Habbakuk week 1

It's ok for us to be raw and real with God.
4 Ways God answers prayer:
1. I can't hear you - when we are not in right standing with God. Ps 66:18
2. Yes. Isa 65:24
3. No. 2 Cor 12:8-9
4. Wait. Isa 55:8-9

Habakkuk 1:1-4 (NIV)
1The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received. 2How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? 3Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. 4Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

Psalm 66:18 (NIV)
18If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

Isaiah 65:24 (NIV)
24Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.

2 Corinthians 12:8–9 (NIV)
8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Isaiah 55:8–9 (NIV)
8“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
9“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Habakkuk 1:5-11 (NIV)
5“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. 6I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. 7They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor. 8Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour; 9they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand. 10They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them. 11Then they sweep past like the wind and go on— guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”

God was going to use tragedy and calamity to bring people back to Himself. God can still use hard times to bring people back to Him, and He is always at work.

1. BE honest

Habakkuk 1:2 (NIV)
2How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

Being a Christian doesn't exempt us from difficulty and troubling circumstances.

2. BE patient

Isaiah 5:19 (NIV)
19to those who say, “Let God hurry; let him hasten his work so we may see it. The plan of the Holy One of Israel— let it approach, let it come into view, so we may know it.”

3. DON’T give up

Psalm 73:13–14 (NIV)
13Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.
14All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.

Psalm 73:16 (NIV)
16When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply

Psalm 73:17 (NIV)
17till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

Ask God for faith

4. Trust IN GOD

Habakkuk 1:5 (NIV)
5“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

Habakkuk 2:20 (NIV)
20The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

God is good and in control. Period. No matter what. God is at work in our struggles. He's got this.
God welcomes our questions and doubts, talk to Him, lean into Him.

Habbakuk week 2

A crisis of belief

Habakkuk 1:2 (NIV)
2How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

Habakkuk 1:5 (NIV)
5“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

crisis

Habbakuk's complaint

Habakkuk 1:12–17 (NIV)
12LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, LORD, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.
13Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
14You have made people like the fish in the sea, like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad.
16Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food.
17Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy?

listen

Take time to listen to God

Habakkuk 2:1 (NIV)
1I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

write

Write down what God says to you

Habakkuk 2:2 (NIV)
2Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.

wait

Wait for God and His plan. We can trust God's timing. Learn in the waiting.

Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV)
3For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

Nehemiah 9:1–3 (NIV)
1On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.
2Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.
3They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.

faith

Have faith that God's plan is good. Sometimes we believe in what we see, sometimes we believe in spite of what we see.

Habakkuk 2:4 (NIV)
4“See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness—

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
7For we live by faith, not by sight.

silence

God is on His throne, be silent before him and trust Him.

Habakkuk 2:20 (NIV)
20The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

Habakkuk 2:6 (NIV)
6“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, “ ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’

Habakkuk 2:9 (NIV)
9“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin!

Habakkuk 2:12 (NIV)
12“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice!

God is fully aware of the sinful ways of the enemy, and can use it to bring the righteous back to Him. Fix our eyes on the eternal. Walk by faith and trust in Him.

Habakkuk 2:15 (NIV)
15“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!

Habakkuk 2:19 (NIV)
19Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
7For we live by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (NIV)
16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 5:6–10 (NIV)
6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.
7For we live by faith, not by sight.
8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Habbakuk week 3

How do we respond when God doesn't act the way we want Him to?

Matthew 7:11 (NIV)
11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Habakkuk 1:2 (NIV)
2How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

Habakkuk 1:5-6 (NIV)
5“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.

Habakkuk 1:12 (NIV)
12LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, LORD, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.

Habakkuk 2:1 (NIV)
1I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV)
3For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:20 (NIV)
20The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

1. Pray.

We must pray and talk to God. Instead of spending our time complaining and talking to others, we should spend our time praying.

Habakkuk 3:1 (NIV)
1A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.

2. Remember.

Remember what God has done, trust Him. Find comfort in remembering who God is. Read the Word, think about the good things that God has done for us.

Habakkuk 3:2 (NIV)
2LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

Habakkuk 3:3–4 (NIV)
3God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth.
4His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden.

Habakkuk 3:5–6 (NIV)
5Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps.
6He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed— but he marches on forever.

Habakkuk 3:11 (NIV)
11Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear.
Habakkuk remembers a time when Joshua was in a battle and they were winning and it was about to get dark and Joshua cried out to God, make the son stand still, and it did for 3 hours.

Habakkuk 3:13–15 (NIV)
13You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot.
14With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding.
15You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters.

