I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk. That's about, I'm guessing, three
or four books. Malachi, and then go back about
four books, something like that. Habakkuk, I'm going to be dealing
with chapter 1 and the first four verses of chapter 2. I had prepared a message for
this week, this Sunday, and something happened this week
that my heart was stirred to look in this book. And I truly
believe that this is the message of the hour. It's not the skill of the preacher
to set forth the Word. It's the Word itself that is
sharper than any two-edged sword. It's God's Word that convicts. And I pray this morning that
As we consider the Lord's Word, may the Lord be pleased to bless
His people. I have entitled this message,
Comfort in the Midst of Adversity. Comfort in the midst of adversity. Now there is no believer that
is not going through right now, or just did, or soon shall. go through adversity. We go through this world, we're
in this world, we're not of it. But I'm telling you that every
believer is going through things inwardly, outwardly, outwardly
causing it inwardly. Suffering, trials, tribulations,
chastisement, And I want us to look at this blessed prophecy
from the prophet Habakkuk. Habakkuk's name means strong
embrace. And the word, the name itself
can refer both to the Lord's embrace of His people and their
embrace for the Lord, having called them out of darkness,
giving them a new heart, that they are made willing in the
day of God's power, they will not let Him go. They're like Jacob. The Lord
wrestled with Jacob and He said, let me go. And Jacob said, I
will not, I will not let you go unless you bless me. Jacob the supplanter, Jacob the
trickster, Jacob the huckster, the one that God loved, the one
that God chose to show mercy to, Jacob have I loved, Esau
have I hated. Does God have the right to do
that? Yes, He does. He's the Lord. And His ways are not our ways.
And His thoughts are not our thoughts. And we look unto Him,
trusting Him, waiting on Him, and going through these trials
and tribulations which the Scripture reveals are for our good, divinely
sent, divinely ordered. And Almighty God sends His people
these trials. And the Lord said, if you be
without chastisement, why is that? It's because you're not
His. You're illegitimate. You're a
bastard. That's the Scripture's language. You're an illegitimate
one. You may claim to be a believer.
You may claim to know Him. But I'm telling you the trials
and tribulations of this world. The trials and tribulations of
a believer are real. They struggle. They go through
this world. They're in it. They know they're
not of it. And they feel it. And they need
some comfort. And God sends a pastor. And He
sends a pastor to preach to them and tell them, what does God
have to say? What does the Lord have to say? Habakkuk. The burden which Habakkuk, the
prophet, did see. The Lord laid upon this man,
this prophet, a burden. And it was the heaviness of this
message from the Lord, and it was concerning correction for
God's people. The Lord gave this man a burden. And he felt it within and he
knew that it was a burden to himself and it was going to be
a burden to the people. But the Lord loved him. And he
sent this word. And here's what Habakkuk had
to say, Oh Lord, Jehovah, 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." Lord, here's
what Habakkuk is saying. Here's a man, he's a man with
like passions. He's a man that God called out
of darkness and gave him a heart for the gospel. Gave him a heart
for Christ. And Habakkuk was sensitive. The Scripture says in verse 1,
the burden which Habakkuk, the prophet, did see. He saw it. He saw what was going on. Lord,
he said, I've cried unto you for so long. Lord, verse 2, how
long shall I cry? And here's what he's asking.
Will you not hear? Have there ever been times in
your life when you felt as though you feel the pressure, you see
the burden within, burdens without? Whatever the burden is, whatever
it is, here's what it is. You see it and it's a grieving
thing to you. And you prayed about it. And
you prayed about it. And you prayed about it. And
it feels to you like the Lord Doesn't hear. You've seen no
evidence. You feel no calming effect of
the Lord having spoken to you. Habakkuk is just being honest
about it. Lord, how long shall I cry and
Thou wilt not hear? Even cry unto Thee of violence
of what's going on. Lord, these things that are happening. Now let me tell you what was
happening. He's talking about the violence that's done to God's
people by the world. We're going to look at it in
just a minute. He's talking about the chastisement that the Lord
is sending against His people. And here's the reason. It's because
of their rebellion. The people of God are wrong.
