, the last one alive.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 The rest of his colleagues have starred to death.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:23 His wife and his children are thousands and thousands of kilometres away.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 And the last entry in his journal,
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 he quotes from Psalm 34 verse 10,
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 the lions may grow weak and hungry,
00:01:36 --> 00:01:40 but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:48 And the very last thing recorded in his journal was this.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:55 I am overwhelmed with the sense of the goodness of God.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:02 How do you come to that kind of end,
00:02:02 --> 00:02:07 but still have a life of sustained contentment and joy
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 in the midst of those circumstances?
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 Now, frankly, in our world,
00:02:14 --> 00:02:17 people, any sane person,
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 would spend an absolute fortune,
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 give their fortune to the answer to that question.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 The good news is you don't have to.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 It's in fact right in front of you in Habakkuk chapter three
00:02:28 --> 00:02:34 as we draw our brief journey through this book of Habakkuk to a close today.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 Now, we've seen over the past few weeks
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 that Habakkuk lived in a world just like ours.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 His nation, Israel, was about to be crushed
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 by the brutal Babylonian empire,
00:02:47 --> 00:02:52 which was coming upon them as God's judgment to Israel
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 because of their corruption and their exploitation
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 and their violence and their sin and their wickedness.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 Now, Habakkuk was really confused
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 about what God was doing in this scenario
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 and he really challenged God on it.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 And yet, what he hears from God
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 is that Habakkuk, you think you care about it?
00:03:08 --> 00:03:09 I care about it more.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 I care about the wickedness and the carnage of this world.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 And there is a day of reckoning coming
00:03:16 --> 00:03:21 where I, God, will put all justice down,
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 all injustice down.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:23 I will bring justice
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 and I will rescue my people forever.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 And so the question for Habakkuk is,
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 knowing that the Babylonian army is coming,
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 how do you live with that?
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 How do you live in the day of disaster and carnage
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 and in the troubled times?
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 How did he do it and how do we do it?
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 How do we live in the day of disaster?
00:03:44 --> 00:03:49 Is it possible to die well like Gardner?
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 Is it possible to sing praise to God
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 in the day of calamity?
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 To have joy in troubled times?
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 Is it possible for the world to come
00:04:02 --> 00:04:03 collapsing down upon us
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 and to sing as we did this morning
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 that the Lord is good to me?
00:04:08 --> 00:04:13 I encourage you to open up the St. Paul's app.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 There you'll find out,
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 you'll find an outline for today's talk,
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 a Bible passage and a bunch of other stuff
00:04:19 --> 00:04:20 that I encourage you to get to.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:21 So St. Paul's app,
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 really three things I want to do this morning.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:28 I want to first of all tie faith, grief and joy together.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 Then look at what does it look like
00:04:31 --> 00:04:32 to have joy in troubled times
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 and how do we fuel joy in troubled times?
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 So faith, a couple of weeks ago,
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 we saw that the major theme of this book is faith
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 in chapter two, verse four,
00:04:43 --> 00:04:44 which reads,
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 the righteous will live by faith.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 Then in chapter two, verse 20,
00:04:51 --> 00:04:52 which is the end of the chapter,
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 we get at least a glimpse
00:04:54 --> 00:04:57 of one of the characteristics of what true faith is.
00:04:58 --> 00:04:58 It says,
00:04:58 --> 00:05:02 but the Lord is in his holy temple
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 let all the earth be silent before him.
