Sermon – “Living by Faith and I Feel No Alarm”
Scripture: Habakkuk 2:2-4 “And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.”
Hebrews 10:38, 39 “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition.…”
Introduction: Habakkuk was tempted to measure what he believed by what he was experiencing. One day at a funeral, I talked with a former pastor of the AME Zion Church. He named several people in the denomination that I was familiar with by casual association. He talked about how free he was and how the denomination held him back. So, after deciding that his assignment in the denomination was finished, the man had left to start his own ministry.
I asked him, “How was it going?” Several years had passed since the minister had taken the step of faith to start his own organization. But because his new organization hadn’t grown as quickly as he had wished, he had become very discouraged and depressed. As a result of these disappointments, he had begun to question everything he believed about walking by faith. He had even become very bitter and sour toward anyone who claimed to walk in faith. Unfortunately, this minister made the mistake of starting to measure what he believed by what he was experiencing. He kept saying, well at least I am free!
The statement the just shall live by faith is given to the prophet Habakkuk in response to a series of questions he asked God. How can you use the wicked to correct the righteous? How long will you be silent and not answer? How long will you allow evil to persist without acting? Habakkuk's questions were based on a premise: that God is good and that he can't tolerate evil. In other words, Habakkuk's questions were, in a way, statements of his understanding of faith in God. When we question God, we are often asking why he doesn't act in a way that's consistent with who we believe him to be.
God’s response was that the just must live by faith. What is meant by the just shall live by faith? When God says “the just shall live by faith,” He mean that believers are guided and directed by faith in a loving, righteous and trustworthy God, not by their circumstances. Believers act in a manner that is consistent with our faith—not out of a sense of blind obedience but out of a confident and sincere love for our God and for the priceless wisdom He has revealed to His children.
This truth is so important that it was God’s answer to Habakkuk’s confusion, was used in Paul’s response to the Romans and Galatians. The writer of the book of Hebrews was led to repeat it again. It is also a response for the confusion of our present generation. Many are met with the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” “Why did my child get off course?” Why doesn’t God stop these wars and violence?” It seems as if war, violence, discrimination, and injustice is the order of the day. What’s a Christian to do? Christian believers must live by faith. If we do, we will keep making progress as we shine light in the darkness.
At a recent funeral, a pastor friend was eulogizing his second son in seven months, when he kept repeating, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” He said God is Good and God has a good purpose in all of this.” Then, he said, “Farther along, we will know all about it, farther a long we will understand why. Cheer up my brother, live in the sunshine. We will understand it better by and by!”
The writer, Marissa Russell, once said, “As long as you continuously improve, success is inevitable.” I think we faced the challenges of this year by remembering God’s promise of a bright future. We should allow His word to empowered us to believe and hope for a bright future. Many Church leaders are more focused on who to blame for problems in the church rather than finding solutions. Others believe they have no power to change their circumstances. Some are constantly comparing themselves to others instead of focusing on being the best ministry they can. Still other church leaders have become discouraged and have even considered giving up.
In some circles, this kind of mentality runs rampant. This kind of thinking is not a rare disease but a sickness which has reached epidemic proportions. It’s catching and it can be deadly, but it’s not new! In Romans 4:13-25, a childless couple, Abraham and Sarah faced impossible odds. Holding on to a promise from God, they were able to subdue their despondency, delay, despair, disappointment and hoped against hope. God’s promise came true even though the couple was well-on in years. Today, Church leaders are challenged to stand on the promises of God for the families, churches, and ministries. Many must deal with limited resources, dwindling memberships, a short supply of willing workers, weak leadership, yet the church survives. This is the Lord’s Church! As I face the challenges of life, my faith is rejuvenated, and my joy is rekindle as I meditated on this passage from Habakkuk. These are some life-giving words, they read Habakkuk's conclusion:
Habakkuk 3:17-19 “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.”
1.Refuse to adopt the theology of resignation. We are challenged like Abraham before and many others to “hope against hope.” We must not adopt the theology of resignation. All around us there is what I called, the symptoms of a loser mentality. The first symptom is a resignation that things will never get better. We resign to give up, to become paralyzed and die in this place! Every effective cure must always fight against a determined disease. Negative thinking is like a determined disease. This kind of negative thinking leads to despair and must be vigorously resisted. Church leaders are challenged to encourage congregations to become obedient to the Great Commandment John 13:34-35 which reads, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” And also the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 which says, “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” We must combat the disillusionment, guilt and ineffectiveness that have paralyzed some congregations.
2. Refuse to adopt a Cut-Back mentality. The second symptom we must combat is what I call the Cut-Back mentality which leads to a survival and maintenance mode of ministry. Our vision must soar beyond the bottom line. The cut-back mentality in ministry can be compared to hypothermia in the body. When the body feel threaten by extreme cold, it keeps drawing in the resources to keep the vital organs alive. Cut-back causes the church to limit activities: Services, Sunday school, Youth and Children programs and outreach. This mentality can more easily happen when the pastor has grown up in a declining church. This cut-back mentality leads to “circling the wagons.” Cliques are easily formed as the remnant tries to hold the fort. The closed circles then create a culture that cannot be easily penetrated by outsiders. If you are not careful, the myth of eternal return will creep into your thinking which leads to the desire to return to Egypt.