And Habakkuk sees it. He knows it. He knows what's
going on. He sees the people are insensitive. They've lost, apparently, their
zeal, their love, their sharpness, their caring. And God Almighty
is going to send oppression to them, to correct them, just like
he did in the wilderness, just like he did in Egypt, just like
he does today. And Habakkuk sees it. And he knows that the people
of God are suffering. He knows they are. And he's crying
out to the Lord, Lord, help. How long? How long? Will you
not save? Here's what he's saying, Lord,
we're wrong. We're wrong, deserving of chastisement. We haven't been,
Lord, sensitive as we ought to be. Let me ask you this, is there
anybody that can enter into that? I haven't been as I ought. Lord, how long? Lord, you behold
iniquity committed against your people. And he said, you're allowing
me to see it. I see it. Lord, is there no judgment
toward the people that are chastising your people? For their cruelty. He says in
verse 4, therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never
go forth. Here's what he's saying. The
laws. Let's just get right down to
the natural things. Let's take the law of the land.
The laws of the land. God's law especially, but the
law of the land. I mean, Lord, laws that are set
up. Lord, You've raised up. You've
raised up all authority. You've raised up the magistrates.
You've raised up every position of leadership. Lord, you raised
it up. And you raised it up for the
peace and the well-being of your people. Lord, you put all these
people in place. for the protection and the safety
and the comfort of your elect. That's why we have police officers
and that's why we have an army. It's for the protection of God's
people, their well-being. All authority is of the Lord. Why? For His people's sake. And here's what Habakkuk is saying.
The law is slack. It's as if they're on the books. The laws are on the books. I
mean, you know, do you ever see that? You ever see laws on the
books and all of a sudden, I mean, you think, is there no justice? Is there no judgment against
wrongdoing? And God's people are suffering
for it? Your law seems to have no power
over their actions. Your judgment's not pronounced.
Upon them, because of their rebellion, they surround your people with
unchecked actions of ungodliness. There's no fear of correction. There's no judgment. There's
no justice. Lord, how long? How long? How long shall I cry? It's like
Lot, when he was in Sodom, vexed when he beheld the grossness
of the sin of the sodomites there. And it just appeared as though
God sent no judgment. Lord, how long? He was vexed.
That's what Scripture says. Lot was vexed daily. Lord, how long? How long shall
I cry, Lord? And then the Lord in mercy. Oh,
how gracious the Lord is. He brought Habakkuk to the point
of just knocking and knocking and knocking. He said, knock.
Because of his importunity. It was good for Habakkuk. Habakkuk
would see the problem. And he knew the problem. Here's the problem. It's the
rebellion of God's people. And Habakkuk is saying, They're
wrong, but oh, the injustice that's being done to them. Lord,
how long? No checks and balances, Lord? How long? Look, then the Scripture says
in verse 5, the Lord answers, and He gives him some light.
Now, this is a great, great revelation to me. I want to just share it
with you. Here's a great revelation to
me, and I hope it'll give you some comfort as it did to me.
The Lord answers in mercy. Now, He tells Habakkuk, giving
him something of the wise reasons for allowing the heathen to continue
for a while in his rebellion. But also he's showing of the
Lord's marvelous wisdom and work in redemption and salvation toward
a people that he's everlastingly loved. Here's what's happening.
Here's what's happening. Habakkuk is seeing the slackness
of the people of God. He sees it. He knows it. It's
there. It's there. insensitivity. It's their waywardness. It's fence straddling. There's no... Habakkuk knows
what's going on. And he sees again how the Lord
has allowed the heathen to treat God's people, how God's people
are treated with such disrespect, how they're hated, they're resented,
they're tried and troubled, and Habakkuk is pleading for them. Lord, how long? How long? How
long? And the Lord gives him some instruction
here that was great light. Verse 5, Behold ye among the
heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously. For I will work
a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be
told you." Now, the Lord is giving Habakkuk
an insight into what is really going on. You know, if you ever
see what's actually happening, then your heart begins to settle
down a little bit. If all I see is the chaos, if
all I look at is the things and the mess and the stuff, and I
don't know what's going on, I'm confused. That's what Habakkuk...
