Let's turn in our Bibles now
to the book of Habakkuk, chapter 2. Habakkuk, chapter 2. I want to begin the lesson in
verse 5, but let me give you some things to lead up to this. I was going to entitle this message,
The Golden Silence of Faith. And I'm taking that from verse
20, the last verse of chapter 2, where it says, You know, you've
heard that saying, silence is golden. And that's true. You know, man, by nature, he
likes to make a big noise. in every way in his in his dealings
with other men and especially man by nature like to make a
big noise in religion you've seen it that's what we are by
nature but when a when God brings a sinner to see his sin and the
reality of the depravity of his nature his fallen human nature
and even even the wickedness and iniquity and filthiness spiritually
of his best efforts to please God. When God brings such a sinner
to see his holiness and his glory and his justice, and that's what
he does when he reveals himself in his holy temple, his holy
place. That's the place of God's glory. When God brings a sinner to see
that, And that sinner shuts his mouth, and he's silent. That's
the silence of repentance. That's the silence of a broken
and a contrite heart. That's the silence of worship.
That's the silence of reverence, reverence for God. Oh Lord, if
thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, who would stand? That's the silence
of submission. Let God be true, and every man
a liar. I don't have any right to speak
before this God. What things whoever sayeth the
law, it sayeth to them who are under the law, that every mouth
may be stopped, and all the world may be guilty before God. And
then this is the place of grace also, in his holy temple, where
the holiest of all, where the mercy seat was located. where the blood was brought and
spread over the mercy. This is the place of God's mercy
in Christ. And so this is the silence of
faith, the golden silence of faith. And that's what I want
to lead up to. I'm not sure I'll get there tonight, but we're
going to look at we're going to begin looking at verse five.
I want I want to want to show you some things here. And this
is you know, it's been it's been amazing to me how in going through
these we learn lessons. Not just biblical morality, as
it were, but we learn lessons of Christ. This is a book of
Christ, and you know that. And we've seen Christ in so much
of these books of the Bible that many of us probably never even
studied before. We may have read through them,
but to stop and to study them and to ponder them, this is a
book of Christ. But most of this message, most
of this chapter is taken up with the word woe. It's not literally
the word woe, but it's a woe pronounced unto Babylon. Woe to Babylon. And there's five
woes pronounced here to Babylon. Now you know Habakkuk, the prophet.
We've studied this in chapter one and the first part of chapter
two. He couldn't, he could not understand how God would justly,
in his holiness and in his justice and in his righteousness, how
God would use the wicked Babylonians as an instrument of judgment
against God's people, Judah. God's promises, Habakkuk knew
God's promise was sure and certain that God was not going to fail
to keep his promise to his people. And of course, that ultimate
promise was the covenant promise of God's grace to send Christ
into the world to save his people from their sins. And Habakkuk,
when he looked at his day and his age and his people and what
was going on, he couldn't understand how God was going to fulfill
all this. And you know, we're the same way. Because, you know,
we see the day-to-day workings of providence, and many times
we're perplexed, aren't we? We're just totally in the dark. Because we know God's promise
is sure. We know Christ is coming again.
He's going to judge this world. He's going to gather his people
unto himself. And he's going to bless us eternally,
glorify us. And he's going to do it justly,
all based upon the worthiness of the Lamb that was slain, his
blood and righteousness alone. And he's going to judge this
world. But sometimes we just don't understand how all this
is going to work out. And this is the question Habakkuk
is having. And so God tells him, he explains
that his purpose of good will be fulfilled despite the wickedness
of such nations like Babylon and Assyria and others, and even
individuals. God says it's all gonna work.
Romans 8, 28 applies right here, doesn't it? All things work together
because God's working them together for good to them that love God,
who are called according to his purpose. As those who stand in
Christ, washed in his blood, clothed in his righteousness,
believers, Here, God assures Habakkuk that the wickedness
of the Babylonians, even though God's going to use them as instruments
of his judgment against Judah, the wickedness of the Babylonians
would not go unpunished. God is just in all his ways. God is always going to do right. He never does wrong. He never
does anything unfair. He's just in all his judgments
and in all his ways. And this prophecy that he brings
forth here, beginning in verse 5, talking about Babylon, it
came true in every detail concerning this wicked nation in history. It's recorded history, not only
in the Bible, but even in man's history. That's what happened.
