The righteous shall live by Faith-Eric Mtimkulu

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Verse 2 And this is God's response to Hapaka.

And the Lord answered me right to the vision.

Make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it?

For still the vision awaits its appointed time.

It speaks of the end. It will not lie.

If it seems slow, wait for it. It will surely come.

It will not delay. Behold, his soul is puffed up.

It is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by

faith. Our gracious Lord in heaven, I

pray that you would help us this morning as we listen to your

word. Fill my lips this morning with

grace. Fill my lips with truth this

morning. We ask that the Holy Spirit

would give us faith through this word this morning, that the Holy

Spirit would convict us through your word this morning, O Lord.

And therefore we pray, Lord, that you would be glorified

through the preaching and the proclamation of this good news.

We ask this in your name, Amen. So the title of this message

this morning is The righteous shall leave by faith.

And the proposition for this message this morning is God's

divine justice prevails. Therefore, God's people need to

wait patiently with anticipation that God's promises will be

fulfilled. We worked through chapter 1.

I think Stefan opened this series for us and you looked at

verse one to verse 4. And again, as a reminder, we

know that Habakkuk's heart is broken.

In fact, Habakkuk is frustrated over Judah's sin and

unfaithfulness. Judah is not, of course,

obedient to the Lord, nor are they faithful to God.

And Habakkuk is a prophet that is upset and is upset because

the Lord is not doing anything about it.

And again, this is according to Habakkuk.

And so he calls out to the Lord, as you can see from verse one to

verse four, he calls out to the Lord.

How long are you going to let this happen?

So Habakkuk is a frustrated prophet.

He's expecting God to act, and God seems to be slow.

In verse 5 to verse 11, God answers.

He says, Habakug, I am going to do something about Judah's sin.

I am going to judge Judah. I am going to discipline Judah,

and I'm going to use the Babylonians of the church,

Aldeans to do this. In other words, God is going to

judge His own people for their wickedness from verse 12 to

chapter 2, verse one, Habakkuk is not happy with God's response

because God had told him that I'm going to use the Babylonians

to discipline you. And Habakkuk is not happy with

God's response because God, how can you use a sinful and wicked

and terrible people to discipline your chosen holy

people? How can you use the wicked to

discipline the descendants of Abraham and God saying I'm going

to do it, I will discipline my people.

And so as we step into chapter 2, it would seem to me that

there are two major themes that are coming up in chapter 2.

One being faith, but again, another one being patience.

In other words, the big question here is how do we respond when

we know God ought to fix something and yet God is not

doing anything about it? Habakkuk knows that God is

indeed now going to act because God has responded to Habakkuk.

Habakkuk, I'm going to do something about Judah's sin.

But the issue is Habakkuk does not know when God will act, but

he wants to know when God, are you actually going to do this?

And so Habakkuk is not happy, is unhappy with two things.

Yeah, he is not happy with God's timing.

He is also not happy with God's method.

God, when are you going to act? But also why are you using the

Chaldinians as well? And so we are ought to be

reminded that Habakkuk is saying, Lord, I want to know

when are you going to act against these people?

It is often comforting to us that to know that Jesus is

coming back. But often we wonder when, right?

And that's why we've had so many prophecies until the 60s.

We know about three months ago someone says Jesus is coming on

this particular date. We know he is coming, but we

asking ourselves when is he coming?

So this is the predicament of Habakkuk.

He knows God is going to do something, but when Job perhaps

in his suffering, he knew that God would surely deliver him,

but he did not know when. When are you going to deliver

me? And God does not tell Habakkuk?

No, God doesn't respond. The only thing God says to him,

write the vision down and make it plain on tablets.

Habakkuk, I want you to do this. Write the vision down.

And the other thing I want you to do is then write it and run

with it. In other words, explain it to

other people. Write the vision down and

explain it to that. Those who had may proclaim it.

