Habakkuk Chapter 2 (READ 2:1-3)
In 1930 a member of the British Parliament wrote a book called "The Gathering Storm" In the book he told of gathering storm clouds that were coming and would change the face of Europe. He was scorned and laughed at. Winston Churchill who wrote that book was running to be Prime Minister and they turned from him and went with Neville Chamberlain. This man made a practice of compromise and appeasement and with the gathering storm clouds, he made a pact with Adolph Hitler. Until 1938 Europe was involved in confrontation and nobody wanted to talk about it much less listen to the voice of Churchill.
In the late 20’s and early 30’s a young military officer by the name of Billy Michael’s prophesied there would be a naval strike on the base in Hawaii. He said it would be by air, and they laughed at him. He continued to tell the people of this impending disaster until he was called to Washington for a general court-martial. He had told them the attack would come from Japan and when they asked how airplanes could get from Japan to Hawaii he said the day was soon ahead when they would be launched from the deck of ships. They court-martialed him.
Church we need to understand tonight we live in a time today where the issue is not whether or not there are prophets in the land, there are both worldly and spiritually prophets who see through the clouds. The problem is where are those who will listen to the prophets.
Habakkuk said I will keep watch and see what God wants to speak to me. I do not believe that Americans believe there will be a day of accounting, a day of reckoning coming to this nation. I have watched at the end of this past week, the allegations coming out of Washington concerning the President of the United States. I have listened to the people on the street who are ambivalent toward another potential scandal, who act as if anyone can conduct themselves in such a manner and have no judgment come upon them. Church, the storm clouds are gathering. There is a day on the not so distant horizon where America is going to have to answer for her corporate sin, and the sin of its individual members.
America has unfortunately learned how to cop a plea. The Unabomber pleads guilty to avoid the death sentence, a sentence his victims were unable to avoid. Criminals daily work to plea bargain for reduced sentences, and somehow we must think we can plea bargain with God. If a commit a sin, I can plea bargain, if I cannot plea bargain, I can get a parole, if I cannot get a parole, then I can get a governors pardon, if not a governor’s pardon, then a presidential pardon. There is a belief in our society that somehow I will be able to do something to escape the judgment, to walk away from the reckoning. The Bible tells us that when justice is not administered speedily, it encourages men to do evil.
And the church, to some degree, because of time, because it has been 2,000 years since Jesus walked this earth, it has lost the foresight to look forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, when the heavens will open and the trumpet will sound and He will come back again. We have lost confidence that Jesus is coming again to judge both the living and the dead. The church has lost confidence that the wages of sin is death. We have lost the belief to be sure that your sins will find you out. But I want you to know that they are going to find you out. Habakkuk says in vs. 3, 4 (READ).
The proud soul will not listen to anybody. It doesn’t listen to the law. It doesn’t listen to its boss. It does not listen to authority. The proud soul shows no respect to the office of the pastor, it does what is right it its own eyes. And that is what the devil wants the proud soul to do. The devil has no plan for your life, only God does. The devil hates God with a passion because God held him accountable, and satan is trying to get back at God by getting back through God’s children.
So here is this man who is proud and doesn’t answer to anybody, who doesn’t pay heed to the coming clouds that are gathering, clouds of judgment.
The Lord’s delay in bringing this judgment is positive proof of the love of God. His desire is that not one should parish but that all would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus as Lord and Savior. God is waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Out of divine love.
God looks at America with love. A nation founded on Christian principles and He waits, not wanting to bring judgment. It is not that we have not had prophets in the land in this day and age, we have. But it is as if America has gone deaf to their words. They don’t listen to the prophets, but there is going to come an appointed time when the judgment is coming, it will be swift, it will be quick, it will not terry, it will not delay. It will be terrible. The lost will say why did this come so suddenly. There will no ability for someone to cop a plea, there will be no delay, no pardon. No one will be excused. Both Christians and non-Christians will stand in judgment.
Today God cries out. This is not his plan. He wants no one to parish, but all to have eternal life.
Remember when Mount St. Helens erupted? There was a first eruption and the scientists warned a second was coming that was going to be far worse than the first. There was Harry Truman who lived at Spirit Lake who said he would not come off the mountain because he and the mountain were friends and nothing would happen to him. Well, when the second eruption came, Truman died on the mountain. And God is warning us that an eruption is coming, to get off the mountain of this world, and get on His holy mountain but so many are like Harry Truman.
Southern California has been warned about an impending massive earthquake, and yet when earthquakes come, they act as if it is a surprise. The Scripture even warns about coming earthquakes, in fact it says that everything that can be shaken both in heaven and earth will be shaken, and it also says that judgment is going to begin at the house of the Lord.
We need to remember, God is doing the shaken, and when he is doing the shaken, it doesn’t matter how many devils you rebuke, it doesn’t matter how many promises of the Bible you quote, when God does the shaken it is so He can have a separate people, a glorified people that will not be shaken by other things.
The prophets have come and warned us, and too many are not listening.
In Habakkuk we learn of some instruments of warning God uses. Turn to chapter 1 (read 6-11).