This is what happened to Babylon. It came true. But I want you
to go further than just the ink written on the page tonight.
I want you to look further than that. Because Babylon is a symbol. And it's a symbol that is pervades
throughout Scripture. Listen, you know Babylon, think
about this. Babylon goes all the way back
to Genesis chapter 10, Genesis chapter 11, after the story of
Noah. After Noah got off the ark and
he worshipped God and then sin began to be Prominent on the
earth because man's a sinner two types of people in this world
sinners lost in their sins sinners saved by grace in Christ And
that's the fact isn't it? And what did man do he began
to build a great city? We call it the Tower of Babel
and we portray it almost like men were trying to build High
enough to reach God in heaven. That's really not what they were
doing They were building a city. In fact, Babel, when you hear
the term Babylon or Babel, we say, I think if you turn to Webster's
Dictionary, and I didn't do this, so you can check me out on it,
but it'll probably say something like confusion. Because that's
what we think of the term meaning, confusion. But you know what
the original meaning of the term Babel is? Gate of God. The E-L on the end of it? That's
L. Elohim, gate of God. And what Babel started out was
man building his monument to God in his own way. Not God's
way now, but man's way. As a monument to himself, thinking
of himself as God, or as the standard of God, or as the standard
of good and righteousness. Identifying himself with Adam
in the fall, in the garden. And God struck man with confusion
of languages. And ever since then, we've equated
the term Babel with confusion. That's what it's come to mean.
But it didn't start out that way. Babel, which later became
Babylon, Babylonia, is actually symbolic of man's false, deadly,
wicked, idolatrous ways to reach God. False religion. Now this prophecy here is not
just about Babylon's fall, that's there, but it also speaks symbolically
of God's grace in the salvation of his elect people in overthrowing
mystical Babylon. Mystical meaning this, there's
that symbol, that reality of Babylon, not just this historical
place now, this historical city, this historical nation. But the
reality of Babylon, as it applies to all mankind in this fallen
world, is called Mystery Babylon in the book of Revelation. It
has to be revealed. You won't recognize Babylon unless
God reveals it to you. We're fighting against Babylon
today. Not Nebuchadnezzar now. Not a
physical nation. but that false religion that
stands in opposition to Christ and his church and his gospel
and his way of salvation. God has one way to save sinners. God has one way to make sinners
righteous before him. God has one way to forgive sin. And any other way, any other
way, Other than God's way in Christ, by his blood and righteousness
alone, is Babylon. That's what it is. And the issue
of here, in the book of Habakkuk, is woe unto Babylon. Woe unto Babylon. This Babylon
in Revelation, this mystical Babylon. You know what Babylon
is called in Revelation? the great harlot the great whore
represents all false religion in the world and you remember
this now as i said there's just two religions in the world actually
babylon comes under many names and under many cultures and languages
there's really just two two religions it's either grace or work and
they're right it's either the cross of christ or the works
of man period It's either the righteousness of God in Christ
freely imputed, or it's the works of man in some capacity or some
way. And remember, Habakkuk's prophecy
begins with a declaration of God's sure accomplishment of
salvation for his elect people. How? By the obedience unto death
of the Lord Jesus Christ as our substitute, the one who is to
come. Back over in chapter 1 and verse 5, he spoke of a work. Behold ye among 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." God is
going to bring a work that is so marvelous and so great and
so wondrous that you won't even believe it, though you've been
told. That's Habakkuk speaking to Judah. And Paul quoted that
verse in Acts 13, 41, in that great message that he preached
in Antioch. And he applied it to the work
of the Lord Jesus Christ in putting away sin and establishing the
only righteousness whereby God could be just and justify the
ungodliness. Remember he said that? He said,
by him, by this man, by Christ, we have the forgiveness of sins,
which we couldn't have under the law of Moses. They didn't
believe it in Habakkuk's day. They didn't believe it in the
Lord's day. And by nature, man doesn't believe it today. And
the only reason that we believe it is what? by the grace of God. And then the Lord God tells Habakkuk
about the coming of the wicked, idolatrous Chaldeans, that's
the Babylonians, which started out over in Genesis 10 under
Nimrod, the great hunter of men. When you see stories about Nimrod
with a bow and arrow hunting deer, don't believe it. He wasn't
hunting deer, he was hunting people. He was a conqueror of
men, that's what he was. He won't he want to make a loud
noise and That's why they had that great city to be built as
a monument to this as they they they said a monument to God Is
that false religion now? Everybody around this country
whose religion say oh, they're doing it for the glory of God
for the honor of God No, they're not they're doing it for their
own. They're making a big noise For their own honor They want
the church to be a monument to some man or some group of men.