They may spread the word everywhere, but it will surely

come to pass. But what I want you to do now,

write down their vision and make it plain on just so that who may

run with those who read it actually may run with the four

that still the vision awaits its appointed time.

God is saying to Abuku, write down the vision, spread it, let

everyone know about the vision. In addition to that, I want you

to know as you do that I will deal with the Babylonians.

Trust me, I will deal with them ultimately, but I am not going

to share with you more than that.

I want you to simply know I will deal with the wicked and with

the evil. I'll deal with them, but it is

not for you to know my calendar as to when I'm going to do this.

Point number one, God's timing is perfect.

Habakkuk, of course, has been asking the Lord God, why are you

going to judge? These people must remember that

it is after only 80 years, after this God actually deals with the

Chaldeans and Habakkuk. All of this time he had to wait

and to wait patiently for the Lord to act.

Saints, let us be guaranteed that God had marked the date on

His timetable that He is going to act not a day before, not a

day later, but at God's appointed time.

He is going to act against the Babylonians or the Chaldeans in

His own time. It will happen at the appointed

time, and that appointment will not be missed.

But God has His own timetable. In his own time God acts.

He will indeed dethrone the Chaldeans.

He will punish evil. But in his own appointed time,

God acts when He sees fit, not when we see fit.

Colossians chapter 5 verse 22 verse 23 says, but the fruit of

the Spirit is Lovejoy, peace and patience, kindness, goodness,

faith. In the gentleness, self-control.

Against such things there is no law.

Colossians 312 says. Therefore, as God's chosen

people, holy and dearly love, clothe yourself with compassion,

kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

The apostle Paulia encouraging the Saints to put on Clothe

yourself with patience. Patience means we are submitting

ourselves to the will of the Lord and not demanding our own

will. But God will surely ACT.

But we must wait for the Lord to act in His own appointed time

and simply submitting ourselves to the will of God.

Tindale Bible Dictionary defines patience as the ability to take

a great deal of punishment from evil people or circumstances

without losing 1's temper, without becoming irritated and

angry, without taking vengeance. It includes the capacity to bear

pain or trial without complaint, the ability to for bear under

severe provocation, and the self-control that keeps one from

acting rashly even through suffering, opposition or

adversity. I wonder if you can identify

with that definition of patience.

And surely Habakkuk had to identify with this.

He is to wait, as angry as he was, not to lose his temper, not

to want to take vengeance, but to wait upon the Lord in spite

of suffering or the adversity that he face.

We are called to be patient. We are never called to take

matters into our own hands. Just like Abraham and Sarah.

Godhead reminded Abraham that indeed you will have the

promised son. And Abraham thought, listen,

biology is not on my side, let me take the matters into my own

hands. And then they had a baby with a

maidservant who was not the promised son, because God knew I

have a promised son in mind. When we take the matters into

our own hands instead of waiting, often we end up making

bad and wrong decisions. We must often wait.

Habakkuk has to wait and learn to walk by faith in our waiting,

waiting patiently, knowing that God's promises will be

fulfilled. Let me remind you as we say that

that a time spent waiting for God in prayer is not a wasted

time. Often God uses that time to

conform us to the likeness of His Son.

Therefore, I do not know this morning what you are impatient

about, but God's justice normally takes time.

God's calendar is different from ours.

God's timetable is different from us.

Well, Jerry Bridges put it this way, that the cure for

impatience with the fulfillment of God's timetable is to believe

his promises, obey his will, and leave the results to him.

So often when God's timetable stretches into years, we become

discouraged and we want to give up or try to work something on

our own. I can identify with that.

I say, Lord, you're too slow for me.

Let me try to do this on my own. Spurgeon puts it this way.

Patience, Patience, you are always in a hurry, but God is

not. God is not in a hurry.

We have to wait. Patience demands that we wait

upon the Lord, and we ask ourselves, God, when?

What are you going to do about this?

When are you going to show up? God, when are you going to act?

