Rev. Wayne A. Lawson, M.Min
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church
Ardmore, OK 73402
(Preached Sunday, July 31, 2005)
RevWLawson@aol.com
http://firstbaptistok.org/
Scripture: Habakkuk 2:1-4 1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. 2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. 4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Title: A Different Perspective
Three books of the Minor Prophets are contemporary with Jeremiah’s ministry, especially its early years. ZEPHANIAH – NAHUM – HABAKKUK reflect the circumstances and outlook in Judah during Josiah’s reign and the days immediately following his death. They depict the imminent rise of Babylon and the subsequent collapse of Assyria. Above all, they set in bold relief the justice of God justice of God at work in Judah and the world. They discern the divine hand in the changing of the guard internationally - they call attention to the need for reform internally - and they anticipate divine recokoning with persistent rebellion where reform is rejected. This sounds much like our nations condition today.
Like HAGGAI and ZECHARIAH, Habakkuk is called “The Prophet” possibly a technical title designating an official position in the religious community, or perhaps merely indicating that this writing was worthy to be included among the canonical prophetic books. Habakkuk finds himself troubled on Two Different Levels.
· First – Why did God allow wickedness in Israel to continue for so long
· Second – Why did God elect to use a wicked nation – Babylon – to destroy a less wicked nation – Israel
· The Prophet really struggles with these two issues and does the only thing he knows how to do
· He cries out to God for an answer
· He took the Question to the Answer
· He then waits for God
God has not as of yet judged Judah’s wickedness. God, not the people, is the first object of Habakkuk’s censure. He has the audacity to give his complaint to God concerning the sin of his people. The problem that this prophet is experiencing in our text for examination is the fact that “a different perspective” is required. Habakkuk is Hurting and Viewing situation – “Looking through a glass darkly.” He is experiencing a problem that many in the Church experience even today. When it comes to the things of God we need “a different perspective.” All too often we have the tendency to view the Spiritual Realm through Carnal Vision.
· Spirituality and Carnality don’t mix
· Like Water and Oil
· Carnal Mind is Enmity with God
· Can’t Decipher Spiritual things with Carnal Thoughts
The way we view any situation is dependent upon the perspective by which we employ. For example -- The Parsonage seems somewhat small when I walk around in it, but it is big enough when it is time to clean it. I have been blessed to Pastor here for slightly over 5-years now, feels like I have been here a long time, but when you compare it to the 116 year Church history, it has only been a very short time. It seems as though I have not been in Oklahoma very long, but in a little over 6-months we will be residents of Oklahoma for 10-years. Our perspective will influence the way we see things. One of the great challenges of being a minister is saying things clearly so that people understand. I know what I want to say, but people often hear something quite different than what I intended. That’s because we have different perspectives. This was Habakkuk’s problem. He expected God to revive His people and wake them from their spiritual sleep. We find him in the midst of prayer, almost to the point of Questioning God and accusing Him of inactivity.
This Prophet seems to stand between the times – looking back to the Exodus and ahead to the day of the Lord. But neither past nor future intervention will ease his problem. He longs for a display of God’s power in his present circumstances. We have same expectation today. Expect God to display His hand to prove to us He is working in our situations. Reminded of Gideon He put out a Fleece asked God to Prove He would use him to save Israel by his hand. We too want God to Prove that he is Aware and Working on our Behalf. After posing questions to God listen to what the Prophet says - “I WILL STAND UPON MY WATCH, AND SET ME UPON THE TOWER, AND WILL WATCH TO SEE WHAT HE WILL SAY UNTO ME, AND WHAT I SHALL ANSWER WHEN I AM REPROVED.” Several interpreters understand this to have been an actual tower or elevation, citing the examples of MOSES or BALAAM and of ELIJAH at Sinai. None of these cases is really comparable to that of Habakkuk, who could possibly be using only a figure of speech. Certainly he must have prepared himself by prayerful meditation to receive the Divine answer. Jeremiah waited 10-days for an answer to his inquiry. Probably some interval of time elapsed between the expostulation of Chapter 1 and the answer received in this Chapter. Habakkuk records only his determination to wait for an answer; he does not tell us when it finally arrived.
++++At this point we find the Prophet trusting God for an answer and he would not be disappointed. In this lesson he is about to receive – he will learn the importance of “a different perspective.” He turns to God in his moment of perplexity and believes that God will answer his petition. Let me pause here to let you know that God rewards faithful seekers. We read in HEBREWS 11:6 “…HE IS A REWARDER OF THEM THAT DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.”
· All too often we as Christians quickly abandon everything we believe about God when problems knock on our front door
· Saved Today – Cussing Tomorrow
· When Storms arise in our life we abandon Service and are easily Tossed and Driven
· In this time of trouble, Habakkuk refused to waiver – he stood his watch
· Even though Habakkuk was being reproved by unbelievers – he stood his watch
· Not knowing when answer would come – he stood his watch
· Must elevate yourself above the problem – and stand your watch
Unbelievers were mocking the Prophet. They were questioning the integrity of God. If God is so Holy - why does He allow this wickedness to continue? The prophet removed himself from the wicked. He set himself upon a Tower. It was necessary for him to have “a different perspective.” He placed himself in an elevated position. Moved from the midst of the problem and placed himself above it.