00:05:06 --> 00:05:07 In other words,
00:05:08 --> 00:05:15 my spin on that is God is God and we are not.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 That's the point of verse 20.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 God stands outside of his creation,
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 outside of the galaxies that he's made.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 He's the creator, the master, the rule of all things.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 And that is the starting point
00:05:28 --> 00:05:32 of what it means to have a life of faith.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:37 Of course, this rubs up against a culture like ours
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 that has personal autonomy
00:05:40 --> 00:05:44 as most likely the highest value.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:47 And unfortunately,
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 too many Christians operate
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 with a personal autonomy view.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 And in fact,
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 they've got more of a view of God,
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 which is classically called
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 moralistic therapeutic deism.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 Moralism is the belief
00:06:04 --> 00:06:05 that at the core of Christianity,
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 you have to work hard to be really good people,
00:06:09 --> 00:06:10 got to obey the rules and be good people.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 People who obey the rules,
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 who are compliant and diligent
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 in religious duties especially.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 Therapeutic theology is the belief
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 that God exists to serve me.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:26 His job is to make my life good and well
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 and secure and happy and at peace.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:32 His job is to stop the bad things happening in life.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 God's job is to be a servant,
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 if you like,
00:06:37 --> 00:06:41 responsible for taking care of my wants and my needs.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:46 And deism means that he's basically
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 pretty much to stay out of the way
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 unless, of course, I need him.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 Don't interfere in my life.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 Just stay out of the way until I need you.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:55 And so you put that together
00:06:55 --> 00:06:56 and it's a worldview
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 that way too many Christians operate,
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 especially in the Western world,
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 is that if I do the right thing by God,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 then he will do the right thing by me.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 And when things don't work out as I plan,
00:07:08 --> 00:07:13 his job is to jump in and fix it.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:15 That's what he does.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 And it's a fatal distortion
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 that so many operate with.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 Of course, when he doesn't work
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 the way that I expect him to work
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 or determine him to work,
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 that's when faith in God
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 is deeply, deeply rocked.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 One of the characteristics
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 of genuine Christian faith
00:07:39 --> 00:07:43 is it lets God be God.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 We submit to his wisdom
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 and his sovereign rule over all things.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 And in chapter three,
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 the final chapter of Habakkuk,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:59 we see Habakkuk practicing genuine faith.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 And the whole chapter is a prayer of faith.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:08 But there's something else I want us to see.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 Even though he's practicing faith,
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 he's a man deeply grieved at the same time.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:21 In verse 16,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 we get a glimpse into what faith in troubled time
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 actually looks like in practice.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 Have a look at verse 16 with you.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 Get your Bibles open.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:32 Habakkuk 3 verse 16.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 This is really important.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:33 Listen.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:40 I heard my heart pounded.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 I heard and my heart pounded.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:45 Now, literally,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:50 what that reads in the literal language,
00:08:51 --> 00:08:51 in the original language,
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 is my bowels trembled.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 Now, try not to think about that too much.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 But wherever your mind went in that moment,
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 that's exactly what's going on here.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 My bowels trembled.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 My lips quivered at the sound.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 That is, he's crying.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 He's crying uncontrollably.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 Decay crept into my bones
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 and my legs trembled.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 He is shaking like a leaf.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:22 He is so overwhelmed with grief and sorrow.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:26 And then he says,
00:09:26 --> 00:09:30 yet I will wait patiently,
00:09:30 --> 00:09:35 which means a deep peace and repose.
00:09:37 --> 00:09:41 Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 on the nation invading us.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:48 He's weeping uncontrollably with sorrow.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 He needs to change his underwear.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:57 He's a crumbled mess on the ground.
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 And at the same time,
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 he is filled with peace.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:07 Now, we have trouble with that.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:13 We think you can either have grief and sorrow
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 or you can have peace and joy.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:21 It is possible, according to this,
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 to be in deep sorrow
00:10:23 --> 00:10:27 and yet rejoice at exactly the same time.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:34 Joy in the Lord happens within the sorrow,
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 not once the sorrow passes.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:44 It's a mistake to think that sorrow and grief
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 is a lack of faith,
00:10:46 --> 00:10:50 as we often might interpret it in our modern eyes.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:55 Job chapter one, earlier on,
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 is a clear example of this,
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 earlier on in the Old Testament.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 Horrible things happened to Job.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 Lost his family, lost his fortune,
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 lost his friends, lost his health.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 And it says,
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 he tore his garments,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 he fell on the ground
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 and he cried out to God.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 And then it says,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 in all these things,
