Why Does God Do Nothing?
Series: Habakkuk
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 3rd May 2020
Passages:
00:00:00 --> 00:00:12 Matthew 4, my name is Steve Jeffrey. I'm the senior minister here at St. Paul's.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:19 And as we've been told, we are already moving into a new season and we're looking at the book of
00:00:19 --> 00:00:24 Habakkuk. So if you've got a Bible there with you, it'd be great if you could open up Habakkuk
00:00:24 --> 00:00:30 chapter one, or you can go to the St. Paul's app and open that up and you'll find an outline for
00:00:30 --> 00:00:37 my message, but also the Bible passages there in front of you. As we have said, we, and as you're
00:00:37 --> 00:00:44 fully aware, we are in a, one of those strange and odd seasons. Last Thursday, as I was finalising
00:00:44 --> 00:00:52 this message, there were 3.2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections around the world,
00:00:52 --> 00:01:01 of which the death toll at that point was 227 people. Now, while today this is not the worst
00:01:01 --> 00:01:11 pandemic or in fact catastrophe that this world has experienced, we know that we are not at the end of
00:01:11 --> 00:01:19 this just yet. We are living through a unique and what many have called an era defining period.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:29 Many of our old certainties are now gone and whatever our view of the world or the, or whatever
00:01:29 --> 00:01:37 our beliefs are, they are being challenged. So, so whether you are a Christian or not, this coronavirus
00:01:37 --> 00:01:46 pandemic is perplexing and unsettling for everyone and we're reaching for answers. How do we begin to
00:01:46 --> 00:01:53 think through and cope with this season that we are in? And while restrictions might be easing,
00:01:54 --> 00:02:02 the pandemic is long from over. In the past, in times of national disaster like this, and especially
00:02:02 --> 00:02:09 in the Western world, people have flocked into churches to pray in, in moments like this. And
00:02:09 --> 00:02:18 such occurrences are fairly rare nowadays. Nowadays, fewer and fewer people in our society have any
00:02:18 --> 00:02:26 God dimension in their lives whatsoever. Since churches all over the world are being closed in
00:02:26 --> 00:02:35 order to limit the spread of this virus, you have to wonder where is God if it's impacting even the so-called
00:02:35 --> 00:02:47 people of God? That is, is he there at all? Is he accessible? Is he self-quarantined? Where or from whom
00:02:47 --> 00:02:57 can we get any solace or hope in a season like this? Now, for many people, the presence of evil,
00:02:57 --> 00:03:04 the presence of suffering in this world is one of the biggest issues for them when it comes to the
00:03:04 --> 00:03:12 existence of God. Some find the unjust suffering and especially the unjust suffering of innocent
00:03:12 --> 00:03:21 people is a philosophical problem that they just can't intellectually get over. For others,
00:03:21 --> 00:03:28 it's, it's, it's not so much an intellectual problem, it's an intensely personal issue for them.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:33 They don't care so much about the abstract question of whether God exists or not.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:42 They just refuse to trust and believe in any God who allows history and life to proceed
00:03:42 --> 00:03:50 as it has for centuries. Now, this little Old Testament book of Habakkuk that we're beginning into
00:03:50 --> 00:03:59 today really deals directly with this issue of suffering and evil because Habakkuk, even centuries
00:03:59 --> 00:04:08 ago, lived in a world very similar to the world in which we live and he asked the sort of questions
00:04:08 --> 00:04:14 that we ask. So if you've got the St. Paul's app there, you'll notice I've got an outline. It'd be
00:04:14 --> 00:04:19 great if you could just launch into that and take some notes as we're going along. Let me just give us
00:04:19 --> 00:04:26 some background information with this little book. It might help us understand a little bit. The very
00:04:26 --> 00:04:31 first verse introduces us to the man Habakkuk. It just says the prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet
00:04:31 --> 00:04:40 received. There's no little bio there outlining his education, his family, his interests. There's not
00:04:40 --> 00:04:46 really much known about him at all, but there is a little bit of a clue about his place in history
00:04:46 --> 00:04:54 when you look down into verse 6. And in verse 6, it appears that the Babylonians were about to
00:04:54 --> 00:05:05 prounce on Israel at any moment. So what that means is that Habakkuk was written sometime around the
00:05:05 --> 00:05:14 period between the rise of the Babylonian empire in 625 BC and their attack on Jerusalem in Israel,
00:05:14 --> 00:05:27 which began in 592 BC. Now Babylon was the world's superpower in its day, although they only held that
