Habakkuk: From Worry To Worship
October 10, 2021

From Worry to Worship: A Look at Habakkuk

Habakkuk 2:2-8; 19-20 (NLT)

Habakkuk: From Worry to Worship | Mick Veach | lead pastor | first aired on 10.10.2021

Introduction

Read Scripture

2 Then the Lord said to me,
“Write my answer plainly on tablets,
so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.

3 This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed.

4 “Look at the proud!
They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.
But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.

5 Wealth is treacherous,
and the arrogant are never at rest.
They open their mouths as wide as the grave,
and like death, they are never satisfied.
In their greed they have gathered up many nations
and swallowed many peoples.

6 “But soon their captives will taunt them.
They will mock them, saying,
‘What sorrow awaits you thieves!
Now you will get what you deserve!
You’ve become rich by extortion,
but how much longer can this go on?’

7 Suddenly, your debtors will take action.
They will turn on you and take all you have,
while you stand trembling and helpless.

8 Because you have plundered many nations,
now all the survivors will plunder you.
You committed murder throughout the countryside
and filled the towns with violence
—Habakkuk 2:2-8
19 What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols,
‘Wake up and save us!’
To speechless stone images you say,
‘Rise up and teach us!’
Can an idol tell you what to do?
They may be overlaid with gold and silver,
but they are lifeless inside.

20 But the Lord is in his holy Temple.
Let all the earth be silent before him.”
—Habakkuk 2:19-20

Review Chapter 1

A. Why does God permit evil?

B. Habakkuk does not like God’s answer

C. Habakkuk comes to grip with God’s answer

D. When worry and fear set in our first response is to call to God and if He does not respond the way that we hope then:

  1. We call it spiritual warfare
  2. We call it lack of faith
  3. We call it sin in our life—scripture is full of these examples

E. Habakkuk shows us that sometimes God has a plan and it may not make sense but we need to submit to it.

F. Today’s lesson is that we have to learn to have faith in God even when we can’t see how he will provide

G. Question—What are the hurdles that bring challenges to your faith in God?

  1. Control Issues—Love being in control
  2. Trust Issues—Life experiences scream at you
  3. Belief Issue—Doubting is a constant in your life
  4. Expectation Issue—Entitlement is a problem in your life

H. It is critical to build our Faith, without it worry will dominant you

  1. Habakkuk faces a critical point in his life as he accepts God’s plan to use a nation more wicked than Israel to judge them.
  2. Wait a minute we are the chosen ones, we are the good guys, aren’t we always supposed to win?

Key point—moving from Worry to Worship of God is fueled by faith that God’s plan is perfect

3 Elements of Active or Living Faith

I.

Reveal Answer
that Saves You

A. 2:4—says that the righteous live by faith

B. Question—How does one become righteous?

  1. Romans 1:17—declares this is from God
  2. We can’t earn our righteousness
  3. Many religions and humanist believe we can earn it

C. Gen 12:1-3—Israel is chosen by God for a grand purpose

  1. They did not earn it
  2. He builds a nation that can be a blessing
  3. He equips a nation with commands
  4. He grants a nation a land to live

D. This is in jeopardy as they have become an obstinate nation and God’s patience is about to run out

  1. Injustice
  2. Wickedness
  3. Poverty

E. His plan will not wipe them out but bring them into a discipline


  1. 70 years of captivity would do a lot for them

    a. Many will repent
    b. The King of Babylonian will be impacted by Daniel
    c. Points to a Messiah

F. Proverbs 14:12—says that there is a way that seems right to man but in the end leads to death

  • We can’t have faith in our ability but His

G. Question—where is your faith today?

  1. Do you have faith—are you doubting?
  2. Is your faith cold—is there sin in your life?
  3. Is your faith vibrant—are you feeding it?

H. Eph 2:8-9—saving faith is all about the work of Jesus

  1. Have you come to the crisis of faith?
  2. Do you have personal faith?

Key Point—Saving Faith is the foundation that leads to worship of our God

II. Faith that is

Reveal Answer
Every Day

A. 2:4 is sometimes translated faithfulness


  1. You need both faith and faithfulness

    a. Faith is what you believe
    b. Faithfulness is acting according to what you believe

    • James 2—show your faith by what you do

B. An everyday faith is the key to moving to worship

  • Faith in everyday affairs not just the big items

C. Israel did not this point of despair in one day*

  • It was a gradual decline in choices and thus a new generation that is not fully taught to fear God or even understood who God is

D. Hebrews 10:38—the righteous will live by faith and the key is word is “live,” it is active and ongoing each day


  1. Heb. 11 gives us examples of those who lived by faith daily

    • Enoch walked with God
    • Abraham is a friend of God
    • Moses parents protected him and was able to walk the Red Sea
    • Joshua’s faith enabled to face the walls of Jericho
    • Rahab’s faith hides the spies

E. Many of us find ourselves in situations that are not good and the challenge is that we have not exercised our faith

F. If we don’t exercise our faith

  1. We will become weak spiritually—gradual
  2. Our perspective becomes distorted
  3. We will be a target for sin to grab us
  4. We will lose our purpose

Key Point—Jesus is the rock and putting our faith daily in Him changes everything

III.

Reveal Answer
that is Applied Through a
Reveal Answer
Time

A. Finishing well is the goal for all of us

B. Israel obviously did not apply faith throughout their journey and experience the consequences of this choice

C. Israel will be ruled by a horrible nation that Habakkuk describes:

  1. Without faith, this is what it will look like
  2. V. 4-5—Proud and full of wine—Babylonians were known for their alcoholism
  3. V.6-8—Greedy, their hope was in anything other than the Lord
  4. V. 9-11—Dishonest, they were looking out for #1
  5. V. 12-14—Violent, brutality was the norm
  6. V. 15-17—Sensual, Sexual activity was trying to fill the void

D. Israel was not much different than the Babylonians

E. The state of the Babylonians has an eerie comparison to us today, the only difference is that we have a remnant

  • We underestimate the protection this nation has because of the church and her purpose to love the world

F. Babylonians would be judged in a few years and will be absorbed in the Persian culture

G. Many of us can relate to the nation of Israel with our own journey

  1. We have faith that will save but not faith that will carry us through this life and trust him

    • As a result, many never live the life that God intended for them

  2. Matt. 7:13-14—Jesus said, we must stay on the straight and narrow

    a. Jesus said this because he knew the power of temptations
    b. Protect ourselves with applied faith

H. Gal. 3:11—we are not justified by the law but we live out our faith

I. Gal. 2:20—we no longer live but Christ lives in us, faith throughout our life

  1. Faith is the fuel that moves us forward
  2. Decide to no longer live for yourself

Key Point—Faith fuels our worship for a lifetime

Application

A. Faith moves us to worship Jesus and we declare:

  1. God is good all the time
  2. God is just and is in control

B. What are the situations that you are facing that could crash your faith?

  • Give them over now, avoid what Habakkuk faced and move to trust and worship

Call to Action

  1. Surrender your will to Jesus
  2. Ask for Him to build your trust
  3. Begin a life of worship

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