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 Job did not sin.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:30 Don't be afraid of the grief.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 Grief is not the opposite of faith.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 It can, in fact,
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 enhance our faith in God
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 because it drives us into God.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:46 The grief drove Habakkuk into God
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 rather than away from God.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 And that's what faith is.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 Faith allows you to feel the grief
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 in such a way that it doesn't sink you.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 And the remarkable thing,
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 as I've already pointed out here,
00:12:02 --> 00:12:06 is that it's not just that his grief
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 and faith go together,
00:12:07 --> 00:12:12 but his grief and joy go together.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:17 As we venture into verses 17 and 18 of chapter 3,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 we see that Habakkuk's faith
00:12:19 --> 00:12:23 flowed over into joy in troubled times.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 Now, we struggle with this one as well.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 We don't just struggle with grief and faith,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:32 but we struggle with joy and grief
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 in troubled times.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:40 Normally, we declare God is good
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 when the fig tree is fruitful,
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 when the health is good,
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 when the money's there,
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 when the holiday was a blast,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 when we're surrounded by loved ones,
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 when the circumstances are going
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 the way that we assume
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 that they should go,
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 we go,
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 ah,
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 God is so good to me.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 And yet,
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 there's nothing remarkably Christian about that.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 Anyone can do that.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 Habakkuk found a way
00:13:11 --> 00:13:15 to access the goodness of God
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 despite the calamity.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:23 Most people infer the goodness of God
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 when things are going well.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 Habakkuk, on the other hand,
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 came into direct contact with it
00:13:31 --> 00:13:34 when things were going terribly wrong.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:37 Have a look at verses 17 and 18.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 Though the fig tree does not bud
00:13:40 --> 00:13:43 and there's no grapes on the vine,
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 though the olive crops fail
00:13:46 --> 00:13:49 and the field produces no food,
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 though there are no sheep in the pen,
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 no cattle's in the stall,
00:13:52 --> 00:13:56 yet I will rejoice in the Lord.
00:13:57 --> 00:14:01 I will be joyful in God my Saviour.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 Now, what he mentions here
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 is no small matter.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 There's no crops,
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 there's no food,
00:14:07 --> 00:14:07 there's no sheep,
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 there's no cattle.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 It's a calamity.
00:14:09 --> 00:14:12 It's like all the crops have failed.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 There's no imports coming in.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 The shelves of Woolworths and Coles
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 and every other,
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 they're all empty,
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 not just the toilet paper
00:14:20 --> 00:14:20 and the flour.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 Everything's gone.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 There's no storehouses out.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 Wherever they are in this country
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 are empty.
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 Well, there's nothing coming in.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:33 This is an absolute social disaster.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 And that is what's coming
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 when the Babylonians are coming.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:42 And yet he rejoices
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 and he is joyful.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:48 His joy doesn't replace the sorrow.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:51 His joy doesn't come after the sorrow.
00:14:51 --> 00:14:54 When the grief drives you into God,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 it drives you into the joy
00:14:56 --> 00:14:59 that only God provides.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:01 And therefore,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 you can grieve deeply
00:15:02 --> 00:15:05 without being crushed.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:10 So the question before us
00:15:10 --> 00:15:14 is how did Habakkuk get to that point?
00:15:15 --> 00:15:21 How did he get to verses 16, 17, 18 and 19?
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 How did he get there?
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 Well, the rest of chapter three answers that.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 We get a glimpse of it
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 in the introduction in his prayer
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 in verse one of chapter three.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 Lord, I have heard of your fame.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 Renew them in our day.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 In our time, make them known.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:50 In wrath, remember mercy.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 Now, Habakkuk's grief and joy
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 expressing faith in God
00:15:57 --> 00:16:01 is based on God's track record.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:05 That's the rest of Habakkuk, Habakkuk three.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 It's the first part of this chapter.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13 Habakkuk looks back at God's track record
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 of saving his people.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:20 Now, what you see in this first 15 verses,
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 if you like,
00:16:21 --> 00:16:27 is the recounting of the Exodus events
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 events of Israel,
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 where God rescues his people
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 out of slavery in Egypt.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 And the main thing that Habakkuk does
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 in chapter three,
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 and is the source of his joy,
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 is he remembers.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 Habakkuk remembers God's mighty acts
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 of judgment on Israel
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 with the devastating 10 plagues.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:53 He remembers the spectacular way
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 in which God rescued Israel
00:16:55 --> 00:16:58 from oppressive slavery in Egypt.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 He remembers the trampling of the sea
00:17:01 --> 00:17:04 and the destruction of the Egyptian army
00:17:04 --> 00:17:07 as they attempt to follow Israel
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 through the sea,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:11 and yet God closed the waters over them.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:14 He remembers the shaking of Mount Sinai
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 as God appears to Moses
00:17:15 --> 00:17:18 and gave Israel the Ten Commandments
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 as his newly formed people.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 He remembers the day