3. Embrace.

Embrace God even in times of trouble, hold tight to Him. Love God for who He is.

Habakkuk 3:16–19 (NIV)
16I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.

Habakkuk 3:17–19 (NIV)
17Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
18yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

4. Shigionoth

A musical term, a lyrical poem with emotion, passion, dancing, joy. God, if you never do another thing, you are my everything.

Habakkuk 3:1 (NIV)
1A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.

And Peter

Peter, the one who denied Jesus three times, was probably full of guilt and shame. God didn't want Peter to be left out or to stay away.

Mark 16:6-7 - “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Luke 22:62 - “And he [Peter] went outside and wept bitterly.”

Failure is not fatal or defining

Failure is not the end and doesn't define us if we've accepted Jesus.

God called you in spite of your failures.

God knows everything about us, past, present, and future, and He loves us anyway.

1 John 3:20 – “If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

Max Lucado – “You are never more saved or less saved than the moment you were first saved.”

God loves you in spite of your failures.

Jesus doesn't beat Peter up or put him down because of Peter's denial, he gently restores him. Neither the present nor the future... Nothing can separate us from God.

Romans 8:-38-39 – “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God wants to use you in spite of your failures.

God wants a humble heart, a repentant spirit. God knows our mistakes, and He wants to use us for His Glory. He can take our mess and turn it into a beautiful message.

Luke 22:62 - “And he [Peter] went outside and wept bitterly.”

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

What have you built your life on?

Make sure your foundation is on The Rock.

Matthew 7:24–27 (NIV)
24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Hunger for God, let your light shine, give, pray, fast, store up treasure in heaven, don't worry.

Matthew 5:6 (NIV)
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:14–16 (NIV)
14“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 6:3–4 (NIV)
3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:6 (NIV)
6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:17–18 (NIV)
17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
18so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:19–21 (NIV)
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:31–33 (NIV)
31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 7:24–25 (NIV)
24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

1. Lean into Jesus.

He paid the price for our sins, is praying for us, and is waiting to come back someday!

2. Don’t be afraid.

Cry out to him to give you a spirit to overcome the fear, peace that passes all understanding.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

3. Don’t worry.

Pray!

Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV)
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

4. Find joy and grow!

Find joy in knowing Jesus, lean in to Him. Take time to hear from God.

James 1:2–4 (NIV)
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

5. We will get through this!

This is not the end of the world.

6. Continue to be the church.

7. Hit the right note!

I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely, as stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God. —Martin Luther in 1527 concerning the proper response to the bubonic plague.

2030: This World Is Not Our Home

This world is not our home.

We are citizens of Heaven. Our life is so much more than our time on Earth, it goes on forever. What we do in our time on Earth has huge implications on our time in eternity.

Colossians 3:1-2 – “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Matthew 6:9-10 – “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Ambassadors – “an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country.”

Eph 6:20, 2 Cor 5:20

What does this perspective do?

It realigns our priorities
It resizes our problems

It realigns our priorities

Our focus should be on the resurrection, looking forward to eternity. Jesus should be THE PRIORITY that aligns all other priorities in our lives. When we live in the light of eternity, our priorities become more in line with God's.

1 Corinthians 15:32 (NLT) – “And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus[a]—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

Pastor John Wesley – “I judge all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.

It resizes our problems

Jn 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Pray, fast, worship, spend time in the Word, serve, be still.

2 Corinthians 4:14, 16-18 –…”we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself….16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Psalm 39:4 – “Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.”

2030: Worship

Let's Talk about Worship

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Worship it's not just a song, but our whole lives.

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Isaiah 6:1–8 (NIV)
1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
2Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
3And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

WORSHIP IS OUR WHOLE LIFE RESPONSE TO THE GLORY OF GOD.

We can't encounter the glory of God without realizing our sin.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)
31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

2 Samuel 6:12–16 (NIV)
12Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.
13When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.
14Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might,
15while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
16As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.

2 Chronicles 20:1–4 (NIV)
1After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.
2Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).
3Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
4The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.

2 Chronicles 20:12 (NIV)
12Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

2 Chronicles 20:13–18 (NIV)
13All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD.
14Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
15He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.
17You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’ ”
18Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD.

Mark 5:1–6 (NIV)
1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.
2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him.
3This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain.
4For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.
5Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.

Mark 5:6 (NKJV)
6When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.

Mark 5:15 (NIV)
15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

- 2 Chron 20:18, they were worshipping when they were still fully surrounded.
- If we deny something good about God, we imply something bad about him. -Matt Redmon
- Mk 5, this man was alone and scared and wanted to hurt himself, just like many of us. When he saw Jesus, he ran and worshipped Him.