Not to Christ. And that's what he means. You
know, let the earth keep silent before him. I don't need a monument
to me and you don't need a monument to you. We need a monument to
Christ. That's what this thing's all
about. We have no forgiveness of sins
without him. We have no righteousness without
him. But here, he tells them of the coming idolatrous Chaldean
whom he would send to judge and correct his people. He told them,
for lo, I will raise up the Chaldeans. God did that. And God's not the author of sin,
but he overrules sin. And then here in chapter 2, at
the beginning of it, The Lord assures Habakkuk that Christ
will surely come and perform that wondrous salvation that
he promised from eternity at the time that he appointed. He's
coming. That's what he's talking about in chapter 2, verse 3,
when he says, For the vision is yet for an appointed time.
Everything's going on schedule now. But at the end it shall
speak and not lie, though it tarry. Wait for it, because it
will surely come. it will not carry that vision,
that word. And that's quoted over in Hebrews
chapter 10. And then he tells Habakkuk, in
light of all these marvelous things that you can't wrap your
mind around, what do we do? The justified shall live by his
faith. You believe God. Trust God. Trust Christ. That's what Psalm
2 was all about, the heathen rage. They make a big noise. They imagine big things and vain
things, worthless things. But you kiss the Son. That means
embrace the Son. That means believe the Son. That
means love the Son, love Christ. Seek ye first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added
unto you. Look at verse 5. He says, You, yea, also, Because
he transgresses by wine. Now he's talking about Babylon.
He transgresses by wine. He's a proud man. Neither keepeth
at home. He won't stay home. That's what
he says. Who enlargeth his desire as hell. He wants, whatever he
wants, he'll go as far as he can go. Just like hell, the grave
there literally is what that is. Just like the grave is thirsty
for cadavers. We go up to visit Aaron and Alyssa
sometime, and I tell you, there's huge graveyards up there. They're
all over the place, aren't they? That's how thirsty the grave
is for the dead body. And that's what Babylon, he says,
and his death. In other words, the product of
his desire is death. Babylon's desire, the product
of his desire, the result of it, he desires something. Now,
men and women can desire religious things. But my friend, any desire
that falls short of the glory of God in Christ is what? Death. Fruit unto death, the scripture
calls it. Sin demands death. Righteousness
demands life. Where are we as sinners going
to find righteousness? Not but one place, in Christ
and Him crucified and risen again. He says, and he cannot be satisfied.
can't be satisfied he can't he can't stop he says but gathers
on himself all nations and heapeth unto him all people he's got
to have converts now we are you look at that passage and you
say well yeah yeah also because he transgresses by wine and you'll
hear a thousand sermons against drinking wine when I listen to
we all know what drunkenness is from wine and alcohol can
lead to, can do to a person. We've seen that. And there's
no excuse for it. There's no condoning it. We certainly preach against it.