00:05:27 --> 00:05:35 position for about 80 years. They were the, if you like, the schoolyard bully who you really did not
00:05:35 --> 00:05:45 want to mess with. They weren't particularly nice people. Habakkuk is written with Babylonians ready
00:05:45 --> 00:05:52 to pounce. And it's a straightforward, it's an interesting, and it's a practical book. And the
00:05:52 --> 00:06:00 structure of it is really easy. The argument, the application is kind of easy to grasp, and yet at the
00:06:00 --> 00:06:07 same time, difficult for our minds and our hearts to come to grips with. So have a look at it with me.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:14 Again, get the St. Paul's app open. And my first point, I want to go through four things this morning,
00:06:14 --> 00:06:22 and let's first of all see what Habakkuk saw. As we kick off, there is something interesting to note
00:06:22 --> 00:06:32 about Habakkuk. He's a prophet of God. We're told that in verse 1. And as a prophet, his job is to be a
00:06:32 --> 00:06:45 messenger of God to God's people. And yet, this is the one prophet who says nothing to God's people at all.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:56 Not a single word. This book is Habakkuk the prophet speaking to God about what God has revealed to him.
00:06:57 --> 00:07:05 Wrestling with God. And Habakkuk's got two complaints to raise with God. In verse 2, he says,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:13 How long, O Lord, must I call for help? And then down in verse 3, he tells us what he saw.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:26 Why do you make me look at injustice? So Habakkuk is surrounded by violence and injustice and carnage and sin.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:33 And in his frustration, he cries out for help. And he asks God to intervene.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:44 And it seems like he gets nothing from God. Habakkuk looks around and he sees the bad guys winning.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:55 He sees the wicked ruling. Now this is Israel he's speaking about. This is historically to God's special people.
00:07:55 --> 00:08:01 And he sees military threats from the outside. He sees corruption on the inside.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:13 These are evil times. And he's wondering why God is silent. Why God's not doing anything about this.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:19 He says to God in verse 2, 3 and 4,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 Why aren't you listening to me?
00:08:23 --> 00:08:28 He wants to know why God seems to tolerate the evil.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 Why, God, are you absent?
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 Why have you abandoned us?
00:08:38 --> 00:08:45 In verse 4, he says he can't even find justice amongst God's special people.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:52 He says even the law of God is perverted and the righteous people suffer endless abuse.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:57 That is, the prayers of the righteous are going unheard.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:05 Maybe that's, you're sitting here this morning and that's an experience that you know yourself.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:14 Where you have prayed and prayed and prayed and you've asked God to intervene in a situation.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:19 And yet something, nothing appears to ever happen.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 So what do you do about that?
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 What did Habakkuk do?
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 That's what he saw.
00:09:29 --> 00:09:30 Now what did he do?
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 He did two things.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:35 Firstly, he was bold and he was honest.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 In verse 3, he says,
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 Why do you tolerate wrong?
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 Now that's pretty bold.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 That's pretty honest.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:49 He's actually, in actual fact, he's challenging God at that moment.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 But if you cast your eyes down to verse 12,
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 he does something that's even more remarkable.
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 Have a look at it.
00:09:56 --> 00:10:01 Lord, are you not from everlasting?
00:10:01 --> 00:10:05 In other words, aren't you the infinite God?
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 The God who's always been.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 Aren't you the infinite God?
