All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn with me to the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk. The passage of scripture that
I will focus on, this is actually Habakkuk 3 verse 2, where the
prophet said, O Lord, I have heard thy speech and was afraid. O Lord, revive thy work in the
midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known, in wrath
remember mercy. Now the prophet Habakkuk lived
and prophesied in a time just like today. When the righteous
suffer, the evil hatred and resentment from the world. And then those of the world seem
to do nothing but prosper. That's what David said. Lord,
it seems as though those that despise your name, they're just
doing fine. And every believer is suffering. Suffering from without, suffering
from within. Always second-guessing himself. And Habakkuk begins this prophecy
under the inspiration of God's Spirit with some questions from
the Lord. And I'm going to read them, and
as I read them I thought, I've got to remember now the Spirit
of God moved on him to ask these things. But I mean, as we read
these first six verses in chapter 1 of Habakkuk, I'm thinking,
Lord, oh the boldness to ask you this. Let's read this. Habakkuk
1 verses 1 to 6. The burden, the weight of the
prophecy. That's what he's saying. This
is a weighty prophecy. the burden which Habakkuk, the
prophet, did see. O Lord, how long shall I cry,
and thou wilt not hear? Even cry out unto thee of violence,
and thou wilt not save. Why dost thou show me iniquity,
and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence are
before me, and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slack, and
judgment doth never go forth. For the wicked doth compass about
the righteous. Therefore wrong judgment proceedeth."
Now here's what he asked the Lord. Lord, how long is all this
going to go on? And I read those words and I
think, you know, you think, oh, how long is it going to be that
I'm going to behold this violence against your people? How long? And then the Lord is the one
that speaks to him in verses 5 and 6. The Lord says, Behold
ye among the heathen. Behold you that are exactly where
I put you. the evil, the heathen, and regard
and wonder marvelously. For I will work a work in your
days, which you will not believe, though it be told you. For lo,
I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which
shall march through the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling
places that are not theirs." Habakkuk had asked the Lord to
give him an answer for all the injustice that he sees. And God
tells him, Habakkuk, I'm going to do something in your day that
you're not going to believe, though I'm revealing it to you.
God said, I'm going to judge the false professors, I'm going
to judge those who truly don't know me, say they do, and I'm
going to send salvation to my people. That's what he's saying.
I'm going to send salvation to the Gentiles. And then Habakkuk,
after having heard the Lord speak, he acknowledges God's eternality
and His everlasting purpose to show mercy and compassion to
His people, salvation. And then he acknowledges also,
Lord, I know that you're the one that raised up this evil
nation, these Chaldeans. I know you have, and I know you've
done it, Lord, for correction to us in our pilgrimage through
this life. You've been pleased to use the
people that don't know you to chastise us, and I know you're
doing it. Look, he says that in verse 12. Listen, this is
what he's saying. from everlasting, O Lord, my
God, my Holy One. We shall not die, that is, eternally. O Lord, Thou hast ordained them
for judgment. And O mighty God, Thou hast established
them for correction. That's what he just said. Lord,
I know. I know that we're Your people. Lord, I know You've got
an elect. And I know Your elect's not going
to die. And I know, Lord, You've raised them up. for your glory
and for our good to correct us. I know that. I know that's what
you're doing. Then in verse 13, he says, Thou art of pure eyes
than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. Wherefore
lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy
tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous
than he? The backer said, I know that
you're holy, you're just, you're good, you're pure. And I know
that you're absolutely not going to look on indifference, I mean
on iniquity with indifference. But then he asked the Lord in
verse 13, but Lord, why are you silent in a time like this? Why? He says, wherefore, verse
13, middle verse, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously
and holdest thy tongue? Lord, why do you not say something? And then he continues and he's
asking, Lord, these weak nations that are plundered by these strong
ones, is this going to be our lot too? Look at verses 14 to
17. and make us men as the fishes of the sea. These are all these
little, you know, you make men as the fish of the sea, the creeping
things that have no ruler over them. And they, that is He's
strong, like these Chaldeans, they take up all of them with
the angle. That is with the hook, like a
fish hook. And catch them in their net and
they gather them in their drag in their net. Therefore they
rejoice and they are glad. Therefore they sacrifice under
their net. They thought, well we've accomplished
all of this by our own power, wisdom, greatness. And they burn
incense under their drag. Because by them their portion
is fat, their meat plenteous. Shall they therefore empty their
net and not spare continually to slay the nations? Lord, why
does this continue to go on? Here we are, we've come together
and we've preached the gospel of God's free grace. This little
assembly has been here all these many years. And I know, and you
know, that you know what everybody in the community says about Katie
Baptist Church. you know, that just got a stigma.
