A Holy Memory

You are listening to the Austin Stone Community Church podcast. To learn more about the Austin Stone, including our gathering times at each of our six locations, visit us at AustinStone.org. [music] Good morning, Austin Stone. Great to be together this morning. Happy Father's Day to all the dads in the house. Yeah, you can shout out. We got one shout out for the dads. [laughter] Just saying, "Hey, great to be here." You know, this, a lot of y'all know that I lost my dad last year. So this particular Father's Day is pointed for me, but one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life is getting to Father three young men. And it's a true joy. And so, way to go, Father's, keep going, keep running the race that you are called to. Habakkuk chapter three is where we will be today. And we started this short book all the way back in April. So I wanted to give you sort of a season recap to kind of catch you up to speed on where we've been in the book of Habakkuk. And so if you remember all the way back in chapter one, the book opens with Habakkuk making complaints to God. He looks around his community and he sees violence. He sees misery. He sees mischief. He looks around and sees sin and selfishness. And then he looks to God and says, "God, do you not see what I see? Are you going to do anything about this? Are you just going to remain silent? While your people continue to suffer and sin." And so then God says, "There's a matter of fact I am going to do something about this, something that you're not even going to believe that I'm going to raise up and even more violent and more wicked people to bring discipline and judgment upon my people." So which Habakkuk says, "Well, I didn't mean that." So Habakkuk says, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, how in the world can you use a really bad people to judge a sort of bad people?" It doesn't seem to work. But God's judgment isn't on really bad and sort of bad. Habakkuk and us too, we're not called to compare ourselves on our we just sort of bad or really bad. We're called to a new standard to fix our eyes on the holiness of God. And so God calls them to a new standard. That was chapter 1. And in chapter 2, God reminds Habakkuk of who he is and basically says, "I am God and you are not, that the whole world, the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord." And so you ought to remain silent. That was chapter 2. And then last week we started up in chapter 3. And something in chapter 3 shifted. That Habakkuk started the book complaining and arguing and demanding in chapter 1. But by chapter 3, he's now praising and praying and singing. And so we remember last week we saw that his protests turned to prayers. Now the question is, what in the world changed? God didn't change. As a matter of fact, God's plan to bring discipline through the Caldeans didn't even change. Habakkuk can sort of see the dust of the Caldean army on the horizon and yet something in him changed from complaints to song. And what is it that changed in Habakkuk is what we will see in chapter 3 is that he remembers the faithfulness of God over and over and over again. God shows himself to be faithful. And the last week we started in verse 1 and it said this. "Said a prayer of Habakkuk to Prophet, according to Shigannat, 'A Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear?'" And the myths of years revive it and the myths of years make it known in wrath, remember mercy. So all of chapter 3 is basically a prayer and it says that it's in accordance with this crazy little word called Shigannat, which is a Hebrew word, which means an enthusiastic or passionate song. So essentially Habakkuk is singing this prayer. He's singing this song. And we see chapter 3 really kind of shows us the song has three main themes. Last week the theme was revive. This week it's remember and next week it's rejoice. And so we see him singing a song of remembrance. And so today we'll just be in chapter 3 verses 3 through 15. And we'll see him recall three things about God, that God's creation, God's salvation, God's retribution. So if you're taking notes, here's the order of events for today. What is Habakkuk doing in this prayer is that he is praying and he is singing in the midst of chaotic times. And he's remembering three things. Number one, he's remembering God's sovereignty over creation. Number two, he's remembering God's grace and salvation. And number three, he's remembering God's justice in his retribution. So let's look at those three together. We'll sort of bounce around through this chapter because it's a lot of verses. But I wanted to show you first that in the midst of chaos and a soon coming judgment, the thing that Habakkuk remembers is God's sovereignty in creation. Verse three says his splendor covered the heavens and the earth was full of his praise. His brightness was light the light. And so Habakkuk goes back to the beginning. Not the beginning of his life, not even the beginning of his nation, but the beginning of all things in creation. If you take these first couple of verses and you compare them to the creation order, you begin to see some comparisons and some similarities. Just look at Genesis chapter one, verse one, the first opening lines of the Old Testament says in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters and God said, let there be light and there was light. And so Habakkuk in the midst of chaos is returning to creation, returning to the fact that God is sovereign over all things because he's the creator of all things. He first looks that God is the creator of light. Verse four, his brightness was like the light raised, flashed from his hands and there he veiled his power. So Habakkuk remembers that God said let there be light and there was light, that light flash