00:10:09 --> 00:10:16 Now that doesn't seem too remarkable or too confronting when you read it in the English language.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:21 And yet in the original language that Habakkuk was written in, the Hebrew language,
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 that is a punishing statement.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 Habakkuk is saying something like this.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 I thought you were infinite.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:35 You're supposed to be the God who's wise and everlasting.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:44 And he's coming so close to saying to God,
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 you're none of those things.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:58 One Hebrew scholar says of the Hebrew word that is translated in verse 12,
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 Are you not?
00:11:01 --> 00:11:05 It occurs 96 times in the Old Testament.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:11 And almost every single time,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:16 it is in vigorous human argument.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:25 Nothing could have been more abrupt in Habakkuk's second prayer than the beginning of verse 12.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:31 God is not being approached here with any sense of courtesy and respect.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:39 Which makes the second thing that Habakkuk did quite interesting.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 Now we'll see more of this in the coming weeks,
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 but let me just give us a bit of a glimpse into it here.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 On the one hand, Habakkuk is challenging God.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:53 But on the other hand,
00:11:54 --> 00:12:01 he never even hints that it's an option for him to walk away from God.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 To stop obeying God.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 To stop praying to God.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 To stop following God.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 Not even an option.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:16 Because Habakkuk is actually praying here.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 He comes to God with his anguish.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:23 And as soon as he accuses God in verse 12,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 he calls him,
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 My God.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 My Holy One.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:35 He's wrestling safely with God.
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 Hardly anyone treats God like this.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 Hardly anyone does this.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:46 Members of your traditional religious communities would say,
00:12:47 --> 00:12:47 Oh, you know,
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 you don't speak to God like that.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 You don't accuse God.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 You don't challenge God.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 You don't have doubt.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 You don't question.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 You don't have doubts.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 You see,
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 they see God as a king.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:05 As a harsh ruler that needs to be appeased.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 A God you'd better not say anything negative to.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:13 Or this God may well bring his big stick out and he'll wipe you out.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:18 More modern people have such an enormous confidence.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 This is us on the other hand.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:23 Have such an enormous confidence in our human reason and perception.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 And we say,
00:13:24 --> 00:13:28 I can't see why God would allow all of this suffering or evil.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 So frankly,
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 I'm just not going to believe him.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 And Habakkuk does neither of those things.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:40 He is emotionally and intellectually frank and honest with God.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 But he doesn't even think about leaving.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 Habakkuk seems to be saying,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 If I can't figure out life with you,
00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 how on earth am I going to figure out life without you?
00:13:55 --> 00:14:03 This is unconditional faithful wrestling with God.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 So thirdly,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 God speaks.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:16 And what does Habakkuk hear from God?
00:14:16 --> 00:14:20 That made him so frank,
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 so blunt,
00:14:24 --> 00:14:28 to speak to God without courtesy and respect in verse 12.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 Habakkuk's first answer to,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 sorry,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 God's first answer to Habakkuk's first complaint
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 starts in verse 5.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 Have a look at it.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed
00:14:41 --> 00:14:44 for I am going to do something in your day
00:14:44 --> 00:14:49 that you would not believe even if you were told.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 So God says to Habakkuk,
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 okay,
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 I'm going to tell you,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 but you're not going to believe it.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 You're not going to understand it.
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 This is what I'm going to do.
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 Verse 6.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 I am raising up the Babylonians,
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 that ruthless and impetuous people
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 who sweep across the whole earth
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 to seize dwellings not their own.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 God is going to use the Babylonians
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 to punish Israel
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 for their evil and their injustices.
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 They are powerful.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 They are ruthless.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 If they want something,
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 they will plunder,
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 they will kill in order to get it.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:32 And Habakkuk is horrified.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:38 God's answer to Habakkuk's complaint
00:15:38 --> 00:15:41 about the injustice and the violence
00:15:41 --> 00:15:46 is to bring more injustice and violence.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:52 This is how God is going to work out
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 his plan of salvation
00:15:54 --> 00:15:57 for his people and for the world.