Lord, how long? How long? Well, I can tell you
why. Because God's been pleased to leave it here. That's why.
Because God's got a people here. That's why. Because He's going
to call them out. That's why. Because He chose
to do it the way He did it. Because He's God. That's why.
And then Habakkuk, after he inquired of the Lord, he waited. as an obedient servant for the
Lord's answer that he might know how to speak to the people concerning
God's will. That's what he said in verse
1 of chapter 2. He said, I'll stand upon my watch and set me
upon the tower and I'll watch to see what he will say unto
me and what I shall answer them. Now look how he said it. When
I am reproved. When God answers me and corrects
me. When He corrects me. for my word, for my attitude,
for my doubt. When God does what He does for
my good and His glory, then I'll know what to say. As I was saying,
I'm just after the first service there. You know, these glorious
truths of God's sovereignty, if they're not proclaimed from
this pulpit, do they change? Does that change anything? No.
We just don't honor God. Habakkuk said, I'm going to stand
here and I'm going to just wait and let the Lord tell me what
am I supposed to say to the people. And then his hope to hear from
the Lord was brought to fruition, verse 2 of Habakkuk 2. And the
Lord answered me and said, write the vision and make it plain
upon tables that he may run that readeth it. You know, this is
what I want to do. I want you to understand what
I'm saying. I don't want to say something in such a way. I had
someone tell me one time, he said, I pastor a group of people. And he said, I'm telling you
the truth. My brother Henry said one time,
I'm telling you the truth now. This man told me, he said, I've
kind of got it on a 10-year timetable. I don't want to hit them all
with this sovereignty all at one time. He said, I want to
just kind of ease into it. You don't ease into this. No. This is thus saith the Lord.
This is what God has to say. And I thought to myself, you
don't believe it. You just don't believe it. No, you're just mealy-mouthing
what you're doing. This is what he said, the Lord
answered me, he said, you write the vision and you make it plain
upon tables that he may run that readeth it. You make this to
where men understand what I'm saying. Then the Lord spoke to
his prophet, setting forth the surety of the evil's demise,
that he would not prosper as he thinks he's going to. Look in verses 3 and 4. For the
vision is set for an appointed time, but at the end it shall
speak and not lie. Though it tarry, you wait for
it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his
soul, which is lifted up, is not upright in him, but the just
shall live by faith." Now let me ask you something, is that
not so? Right now, those that resist God's Word, those that
resist God's Christ, what's going to happen If the Lord leaves
them to that, what's going to happen? They're going to stand before
God and under God's judgment. And you know that. And what's
going to happen concerning God's elect, God's regenerates? They're going to live. They're
going to live by faith. That's what's going to happen.
You wait for it. That's what He's telling. Habakkuk, look
at verse 9. Woe to him that coveteth an evil
covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high,
that he may be delivered from the power of evil. Look at verse
12. Woe to him that buildeth a town
with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity. Look at verse
15. Woe to him that giveth his neighbor
drink, that putteth thy bottle to him, makes him drunk also
that thou may lookest upon his nakedness. Woe to him! Then God
revealed the uselessness of men's works, the works of their hands.
Works that men worship to their own destruction. Images of things
in heaven and earth that are forbidden to God's people. Look
at 18 and 19. What profiteth the graven image
that the maker thereof hath graven it? the molten image in a teacher
of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein to make
dumb idols." They just can't talk. They don't hear, they don't
talk, they don't see, they don't do nothing. They're nothing.