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 that the sun stood still in the sky
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 as God brought judgment upon the Amorites
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 through his people.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:33 He remembers the parting of the Jordan River
00:17:33 --> 00:17:37 for Israel to walk across on dry land
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 so that they could go in
00:17:38 --> 00:17:42 and take possession of their new, new home,
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 the promised land.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:49 See, what Habakkuk remembers
00:17:49 --> 00:17:52 is the Exodus events,
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 rescuing from slavery,
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 the formation of the people of God
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 and being taken in to the place
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 that God would dwell with them
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 in the promised land.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 The Exodus events,
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 the salvation event
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 in the Old Testament.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:12 Abakkuk is going,
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 if you like,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 back to the gospel
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 as he knew it.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 Israel was in slavery.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 They didn't have the power
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 to get themselves out of it.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 God came
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 and miraculously did
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 what they could not do
00:18:30 --> 00:18:33 through the leadership of Moses.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:37 They were saved
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 by what God did
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 for them
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 through Moses.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 Habakkuk is remembering
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 the saving of God's people
00:18:48 --> 00:18:51 until he gets to verse 16
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 and he has peace.
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 He connects what he knows
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 about God's saving actions
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 in the past
00:19:00 --> 00:19:02 and he puts them
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 into his present.
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 In his confusion,
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 in his uncertainty
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 and his pain
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 of his current calamity,
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 Habakkuk looks back
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 at the faithfulness of God
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 through history
00:19:15 --> 00:19:18 and everything
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 that God has done for them
00:19:19 --> 00:19:22 and the result of it
00:19:22 --> 00:19:24 and he has peace.
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 He's reminded
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 of God's trustworthiness
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 and goodness
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 his mercy,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 his salvation.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:36 That's what gets him
00:19:36 --> 00:19:38 to his place of peace
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 and joy
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 in verses 16 to 19.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 But let me just say,
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 if you are listening
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 to this right now,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:55 you and I
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 have got a leg up
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 on Habakkuk
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 because we get
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 a perspective
00:20:01 --> 00:20:03 of even the
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05 exodus events
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 that even Habakkuk
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 doesn't get.
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 We've got a little bit
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 more of an insight here.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 We get
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 that by virtue,
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 that is,
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 we get this perspective
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 by virtue
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 that we are living
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 on this side
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 of history,
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 of the life,
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 the ministry,
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 the death
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 and the resurrection
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 and the ascension
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 of Jesus Christ.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 In Jesus Christ,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 we can be loved
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 and accepted
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 and approved
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 by God
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 in a way
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 that even Habakkuk
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 couldn't fully grasp
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 with the exodus events.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 The exodus events
00:20:46 --> 00:20:48 where Moses leads Israel
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 from slavery
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 into their new home,
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 the promised land
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 where God would dwell
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 with his people
00:20:54 --> 00:20:56 was simply a forerunner
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 to a greater rescue
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 and a permanent
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 future home.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 The exodus
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 that Jesus
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 pulls off
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 is the ultimate
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 one.
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 You see,
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 Moses
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 risked his life
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 to liberate Israel
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 from social
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 and political bondage
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 in Egypt.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 Jesus gave
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 his life
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 to liberate
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 us
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 from evil
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 and wickedness
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 and sin
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 and death
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 itself.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 On the night
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 before the liberation
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 that Moses
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 commanded Israel
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 to slay a lamb
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 and to put their blood
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 on the doorposts
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 of their houses
00:21:35 --> 00:21:37 so that the angel
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 of death
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 would go straight
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 pass over
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 their house,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 that they would live
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 and be liberated
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 from slavery.
