Sermon Tone Analysis

*When Everything Falls Apart!*

The Bible is relevant to today – God’s Word is eternal, it speaks just as much to us in the 21st Century as in Habakkuk’s day.

But the world today is different – there were no medical laboratory scientists in Habakkuk’s day, nor AA mechanics or cable factories.

To appreciate the impact of the prophecy we need to appreciate what the situation was like then.

The economy of Israel was agricultural – your wealth, your life was tied to the land, to your farm.

If the rains came, life was good.

If your flocks reproduced, if your harvest was good, then life was good.

Your wealth was your vintage, your harvest, your flocks and herds.

People grew grapes and made wine, harvested olives and pressed oil.

Grew wheat and barley, raise sheep, goats and to a lesser extent, cattle.

This was the measure of a man – his vintage, the pressing of his oil, his grain, his flocks and herds.

If these were hit then suddenly his wealth could go (late frost last month decimated our garden – it doesn’t take much).

So it paid to have your eggs in more than one basket, grain, grapes, olives, figs, sheep – then if one suffered you had the other.

But your life was directly connected to what the land produced.

With that context [Read Hab 3:16-19].

Every area was hit!

What else could go wrong?! (cf.

Job).

*Distress is coming.

(v.16)* - Trouble will come.

I can prophesy with certainty that judgement will come – because this is what God’s Word clearly and consistently states.

Over and over again in the prophets predict terrible judgement.

What do you do with that information?

Some would rather hear something more encouraging.

But why does the Bible tell us about coming judgement?

To ignore it is to be caught unawares, to have you world unravel, to think everything has gone wrong and fallen apart.

But if we are prepared, we realise that everything is going to plan (*Luke 21:22-28*/ because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled.

“Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there *will be* great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”/.)

The Bible tells us about coming judgement in order that we might be prepared.

For the one who is prepared beforehand these coming days are not terrifying – my personal Bible reading: (*Isaiah 43:1** */Thus says /יהוה/, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!/* */“When you pass through the waters*, I will be with you*; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you/.)

– The waters picture the turmoil of the nations in angry opposition to God.

The waters rage, Israel goes through a terrible time of trouble, and (like it or not) we have been joined to them (*Ephesians 2:12-19* /You were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel … But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For He made both groups into one  ….

so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, and might reconcile them both in one body to God ….  through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household/.)

We go through the waters but יהוה tells us not to fear for *He is with us*, that is all we need.

If He is with us we cannot perish.

The disciples went through troubled waters (*Matthew 8:24* /Behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep/.)

Was the boat going to sink and the Messiah die?

Unthinkable!

Is Jesus with us?

Then He will not sink and neither will we.

We need to trust Jesus, and not look to the circumstances.

(*2 Corinthians 5:7* /We walk by faith, not by sight/).

“How are you?”

“Pretty well under the circumstances?”

Are you/ under/ your circumstances?

He is with us in the storm.

Yes, in the storms of our present circumstances, but they are just preparation for the great storm to come.

Habakkuk responds to the vision of this terrifying time of ultimate and final judgement when יהוה’s wrath is poured out.

Habakkuk was terrified by what he saw.

The vision made him tremble - he was shaken in his inner-most being.

His lips quivered at the thought of what was coming upon the earth.

This revelation ate away at the prophet’s very self and being - such is the coming devastation and the intensity of יהוה’s fury.

A fierce and invincible army would overwhelm Israel - Habakkuk knew it must happen.

It filled him with dread yet at the same time welcomed it as יהוה’s perfect will.

Although he fully realized its horror, his faith in יהוה was as solid secure as ever.

And his reaction of quiet trust reflects the attitude of the future godly remnant during the Great Tribulation.

Habakkuk professes deep faith in God despite outward suffering to be endured.

It is those with faith that will live - their faithfulness will be credited to them as righteousness.

Habakkuk shows that utter dependence upon יהוה and His promised salvation despite the whole world falling apart around him in terrible punishments.

This is what it means that "the righteous will live by his faith" (cf.

Hab 2:4).

He didn’t try to avoid what was coming or prevent it, plead with יהוה to stay His hand.

Habakkuk was content to leave things in יהוה’s hands.

He knew that יהוה was in control, that His ways are perfect and so he had complete confidence in his God and waited calmly and patiently for יהוה’s perfect justice to be out-worked.

Habakkuk had cried out to יהוה for justice; and justice will come: (*Luke 18:7-8* /Now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?

“I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly.

However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”;/)

Habakkuk’s great cry was for יהוה to bring about justice./

/(*Isaiah 59:15-20* יהוה/ saw, and it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice.

And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him.

He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.

According to their deeds, so He will repay, wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; to the coastlands He will make recompense.

So they will fear the name of /יהוה/ from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun, for He will come like a rushing stream which the wind of /יהוה/ drives.

“A Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares /יהוה/./)

*What happens when things go wrong?

(v.17)** v.17* - Habakkuk is left reeling, overcome by the vision that יהוה has given of the final judgement upon Babylon and the distress that His people must go through before that happens.

Habakkuk describes a situation where every area had been struck.

Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong.

Have you ever experienced that, felt that?

Blow after blow comes upon you.

What can go wrong next?!

How do you react when things go wrong, your world falls apart?

I have never experienced such as devastating blow as Habakkuk describes.

What do you do when everything falls apart?

Are you affected by circumstances?

I get upset when my computer plays up or my bike gets a puncture – that’s why I’m fairly consistently grumpy, it’s pretty much all the time.

How do you react when things go wrong – relationship under strain, lose a job, financial pressure, sickness, disappointment, loss?

Does the blow make you stagger, topple?

Remember Habakkuk had just had revelation of terrible coming judgement: war, earthquakes, tsunami, mountains quaking, seas roaring, the order of the heavens disrupted!

Devastating circumstances!

Although Habakkuk was left trembling, though he knew hard and terrible times lay ahead, his faith was completely unshaken.

He had unswerving trust in his Saviour, in his God in whom his salvation was assured.

With respect to the promise of God, like Abraham, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God (*Hebrews 10:/23/*/ let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful/).

Our faith is based upon יהוה’s faithfulness.