00:15:57 --> 00:16:02 This is how God is going to deal
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 with the injustice and the violence,
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05 the sin,
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 the evil and the carnage.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 And Habakkuk goes,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 what?
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 Are you serious?
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 It makes no sense.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 How can you use a wicked nation like Babylon
00:16:20 --> 00:16:24 to punish a more righteous nation like Israel?
00:16:24 --> 00:16:24 Wow.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:29 It's like Hitler being the presiding judge
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 at the trial of Joseph Stalin.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 Makes no sense at all.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 What are you doing, God?
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 In the end,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 the Bible is a theology book
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 that teaches us about God
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 and the way things actually are.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 And we discover God's ways
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 are not our ways.
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 God's ways are surprising.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:56 God's ways are often hard for us to work out
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 because we do not have the mind of God.
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 You see,
00:17:00 --> 00:17:03 to our finite grasp of reality,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 they seem wrong.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:08 Most people in our society
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 would be a lot more comfortable
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 with a God who's much more like Oprah
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 or Dr. Fenn
00:17:13 --> 00:17:16 who dispenses advice
00:17:16 --> 00:17:21 or prefer a God more like a fairy
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 who waves his wand
00:17:23 --> 00:17:26 and fixes things
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 the way that we want them to be fixed.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 Now, to be fair,
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 on God here,
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 he did say to Habakkuk,
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 if I told you,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 you're not going to understand it.
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 God says to Habakkuk,
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 and it was,
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 however,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 don't you dare judge me
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 by your calendars
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 and your time frames.
00:17:45 --> 00:17:49 Habakkuk knows
00:17:49 --> 00:17:52 that God's promised salvation
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 to the world
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 through his people
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 in the Old Testament.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 Habakkuk knows that.
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 But his people
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 are just as corrupt,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 just as wrong
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 and as evil
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 as everyone else.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 He wants God
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 to do something
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 about his plan of salvation
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 and God says,
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 I am.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 I'm going to wrap up
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 the Babylonians
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 to come on in
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 to conquer my people,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 to take them away
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 into exile.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 And Habakkuk says,
00:18:25 --> 00:18:27 that can't be the plan.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 See, Habakkuk can't see
00:18:32 --> 00:18:34 what God can see.
00:18:34 --> 00:18:37 And Habakkuk can't even see
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 what we can see
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 with the perspective
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 of history
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 from Habakkuk's time.
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 You see,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 if Israel had never been
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 taken into exile,
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 then they would never
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 have eventually spread
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 throughout the whole
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 Roman Empire
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 centuries later.
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 Wherever they spread,
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 they built synagogues
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 for Jews
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 and synagogues
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 for God-fearers
00:19:04 --> 00:19:07 these God-fearers
00:19:07 --> 00:19:11 were pagan Gentiles
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 who got interested
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 in the God
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 of the Bible.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 And when Christianity
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 began to spread
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 through those synagogues
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 and beyond those synagogues
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 in the first century,
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 the most receptive people
00:19:25 --> 00:19:27 in the entire world
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 to God's message
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 of salvation
00:19:29 --> 00:19:32 through Christ
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 were the Gentiles
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 in those God-fearing
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 synagogues.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:39 They embraced it
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 and through them
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 the message
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 of salvation
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 went global.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 And the great irony
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 of all this spread
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 of the Christian faith
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 in the early centuries
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 was that it,
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 in fact,
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 made the world
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 a less violent place.
00:19:58 --> 00:20:01 the influence
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 of Christianity
00:20:01 --> 00:20:03 changed nations,
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 changed cultural practices
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 in such a way
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 things like
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 human sacrifice,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 infant suicide,
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 slavery,
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 gladiator competitions
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 were stamped out
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 right across the Roman Empire.