This is a terrible scene of the enemy sweeping over the people. The Hebrew nation would not believe God would use a sinful people to bring judgment on them. But throughout history we read how God has used the unrighteous to punish His people who were not following Him.
America is having a hard time believing this image. I heard one news commentator say the American economy is so strong, we are a superpower in the world, and it does not matter what the President does in his private life. I have this to say, it matters to God. How arrogant have we become to think that because we are American’s we can carry on the way we do in the face of God?
I have watched the news recently concerning the Hepatitis B alert in Spokane. The immense numbers of people who had potential contact and the shortage of vaccine available. We have all seen the reports on AIDS, they can delay but not cure AIDS. The Mad Cow disease which landed Oprah in court in Texas for defaming the cattle industry by reporting on a potential plague. The Bible says there will not only be earthquakes, but there will also be plagues. Why would God bring plagues on the people. Let me give you several reasons tonight, I think we can see them well in Hab. 1:6, "for behold I am raising up the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous people, who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places which are not theirs."
One reason God sends plagues is because of dishonesty. We are seeing this nation plagued by dishonesty. In a recent poll, 78% of high school students said they would lie or falsely information on a resume to get a job after graduation.
No longer is honesty an issue in electing a president. In 1992 the President denied having an affair with Jennifer Flowers, yet a week ago in a deposition hearing, apparently he admitted to it. I don’t know what is worse, a President who lies about cutting taxes, or one who lies about his morality? We are out of touch with what it means to tell the truth, and the American people have lost faith in our government to tell the truth and we just go with the flow. Church we have to believe one another. There was a day when a handshake was a vow and it was their word. They did not need a contract, now you can sign a contract and be caught up in litigation until the cow comes home because we have become a dishonest nation. There was the day when you did not need to lock your front door, now we need locks, alarms, and security guards in most cities of America. Woe to the nation that is dishonest.
In Hab. vs. 9, who to those who are covetous. That is the second one. We live in the most materialistic age that ever was. We live in an age of people who are about money. What is America about? It is about money. We have grown to be a people who lust after things.
The third reason judgment came, Hab. 2:12, "Woe unto them who build towns with blood." It seems like a daily occurrence to read the murders in Spokane, from prostitutes to moms sitting in a car at the park. And Spokane is only a small part of the homicides that occur across this nation in both large and small cities and towns. We average 27,000 murders a year. Only 55,000 people died in Vietnam, a war that went over a span of years and years. There is a war going on in our nation, a war fueled by drugs, which doesn’t even account for 1.5 million children killed in the womb each year. Woe not only unto the cities, but woe unto the men. Never has there been a period in history with the amount of domestic violence that happens daily in America. It is a product of a violent nation, made up of violent people. It fuels racial hatred.
We will accept a bad report in the news, but if we hear something good, we will question if it is true. Why? Because of the dishonesty, the immorality, the crime, it is harder for us to accept that anything good is coming out of America.
There is only one thing that is going to bring things together and set this nation right, and that is the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Hab. 2:19 tells us the next one, false religions. We have Mosics rising through America. New Age guru’s are rapidly increasing, call your psychic hot line.
There could not be more woes then these that I have given that describe America today. And it is time that somebody goes to the mountain and cries out to God to not release the woes unto us.
The bad news is this. God will judge sin, both the sins of the nation and the sins of the individual. God is not going to wink at the sin that is taking place around us and not bring judgment, one day he is going to deal with it. That’s bad news for America today. If we sin and live rebellious we will stand in judgment one day before God,
The good news is that the whole earth is still filled with the glory of God. That is good news. The goodness of God is present and it endures through all generations. In 1858 there was a revival in America, you could feel the presence of God walking down the street. There is a great revival that is starting in this land today, we have heard the exciting reports.
I am excited about those who come on Friday morning at 10 am to pray for the church, community state, nation and world. There is a revival of prayer. I am praying for people to rise up in this church to become the my MVP’s, prayer partners for the Kingdom.
Where sin abounds, the grace of God abounds much greater. In the last days, the Scripture says they will hate God. Christians in America have been referred to in the past 5 years as the radical right and those who don’t agree with our righteous stand hate us. And they are going to hate us more because righteousness is going to get more righteous. And more fanatical and more committed. Say Amen.
This judgment day will be a terrible day for those who are lost, but for the Christian will be a glorious day. When D. L. Moody died, he looked up at heaven and said this is not death, this is bliss. Compare that to Thomas Payne who when he came to death said, I have made provisions for life, but never for death, and now I go to meet my maker. Judgment is coming one day for all, will heaven be bliss or something no provision has been made for?
The storm is already broken. You need a refuge. In a storm, the farmers head to the barn, to the storm shelter. You and I need a storm shelter in out lives.
I want to close with this, heads bowed and eyes closed. I want you to be honest tonight with God, if you are not sure with your thoughts and your deeds, that if Jesus were to come in the clouds of glory today you know you have hidden sin in your life, and you want prayer, raise your hand right now...
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