We ask ourselves about the evil in our world and say, God, when

are you going to act? As we listen to the Malanga

Commission, we ask ourselves, God, when are you going to act?

When I How long are you going to allow forced religion?

How long are you going to allow senseless killing?

How long are you going to allow evil and injustice in our world?

We ask ourselves this question as though God is not listening

and God is saying, wait, I don't act according to your timetable,

I have my own. We want God to act, but surely

God will act. We never have the full picture.

God has the full picture. We don't have everything figured

out. God has a full picture and he

knows the beginning from the end.

God will not delay. He's got his own schedule.

He is working everything perfectly according to on will

and purposes, not just what it says.

For the revelation awaits upon the time.

It speaks of the end. It will not prove false, though

it lean away for it, it will certainly come.

God does not miss a deadline. God has a perfect timing,

therefore be patient. Instead of putting our hope and

our security in this world, we have to wait upon God to put our

hope in Him, to trust in Him. That's why the righteous lives

by faith, because they are meant to trust in Him.

Therefore, we wait with anticipation that indeed God

will act. God not only acts, but God

speaks to Habakkuk. He speaks to him.

Church, be reminded that there are seasons where we may feel

God is silent. May I submit to you that we have

mastered talking to God, but we have not mastered what it means

to listen to God. Perhaps the issue is not that

God has not spoken. Maybe the issue is we are not

listening to God. He speaks through preaching and

speaks through words, but often it means putting your phone down

and opening up your Bible and God speaking to you.

God speaks. The question is, are you

listening? And sometimes God would even use

other people in our lives who would speak things that would be

a confirmation of things we know perhaps God has been saying to

us. But God speaks when you listen

to him. Perhaps it may transform the

manner and the way in which you wait.

But this is what I like about Habakkuk.

He is honest with God. When you read the psalmist, one

of the interesting things for me is the honesty of the psalmist.

Often you find David saying, God, where are you God?

How long is this going to happen?

The psalmist were honest about their feelings.

They they were never in a position where they could

pretend about how things were going.

They were honest about how they thought.

And Habakkuk is honest. Yeah.

In fact, David would even say, before God, will you forget me

forever? Because he feels as though God

has left him, has deserted him. He says my eyes can't see

anymore. Where are you?

Oh God, I can't see your face. I can't see your presence.

Where are you? David is crying out.

He can't see God. It is the same picture with

Harper. God, do something.

I am anticipating you to do something.

And so often when we feel God has abandoned us, this is what

we do. We look to ourselves.

Every time we feel God has left us, we lose perspective of the

reality and then we look to us. That is why we don't make

decisions when we are in distress and in pain.

Why? Because often pain and distress

makes us blind to the truth and we don't think really.

That is why when people people quit their jobs when they're

angry, I hate my job and they quit and go home after five of

the thing meant it. I just quit my job.

When we are overwhelmed by internal darkness, we don't make

good decisions. And so Habaku comes before God

in honesty. In addition to that 1.2 he says,

how long O Lord, must I call for help?

That's two and three verse 1, chapter 1, verse two and three.

How long Lord, must I call for help?

But you do not listen or cry to you violence, but you do not

save. Habakkuk had voice his complaint

directly before God. So can I say to us this morning,

including including myself, we don't have to pretend that we

are OK when we are not OK. You don't have to.

The sovereign God knows you're not OK Don't pretend.

Often God meets us where we are. There is a pastor that I

followed online, Alexander Len. I loved this man so much and one

day he wrote a post that perhaps shook many of us, but I love the

honesty. He writes the following.

I have made the decision that I am no longer leaving.

That I'm no longer leaving my post as head stuff, but I'm

going to be leaving the pastorate all together.

I no longer have a desire to serve as a pastor in a church.

In my sermon, I told my congregation that I am exhausted

from writing, memorizing, and preaching sermons week after

week for 10 years. I'm done.

OK, please, that's not me. I'm just reading.