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 The violence
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 of the Babylonians,
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 the Persians,
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 the Romans,
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 the Greeks
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 led to a Christianity
00:20:25 --> 00:20:28 which has made
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 all nations
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 less violent.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 And Habakkuk
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 did not see,
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 could not have known
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 that perspective
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 on history
00:20:36 --> 00:20:40 in the same way
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 that we can't see
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 what God is doing
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 right now.
00:20:42 --> 00:20:47 For instance,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 even more recent
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 than Habakkuk,
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 when the communists
00:20:50 --> 00:20:52 took over China,
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 they expelled
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 all of the
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 Western missionaries.
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 And the church
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 in the Western world
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 assumed
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 that after
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03 100 years
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 of Christian
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 mission work
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 in China,
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 the gospel
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 in China
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 was over.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:13 At the time,
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 there was questions,
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 what is God doing?
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 What is he doing
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 abandoning China?
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 But we now know
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 with the perspective
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 of history
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 that because
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 the Western missionaries
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 were kicked out
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 of China,
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 the Chinese
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 made their Christian
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 faith indigenous
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 and now
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 is one of the
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 fastest growing
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 Christian movements
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 in the world.
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 We don't have
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 God's perspective
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 on history
00:21:40 --> 00:21:43 or his time
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 to bring out
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 his plans.
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 So often
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 we sit back
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 with our finite
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 view of history
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 and life
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 and we go,
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 I don't get it.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 I don't understand
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 what you're doing
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 and so frankly,
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 I'm not going
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 to believe in you.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 If you've got children,
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 you will understand this.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 Maybe you don't
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 understand it,
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 but you've worked out
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 why a three-year-old
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 is always screaming
00:22:11 --> 00:22:13 as they tend to
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 all the time.
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 It's because
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 they don't understand
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 what you're doing.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 That's why.
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 They don't understand
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 what you're doing.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 They want something
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 to eat
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 and so they go
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 and grab something
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 to eat
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 and you take it
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 off them
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 because it's poison
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 or because it's
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 a container of sugar
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 or it's because
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 it's the pet guinea pig
00:22:33 --> 00:22:36 and they scream
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 because they don't
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 understand why
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 you've taken it
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 from them
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 and you can sit
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 them down
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 and you can
00:22:41 --> 00:22:43 explain it to them,
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 the basis of nutrition,
00:22:45 --> 00:22:47 the danger of poison
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 or the cruelty
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 to animals,
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 to the guinea pig
00:22:49 --> 00:22:51 and they might get
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 the guinea pig thing
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 but they're not going
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 to understand
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 the poison
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 and the sugar thing
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 and you say to them,
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 you have to trust
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 me on this
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 and they go
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 on screaming.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 The distance
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 between the capability
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 of the mind
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 of God
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 and the mind
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 of a human being
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 is infinite.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 It's vast.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 It's much greater
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 than the capacity
00:23:20 --> 00:23:20 of a mind
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 of an adult
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 and a three-year-old
00:23:22 --> 00:23:24 to grasp reality.
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 We expect
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 to understand
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 everything God
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 does.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 To say that God
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 has to make sense
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 to me
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 in everything
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 he does
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 in fact
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 makes no sense
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 at all
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 that statement.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 When we say
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 we don't believe
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 in God
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 because of suffering
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 and evil
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 makes us worse
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 than a three-year-old.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 At least
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 they put their trust
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 even if they
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 don't understand
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 in their parents.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 If we don't
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 trust God
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 with what
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 he says
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 even when we
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 don't understand
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 it
00:24:01 --> 00:24:03 the consequences
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 we die.
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 So have a look
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 at what this
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 meant for Habakkuk.
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 This revelation
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 meant for Habakkuk
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 and also for us.
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 That's what he saw
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 it's what he did
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 it's what he heard
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 finally what it meant
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 for him
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 and what it means
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 for us.
00:24:19 --> 00:24:22 What does it mean
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 when God says
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 I'm doing something
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 here
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 that you will
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 not understand?
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 What does it mean
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 for God
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 to bring about
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 salvation
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 out of judgment
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 justice
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 out of violence
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 and injustice?