· It is only when we remove ourselves from the problem that we take “a different perspective”
· Oftentimes we can become so overwhelmed by our problems that we can’t see God working
· When we can look down on our problems they don’t look as bad
· We need to learn how to simply change our perspective
Habakkuk shows confidence waiting for God to respond with an answer. In his trust we find him – Watching – Writing - Waiting per God’s instructions. This process would challenge him to move beyond his limited understanding. We have the tendency to think that we know exactly what God is up to or not up to. It is not until we remove ourselves to an elevated position that we allow God to reveal His plan to us. Solomon understood this when he wrote in PROVERBS 3:5-6 “TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART; AND LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL THY WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATHS.”
Solomon took the time to Contrast Ordinary Human Wisdom and the Divine Wisdom that is the basis of all of his writings. Heart in Hebrew is used symbolically to represent not so much the seat of the Emotions as the Seat of intellect and Will. In other words, commit your Inner Self to God. Do not seek to be Independent of Him. Direct in Hebrew means make Straight. The verse promises not so much Guidance as Enablement for us to go Forward. We must consider our current plight through the perspective of God and not Man’s Perspective. Therefore, our thoughts must be elevated beyond our limited understanding, and simply Trust that God is working it out. Remember no matter what we are faced with there are always two perspectives. There is my Perspective and there is God’s Perspective.
· When I am crying out with my complaints like Habakkuk, I am viewing the situation through my perspective
· When God is speaking to me about my situation and encouraging me to respond and behave in a God-like fashion – I then see the situation through God’s Perspective
Note the importance given to what God says in Vs. 2 “…WRITE THE VISION, AND MAKE IT PLAIN UPON TABLES…”. Whenever the phrase “INSCRIBE ON TABLETS” used in the Old Testament, it is because whatever is being said is so important and serious, it must be preserved and passed on. Interestingly enough, the word “tablet” is normally singular. Here it is plural. The only other time the plural is used is when it is directly related to the inscription of the Old Testament law. The implication is that there is much gravity in what God is about to say. This is of absolute importance. It is essential that not only Habakkuk but people at large be aware of what God wants them to know and recognize the severity of what is about to transpire.
God reminds Habakkuk that the righteous will not be abandoned. “THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY HIS FAITH.” That simply means that we are able to live in the midst of confusion and frustration by trusting in the fulfillment of the promises of God, even when we don’t yet understand them. God is the sovereign Lord of the universe and the Lord of our lives. And as we trust him, he will not abandon us but will encourage us when nothing makes sense to us.
The same can be said of Jesus. There are two ways of looking at Him. You can, by the power of the Holy Spirit, believe on Him as God’s son – your divine substitute who has conquered sin and Satan so that you might have salvation -- or, you can believe Jesus is something else.
· Jesus Christ is your saving Substitute -- or something else.
· He will be your Lord - or He will be relegated to the ranks of being a mere Tutor and Teacher; a Friend and Philosopher; or maybe even, a fake and a fraud
· What He means to you depends upon your perspective
-- I am reminded of a Story - Little boy about 3-years of age played everyday in his fenced in backyard. Every now and then this little boy would stand at the fence and view all his eyes were able to see. One side of his yard had an obstructed view of the neighborhood, streets and the world because of a Church that was there and it had a big cross in front of it.
-- One day the gate was accidentally left open and the little boy wondered out of the yard and went to explore the neighborhood. Very quickly he found himself lost. The local police found the little boy wandering the streets with no supervision. They asked him where he lived. The little boy responded that he did not know. They asked him his telephone number and again he responded that he did not know. They asked for his parents name and all he knew was he called them “Mommy and Daddy.” As the police officer was wondering what to do, the little boy remembered something and he said – “Mr. Policeman, if you take me to the cross, I will know how to get home.” That big cross that seemed to be a hindrance to the little boys view, now he Changed His Perspective – If you get me to the cross, I can make my way home.
-- I stopped by to tell you this morning that you need – a different perspective
-- May feel like you have been in the storm to long – you need – a different perspective
-- If you look through the eyes of Jesus, you will find that everything will be alright
-- A different perspective – will turn you sorrow into joy
-- A different perspective – will turn your frown upside down
-- A different perspective – will give you something to shout about
-- Whatever you are going through if you just – Get To The Cross
-- Problems weight you down – Get To The Cross
-- Can’t see your way through – Get To the Cross
AT THE CROSS AT THE CROSS WHERE I FIRST SAW THE LIGHT AND THE BURDEN OF MY HEART ROLLED AWAY -- IT WAS THERE BY FAITH I RECEVIED MY SIGHT AND NOW I AM HAPPY ALL THE DAY
WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDEROUS CROSS
The Cross will give me – a different perspective
(Close)