is out. That God simply says the word light and light now exists moving at 186,000 miles per second, simply because God said the word. And light exists. What about the mountains, verse six of Habakkuk three, we see this, he says he stood and measured the earth, he looked and shook the nations. And then the eternal mountains were scattered and the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways. So we see God measuring the earth in creation and piling up the mountains and piling up the hills. And I think Habakkuk sort of being a little sarcastic here because did you see what he calls the mountains, he says the eternal mountains and the everlasting hills. He's saying those things that we thought were lasting forever, the mountains, these majestic and beautiful and powerful mountains, we consider them to be eternal, the hills everlasting. And then his very next line is that his ways were the everlasting ways. That only the creator is the everlasting one, the only the word of God lasts forever, even the things that we think will last will eventually fade, the things that we think we can open will eventually crack. But God alone is the everlasting one and the word of the Lord lasts forever. So God oversees light and he mountains and hills and now he says, well, what about the seas, verse eight. Was your wrath against the rivers, oh Lord, was your anger against the rivers or your indignation against the sea. If you're just reading through Habakkuk 3 in this song that he sings, he mentions rivers or seas seven times. Now seven in the Old Testament is the number of completion or perfection and rivers and seas in the Old Testament most of the time that seas are mentioned. It is because it is a representation of what is chaotic in the world. So he's saying there's perfect chaos in the world, but get God you are over the seas that you set the boundaries of the water and it goes no further. So if you want to calm the raging seas, you simply say peace, be still. If you want to walk out on water, you simply take a step. Why? Because you're. you're the creator and you're sovereign. You wanna pile up the sea, you simply raise your hand and the red sea moves from one place to another. Why? Because you are sovereign overall creation. See, his anchoring deep in who God is. In the midst of a coming chaos, in the midst of the coming judgment, he's reminding himself, God, you own the mountains, you own the light, you own the seas. Not only that, you own the sun. Look at the verse 11, the sun and moon stood still in their place. That God speaks the sun and the moon and the earth and he takes the earth and he spins it at 1,037 miles per hour. Did you know that's how fast we're spinning right now? You're like, I did feel a little dizzy this morning, right? We're spinning it over 1,000 miles an hour and we're rotating around the sun that the moon is hung 240,000 miles away and the sun is 93 million miles away and God hung the moon so that gravity would be in its right place and he hung the sun just far enough to where we wouldn't freeze nor would we melt although it is June and you're like, could you put it just like a little further? Like just 93.1 would have been great but God puts the moon in its place and the sun and its place and if God wants to slow the earth's rotation from 1,000 miles an hour, it's his prerogative to do so and no matter if fact he does in Joshua 10. He slows the rotation and lets the sun rise and stay risen so that Joshua can defeat the Amorite army and then he spins it back. If God wants to cause the sun to go dark from noon to 3 o'clock in the afternoon while Jesus is hanging on the cross, he's saying, that's my son and that's my son so I will darken the sun while Jesus stays on the cross. It's his prerogative to turn the lights out and he does so for three hours while Jesus hangs on the cross, why? What is he back at doing? He's reminding himself that God is the God of all creation. He's echoing what the Solomon says and Psalm 115. He says, who should the nations say, where is their God? Our God is in the heavens and he does all the pleases in. What was a back ex-very question at the beginning of the book? Where are you God? Why aren't you doing anything? Are you just going to lead chaos and violence rain? But God is in heaven and he does all the pleases him. He does what is good and right and just. He moves the sea. He stops the sun. He rattles the earth. All according to whatever pleases him. And so, Habakkuk has gone from complaining to this God to praising him. Habakkuk's complaint has been stilled by the sovereign creator. We'll point to what else does Habakkuk sing about? Secondly, we see Habakkuk remembers that God is a God of salvation. In order to anchor his soul deeply in who God is, he's recalling and remembering that God saves and God delivers and God rescues. Verse five, we see this. It says, before him went pestilence and plagues followed at his heels. Verse eight, was your wrath against the rivers, oh Lord, was your anger against the rivers or your indignation against the sea? When you rode on your horses on your chariot of salvation. So what is Habakkuk doing? He's talking about plagues and he's talking about the seas being moved. He's reminding himself in his prayer of that point in time in Exodus where God used plagues to bring judgment and part of the seas for salvation. He's saying, remember God, I remember the stories of your people when they were in slavery and you brought plagues and pestilence upon Egypt in order to soften the heart of Pharaoh. And then you move the people out of slavery and you parted the seas so that they could cross on dry land. He's remembering that God is a God of salvation. He continues on in verse 12, you marched through the earth and fury and you threshed the nations and anger and you