True Worship Series

INTRODUCTION

• I'm sure you've heard the saying, "God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good!"

• Many times, we hear someone say something like:

• "I got the promotion; God is good!"

• "The cancer is gone; God is good!"

• "My child came back to the Lord; God is good!"

• "Our marriage was saved; God is good!"

• But how often do we hear something like this?

• "I was let go from my job; God is good!"

• "We thought he was getting better, but he took a turn for the worse and died; God is good!"

• "My child was arrested last night; God is good!"

• "My spouse left me for someone else; God is good!"

• The goodness of God is not dependent upon our current set of circumstances. God is good, even when we struggle to see it.

• As we conclude our series on Habakkuk, you will see that Habakkuk is not the same person he was at the beginning of the book.

• Habakkuk has brought his request to God in prayer.

• In placing it before God, he has been led into a profound experience of God's majesty, during which he has been brought face to face with God in his awesome, though necessarily hidden, power over nature and over nations.

• He now describes the impact of this prayer encounter with the living God.

• He has been profoundly challenged and, indeed, changed by this time in the place of prayer.

• The Habakkuk, who speaks in verses 16-19, is a very different person from the Habakkuk to whom we were introduced at the beginning of the book.

• The ending of Habakkuk is inspiring and an example of what it means to experience and live a life of true worship.

• Let's open our passage together.

Habakkuk 3:17 (NET 2nd ed.)

17 When the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines; when the olive trees do not produce and the fields yield no crops; when the sheep disappear from the pen and there are no cattle in the stalls—

SERMON

I. True worship is not affected by circumstances.

• What a change of tune from Habakkuk.

• In the book of Habakkuk, we witness the prophet's struggles and questions in the face of challenging circumstances.

• However, one key lesson we can draw from Habakkuk's journey is that external circumstances should not sway true worship.

• Regardless of the challenges or uncertainties surrounding us, our worship should remain steadfast, rooted in faith and trust in God.

• Habakkuk 3:17 starts one of the Bible's most beautiful declarations of true faith and worship.

• Habakkuk declares that even if the fields and trees don't produce any fruit and the cattle aren't productive, he will still rejoice in the Lord.

• The end of the book points to Habakkuk's transformation.

• He has moved from saying, in chapter 1, "God, do you even care what's happening here?" to saying, in chapter 3, "God, regardless of what I see with my eyes, I will worship you!"

• BAD STUFF COMING!

• In Jewish thought, wealth and prosperity were signs of God's blessings and were reasons to praise God.

• In the of Jesus, that thought was still the prevailing wisdom.

• This is why the story of Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-26 was so confusing to the disciples because of what Jesus said in verses 23-24.

Matthew 19:23–24 (NET 2nd ed.)

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!

24 Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.”

• How can that be if wealth was a sign of God's favor and blessing?

Matthew 19:25–26 (NET 2nd ed.)

25 The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?”

26 Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.”

• Habakkuk acknowledges that things will get bad, but he will not let that fact detract him from worshipping God!

• Habakkuk uses a series of six clauses to show the gravity of how difficult things will be with the coming of the Babylonians.

• The six clauses in Habakkuk 3:17 represent a comprehensive depiction of adversity and loss in different areas of life.

• Let's break down each clause and explore their symbolic meanings:

• 1. "Though the fig tree should not blossom": The fig tree symbolized prosperity and abundance in the ancient Near East. Its failure to blossom represents the absence of fruitfulness and economic decline.