28/04/2012
SCALING THE HEIGHTS OF FAITH
Habakkuk 3:16-19
16 I 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.
17 Though 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,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.
This summer we will kick off with a new series in our church. We will call this new series, "Scaling the Heights."
In this series we will be led to the summits where the heroes of faith encountered God. We will explore their story and try to learn from them.
And what better way to start this series in a note of high expectancy in faith. It is a well known fact that God is not limited by our limitations but by our expectations.
Let me take you into the oracles of the prophet Habakkuk this morning and let us explore what God has in store for us in this message entitled, "Scaling the Heights of Faith."
A Background of the Book of Habakkuk
The book of Habakkuk is one of the books of the so called minor prophets. This book talks about faith in God. The key verse of the whole book is found in Habakkuk 2:4: “The righteous will live by faith.”
This same expression if we remember is the portion of Scripture which Paul quoted in the book of Romans which led Martin Luther to Jesus Christ and ignited the Protestant Reformation. It is a passage that strengthens faith.
It is not so much to tell, this morning, that the book of Habakkuk challenges us to learn to trust God in all circumstances or no matter what happens.
It demands us to trust in God when we are victorious and rejoicing. It demands us also to trust God even when we are defeated or facing great pain or difficulty.
The book of Habakkuk challenges us to put our faith in God even during the worst of times. It moves us from a place of doubting God to a place of trusting God.
How do we exercise faith in God during the worst of times?
I. FAITH WAITS FOR GOD
Let us wait in and for God even when we are afraid---v.16
Habakkuk writes in verse 16: “I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled.”
The words here are typical to a person afraid. He has pounding heart, quivering lips, trembling legs...
The prophet's advise is in the second half of verse 16: “Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.”
To wait patiently means:
A. To rest.
B. To settle down.
C. To remain.
Why would we rest, settle down and remain?
The answer is because God promises to give us his peace when we give our worries and fears to him.
Philippians 4:6-7 says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
II. FAITH REJOICES IN GOD
Let us rejoice in God even when everything in our life seems to go wrong---vv. 17-18
Habakkuk says in verses 17-18: “Though 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, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
I believe that these verses represent one of the strongest and most powerful expressions of faith we will ever find in the whole Bible.
A. When we are losing hope, let us still rejoice in God.
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
The blossoms on the fig tree and the grapes forming on the vine speaks about hope. They represent the things we are looking forward to in the future.
When we can't see any light in the future. When tomorrow looks bleak for us, the prophet urges us to still rejoice in God.
When there is nothing to hold on to, we hold on to God and we will find God is enough for us.
B. When we are running out of resources, let us still rejoice in God.
“Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
Here we find the prophet tell us about the things that we hold on to at this very moment. He reminds us of our available cash. He reminds us about friends and family who could help.
The olive crop and the fields refer to the very things we are trusting in the present. They are the symbols of your present way out of a difficult situation.
What if we ran out of resources? What if we ran out of friends? What if family disowned us and we can't turn to them as well? What if we find ourselves all alone in that fight?
What do we do when everything that we are counting on in the present suddenly comes crashing down?
We are suppose to rejoice in God no matter what.
Again I say: When there is nothing to hold on to, we hold on to God and we will find God is enough for us.
C. When we have lost our reserves, let us still rejoice in God.
“Though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
The prophet here speaks about the things which we had reserved for future use or for use in case of emergency.
The prophet here talks about our back account and our insurance policy.
The sheep and cattle speaks of the things things we are trusting from the past.
But the prophet says they were all gone and used up as well. We are left to nothing--no past, no present, no future.
What do we do when we have nothing to fall back on?
My favorite singing group, Avalon, had an answer. They sang: "Every time I fall, I fall right back into your arms."
Let us fall back on God. he is the most secure insurance policy there is in the whole wide world.
Habakkuk determined to rejoice in God despite visible circumstances, even if he did not see any visible signs of God’s presence or favor.
Do we have the same faith as Habakkuk had?
F.F. Bruce, a noted theologian had written: “It is right and proper to voice appreciation of God’s goodness when he bestows all that is necessary for life, health and prosperity. But when these things are lacking, to rejoice in God for his own sake is evidence of pure faith.”
III. FAITH FINDS STRENGTH IN GOD.
Let us find strength in God to scale the heights even when we are down--v.19
Habakkuk tells us in verse 19: “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.”
A deer is an animal twice likened to us, believers. When we are thirsty for God's presence, the psalmists said we can thirst for God as a deer pants for water (Psalm 42).
Here, we are likened to a deer with steady feet even while scaling the dangerous heights of the faith.
Today spiritual strength is a prime commodity and one that is so hard to find merely because we are looking for it in all the wrong places. Let us find our strength in God for there is no one greater. There is no one with more ample supply of strength to give than him.
Habakkuk had learned to find his strength in God, not in his own resources or ability. He was about to go through some rough times. The thought of it scared him so much that his heart pounded and his legs trembled beneath him. Yet as he waited upon the Lord, as he rejoiced in God in the midst of difficult circumstances, he found new strength from God to deal with the trial and the difficult days ahead.
For the last time I say: "When there is nothing to hold on to, we hold on to God and we will find God is enough for us. We will find that he is our strength."
A CONCLUDING REMARK
“Does God care? Is God fair? Is God there?”
These are the prophet Habakkuk’s questions. But instead of running away from God with his questions, Habakkuk kept bringing his questions to God, and finding the answers that he needed. Habakkuk began his journey in the valley of doubt and fear, but he ended his journey scaling the heights with God with feet like a deer.
This is indeed a remarkable journey of faith, and one that is open to all who will come honestly to God with their questions, and seek him with all of their heart.
God promises in Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
And so wherever we may be in our personal journey from doubt to faith, let us be encouraged to keep waiting upon God, to keep rejoicing in God and to keep finding strength in God.
-Preached at Agape Christian Fellowship-Assembly of God on Sunday, April 8, 2012.