"...Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake! and to the dumb
stone, Arise! it shall teach. Behold, it's
laid over with gold and silver, and there's no breath at all
in the midst of it, What good is this, these images that people
worship? There's nothing. Then the Lord
gives instruction concerning His command toward men, all men,
there to be silently waiting on Him. Look at verse 20. But
the Lord, and this is the Lord speaking, He's still speaking
just like in verse 18. What prophet? Woe to him, but
here's what God has to say. But the Lord is in His holy temple,
that all the earth keep silence before Him. I tell you, boy, God has given
us some instruction. Almighty God is omnipresent. The Lord is right here. I'm convinced
of that. I'm convinced, two or three are
gathered together, I'm convinced of that. In His name. He's omnipresent. He's within His people. Christ in you, the hope of glory. He's within this body in His
church. And let the wicked and the righteous,
now this is, let all the earth be quiet. Hush! God's people who would doubt
His good providence, the rebels who would rebel against Him,
be quiet, be quiet. Then Habakkuk, in response to
the Lord's revelation and demand for respect and silence before
Him, began to pray. And he prayed it in the form
of a song. Verse 1 of chapter 3, a prayer
of Habakkuk, the prophet, upon Shege Onof, which interpretation
of that means a song. He began to pray in a song. You know, when we sing these
songs, Brother Gary picks out these songs, and we pick out
We pick out songs that honor the Lord, that give respect unto
Him. We sing these songs. This is
not something that we just do, just for the fun of it. This
is a vital part of worship, is singing unto the Lord. We sing,
and this is what this prophet did. He began to pray, but it
was in the form of a song. So I'm going to read the words
because I don't know the tune of what he was singing. But I
can tell you what the words were in the song. Here's what he said
in verse 2. This is our passage. O LORD,
again note, all caps, O Jehovah, you who are the covenant God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, You who are the God of your chosen
in mercy and compassion. Oh Lord Jehovah, you who do as
you will in the army of heaven among the angels and among the
inhabitants of the earth who raise up this kingdom and put
down this kingdom and call this one by grace and leave this one
to himself in his own reprobation. Lord God of heaven, You who are
eternally covenanted with Yourself to save Your people who spoke
and sent Moses to Your people and delivered them out of the
hand of Pharaoh, Lord, I have heard Thy speech. Now here's an amazing truth of
God's mercy and grace to not only this prophet, but to all
of his people. He didn't hear, didn't give regard
to the lies of false teachers, but he heard God speak. We can enter into that. We can
enter into the old Lord, Jehovah, the covenant God. There's not
a believer in this room today that doesn't believe. that God
the Father chose a people. He believes that Christ, God
Himself, redeemed His people by His blood. And we believe
that thirdly, the Spirit of God, God Himself, effectually, powerfully
regenerates by God's good choice. Every believer believes that.
Oh Lord, Lord, Covenant God, I've heard Thy speech. When you
hear the gospel, you hear God speaking. The Lord said, my sheep,
hear my voice. This is God. I've heard thy speech. The Lord had given him spiritual
ears to hear. Ears to discern heavenly things. Ears that are given not only
according to God's good pleasure, but ears that are given in a
great mystery. This is a great, great mystery
here. I have heard Thy speech. Let me tell you how marvelous
this is. That hearing of God's speech
was that prayer that I've often read here concerning the Lord's
thankfulness to His Father. Matthew 11, 25, 26, I thank Thee,
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them
unto babes. Even so, Father, so it seemed
good in Thy sight that Habakkuk, or me, or you, or anybody hears
the speech of Jehovah is a miracle of God's grace. Believe me. That
you hear and believe the gospel right now is a miracle of God's
grace, because we don't have the ability to do it in ourselves.
Now, Habakkuk says, I have heard thy speech. Now there is a sense,
this is true, everybody, everybody is said to hear the voice of
God. Now I'm going to show you something.
Hold your place right there and turn to Psalm 19. Everybody hears
the voice of God in creation. Everybody hears that. Psalm 19
verses 1 to 3. The heavens declare the glory of God, and
the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech
nor language where their voice is not heard. Everybody In creation, the Scripture
declares, hears, the voice, the language of God in creation. And therefore, because God speaks
in creation, and we just read it, it says there's no language,
no speech, where God's voice, God's speech is not heard. Everybody
hears it. The heavens declare it. The heavens
utter the speech of Almighty God. But because Almighty God
speaks in creation, and because men who hear it, everybody hears
it. But because they still rebel
against God, that means that they are without excuse. They've
heard the voice of God. Romans chapter 1, I'll read this,
verse 20, for the invisible things of Him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen being understood by the things that
are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so they are without
excuse. Everybody hears the voice of
God. God speaks providentially in His dealings with men. Here
again, I'll read this to you, Amos chapter 4. If you want to
turn there, Amos chapter 4, verses 6 through 13. God speaks in Providence. Amos 4, 6. And I also have given you cleanness
of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your
places. I withheld food, is what the
Lord said right there. Yet have you not returned unto
me, saith the Lord. And also I've withholding the
rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest.