00:21:45 --> 00:21:48 and yet we hear
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 in the New Testament
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 that Jesus
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 is
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 the Lamb
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 of God
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 who shed
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 his blood
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 so that God's
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 judgment
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 would pass
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 over us
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 and that we
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 would be liberated
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 from sin
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 and death
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 and live forever
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 with him.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 In Exodus
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 28
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 we read
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 that Moses
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 engraved
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 the names
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 of Israel
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 the children
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 of Israel
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 on precious
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 stones
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 and he had
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 those stones
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 placed
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 on the breastplate
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 of the high priest.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 So when the high priest
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 wearing the breastplate
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 walked into
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 the tabernacle
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 to do ministry
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 before God
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 on behalf
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 of the people
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 of Israel
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 he had their names
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 written
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 over his heart.
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 And we discover
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 in the New Testament
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 that Jesus
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 is the great
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 high priest
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 who sits
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 at God's
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 right hand
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 intervening
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 for those
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 who are his.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 And our
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 advocate
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 the Lord
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 Jesus
00:22:53 --> 00:22:56 he has
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 our names
00:22:56 --> 00:22:58 those who
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 trust in him
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 written
00:22:59 --> 00:23:01 in his heart.
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 All
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 who have
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 faith
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 in him
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 are precious
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 to him
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 they are
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 priceless
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 to him
00:23:12 --> 00:23:15 and that's
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 what lasts
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 and that is
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 why
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 the Christian
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 still has
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 everything
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 everything
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 even
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 when
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 they lose
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 everything.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:39 they
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 are
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 told to do
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 and they're
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 so excited
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 that things went
00:23:43 --> 00:23:55 so well
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 they had
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 power
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 they're becoming
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 famous
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 they're
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 accomplishing
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 great
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 things
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 and Jesus
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 says to them
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 in verse 20
00:24:02 --> 00:24:04 do not rejoice
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 that the spirit
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 submit to you
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 but rejoice
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 that your names
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 are written
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 in heaven.
00:24:11 --> 00:24:14 what he is
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 saying
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 is that
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 your value
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 your worth
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 your importance
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 your significance
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 your happiness
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 your joy
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 is not tied
00:24:23 --> 00:24:25 and should not be tied
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 by what you accomplish.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 He is saying
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 that there is
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 something even
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 greater
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 than power
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 and wealth
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 and reputation
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 and achievement
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 knowledge
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 it is that
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 your name
00:24:35 --> 00:24:38 is engraved
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 in heaven.
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 More important
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 than your name
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 being on a degree
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 on a
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 on a desk
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 on
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 on the top
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 of a large
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 bank account
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 a title deed
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 an award
00:24:55 --> 00:24:57 is that
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 it is
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 engraved
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 in heaven.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 And what he's
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 saying here
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 in Luke 10
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 he stops
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 savoring
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 and treasuring
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 and doting
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 and fondling
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 in your mind
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 the things
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 that are
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 so easily
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 destroyed
00:25:13 --> 00:25:15 by calamity
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 by viruses
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 by disease
00:25:17 --> 00:25:19 by hardship
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 by suffering
00:25:19 --> 00:25:21 by global
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 financial crises
00:25:22 --> 00:25:25 when circumstances
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 change
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 and they
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 will
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 for all
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 of us
00:25:30 --> 00:25:33 he says
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 you will fall
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 in that moment
00:25:34 --> 00:25:37 eternal life
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 in Jesus
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 is the
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 only thing
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 that the
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 Babylonian army
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 cannot destroy
00:25:43 --> 00:25:49 as we just
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 read
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 from
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 Romans chapter
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 8
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 who shall
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 separate us
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 from the love
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 of Christ
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 shall trouble
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 or hardship
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 or persecution
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 or famine
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 or nakedness
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 or danger
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 or sword
00:26:00 --> 00:26:02 no
00:26:02 --> 00:26:04 in all
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 these things
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 we
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 that is
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 those
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 who put
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 their faith
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 in Jesus
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 Christ
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 are more
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 than conquerors