The Bible never condones drunkenness in any situation or any way. But that's not what this verse
is about. Babylon was drunk on their own
wine. What's their wine? conquest self-confidence
pride just like men are drunk on false religion I want you
to turn over there look at look at Revelation chapter 14 with
me Revelation 14 and I know this now and I'm not
benign that in these countries and in these cultures that that
that there probably was a lot of alcoholism there was drunken
party you remember you remember in Daniel I think it's chapter
5 where one of the Kings I think it was various who was having
that party and they were drinking wine from the vessels of the
tabernacle and God sent that angel and wrote on the wall you
know doubt found weighed in the balances and found wanting I
mean yeah I mean this this is understand this now does the
Bible speak out vehemently against drunkenness absolutely Absolutely. That's not the issue now. If
you've got a problem in that area, your only answer is abstinence. Isn't that right? Don't do it. It'll lead to all... And you've seen what it does
to families, haven't you? Those things. But what I'm saying
is, when you read passages like this, in light of the truth that
he's putting forth here, That's not what this is talking about.
Now, look at look at Revelation. Look at Chapter 14. This is talking
about the lamb standing on the mount in victory. And it says
in verse 8, we'll just read verse 8 of this chapter, it says, And
there followed another angel saying, Babylon is fallen. Is fallen. That great city Because
she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication. Now, listen. You think this verse
is teaching that Babylon came into these places and got everybody
drunk and had them have illicit sex? I'm sure that was going
on. I'm sure it was rampant. But
that's not what this is talking about. The wine that it's speaking of
here is her false doctrine. The fornication that's being
spoken of here is her idolatry. That's what it's talking about.
Spiritual drunkenness, spiritual fornication, false gospels, false
religions that don't tell the truth concerning who God is,
and who man is, and who Christ is, and the way of salvation
and righteousness in him. Look over at chapter 17. Chapter 17 he speaks of a woman
arrayed in purple and scarlet decked with gold and precious
and look at verse 5 now listen This and upon her forehead was
the name written mystery Babylon now now understand again mystery
Babylon in other words This is something that must be revealed
to us by God. We wouldn't see this on our own
This is what Paul spoke of in 2 Thessalonians 2 as the mystery
of iniquity. It's an iniquity that man by
nature doesn't recognize. Christ spoke of it in Luke chapter
16 and verse 15 when he said that which is highly esteemed
among men is what? An abomination to God. Now man
by nature on the whole would look down upon a drunk in the
street. We used to watch Andy Griffiths when I was a boy, and
you remember they had the town drunk, Otis. We'd all laugh at
him. Nobody wanted to be like Otis. I didn't want to be like
Otis before I knew the gospel. How about you? Because we recognize
that that's wretched, that's sad. I mean, they made fun of
it on TV, but that's sad. Some fellas staying drunk all
the time. But that's not Mystery Babylon. You see what I'm saying?
That's not something that man has to have a revelation from
God. to understand and recognize, he knows that by natural conscience.
Now, granted, many go about their lives denying what they know
in their natural conscience. Romans chapter 1 speaks of that.
But that's not the mystery, see. It's not mystery Babylon to know
that drunkenness is a sin, but now that false religion, people
drunk on false doctrine, works religion, salvation conditioned
on the sinner. Salvation by the works of man,
the religion of Cain. Men by nature admire, and they
highly esteem that, don't they? But that which is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination to God. That's why Mystery Babylon
has to be revealed. Look at verse 5, upon her forehead
was the name written, Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother
of harlots, an abomination of the earth. And look over at Revelation
18. It says, verse 1, And after these
things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great
power. And the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried
mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is
fallen, is fallen. That's the emphasis of it, you
see. and is become the habitation of devils and the hold of every
foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For
all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. That's her false religion. And
the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and the
merchants of the earth are waxed or grown rich through the abundance
of her delicacies. That's the political power that
false religion has. That's the economic power. that
false religion has. How many cultures, how many nations,
how many people do you know of that have made a lot of money
off false religion? Selling their wares. Somebody
told me they go to Jerusalem today and they're selling pieces
of the cross. And you say, well, that wouldn't fool you, but it
fools some people. All those things. Look on, verse 4. And I heard another voice come
from heaven saying, come out of her, my people, that you be
not partakers of her sins. You not come out of her, my people. That's God calling his people
out of fellowship with Babylon and into fellowship with Christ. Don't be a partaker of her sin
and that you receive not of her plague, for her sins have reached
unto heaven and God has remembered her iniquity. You know what God
says about his people in Christ? He said, their iniquities will
I remember no more. What does that mean? It means
he won't charge them to it. He won't impute sin to us. And
he says in verse 6, reward her even as she rewarded you, and
double unto her according to her work. In the cup which she
hath filled, fill to her double. You can read the rest of it.