I caused it to rain upon one city and caused it not to rain
upon another city. One piece was rained upon and
the other piece whereupon it rained not. It withered. God
said, I told that cell to move through right here. You come
through right here. And don't you go over there.
I did that. And He said, you didn't repent. So two or three cities wandered
into one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied.
Yet, have you not returned unto me, saith the Lord? People got
together and said, well, there's some water over there in Mannington.
Let's go over there to Mannington. But you just saw that as luck.
Oh, they're so lucky. God said, I was speaking. I've
smitten you with blasting and mildew when your gardens and
your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased,
the Palmer word devoured them, yet have you not returned unto
me? All of these things that happened,
man, I'm telling you, we sure have had a lot of rain, man,
all the gardens, you know, we hadn't had any rain. I mean,
a garden not doing anything, I don't think we're going to
have any tomatoes this year. God said, I was speaking to you.
And you didn't fall down before Me and cast yourself upon Me
for mercy? You didn't cry out to Me and
say, God have mercy, have mercy on Me the sinner. I sinned all
this. I speak in creation. I speak
in providence. Almighty God speaks and everybody
hears. But Habakkuk said something that
only God's regenerates here. They hear the Word of God heartfully. They have an understanding of
creation and providence, but here they're taught of God's
mercy to a particular people. They hear and understand something
of God's covenant to show mercy And that speech comes to them
as God's Word. I've heard thy speech. This is a different speech. This
is an effectual speech. This is not just a general speech.
Everybody hears generally. But this Word is quick. And it's
powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and joints and marrow.
It's a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. That's
the speech that Habakkuk heard. He said, O Lord, back in Habakkuk
3, 2, O Lord, I've heard Thy speech, and I was afraid. I was afraid. His heart was powerfully
arrested, and he was made to vitally realize and know afresh
to whom he was speaking. God's people, they know the Lord. But I'm telling you, They know
something of the respect. And there's instances revealed
in God's book here, God's Bible, His Scriptures, that shows what
happened when God was pleased to truly, and I mean intimately,
reveal Himself. Now you know we're talking of
the Lord right here, but I'm telling you to realize, I mean
to have a vital revelation of His presence. And that will knock
some of the wind out of us. Not all of it, as Brother Scott
said, but some of it. The prophet's fear was the evidence
of God-given reverence and humility. And he knew he was speaking to
the I Am. He was just a man, a man who
in himself deserved nothing. Oh, how often does God show this? When Moses was on the back side
of the desert, and he saw this out of the corner of his eye,
saw a burning bush, and he said, I think I'm going to turn. I'm
going to go check that out. I'm going to see what that is.
And God spoke to him. And he said, Moses, Moses, take
off your shoes. The ground you're standing on
is holy ground. And the scripture says in Exodus
3, 6, Moses was afraid to look upon God. Just a few moments
ago, he was just real interested in that burning bush. And when
he realized who he was talking to, I am the God of your fathers,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. You take your shoes off. And he saw the Lord in the year
that King Uzziah died. This is what he says, Woe is
me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and
I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for mine eyes
have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Remember when Peter
was out there fishing, launching out, and the Lord told him, He
said, I want you to go back out there, Let down your nets for
a draught. Peter, you remember what he said? Lord, we're professionals. That's what
he was saying. We fished all night. We know
the best spots. But, at your word, I mean, you
read that passage. That's the spirit in which he
said it. That's what he said. The scripture
says, he went out there and cast his net out like the Lord taught
him, and they caught nothing. He went out there and caught
it, and he started pulling in fish. He had to summon some of
the other boats to come over there and help him. There were
so many fish in there, the boats began to sink. And Peter, when
that happened, The scripture says, fell down at Jesus' knees,
saying, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. I'm not even worthy to be in
your presence. Habakkuk says, O Lord, I've heard
thy speech and was afraid. And then he says, O Lord, Revive
thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years,
make known. Now obviously, this prophet knew
something of the frailty of man's flesh. He asked the Lord. He knew what he had asked the
Lord before. He heard the Lord's answer. You heard God tell him,
He said, I'm going to do something that you're not going to believe.