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 through him
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 who loves
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 us
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 for I'm
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 convinced
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 that neither
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 death
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 nor life
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 nor angels
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 nor demons
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 neither the
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 present nor the
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 future
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 nor any
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 powers
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 neither height
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 nor depth
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 nor anything
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 else in all
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 of creation
00:26:26 --> 00:26:28 will be able
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 to separate
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 us
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 from the
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 love of God
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 that is in
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 Christ Jesus
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 our Lord
00:26:33 --> 00:26:36 when calamity
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 comes
00:26:37 --> 00:26:39 when the times
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 of trouble
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 come
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 all things
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 can be taken
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 away from us
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 except this
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 one
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 the one
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 of promise
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 of life
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 forever
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 the one
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 promise
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 that you
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 are my
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 much loved
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 child
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 that is
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 secure
00:26:54 --> 00:26:56 nothing
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 can touch
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 that
00:26:57 --> 00:27:00 the source
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 of joy
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 in the
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 Christian
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 life
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 is not
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 whether
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 things are
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 working out
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 in my
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 life
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 in the
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 moment
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 the way
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 that I
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 expect
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 them to
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 be
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 it's
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 not even
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 what God
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 might
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 in fact
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 be doing
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 in me
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 right now
00:27:10 --> 00:27:12 it is
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 what God
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 has done
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 for me
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 then
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 in Jesus
00:27:15 --> 00:27:17 historically
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 2000
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 years ago
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 that guarantees
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 a future
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 for me
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 forever
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 of hope
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 and joy
00:27:24 --> 00:27:30 for the
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 Christian
00:27:31 --> 00:27:33 even the
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 worst of
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 things
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 will turn
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 out for
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 good
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 the good
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 things can
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 never be
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 taken away
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 and the
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 best things
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 are yet
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 to come
00:27:41 --> 00:27:45 so how
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 do we
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 fuel a
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 life of
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 joy
00:27:47 --> 00:27:49 despite
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 the
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 circumstances
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 now this
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 is the
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 great thing
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 about
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 Habakkuk
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 if you
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 followed us
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 through this
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 season
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 over the
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 last
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 you know
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 it's been
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 a quick
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 one
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 four messages
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 through
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 Habakkuk
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 but you
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 notice it
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 starts with
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 complaint
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 the book
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 of Habakkuk
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 starts with
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 Habakkuk
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 complaining
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 against God
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 because of
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 the coming
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 calamity
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 and yet
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 it ends
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 with joy
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11 verse 18
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 again
00:28:11 --> 00:28:13 yet I
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 will rejoice
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 in the
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 Lord
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 I will
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 be joyful
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 in God
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 my
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 saviour
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 now this
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 is not
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 a
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 classic
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 stiff
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 upper lip
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 attitude
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 from Habakkuk
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 this is not
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 Habakkuk
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 being stoic
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 here
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 and it's
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 not him
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 being
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 indifferent
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 to the
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 trouble
00:28:31 --> 00:28:35 we fuel
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 our joy
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 in troubled
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 times
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 by constantly
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 going back
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 to the
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 gospel
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 of the
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 Lord
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 Jesus
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 Christ
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 and
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 remembering
00:28:42 --> 00:28:44 see
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 Habakkuk
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 in verse
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 18
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 says the
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 same
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 thing
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 twice
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 I will
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 rejoice
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 I'll
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 be
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 joyful
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 says it
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 twice
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 remembering
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 remembering
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 remembering
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 remembering
00:28:51 --> 00:28:54 repeating
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 it
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 repeating
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 it
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 repeating
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 it
00:28:56 --> 00:29:00 Habakkuk
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 is calling
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 us here