went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. Habakkuk is being reminded that God's love is a furious love. And you say, that's an odd way of saying love. Love doesn't feel furious. It's Father's Day. Imagine if you're a father and your son or your daughter is taken and there's a ransom being held. The fury that you would feel, the wrath in your bones to rescue your son, to rescue your daughter, to say, I will go through any hell, any wall, any cross to recapture my children. It's a furious love. It's a Father on fire to say, I will do what it takes to bring salvation. His love is a furious love that's willing to do what it takes to redeem the sons and the daughters. Habakkuk is remembering all the things that God has done as a loving Father. Verse four, who marched for his people from Timon to the Promised Land? Well, God did that. Verse five, who used plagues to set his people free from slavery? God did. Verse seven, who brought judgment upon the Midianites for leading Israel into idolatry? Well, God did that. Who held the Son? Verse 11, in its place to give Joshua victory over the Emirates. God did that. Who shook Mount Sinai when the 10 Commandments were brought down, God did that. Who part of the Red Sea so that slaves could be set free? God did that. Who moved the Jordan so that they could move out of the desert into the Promised Land? God did that. God did all of those things. He's a God of salvation. I was reading it this week and I don't know if I've ever seen this before, but there's a beauty in this. Thinking about the salvation of God's people from Egypt to the Promised Land, that there's two partings. There's a parting of the sea and a parting of the river. That the first parting brings the people out of slavery. He parts the Red Sea so that they come out from Egypt and now they're in the desert. And remember, they wander in the desert for how long? For 40 years. If you look at the map and you're like, it's not that far from here to here, that shouldn't have taken you more than 40 days, but they wander and they wander and they wander and then God opens miraculously parts another pathway through the Jordan River. So in one parting of the sea, they come out of slavery in one parting of the river, they come into promise. Friends, what a picture that is for us that we have come out of slavery in part way but now we wander in the desert, awaiting another promise, another parting, another day when we will see another miracle happen and we will enter into promise. That Jesus came once to bring us out of slavery and Jesus will come again to bring us into the promise. Jesus, John 14, Jesus says this. He says, "Let not your hearts be troubled." Believe in God, believe also in me and my father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. And I will take you myself that where I am, you may also be. Friends, Habakkuk's frustration has been swallowed up in a reminder that God is the God of salvation. And then third and finally, we see that Habakkuk is singing and remembering that God will bring right retribution. Now why is that a song? Well because Habakkuk is anchoring himself deeply in the reminder that God will set all that is wrong, he will set it right. Even though the people are steeped in sin and steep in stubbornness and violent to one another, God was going to be right and just. And you notice what Habakkuk doesn't pray, just fascinating. What Habakkuk doesn't pray is God would you turn back to Caldians. God would you change your mind on this judgment. God would you not bring this bad thing that's about to happen. That would be a fine prayer, but that's not the prayer of the Habakkuk prays. That's not the song that he sings. The song that he sings is God in wrath. Remember mercy. God, we deserve this judgment. Your love is a furious love and your people are a wicked people. God, you're right in your wrath, but you're also merciful in wrath. Remember mercy. So he goes on to remind himself that God will bring right retribution in verse nine. He says you strip the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. Arrows in the Old Testament often are seen as God's inescapable judgment. It's of many arrows. You've seen the scenes in the movies where it's all of the arrows from the army are coming at once. It's this unleashing of the judgments of God. So God uses arrows at judgment. What else? Verse 10, "The raging water swept on. The deep gave forth its voice. It's lifted its hands on high." Commentators say that this is likely a illusion to the book of judges where Deborah has victory over the Canaanites when the river Cushon is flooded at flood stage so that the Canaanite chariots are not able to cross. Verse 11, "The sun and the moon stood still in their place that the light of your arrows as they speed at the flash of your glittering spear." Commentators say that this is an illusion to Joshua chapter 10 where God allowed the sun to stay bright in the sky so that Joshua could defeat the Amorites. And then in verses 12 through 15, we see that God marches with fury, verse 12, that God tread on the nations, verse 12, that God lays the wicked bearer from thigh to neck, in verse 13, that God pierced the heads of the wicked, in verse 14, that God tramples upon the sea with horses in verse 15. So no longer is Habakkuk complaining, "God, what are you going to do? "Why don't you pay attention? "Do you even care that all of these things are happening?" And now in chapter 3, he's saying, "God, you're a God of right and just retribution. "You're a God of salvation. "You're a God of creation. "You're sovereign over all things, "and so my soul will sing." He's reminded of who God is. He's no longer demanding, he's now praising. He's no longer complaining, he's now singing. And friends, if Habakkuk can sing when the dust cloud of