It's too please, it's too soon to be tired, but it's just

saying I'm quitting. Can't do this anymore.

And, and, and I mean, if you follow his ministry, He did not

leave Christ. He did not turn back his, he

turned his back on Christ and the gospel.

But he simply says, I cannot be a pastor anymore.

It's too much, he said. I'm tired.

God is often working in our waiting, in his own pace and in

his own timetable. Notice verse 3, the last part.

It will come and it will not delay.

God reminds Harper Cook. Listen, don't, don't, don't take

justice. It's not your place to do so.

God says I am committed to justice, but if justice has to

happen in my own terms, I know you're seeing evil running

rampant, but I want you to know that I will deal with this.

And God Outline is going to outline what that means to

Harper Cook. Perhaps we may this morning even

be feeling like Haper Cook. That there are people in our

lives who have done things. It feels as though they're

getting away with it. It may feel that someone is

getting away with it. Perhaps you were betrayed by a

close friend. Perhaps you were betrayed by a

business partner. You were betrayed by a family

member, a dishonest Co worker. You may be feeling this morning

someone betrayed me. They should have paid for that.

Perhaps you've been overlooked for a promotion and someone got

it through nepotism or bribery and you feel overlooked and you

say, self Lord, where's the justice in that?

Can I say to you, God sees you, he cares about you.

Evil will not go unanswered. But you are not to take up the

arms and say I'm going to fight. Justice belongs to God.

So Habakkuk do nothing about this.

I am going to act. Notice God speaks this and

actually use the the in six ways in which he's going to do that.

Notice the following verses. He highlighted these 6 rules to

do not only to Judah, but specifically to the Babylonians.

Verse 4 to verse 6. The arrogant and greedy will be

taunted. There's 6 to 8 he who steals

with plunder. There's 9 to 11.

He who gets wealth unjustly is for feeding his life.

There's 12 to 14. He who builds with violence

builds in vain, 15 to 17. He who uses power to abuse will

taste his own medicine. There's 18 to 19 He who tends to

idols, in other words, lifeless stones for help will find no

help at all. God lays it down and He says to

him, I am going to do this. Listen, do nothing.

He says in Proverbs 2220 verse 20 says do not say I will pay

you back for the wrong. Wait for the Lord and He will

avenge you. That's the point God makes here

to Habakkuk. I'm going to deal with them in

all of this. I'm going to do that, but

Habakkuk, do nothing. It's not your job.

Perhaps as you read those verses from verse 4 to verse 19, maybe

we can keep that slide up there. As you read verse 4 to verse 19

and you look at that list and perhaps you're saying the

Babylonians are so evil, wicked people of God.

But may I suggest that maybe few fingers are pointing at us.

Arrogant. Can you identify with arrogance?

Perhaps I can. Can you identify with

greediness? Can you identify with abusing

power? As a manager, as a boss, as a

colleague? Have you stolen something?

Perhaps what I made her to say. That's them.

Perhaps just to say I see myself here as well and I need the

Lord's sanctifying power in my own life to transform me to the

image of his Son. And then lastly, he says which

is 4 verse 4B point #2 put your faith in God by the righteous

shall live by faith. For those of you who know church

history and we've just come through the the Reformation

period and you would know who in some ways has been the main

figure of the Reformation is Martin Luther the Reformer.

And I shared this because this particular verse has a bigness

significance in the Reformation because Luther was a monk and

often he wanted to subject his body and you know, to submit to

God. And in doing so, and sometimes

he would actually lash himself, beat himself and starve himself

in order to become right before God as a monk.

He wanted to use external ways. He wanted to use works in order

to become right with God. One day.

Luther is reading Romans chapter one verse 17 quoting Habakkuk

Habakkuk 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2. But the righteous shall live by

faith. Martin Luther's eyes open

instantly. He realizes at that moment, this

is not my own righteous. I cannot make myself acceptable

before God. It's not because anything I can

do to become right with God. At that moment he realizes that

righteousness is a free gift of God.