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 Centuries later
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 from Habakkuk
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 the Apostle Paul
00:24:40 --> 00:24:42 one of the
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 early
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 adopters
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 of Christianity
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 and certainly
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 one of its
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 major opponents
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 in the first century
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 if not the
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 major proponents
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 in the first century
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 was on his first
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 missionary journey
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56 in Acts chapter
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 13
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 if you've got a Bible
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 in front of you
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 flick into Acts
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 chapter 13
00:25:00 --> 00:25:02 and we arrive
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 we see here
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 that the Apostle Paul
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 arrives at town
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 into a town
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 and he does
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 what he normally
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 does
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 he goes into
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 the synagogue
00:25:10 --> 00:25:12 and his sermon
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 on this particular
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 day
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 is a brief
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 history
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 of the Old
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 Testament
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 and how
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 all through
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 history
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 God has
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 been pointing
00:25:23 --> 00:25:25 people to
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 the person
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 of Jesus Christ
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 how all of
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 history
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 is heading
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 in that direction
00:25:29 --> 00:25:32 and especially
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 the death
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 and the resurrection
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 of Jesus
00:25:34 --> 00:25:36 and then he adds
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 this
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 in verse 38
00:25:37 --> 00:25:39 of Acts chapter 13
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 this is the
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 implications
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 of what he's
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 just said
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 he says
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 therefore my
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 brothers
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 I want you
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 to know
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 that through
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 Jesus
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 the forgiveness
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 of sins
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 is proclaimed
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 to you
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 through him
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 everyone
00:25:52 --> 00:25:54 who believes
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 is justified
00:25:55 --> 00:25:57 from everything
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 you could not
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 be justified
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 from by the
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 law of Moses
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 so what he's
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 saying there
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 is if
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 because of
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 everything I've
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 just said
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 if you put
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 your trust
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 in Jesus
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 Christ
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 you have
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 faith in
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 Jesus
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 you are
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 justified
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 that is
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 you are
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 declared
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 right
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 before the
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 God of
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 the universe
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 despite any
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 of your
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 evil
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 and
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22 injustices
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 and violences
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 and wrongdoing
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 from the past
00:26:24 --> 00:26:27 that is
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 there is no
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 fear in the
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 future
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 that the
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 righteous God
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 is going to
00:26:31 --> 00:26:33 pour out
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 his
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 justice
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 on you
00:26:35 --> 00:26:37 as he
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 does here
00:26:37 --> 00:26:39 on his
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 own
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 people
00:26:39 --> 00:26:41 Israel
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 through the
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 Babylonians
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 all of our
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 injustices
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 against God
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 and people
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 are forgiven
00:26:49 --> 00:26:51 and then
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 what the
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 apostle Paul
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 does in
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 Acts 13
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 is he quotes
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 from Habakkuk
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 chapter 1
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 verse 5
00:26:57 --> 00:26:59 look at
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 the nations
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 and watch
00:27:00 --> 00:27:02 and be
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 utterly
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 amazed
00:27:03 --> 00:27:05 for I'm
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 going to do
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 something in
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 your days
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 that you
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 would not
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 believe
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 even if
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 you were
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 told
00:27:11 --> 00:27:14 Paul's
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 saying
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 God's
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 doing it
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 again
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 he's doing
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 something
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 that you
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 cannot
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 grasp
00:27:20 --> 00:27:23 Paul
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 looks at
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 Habakkuk
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 chapter 1
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 verse 5
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 when God
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 says he's
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 going to
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 bring
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 salvation
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 out of
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 injustice
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 and violence
00:27:29 --> 00:27:32 and says
00:27:32 --> 00:27:34 God was
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 talking
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 about
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 Jesus
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 in that
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 moment
00:27:38 --> 00:27:40 the thing
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 that God
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 said to
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 Habakkuk
00:27:41 --> 00:27:43 the principle
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 that God
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 brings
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 salvation
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 through
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 violence
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 and injustice
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 finds its
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 ultimate
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 expression
00:27:51 --> 00:27:53 in the
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 person
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 of Jesus
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 Christ
00:27:55 --> 00:27:58 when God
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 came into
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 this world
00:28:00 --> 00:28:02 and went
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 to the
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 cross
00:28:03 --> 00:28:05 he took
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 the
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 judgment
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 that we
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 deserve
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 for our
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 crimes
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 against
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 God
00:28:11 --> 00:28:13 he