This cut-back mentality has the potential to end the hope of future advancement. The reality is “we can’t go back”! Adam and Eve couldn’t return to the garden because things had changed. Israel couldn’t return to Egypt because things had changed. Neither can we return to the way things were, that world has changed. The absence of hope for the future can actually accelerate death. Hopelessness is a type of living death. “Hope is an essential factor in the recovery of health.” It is not a time for the Church to despair. Sometimes, we must experience spiritual brokenness before we can be spiritually healed. That was Israel’s condition in Ezekiel 33:31-33 where God says to His Prophet, “So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money. You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t act on it! But when all these terrible things happen to them—as they certainly will—then they will know a prophet has been among them.”
Then Ezekiel 37 reveals their pitiful condition as a valley of dry bones by saying, “Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ It’s important to be brought to this place so we can properly see ourselves, see our God and claim a new vision for the future. Smooth tidings and calming messages can lead to no action. God is still speaking. We must cry loud and spare not so as to awaken our church from its slumber. There is a vision for the future. In Ezekiel 37:12-14 God Response to Israel’s pitiful condition, “Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”
3. Refuse to Abandon God’s Plan for the Church. You see God has a plan and always knows what is needed. God sent a word of Faith. The Church must again be empowered by a God given vision. “Where there is no vision the people perish.” Equally true, “Where there are no people the vision perishes.” God vision for the church is faithful evangelism and Christian disciple making. Evangelism is sharing God’s good news of hope in blissful expectancy. The primary question is: How is hope awakened in persons? Faith and hope are interrelated. They are the bases for change. It is not a program. Faith and hope are based on who we are personally and where we are positionally. We are the children of God, empowered by His Spirit, and proclaimers of His message. We are stationed in the world, but not of the world. We shine as bright lights in the midst of darkness. The ground of our faith and hope resides in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only the message of God’s word awakens faith. Romans 10:17-18 reads, “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: “The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.” The word of God is the power of God to those who believe. Faith and hope awakened by the Word of God is energetic, magnetic, and heroic. It’s more than enough!
4.Refuse to Quit, Keep Sowing! In Mark 4, Jesus uses his “Parable of the Sower” to excite his listeners to the power of the word, (the God given seed) they have been given. Thirty-fold is a good crop in Palestine, but it is asserted that a hundred-fold has been reaped in the Jezreel Valley even in recent years. These four conditions of soil may be readily found lying close to each other in the Plain of Galilee. A sowing like this described may have been enacted before the eyes of the people even while Jesus was speaking. At any rate, for today’s church, the possibilities are limitless. During these days, let’s faithfully proclaim His message, encourage faithful obedience to His great Commandment and Great Commission and believe in a fantastic harvest! Success is possible when faithful Sowers keep on sowing. Yes, some soil is rocky, other soil has weeds and thorns, some soil is shallow, but keep sowing. Some soil is good ground and promises a bountiful harvest. Don’t allow Negative Thinking, a Cut-Back Mentality nor the Myth of Eternal Return to stop you from sowing. Galatians 6:9 encourages us by saying, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” We can be empowered through faith in God’s word this year. Our hope is alive and well, “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.”
Yes, our God is able, and He has empowered us to succeed. Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
If negative thinking, a cut-back mentality, and the myth of the way things were, can hinder a church, they can hinder our lives personally. God has set a door of opportunity before us and we must take advantage of the opportunities given to us. We must keep sowing good seeds in productive ground. We know a harvest is coming. We will reap what we sow. The just shall live by faith. Don’t stop because there are things you don’t understand, because things didn’t go your way, keep making progress. Keep living by faith! Keep rejoicing in the LORD, keep rejoicing in the God of our salvation. Why, because the LORD God is our strength, and he will make our feet like hinds' feet, and he will make us to walk upon the high places of life. Our present circumstances will not stop us, because the just shall live by faith.
A group of songwriters penned a song, make famous by Fred Johnson, that said. “I care not today what tomorrow may bring. If shadow or sunshine or rain. The Lord I know ruleth o'er everything, And all of my worry is vain
Living by faith (yes, living by faith) In Jesus above (in Jesus above) Trusting confiding (trusting confiding) In His great love (yes, in His great love) From all harm safe (from all harm safe) In His sheltering arms (His sheltering arms) I'm living by faith (I'm living by faith) And feel no alarm (feel no alarm)
The Lord I know that He'll safely will carry me through, No matter what evils betide. Why should I then care though the tempest may blow, If Jesus walks close to my side.
Living by faith (yes, living by faith) In Jesus above (in Jesus above) Trusting confiding (trusting confiding) In His great love (yes, in His great love) From all harm safe (from all harm safe) In His sheltering arms (His sheltering arms) I'm living by faith (I'm living by faith) And feel no alarm (feel no alarm)
Our Lord will return to this earth some sweet day, Our troubles will then all be o'er. The Master so gently will lead us away, Beyond that blest heavenly shore.
Living by faith (yes, living by faith) In Jesus above (in Jesus above) Trusting confiding (trusting confiding) In His great love (yes, in His great love) From all harm safe (from all harm safe) In His sheltering arms (His sheltering arms) I'm living by faith (I'm living by faith) And feel no alarm (feel no alarm) Amen.