He changes his theology all together that salvation is no

longer by works, but salvation is in Christ and Christ alone.

The righteous shall live by faith and in this context the

especially when you look at the Hebrew words, you find that in

this context the word righteous is not really talking about

justification by faith alone. In this colleagues of Abacoog,

that word righteous, in fact is a synonym for the word innocent

or right. So Habakkuk uses this word here

is to oppose or in opposition to those who are wicked or those

who are evil, who are the Babylonians.

So he's using this phrase of ours to talk about innocent and

right. But also in addition to that,

he's saying in the context of this book that those who are

righteous are those who live according to the law of God or

the Mosaic law of God, who are loyal and faithful remnant of

Judah, who obey God. Therefore, those kind of people

will live by faith. How the translations use the

word faithfulness. So Habakkuk's anecdote on how to

live in dark and evil days is to live by faith, to persevere in

spite of adversity. And therefore you may choose

this morning to place your faith in God or to withdraw all

together. But those who live by faith are

governed by the truth of God's word.

Notice the final thing, Hapa Good.

Instead of bringing all of this together in verse 16, you will

be filled with shame instead of glory.

Now it is your turn. Drink and let your nakedness be

exposed. The cup from the Lord's right

hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your

glory. What do you notice there?

Few words. Cup, nakedness, disgrace.

May I ask you who do those words remind you of cup, nakedness,

disgrace or shame? Hebrews 12/2 and looking into

Jesus, the author and the Perfector of our faith, who for

the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the

shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Matthew 2727. Then the governor's soldiers

took Jesus into the governor's headquarters and gathered the

whole company of soldiers around him.

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.

There is only one in this world who has taken our shame.

Indeed, because of Adam and Eve, we were naked.

But Christ took our shame, He took our guilt.

He is the only one who drank the cup.

He drank the cup of suffering. He drank the cup of God's wrath

on our behalf. He is the only one who was

beaten, who was flogged, who was exposed on our behalf in order

for us to be reconciled before a holy God.

And therefore this morning he calls upon all of us here to

repent and believe, to turn away from sin and to turn to Christ

and to place our faith in him and him alone.

Then what the author does in the last verse in verse 19 to 20.

I love what he does. The 19 and 20 who to him who

says to he wouldn't think awake and what the author is doing

they saying these other gods are not alive, they are they are

made of stone. They are laughless stones.

They are unable to communicate or to speak to those who follow

them. In other words, the God of the

Babylonians is dead, but not in verse 20.

Our God is not dead. He is sovereign.

He is alive, He is in control. That is the posture of waiting,

to know that God is sovereign, but also God is in control.

He speaks in all situations and he continues to do so.

The question we have to ask ourselves this morning, are we

listening and are we waiting in anticipation and are we waiting

in the right place and in the right position?

Justice belongs to God. Amen.

Father, we pray this morning and thank you.

Thank you for your words that reminds us to wait in

anticipation this morning, to wait on you for you.

We know that you act not according to our calendar, not

according to our schedule, nor according to our timetable.

And so, Lord, at times we are in a hurry to say, God, do this, do

that. And often that you remind us to

wait. And therefore, Lord, help us to

write, to wait in the right place, in the right position,

with the right posture. We want to wait in prayer.

We want to wait to listening to you because that we know that

perhaps you have been speaking to us and perhaps we simply are

not listening. Help us to hear from you.

Perhaps that will transform our waiting.

Perhaps that will transform our hearts.

And so that we pray that also give us the faith to wait,

because the righteous shall live by faith that in this wicked

age, in this wicked world, help us our God to wait a faith

trusting that indeed you will come through.

And so, Lord, we place our hope in you this morning.

We placed our trust in you this morning as the one who is

sovereign, the one who is in control of all things, in Jesus

name, Amen. Thank you for listening to

today's message. We hope you are encouraged and

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Until next time, stay clear and keep shining your light.