When God’s Ways Make No Sense: Tremble And Trust

WHEN GOD’S WAYS MAKE NO SENSE: TREMBLE AND TRUST

HABAKKUK 1:1-11

TODAY WE ARE CONTINUING A SERIES OF MESSAGES ENTITLED “WHEN GOD’S WAYS MAKE NO SENSE.”

THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE IS THAT WE HAVE DECIDED THE WAY THAT GOD SHOULD ACT IN OUR LIVES, AND WHEN HE DOESN’T WE FIND IT CONFUSING. WE LITERALLY DETERMINE THE WAY GOD IS GOING TO ACT IN ANY SITUATION.

LAST WEEK WE SAW THAT A RESPONSE TO GOD WHEN HIS WAYS MAKE NO SENSE IS TO RESIST AND RUN FROM HIM. THIS IS WHAT JONAH DID. HE RESISTED THE PLAN OF GOD BECAUSE GOD WANTED HIM TO GO AND PRESENT A MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE TO NINEVAH, THE CAPTIAL CITY OF ASSYRIA, AND A SWORN ENEMY OF ISRAEL. HE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND IT AND HE SIMPLY REFUSED TO DO IT, BECAUSE IT WAS SOMETHING HE DIDN’T WANT TO DO. HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT GOD WANTED HIM TO DO, BUT WHAT GOD DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WAS THAT JONAH DIDN’T WANT TO DO THAT, AND GOD WAS SUPPOSED TO DO THE THINGS THAT JONAH WANTED HIM TO. THEN JONAH WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM SUBMITTING TO GOD.

GOD DOES NOT ALWAYS ACT IN WAYS THAT WE UNDERSTAND, OR IN WAYS THAT WE IF WE ARE BEING HONEST WANT TO FOLLOW. WHEN GOD WANTS US TO DO SOMETHING GOOD, WE LIKE IT AND IT’S EASY TO SUBMIT, BUT WHEN HE CHALLENGES US WITH THE NINEVAH’S OF OUR LIVES THEN THE WALK BECOMES DIFFICULT.

THE STORY OF JONAH WAS TO RESIST AND RUN FROM THE CALL

TODAY WE LOOK AT TWO MORE RESPONSES:

THE STORY OF SAUL OF TARSUS IS TO DISTORT AND DENY THE GOSPEL.

THE STORY OF HABAKKUK IS TO TREMBLE AND TRUST THE LORD.

WHEN WE DISTORT SOMETHING WE LOSE THE CLEARNESS AND SHARPNESS OF THE ITEM. IF A PICTURE IS DISTORTED IT IS NOT CLEAR. WE CAN’T IDENTIFY FACES OR LAND MARKS CLEARLY. WE MAY HAVE AN IDEA BUT WE CAN’T SAY FOR CERTAIN.

DISTORTED FACTS AND IMAGES CAN LEAD US TO WRONG CONCLUSIONS. THE SAME IS TRUE WITH THE BIBLE. DISTORTED ITERPRETATIONS OF SCRIPTURE CAN LEAD US TO WRONG CONCLUSIONS.

ROMANS 8:28 IS A GOOD EXAMPLE.

ROMANS 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

THIS IS A NICE POSITIVE STATEMENT BY PAUL THAT WE OFTEN MISINTERPRET AND DISTORT TO SAY THAT ONLY GOOD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN TO CHRISTIANS. BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS PASSAGE IS SAYING. THEN WHEN A HEALTH CRISIS ARISES, OR WE LOSE OUR HOUSE OR JOB, WE ARE FLOORED BECAUSE WE THINK THAT ONLY GOOD THINGS SHOULD HAPPEN TO CHRISTIANS, AFTER ALL THAT’S WHAT THIS VERSE SAYS RIGHT!

IN THIS EXAMPLE OF A DISTORTED VIEW, THE VERSE IS TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT. THR TRUE MEANING IS FOUND IN VERSE 29.

ROMANS 8:29: For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

PAUL’S TRUE MEANING IS THAT AS WE ARE CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST WE WILL SEE HOW GOD WORKS FOR OUR GOOD IN ALL THINGS BE THEY WHAT WE WOULD CALL GOOD OR BAD.

DENIAL IS A MORE DELIBERATE RESPONSE TO THE CALL OF GOD. WHEN WE DENY SOMETHING WE KNOW WHAT THE FACTS ARE, BUT WE CHOOSE TO IGNORE THEM. WE THINK IF WE DENY THE FACTS THEN THE FACTS ARE NOT TRUE AND THEY WILL GO AWAY. IT’S FAR MORE DANGEROUS THAN DISTORTION AS IT IS DONE INTENTIONALLY. WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO DENY WHAT THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, YOU ARE BASICALLY SAYING THAT YOU KNOW MORE THAN SCRIPTURE AND YOUR BELIEF IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GOD’S TEACHING.

CHRISTIANS CAN DO BOTH OF THESE THINGS AND WHEN DONE INTENTIONALLY CAN LEAD US TO QUESTION GOD’S WAYS AND HIS PLAN. WHY THOUGH WOULD WE INTENTIONALLY DO THIS? IT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE FORMULATED IN OUR MINDS THE WAY WE SHOULD ACT, BELIEVING IT IS THE WAY GOD WOULD WANT US TO ACT, AND WE DISTORT AND DENY SCRIPTURE TO HELP US ACT THE WAY WE WANT TO, NOT NECESSARILY THE WAY GOD WOULD HAVE US ACT.

SAUL OF TARSUS OR PAUL IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS. BEFORE HE BECAME A CHRISTIAN SAUL WAS A PERSECUTOR OF THE CHURCH. MANY CHRISTIANS WERE KILLED AND IMPRISONED BECAUSE OF SAUL’S CRUSADE AGAINST THIS “CULT” AS HE BELIEVED.

SAUL WAS A VICTIM OF HIS OWN UPBRINGING AND TEACHING AND DISTORTED AND DENYED THE GOSPEL IN FAVOR OF WHAT WOULD BECOME AN ARTIFICIAL OR COUNTERFEIT GOSPEL THAT LET HIM DO VISCIOUS ACTS OF TORTURE TO CHRISTIANS, BELIEVING THAT HE WAS ACTING ON BEHALF OF GOD.

SAUL WAS BORN IN TARSUS, A UNIVERSITY CITY, SO HE WAS SURROUNDED BY INTELLECTUALS. HIS FAMILY WAS WEALTHY AND EVEN AS A CHILE LIVED A PRIVILEGED LIFE.