Go back to Habakkuk 2. Babylon Babylon drunk on false religion
now again don't misunderstand this man and don't don't listen
there is an actual physical fulfillment of these things that Habakkuk
speaks up to a literal nation a literal Empire called Babylon
and a king named Nebuchadnezzar we read a little portion of his
his His statements in Daniel chapter 4, a couple weeks ago. So there is a literal king, there's
a literal Babylon. But what I'm saying, if we're
going to understand the scriptures in light of God's glory in Christ,
in light of the Lord who's in his holy temple, whereby we keep
silence before him, we've got to see the spiritual application
of these things. we've got to see where Christ
enters in and Brings forth the the living reality. We're not
just studying history here today That's what I I guess maybe that's
what I'm saying in a nutshell. This is not just history. This
is modern-day life Even though we don't have a fella named Nebuchadnezzar
coming down and trying to conquer Assyria We have to fight Babylon
We have to come out from among Babylon. False religion. Now, in that he pronounces five
woes here. Let me just read through them.
Look at verse six. Here's the first woe. He says, he says,
shall not all these take up a parable against him and a taunting proverb
against him and say woe to him that increases that which is
not his? How long? And to him that laid
us himself, burdened himself down with thick clay. In other
words, he destroys cities. He's taken what doesn't belong
to him. That's a picture of man trying to get glory for himself. You know, when a man or a woman
tries to get glory for themselves, they're taking what doesn't belong
to them. And you want to know why? Because
glory belongs only to God. Glory to God in the highest.
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross the finished
work of Christ There's the only glory and we listen our glory
is his glory. It's not ours We're here to glorify
and honor Christ We're here to exalt him. We're not here to
lift up ourselves We're not here to add to ourselves if we have
Christ we have everything no less with all spiritual blessings
and heavenly places in Christ Jesus He that spared not his own son,
how shall he not with him freely give us all things? Verse 7 says,
Shall they not rise up suddenly, that shall bite thee and awake,
that shall vex or trouble thee, and thou shalt be for booties
for them? He says, Because thou hast spoiled many nations, and
all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee because of men's
blood. In other words, they were murderers.
That's what that means. And for the violence of the land and
the city and of all that dwell therein. In other words, what
he's saying, the woe unto them is Babylon is going to become
like a taunting proverb, a proverb against them. The ones that they
conquered are going to look at their own destruction and they're
going to laugh. It's going to be a big joke.
Man's glory is all going to fade into nothing. Woe unto Babylon. Here's the second woe. Look at
verse 9. He says, Woe to him that coveteth and evil covetousness. He didn't say, woe to him that
coveteth, but he says, woe to him that coveteth and evil coveteth. Now, we all desire things, don't
we, that we don't have. The scripture says, covet the
best gift, spiritual gift. But here's a covetousness that
is evil. The book of Colossians chapter 3 speaks of covetousness,
which is idolatry. That's a desire for things that
causes a person to deny God, to deny the glory of God. to
forsake God. This Babylon, they wanted stuff,
you see. But what they wanted was for
their own glory, for their own selfishness. It wasn't for the
glory of God. And he says, Woe to him that
coveteth and evil coveteth unto his house, that he may set his
nest on high. In other words, he wants to build
his house on high so everybody can see it. That he may be delivered
from the power of evil. He thinks he'll be safe there
from the power of evil. It's like man's religion. He's
working his way up high, and he says, I'll be safe there.