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 to the
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 discipline
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 of going
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 back
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 remembering
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 and rejoicing
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 in what
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 we have
00:29:06 --> 00:29:08 now at
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 first glance
00:29:08 --> 00:29:10 it's easy
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 to miss
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 the way
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 that this
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 prayer
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 ends
00:29:13 --> 00:29:15 there's
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 this little
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 subscription
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 at the
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 end
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 which reads
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 for the
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 director
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 of music
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 on my
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 stringed
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 instruments
00:29:23 --> 00:29:25 you see
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 this
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 chapter
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 is not
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 merely
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 a personal
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 resolution
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 of faith
00:29:31 --> 00:29:31 which was
00:29:31 --> 00:29:31 achieved
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 by
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 Habakkuk
00:29:32 --> 00:29:34 this
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 prayer
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 of
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 faithful
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 submission
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 to
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 God
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 is
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 meant
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 to be
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 duplicated
00:29:41 --> 00:29:43 and celebrated
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 amongst God's
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 people for
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 generations to
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 come
00:29:46 --> 00:29:48 this prayer
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 this prayer
00:29:48 --> 00:29:50 is intentionally
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 placed in
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 the first
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 person
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 so that it
00:29:53 --> 00:29:55 draws each
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 of us
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 into the
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 prayer
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 into the
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 experience of
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 surrendering to
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 God together
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 and rejoicing
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 in his
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 salvation
00:30:04 --> 00:30:06 and so
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 while the
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 mood of
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 Habakkuk
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 is somber
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 this
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 song
00:30:11 --> 00:30:13 is not
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 somber
00:30:13 --> 00:30:16 verses
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 17 and
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 18
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 of Habakkuk
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 3
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 would have
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 to be
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 some of
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 the most
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 uplifting
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 verses
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 in the
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 entire
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 Bible
00:30:24 --> 00:30:26 integral
00:30:26 --> 00:30:28 to the
00:30:28 --> 00:30:28 life
00:30:28 --> 00:30:30 of faith
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 despite
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 the
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 calamities
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 is turning
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 our
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 remembering
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 of the
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 gospel
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 into
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 repeated
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 praise
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 of
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 and to
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 the
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 redeemer
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 and the
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 sustainer
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 of life
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 the Lord
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 Jesus
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 Christ
00:30:45 --> 00:30:47 you see
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 rejoicing
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 in the
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 gospel
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 means to
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 treasure it
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 it means
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 to savor
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 it
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 it means
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 rejoicing
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 is to
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 take
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 something
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 that has
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 happened
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 and to
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 say
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 this
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 is the
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 most
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 important
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 thing
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 that's
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 happened
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 to me
00:30:59 --> 00:31:02 over
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 and over
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 and over
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 again
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 rejoicing
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 is to
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 adore
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 who God
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 is
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 and what
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 he has
00:31:08 --> 00:31:08 achieved
00:31:08 --> 00:31:11 it's not
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 the same
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 as knowing
00:31:13 --> 00:31:15 it's not
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 the same
00:31:15 --> 00:31:17 as thinking
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 it is
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 appreciating
00:31:19 --> 00:31:21 it is
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 valuing
00:31:22 --> 00:31:24 in his
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 daily
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 devotional
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 book
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 my rock
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 my refuge
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 Tim Keller
00:31:28 --> 00:31:30 writes this
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 the character
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 of this
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 praise
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 praise
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 that is
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 praise
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 to God
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 is to
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 be
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 glorious
00:31:36 --> 00:31:38 what is
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 glorious
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 praise
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 glory
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 has
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 connotations
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 of
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 weightiness
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 dignity
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 magnificence
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 and beauty
00:31:45 --> 00:31:47 glorious
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 worship
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 is
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 exuberant
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 never
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 half-hearted
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 it is
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 attractive
00:31:51 --> 00:31:53 not off-putting
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 it is
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 awesome
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 never
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 sentimental
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 it is
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 brilliant
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 not
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 careless
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 it points
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 to God
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 not to
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 the
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 speakers
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 so
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 worship
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 should
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 never
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 be
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 trivial
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 never
00:32:06 --> 00:32:08 pretentious
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 and so
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 as we
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 draw
