John Lloyd - Habakkuk Finale

Living By Faith In An Unbelieving World.

Living by Faith in an Unbelieving World: 

A Study of the Book of Habakkuk

 Living out Hope in Difficult Situations  Habakkuk 3:3-19

Pastor John Lloyd

February 4, 2018

Habakkuk models for us how to live out hope while facing an overwhelming situation.  He trembles at the thought of what will happen to his beloved nation.  Yet, he shows us how we can face tests and trials bigger than us.  He gives us a path to help us find the resources we need to have a strengthened faith.  It’s our prayer that God would use this time to encourage each one of us to be renewed in hope because of the faithfulness of our Savior Jesus and His great promises to us. 

Habakkuk 3:16 I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,   

Memory Verses: 3:18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places

Big Idea:  God’s presence is the key to walking through difficult situations while having our hope renewed.  God is my Army!

How can I truly live by faith even in the midst of difficult situations?

I.               God’s greatness is greater than all created things and difficulties.

Habakkuk 3:3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4 His brightness was like thelight; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power.

A.    Remember the Lord’s victory and battle.

Habakkuk 3:7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

Habakkuk 3:11 The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear. 12 You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger. 13 You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. (Habakkuk 3:14-15) (I Corinthians 15:26, Hebrews 2:14, Hebrews 10:10, John 11:25-26)

His Great Power and Plan will prevail!  God is my Army!

B.    God will deal with sin and evil.

Habakkuk 3:16 I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 3:10 & 23)

“The appearance of God as army commander and the contemplation of his victory not only fill the prophet with fear but arm him with trust for the day of trouble.  The prophet will live secure in undisturbed peace.”  Szeles

“They will be delivered from exile but first they must endure it. Scarcity leads us to recognize our need for a God who speaks to us.”  Bruckner

Habakkuk 3:17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,

“Suffering is not something we want to avoid. Suffering is a key means to experiencing a deeper union with Christ.” Kevin Emmert

Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

My sins, great and small have been paid for by Jesus Christ!  God is my Army!

II.             Cherish God’s presence above all earthly presents.

Habakkuk 3:18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“One of the marks of faith is a willingness to wait patiently for the Lord to work. The great British expositor G. Campbell Morgan said, “Our joy is in proportion to our trust. Our trust is in proportion to our knowledge of God.”

Warren Wiersbe

John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (Romans 8:38-39, Matt. 28:20, Ps. 28:7)

His Presence overcomes my fears and anxieties!  God is my Army!

III.             Expect God to renew and grow your faith to new heights.

Habakkuk 3:19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. (Is.42:16,I Peter 1:7)

“The picture represents the lighthearted and secure gait of the deer as it bounds over the hills without ever stumbling. It is a description of the person of faith in the sense of emunah, one who has received strength and resolution, who is no longer fettered by temptation, who is no more oppressed with the weight of doubt. Yahweh’s strength has brought him release. Consequently he can stand still when under affliction and walk with confidence in times of oppression.”  Szeles

Colossians 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (John 14:12)

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

We are renewed in hope when Jesus Christ is living in us.                God is my army! 

Growth Group Questions for February 4, 2018

Opener:  What is a current challenge in your life that requires faith?   

1.  Read Habakkuk 3:3-19.  Summarize in your own words what’s going on this passage.  What does God say that will help Habakkuk face his tribulations? 

2.  Read Habakkuk 3:3-15.  List as many facts as you see Habakkuk remembering in the history of Israel and the world.  “The Christian faith is based solidly on facts, not ideas. Its doctrines are based upon these facts.  Buddhism and Hinduism rest on theories and ideas.” D. Martyn Lloyd Jones   Take some time to think of the awesome acts of God in your own history and list out the facts of what you have seen God do in your life.      

3.  Habakkuk remembering the greatness of God’s power is comforting.  Why?  Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 for Paul’s perspective. 

4.  Habakkuk “was living by promises, not explanations.” Look back at Habakkuk 2:4, 14, 20. How were these promises more valuable than explanations? What promises are you living by?  Share your favorite.

5.  Read Habakkuk 3:16. Describe Habakkuk’s emotions in 3:16 and why he felt that way.  

6.  Read Habakkuk 3:17-19.  Specifically, what do you see Habakkuk doing to get him through his fears? What can we learn from Habakkuk’s life?

7.   Read Hebrews 4:14-16 & 7:25.    What does the writer of Hebrews tell us to do in the midst of trials?  What does this passage teach about Jesus and how to face trials?    

8.  How does the resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantee a blessed ending for every follower of Jesus?  (Read Philippians 3:10, Rom. 8:28, 37-39)

As we conclude Habakkuk, what personal applications are you taking away? “ Lord is my strength, He makes me tread on my high places.”