I'm going to do it in this day. And He's still doing it now.
Habakkuk, who knew something, he asked Him, Lord, revive. Would You preserve alive Your work? It's something that
You've done. your work in calling out your
sheep. Revive thy work in the midst
of the years. In the midst of the years. He's
asking him something. Lord, would you do this now? In the midst of the years is,
it means in the years of our present calamity. Lord, would
you do something Right now, concerning your work, Lord, would you revive
us? Lord, would you stir our hearts
up? I pray that God send revival
to us. There's not a believer in this
room this morning that doesn't ask this. Lord, would you stir
me up? I'm so cold and indifferent. I know you. I do know you, like
Peter. The Lord asked him, said, Peter,
you love me? Do you love me? Peter said, Lord,
you know I love you. You know I do. Does any believer
in here say I love him as I ought to? Nope. Lord, would you stir us up? Almighty
God has ordained that in this life we're going to, according
to a new man, walk by faith. Even as we war with the remainder
of sin that's still in us, in that old man. We're alive in
Christ, and you know we are, because God's given us a new
heart. Oh, how we need to be stirred up and revived by the
Spirit of God. Lord, would you revive thy work. Lord, would you revive Katie?
Would you stir us up? Lord, would you do that which
is necessary to stir us up? That's kind of a scary ask, request,
isn't it? Lord, whatever it would take,
would you do that? Whatever God saw fit? Man, I'm
telling you, you start thinking about that, you think, well,
what if the Lord does this? Or what if He does that to stir
us up? What if He does? What if that's what it takes?
In the midst of years, make known. Lord, would You make Yourself
known? Lord, would You reveal Yourself
to us? That's what Moses asked. Lord,
show me Your glory. Lord, show me Yourself. That's
what Paul said. Oh, that I may know Him, the
power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering.
being made conformable unto his death. And then the prophet,
in closing, asked this, for this great, great blessing. He said,
Lord, in wrath, would you remember mercy? The scripture declares that God's
people, I just preached on this, God's people have not been appointed
to wrath. They've not been appointed to
wrath. God has not appointed us to wrath
but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. But I can
tell you this, Almighty God has revealed that He's going to perform
a work in our day, in the day of Habakkuk, in our day. We're
not going to believe even though He tells us. We're not going
to believe it as we ought to and as it is. But, He said, this
is what I'm going to do. Woe to them that look to themselves. Woe to them. I know that Almighty
God to every person outside of Christ that dies in their sins,
I know what's going to happen. The wrath of God is going to
fall on them. Lord, He asks first in wrath. While you're spewing
out your wrath, Lord, would you remember mercy? Lord, would you
have mercy on me? I want God to have mercy on you.
I tell you this, I want Him to have mercy on me. Lord, while
your just wrath is being poured out upon rebels, would you please
remember mercy to your people. Luke chapter 1, verse 71-73. Luke 1-71, that we should be
saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us
to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember
His holy covenant. the oath which swear to our Father
Abraham that He would grant unto us that we be delivered out of
the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear in holiness
and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives. Lord,
while You spew out Your wrath on this world, Lord, would You
please be merciful to me? Would You save me? And as the
chastening hand of God is being sent forth, loving, the loving
hand of God sent forth in chastisement. Not because or unto eternal wrath
and condemnation, but that loving chastisement that is sent to
every child of promise because the Lord loves him and will not,
will not leave him to himself, is not going to let him continue.
in his rebellion. Lord, while you send me the chastisement,
in that sense, wrath, not eternal, but just temporal chastisement
right now. Lord, while you're dealing with
me right now, in your loving chastisement, Lord, would you
remember mercy. Lord, keep me. Lord, don't leave
me to myself. But Lord, sustain me. Hold me
up. Lord, whatever your lot is for me, Lord, would you grant
me your sustaining grace to hold me up? I can't hold up myself. It's too much for me. Even these
chastisements which are, Paul says, but for the moment. They're
grievous, are they not? They're grievous. Lord, in wrath,
remember mercy. I pray God bless this to our
hearts for Christ's sake, for our good. Okay, here.