00:32:11 --> 00:32:13 our time
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 in Habakkuk
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 to a
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 close
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 in this
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 coronavirus
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 season
00:32:18 --> 00:32:20 we're going
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 to do
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 that now
00:32:21 --> 00:32:23 not with
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 the words
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 of Habakkuk
00:32:24 --> 00:32:24 three
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 but with
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 words
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 written
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 by
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 another
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 one
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 who
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 faced
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 a day
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 of
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 calamity
00:32:30 --> 00:32:32 more
00:32:32 --> 00:32:32 than
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 2
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 years
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 after
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 Habakkuk
00:32:35 --> 00:32:37 Horatio
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 Gates
00:32:38 --> 00:32:38 Spafford
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 was a
00:32:39 --> 00:32:41 prominent
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 American
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 lawyer
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 and
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 Presbyterian
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 church
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 elder
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 in the
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 1800s
00:32:46 --> 00:32:48 he
00:32:48 --> 00:32:48 lost
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 almost
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 his
00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 entire
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 fortune
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 in the
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 great
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 fire
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 of
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 Chicago
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 of
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 1871
00:32:56 --> 00:32:58 scarlet
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 fever
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 killed
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 his
00:33:01 --> 00:33:01 four
00:33:01 --> 00:33:01 year
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 old
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 son
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 in
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 exactly
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 the
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 same
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 year
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 and
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 two
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 years
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 later
00:33:07 --> 00:33:10 he
00:33:10 --> 00:33:12 decided
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 to
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 take a
00:33:13 --> 00:33:13 holiday
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 take the
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 family
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 what was
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 left of
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 his
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 family
00:33:16 --> 00:33:16 on
00:33:16 --> 00:33:16 holiday
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 to
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 Europe
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 for
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 some
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 respite
00:33:19 --> 00:33:21 unfortunately
00:33:21 --> 00:33:23 Spafford
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 was held
00:33:24 --> 00:33:24 up with
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 business
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 and so
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 he had
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 to stay
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 behind
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 but his
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 wife
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 and his
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 four
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 daughters
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 travelled
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 ahead of
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 him
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 to
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 Europe
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 and he
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 was going
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 to meet
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 them
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 afterwards
00:33:34 --> 00:33:37 on the
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 22nd
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 of
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 November
00:33:37 --> 00:33:39 1873
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 while crossing
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 the
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 Atlantic
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 the ship
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 that his
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 wife and
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 his four
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 daughters
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 were on
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 was struck
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 by an
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 iron
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 sailing
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 vessel
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 and it
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 sunk
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 and
00:33:51 --> 00:33:53 226
00:33:53 --> 00:33:53 people
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 lost
00:33:54 --> 00:33:54 their
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 lives
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 including
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 all
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 four
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 of
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 Spafford's
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 daughters
00:33:59 --> 00:34:02 when his
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 wife finally
00:34:03 --> 00:34:03 got
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 to
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 Europe
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 she sent
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 a telegram
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 saved
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 alone
00:34:09 --> 00:34:11 Spafford
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 sailed to
00:34:12 --> 00:34:12 England
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 as soon
00:34:13 --> 00:34:13 as he
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 could
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 and as
00:34:15 --> 00:34:15 he sailed
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 over the
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 location
00:34:17 --> 00:34:19 of his
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 daughter's
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 death
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 in the
00:34:20 --> 00:34:20 Atlantic
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 Ocean
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 he wrote
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 a hymn
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 it's called
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 It Is
00:34:25 --> 00:34:25 Well
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 With My
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 Soul
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 Though
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 Satan
00:34:29 --> 00:34:29 should
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 buffet
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 though
00:34:31 --> 00:34:31 his
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 trial
00:34:32 --> 00:34:32 should
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 come
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 let
00:34:34 --> 00:34:34 this
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 blessed
00:34:35 --> 00:34:35 assurance
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 control
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 that
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 Christ
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 has
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 regarded
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 my
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 helpless
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 estate
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 and
00:34:41 --> 00:34:41 has
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 shed
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 his
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 own
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 blood
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 for
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 my
00:34:44 --> 00:34:44 soul
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 my
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 sin
00:34:46 --> 00:34:46 oh
00:34:46 --> 00:34:46 the
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 bliss
00:34:47 --> 00:34:47 of
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 this
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48 glorious
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 thought
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 my
00:34:50 --> 00:34:50 sin
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 not
00:34:51 --> 00:34:51 in
00:34:51 --> 00:34:52 part
00:34:52 --> 00:34:52 but
00:34:52 --> 00:34:52 the
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 whole
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 is
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 nailed
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 to
00:34:56 --> 00:34:56 his
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 cross
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 and
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 I
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 bear
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 it
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 no
00:34:59 --> 00:34:59 more
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 praise
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 the
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 Lord
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 praise
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 the
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 Lord
00:35:03 --> 00:35:03 oh
00:35:03 --> 00:35:03 my
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 soul
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 let's
00:35:05 --> 00:35:05 stand
00:35:05 --> 00:35:05 and
00:35:05 --> 00:35:05 sing
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 that
00:35:06 --> 00:35:06 together