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 experienced
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 absolute
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 injustice
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 he
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 experienced
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 the absolute
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 injustice
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 he
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 suffered
00:28:21 --> 00:28:23 he died
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 at the
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 hands
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 of the
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 unrighteous
00:28:25 --> 00:28:28 why
00:28:28 --> 00:28:30 because
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 he
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 is
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 righteous
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 because
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 he
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 is
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 holy
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 Habakkuk
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 couldn't
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 understand
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 why God
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 put up
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 with all
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 the
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 injustices
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 and all
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 if
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 you're
00:28:43 --> 00:28:43 a holy
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 God
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 why do
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 you put
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 up with
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 all the
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 injustice
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 and violence
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 and wrong
00:28:48 --> 00:28:52 and on
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 the cross
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 it's
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 finally
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 explained
00:28:55 --> 00:28:57 centuries
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 later
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 it's
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 finally
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 explained
00:29:00 --> 00:29:02 because
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 God
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 is
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 holy
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 and
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 just
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 our
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 sin
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 had to
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 be
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 paid
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 for
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 he
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 doesn't
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 just
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 forget
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 it
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 in the
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 same
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 way
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 we
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 don't
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 just
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 forget
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 it
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 he
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 experienced
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 his
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 own
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 justice
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 on
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 the
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 cross
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 he
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 paid
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 our
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 penalty
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 he
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 is
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 the
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 ultimate
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 fulfillment
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 and
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 example
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 of
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 bringing
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 salvation
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 out
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 of
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 injustice
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 justice
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 and
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 violence
00:29:27 --> 00:29:29 light
00:29:29 --> 00:29:29 out of
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 darkness
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 redemption
00:29:31 --> 00:29:31 out of
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 suffering
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 evil
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 and
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 difficulty
00:29:34 --> 00:29:38 and the
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 cross made
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 no sense
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 to anyone
00:29:39 --> 00:29:41 as it
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 often makes
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 no sense
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 to anyone
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 today
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 no one
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 could understand
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 what God
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 was
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 what good
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 he could
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 bring out
00:29:49 --> 00:29:51 of the
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 cross
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 it
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 didn't
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 make
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 sense
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 and
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 yet
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 it
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 was
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 the
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 ultimate
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 good
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 and
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 because
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 of
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 it
00:29:59 --> 00:30:01 because
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 of
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 the
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 cross
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 of
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 Jesus
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 Christ
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 we
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 can
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 look
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 at
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 our
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 life
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 we
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 can
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 look
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 at
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 evil
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 times
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 we
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 can
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 look
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 at
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 coronaviruses
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 and
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 we
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 don't
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 understand
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00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 God
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 is
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 doing
00:30:13 --> 00:30:15 and
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 we
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 don't
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 understand
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 what
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 God
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 is
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 doing
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00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 we
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 can
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00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 he's
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00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 salvation
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 out
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 of
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 it
00:30:22 --> 00:30:24 on
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 the
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 cross
00:30:25 --> 00:30:27 we
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 also
00:30:28 --> 00:30:28 have
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 the
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 ultimate
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 Habakkuk
00:30:31 --> 00:30:35 Habakkuk
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 in this
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 book
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 is
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 wrestling
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 with
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 God
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00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 yet
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 he
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00:30:41 --> 00:30:44 Jesus
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 is
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00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 ultimate
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 Habakkuk
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 in the
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 garden
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 of
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 Gethsemane
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 on the
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00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 execution
00:30:51 --> 00:30:53 and
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 he
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 pleads
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00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 God
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 in the
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00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 of