Well, my friend, the way to safety is not working your way up high,
but the way to safety is going low in humility, submitting to
Christ, bowing to Christ. He is my high tower. And I know
I'm not going to build up so that you can look at me or look
at what I look to cry That serpent on the pole who that serpent
symbolize and typify cry cry Look and live Don't look at me
because I don't have life, but he is right Don't look at me
because I'm not I don't have righteousness. He is right. You
see one don't look at me I don't have forgiveness. He does He
goes on, verse 10, Thou hast consulted shame to thy house
by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.
In other words, what you think is going to deliver your soul
will actually destroy your soul. And you've actually cut off many
people. You think that you're helping these people, but you're
cutting them off. It's like, that's false religion.
Trying to get them saved, trying to get them saved, thinking you're
helping them. But my friend, if they don't
come to Christ, if they don't submit to His blood and righteousness
as that which alone saves and entitles me to glory, I'm not
helping them at all. I'm cutting them off, you see.
That's what Babylon was doing even in their physical conquering.
They thought they were helping, you know. Just like the noble
conqueror, but they were not noble. Verse 11, it says, For
the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the
timber shall answer. What he's saying there is what
you build up will be your destruction. It'll be your destruction. All
will worshipers set themselves in the place of God and vainly
imagine that they'll set their nests on high and save themselves,
but they won't. Here's the third row. Look at
verse 12. He says, woe to him that buildeth a town with blood,
that is, with murder and violence. Establish the city by iniquity.
Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall
labor in the very fire? And the people shall weary themselves
for the very vanity, the vanity of seeking to build by destruction,
building by blood, by physical war, torture. I thought about
the Spanish Inquisition here. Trying to torture people into
making professions, That kind of thing. Or the crusade. Trying
to go over and conquer. You can't build the city of God
with the blood of man. The city of God is built on the
blood of Christ. Christ said on this rock I'll
build my church. It's not taken by violence. The
weapons of our warfare are not carnal to the pulling down of
cities and killing. It's the gospel. and the war
and the battlefield is the mind the heart of man what he says
but look at verse 14 now here's here's the reality of it listen
this this little interlude in this in these pronouncements
of woe he says for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge
of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea now this is the ultimate end
of it Habakkuk woe unto Babylon but in the end When it's all
over, when it all comes to its grand conclusion, he says, the
earth shall be filled with the knowledge or knowing the glory
of the Lord, as the water says. I believe this right here points
forward to the glory of God in Christ. God's going to send his
son into the world and establish his glory before all nations.
in the preaching of the gospel of the glorious person, the God-man,
and the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's where
it's coming to. And so now he goes to the fourth
woe. He says, Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that
putteth thy bottle to him, and maketh him drunk also, that thou
mayest look on their nakedness. Thou art filled with shame for
glory. Drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered. The
cup of the Lord's right hand shall be turned Unto thee and
shameful spewing shall be on thy glory For the violence of
Lebanon shall cover thee and the spoil of beef which made
them afraid because of men's blood and for the violence of
the land of the city and of all that dwell therein What he's
talking about here is well one to Babylon because she seeks
to draw others into her drunkenness Remember Christ told the scribes
and the Pharisees in Matthew 23 in verse 15 He says woe unto
you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you compass see and land
to make one proselyte one convert When he's made what do you do
you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourself?
And what do you do? well You get him drunk on your
false religion. It's in man naturally No wonder
false religion has so much numbers because that's what man loves
and knows naturally. He wants to glorify himself and
what he's done for God instead of submitting to Christ. And
so he makes him drunk that thou mayest look on their nakedness.
What is their nakedness? That's their shame. What he's
saying here is what you do when you draw people into your false
religious ways You're making their glory become
their shame. It's like Christ speaking to
those false preachers in Matthew 7, saying, depart from me, you
that work iniquity. I never knew you. They thought
that was their glory, their work. But it was their shame. And notice
here how he says, in verse 16, thou art filled with shame for
glory. Drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered. Now think about who Habakkuk
was speaking to here. He's speaking to Judah. He wasn't
speaking to Babylon. And he says here, he says, let
thy foreskin be uncovered. Now, what comes to mind? Well, what's he talking about?