the caldians is moving upon him in judgment, how much more do we have to sing about? How many more things do we have to celebrate? How much more do we have to remember? Why? Because we sing. And we sing because Jesus took our retribution. That Jesus was pierced for our transgressions, that Jesus had the spear jabbed into his side, that Jesus was laid bare for our judgment, and that Jesus did crush the head of the wicked. And what is that an allusion to? Go all the way back to Genesis chapter 3. Remember, in Genesis 1, was creation, Genesis 3 was the fall, and we see that there was in Genesis 3 a curse. And part of that curse was upon the serpent. In verse 15, it says, "I will put enmity between you, the serpent, and the woman, and between your offspring and hers, he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." So the serpent will strike the heel, but his head will be crushed. And in Habakkuk, he is reminded that God will crush the head of the wicked, and friends, we know, and we sing because we've seen it happen upon the cross, that Satan was defeated, that the serpent's head was crushed. We sing because Jesus turns evil upside down, but we also sing because Jesus is our salvation. He was pierced for our transgressions, Isaiah chapter 53. He was despised and rejected by man. A man of sorrows acquainted with grief. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted, but he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Friends, we sing because Jesus would crush evil, but before that he would be crushed on the cross. We sing because Jesus would heal us, but it would be by his wounds. We sing because he would bring us to life at cost of his life, so that he could ultimately deal with the last enemy death itself, so that we might have life. And so we sing because God is a God of right and just retribution, God is a God of salvation, and God is bringing a new creation. We sing because Jesus is bringing a new creation. That Jesus is busy at work, according to John 14, constructing a new heaven and a new earth. And he says, "When it's finished, I'll come back and I'll bring you to be with me." And so we sing because of what God has done in our remembrance, and we sing of what God will do in our hopefulness, and that stirs in us, even in the midst of chaos, a deep anchor of our souls, because we're reminded that God is a God of promise, that He's brought us out of slavery, and it feels like we're wandering in the desert, and we're saying, "God, do you remember God, do you see, do you see the violence and the wickedness and the sin and the selfishness?" And he says, "Yes, I've brought judgment upon it, and I'm bringing another miracle that brings you into the promise." In Revelation chapter 19, then I saw heaven open, and behold a white horse, and the one sitting on it is called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself, and he's clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and by the name by which he is called, is the word of God. And the armies of heaven are aided, and find linen, white, and pure, were following him on white horses, and from his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with the rod of iron, and he will tread the winepress of the fury, of the wrath of God, the Almighty one, and on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, "King of kings, Lord of lords." In Revelation chapter 22, and then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. What is sea, chaos? And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God, and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more, for the former things have passed away, and he who is seated on the throne said, "Behold, I'm making all things new." And also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true, and he said to me, it is done. I'm the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning, and the end." So church, if Habakkuk could remember, and if Habakkuk could sing, how much more do we have to sing about? A Jesus who is a Jesus and a right savior, a Jesus who is bringing right retribution will turn all wrongs right, a Jesus who is preparing a place for us, so that he will bring us out of the desert and into the promise. Friends, can I just, if you're in that place right now, can I just encourage you, don't forget, Habakkuk's challenge in chapter one is that he forgot. He forgot that God created all things in his sovereign. He forgot that God is a God of salvation. He forgot that God brings right retribution, but when he remembered, it gave him hope and hope filled his lungs and burst into song. So church, I hope that that would be true of us that we remember God's fame, that we ask for God to revive his work in our time, and that we ask God in your wrath, would you remember mercy? Let me pray for us. Father, we love you and we thank you, we wish. We wish we had more time and more words and more understanding, but God, we thank you and we trust you that you will do what you will do. And you'll do all that pleases you. And so Lord, help us in the midst of international chaos, in the midst of national chaos, in the midst of personal chaos, Lord, we feel it and we feel out of control, but Lord, remind us that you are not. And that even though we wander in the desert, Lord, you've brought us out of slavery and you are preparing a place to bring us into the promise. So, Lord, give us endurance. Help us to remember not only you as creator, but you as Savior. And even now, in these few moments we have left together, would you remind us of your furious love that willingly endured the cross for the hope set before you. And you put death to shame. You crushed the head of the enemy. And, Lord, now would you allow us to be reminded of all you are and all that you do? We ask and pray that in Christ's name. Amen.