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 Gethsemane
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 if
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 there's
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00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 way
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00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 cup
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 from
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 me
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 if
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 there's
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 any
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 other
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 way
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 to
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 bring
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 salvation
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 out
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 of
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 the
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 injustice
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 and
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00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 from
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00:31:08 --> 00:31:08 and
00:31:08 --> 00:31:08 find
00:31:08 --> 00:31:08 another
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 way
00:31:09 --> 00:31:11 he
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00:31:12 --> 00:31:12 with
00:31:12 --> 00:31:12 God's
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 plan
00:31:13 --> 00:31:13 of
00:31:13 --> 00:31:13 salvation
00:31:13 --> 00:31:16 and
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 yet
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 he
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 submitted
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 to it
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 regardless
00:31:17 --> 00:31:20 even
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 at
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 great
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 personal
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 cost
00:31:22 --> 00:31:24 he
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 unconditionally
00:31:25 --> 00:31:27 faithfully
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 wrestled
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 with
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00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 father
00:31:30 --> 00:31:32 for
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00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 world
00:31:36 --> 00:31:38 Jesus
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00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 on the
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 cross
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 so that
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 we
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00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 never
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 be
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00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 we
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00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 being
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00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 promise
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 to
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 us
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 in
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 Jesus
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 is
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 that
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 he
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 never
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 abandons
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00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 God
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00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 always
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00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 he
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00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 if
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00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 can't
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 see
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 it
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 even
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 if
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 we
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 don't
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 understand
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 it
00:32:00 --> 00:32:03 because
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 Jesus
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 stuck
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 at it
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 on the
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 cross
00:32:07 --> 00:32:09 when
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00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 evil
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 times
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 came
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 upon
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 him
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 for
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00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 and
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 for
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 me
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 when
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 the
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 evil
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 times
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 come
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 for
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 us
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 when
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 the
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 days
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 of
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 darkness
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 come
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 for
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 us
00:32:19 --> 00:32:22 we
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 can
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00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 because
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 of
00:32:24 --> 00:32:24 Jesus
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 we
00:32:25 --> 00:32:25 can
00:32:25 --> 00:32:25 still
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 say
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 I
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 know
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 God
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 is
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 working
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 I
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 know
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 God
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 loves
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 me
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 I
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 know
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 that
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 God
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 has
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00:32:33 --> 00:32:35 and
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00:32:35 --> 00:32:35 will
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00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 and
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 I
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 will
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 be
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 patient
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 and
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 I
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00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 live
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 by
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 faith
00:32:42 --> 00:32:44 there
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 is
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 a
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 reason
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 for
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 everything
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 that
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 God
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 is
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 doing
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 we
00:32:49 --> 00:32:49 may
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 not
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00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 it
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 is
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 but
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 because
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 of
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 Jesus
00:32:54 --> 00:32:56 it
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 will
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 result
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 in
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 redemption
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 and
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 salvation
00:33:00 --> 00:33:02 if we
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 put
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 our
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 trust
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 in
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 him
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 and
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 live
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 by
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 faith
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 in
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 him
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 but
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 there'll
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 be
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 more
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 of
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 that
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 next
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 week
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 as
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 Jane
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 comes
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 and
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 opens
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 up
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 the
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 early
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 parts
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 of
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 chapter
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 two
00:33:11 --> 00:33:11 for
00:33:11 --> 00:33:11 us
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 bless
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 you
00:33:12 --> 00:33:14 a
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 tomb
00:33:14 --> 00:33:16 a
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 wherein
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 another
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 kun
00:33:19 --> 00:33:19 a
00:33:19 --> 00:33:19 piece
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 at
00:33:20 --> 00:33:25 a
00:33:33 --> 00:33:37 high
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 and
00:33:38 --> 00:33:38 and
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 to
00:33:39 --> 00:33:41 a
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 good
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 and