Thy foreskin? Well, we've been circumcised.
They didn't have a foreskin. What is he saying here? He's
simply saying that everybody who has not been born again by
the Spirit of God will be exposed in their shame. The cutting off
of the foreskin circumcision physically was a type and a picture
of the new birth. Circumcision of the heart. Remember
Paul wrote about it in Romans 2 and verses 28 and 29. He said
circumcision is that of the heart not made with the hands but of
the spirit. Paul wrote in Philippians chapter
3 he says we are the circumcision. What does that mean? He's talking
even Gentiles they're included and Jews who believe the gospel.
He said we're the circumcision. We're the born-again We've been
born again by the spirit we've been regenerated in convert We
worship God in spirit and rejoice have confidence in Christ and
have no confidence in the flesh And what Habakkuk is being told
here by God is that everyone? Everyone who's associated with
Babylon In their religious works and efforts, false religion,
they will be exposed for what they are, uncircumcised in heart
and ears. Their shame will be exposed.
Think about it. That's the issue. And so he says
in verse 18, here's the last one. What profiteth the graven
image that the maker thereof hath graven it, the molten image
and a teacher of lies? the maker of his work trusteth
therein to make dumb idols woe unto him that sayeth to wood
awake to the dumb stone arise it shall teach behold it is laid
over with gold and silver and there is no breath at all in
the midst of it there's the greatest sin of all idolatry well you
know without Christ all religion is idolatry without grace without
mercy without righteousness it's all idolatry What's he saying
here? He says, when all that is exposed,
when your glory is turned into shame, when all these woes come
about, your false gods will not help you. They will not help you. You're
praying to a God that cannot save. My friend, if you're praying
to a God who cannot justify the ungodly, Through the Lord Jesus
Christ, through his blood and righteousness alone, you're praying
to a God that cannot save. But he says, in closing here,
he says, but the Lord is in his holy temple. Now this does, listen,
all this stuff, I know it's awful. We know, but for the grace of
God, that's exactly where we would all be, without exception. Isn't that right? Where we'd
all be. We know that God has mercy on
his people. He has a people that he's given
to Christ. And he sent Christ to die for
their sins and to bring forth righteousness whereby he justifies
it. He sends his spirit to circumcise
them in heart and ears and bring them to Christ in faith and repentance. And we know that Babylon the
great, the great whore, is going to fall, is falling. but the
Lord is in his holy temple and there's our hope if he wasn't
in his holy temple we wouldn't have any hope because you know
his holy temple is the temple of the covenant it's the temple
of his presence it's the temple of his visitation it's the temple
of his glory it's the temple of his grace it's the temple
of his mercy It's where the Shekinah dwells above the mercy seat. It's where Christ is revealed
in all his glory as the God-man mediator, the one mediator between
God and man. It's where Christ is revealed
as the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world for
the forgiveness of all our sins. It's where Christ is revealed
as the Lord our righteousness, right there. And therefore, when
we see that, let all the earth keep silence for him. Listen. Don't talk. Just listen. Here's
faith. Here's worship. Here's humility.
Here's submission. Listen to the Lord. Revere him. Respect him. Keep silence. Stop
justifying yourself. Stop justifying myself. Nothing
gonna do any good. God knows the truth. He looks
on the heart. Keep silence. Stop trying to save yourself.
You can't do it. Stop trying to save myself. Stop
trying to make a name for myself. God's not impressed. The only
thing he's impressed with is his son. This is my beloved son
in whom I'm well pleased to hear you here. You may impress men,
but that's Babylon. The only thing that's going to
impress God is his son. Keep silent. Stop trying to establish
a righteousness of your own, and be quiet and submit to Christ
and His righteousness, for He's the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believes. The Lord's in His holy temple.
Be a participant in the golden silence of faith, and God will bring all things
to His glory. All right. That thing is our
closing hymn, hymn number 300.