Lord, how long? How long? How long? What? Lord, how long? And for God Almighty
to tell Habakkuk what's really happening is great peace and
comfort to God's people. Now here's what the deal is.
And we would have never known what was really going on in Habakkuk's
time. And right now, if the Lord had
not moved upon the Apostle Paul and gave Paul some insight, on
what Habakkuk was asking and what the Lord told Habakkuk.
I want you to look at the wording right there. In the latter part
of verse 5, I will work a work in your days which you will not
believe, though I told you. I'm going to tell you what's
going on, but for the grace of God. You
won't know it and you won't believe it. I want you to hold your place
right there and turn to the book of Acts chapter 13. Hold your
place. Acts 13. Now remember the wording. I'm going to work a work in your
days which you will not believe though it be told you. Acts 13
verse 38 to 41. Now listen. to the Spirit of God speak through
the Apostle Paul. Be it known unto you therefore,
men and brethren. Now Paul is preaching to some
Jews that are oppressing God's people. Now here's these Jews
now, if you want to see them. We're going to go back to Habakkuk
in a minute. We're going to go through that
book, that chapter. And we're going to look and see.
There was a people, the Chaldeans were oppressing God's people. And the Lord told Habakkuk when
Habakkuk pleaded and pleaded and pleaded, he said, I'm going
to work a work in your day. He said, I'm going to tell you.
You're not going to believe it. I'm going to tell you what's going
on. Here's what it's about. Be it known unto you, therefore,
men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you
the forgiveness of sins. And by him all that believe by
the Lord Jesus Christ are justified from all things. from which ye
could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore,
lest that come upon you which was spoken of in the prophets."
Like Habakkuk. Be careful, Paul says, behold
you despisers, and wonder and perish. For I work a work in
your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a
man declare it unto you. Now look at verse 44. What work,
Paul? What work? What work, Lord, were
you talking about back in Habakkuk? What work were you talking about
that you were going to work and men would hear it and they weren't
going to believe it, but for the grace of God, some will.
God's people will. But all these oppressors and
those that hate God's people, work against them, that hear
these things, they're not going to believe this. But here's what
God said He's doing. In the midst of all this adversity,
what was being accomplished by this? Look at verse 44. And the next Sabbath day came
almost the whole city together to hear the Word of God. But
when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy and
spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting
and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed
bold and said, it was necessary that the Word of God should first
have been spoken to you. But seeing ye put it from you
and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn
to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded
us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that
thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And
when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified
the word of the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal
life believed." What work, Lord, are you working? In the midst of all of this adversity,
in the midst of all of this trial, tribulation, everything that's
going on, while Habakkuk looked and saw the trials of God's people,
the oppression of God's people, and crying out for judgment against
those that were deserving of judgment, The people that hated
God's people. And here's Habakkuk crying out,
Lord, have mercy on us. Have mercy on us. Lord, how long? How long? How long? Lord, what's
going on? What's going on? The Lord said,
I'm going to tell you exactly what's going on, Habakkuk. All
of these things that are coming about. He said, I'm working those
things. And I'm working those things
for your good and for my eternal will and purpose. For my glory. All of these things that are
going on in this world. What's happening? Why is there
trouble over there? Why is there trouble here in
this country? Why all of the turmoil and the upheaval? What's going on? The Lord said,
I'm going to work a work in you, among you, but for my grace. You're not going to believe.
All of these things that are coming about, all of the trials,
the tribulation, everything is going on in your life. Almighty
God is ordering these things for the salvation of His elect.
You think, how? How can these things be? Can it not be where God's people
don't suffer? No, it can't be. It can't be
like that. A man going to live godly in
this way, he's going to suffer. He's going to cast himself upon
the mercy of God. The Lord wisely sends all these
things our way. Whenever we behold the trials
and the tribulations, let us not get our eyes upon the rod
of His correction, but bow to Him who holds that rod of correction
in His hand for our good and for His glory. May we behold
Him, the God of mercy, for Christ's sake, to an everlastingly loved
people, For the Lord's sake and for our good. Amen. I'm going to stop right there
for right now because I can tell you this, this is going to go
way too long. Why don't we just take a break and I'll come back
in just a few minutes, okay? We'll just pick up right there
where we left off.