Bowling Green Covenant Church

Holy Lord,

I have sinned times without number,
and been guilty of pride and unbelief,
of failure to find thy mind in they Word,
of neglect to seek thee in my daily life.

My transgressions and short-comings
present me with a list of accusations,
But I bless thee that they will not stand against me,
for all have been laid on Christ;
Go on to subdue my corruptions,
and grant me grace to live above them.
Let not the passions of the flesh nor lustings
of the mind bring my spirit into subjection,
but do thou rule over me in liberty and power.

I thank thee that many of my prayers have been refused –
I have asked amiss and do not have,
I have prayed from lusts and been rejected,
I have longed for Egypt and been given a wilderness,
Go on with thy patient work,
answering ‘no’ to my wrongful prayers,
and fitting me to accept it.

Purge me from every false desire,
every base aspiration,
everything contrary to thy rule.
I thank thee for thy wisdom and thy love,
for all the acts of discipline to which I am subject,
for sometimes putting me into the furnace to refine my gold and remove my dross.

No trial is so hard to bear as a sense of sin.
If thou shouldst give me choice to live
in pleasure and keep my sins,
or to have them burnt away with trial,
give me sanctified affliction.
Deliver me from every evil habit,
every accretion of former sins,
everything that dims the brightness of thy grace in me,
everything that prevents me taking delight in thee.

Then I shall bless thee, God of Jeshurun,
for helping me to be upright.

—From The Valley of Vision—A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

O God of Grace,

Thou hast imputed my sin to my substitute,
and hast imputed his righteousness to my soul,
clothing me with a bridegroom’s robe,
decking me with jewels of holiness.

But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;
my best prayers are stained with sin;
my penitential tears are so much impurity;
my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin;
my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance;
I need my tears to be washed;
I have no robe to cover my sins,
no loom to weave my own righteousness;
I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,
and by grace am always receiving change of raiment,
for thou dost always justify the ungodly;
I am always going into the far country,
and always returning home as a prodigal,
always saying, Father, forgive me,
and thou art always bringing forth the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it,
every evening return in it,
go out to the day’s working in it,
be married in it,
be wound in death in it,
stand before the great white throne in it,
enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight of
the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
the exceeding righteousness of salvation,
the exceeding glory of Christ,
the exceeding beauty of holiness,
the exceeding wonder of grace.

—From The Valley of Vision—A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

16 November 2007

Over the past several days I have received several inquiries as to BGCC’s position regarding the upcoming release on December 7 of the motion picture The Golden Compass, based on the book by the same name by Philip Pullman. Mr. Pullman is an atheist and his Dark Materials series, of which TGC is the first installment, is often referred to as the anti-Narnia, atheist alternative to C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.

For the record BGCC has no “official” position on whether or anyone should or should not see The Golden Compass. It is our conviction that as grace saved, Spirit-filled believers you, the members of our church family, are mature enough to make wise choices about the movies you and/or your children watch. We are convinced that it is wise to speak clearly where Scripture speaks clearly and to be silent where Scripture is silent. Where the Scripture is silent we believe it is wise for the individual believer to trust the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

We arrive at this conviction based, in part, on Paul’s words in Romans 14.17, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [and not a matter of movies and television programs either] but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” [See also Paul's argument about not eating meat sacrificed to idols in 1 Corinthians 8].

In the next paragraph, Romans 14.20-23, Paul writes,

“Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”

Although taken out of the context of Paul’s larger argument, the general principle arising from the text is this: grace gives individual believers a wide-berth with respect to matters of conscience. At the same time, however, it is not good to use the freedom grace permits to make others stumble. It is assumed that those who have a clear conscience will not abuse the grace of God, that is, they will not sin that grace may abound. On the contrary, they will practice their freedom with due diligence out of obedience to Christ and from a desire to glorify Him with their lives as well as behave with charity toward their brothers and sisters in Christ.

To some, the decision whether or not to attend a movie based on a book written by an atheist, or with an anti-Christian message, is very clear cut. To others, it is merely a movie–a work of fiction regardless of the message therein. Following Paul’s counsel in Romans 14 then, the question is what your conscience will bear. If your conscience cannot bear watching TGC then do not see it. You are free to boycott the movie, to protest its message and to discourage others from attending its being shown.

However, if your conscience is strong enough to see TGC please abide by this counsel from the apostle Paul, “take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak,” [1 Corinthians 8.9]. If you choose to watch the movie it is best to keep to this stipulation: do not let your freedom become a stumbling block to those who choose not to see it.

I cannot help but think we have been here before and we will be here again. Are we really surprised by the discovery that our culture is hostile toward God and that it, too, is under the curse of Adam’s sin? Let us also remember that in her long and storied history the church has survived far worse than a movie based on a book written by an atheist [e.g., the Roman persecution, the Islamic invasion of Europe during the Middle Ages & the Holocaust of Nazi Germany in which several million Christians were killed along with 6 million Jews].

Many of us are old enough to remember the furor created by the release of The Last Temptation of Christ. That movie failed at the box office but not because Christians protested its release or its message. It failed because it was a bad movie. And what of The Golden Compass? Do we really believe a movie based on a book written by an atheist is going to destroy that which God has made?

In conclusion, while it may be permissible to be outraged by the release of a movie with an anti-Christian message, it may, in the end, prove more beneficial to put our time and energy into fulfilling the Great Commission, and to look for ways to show people about the love of God and tell them about Jesus Christ than to boycott and protest a potential box-office flop.

You think about that.

Michael

P.S. To learn more about the movie and Philip Pullman check the websites listed below. The knowledge gained from reading what is written there will help you make an informed decision either to see the movie or not.

http://www.pluggedinonline.com/cultureclips2/a0003495.cfm

http://www.citizenlink.org/fnif/A000005667.cfm

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

Friday 20 July 2007

“When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished,’ and He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit.” – John 19.30

“This remarkable expression, in the Greek, is one single word in a perfect tense, ‘It has been completed.’ It stands here in majestic simplicity, without note or comment from St. John, and we are left entirely to conjecture what the full meaning of it is….No one single meaning, we may be sure, exhausts the whole phrase. It is rich, full, and replete with deep truths.” –J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, IV.322

What is left unfinished, since Jesus has announced with eternal finality, “It is finished,”?

The answer is nothing. There is not one thing Jesus Christ left undone. Everything He came to do, everything He needed to do, and everything He had to do He did. And once He fulfilled His mission He punctuated His achievement with triumphant declaration, “It is finished.” That simple statement is Jesus’ way of saying, “Mission accomplished.” And it is said for our benefit to the glory of God.

Let it be understood with crystal clarity. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He declared victory over sin, judgment and condemnation. Death appeared to have won, but three days later He would defeat death—an event summarized in the simple yet profound declaration, “He is risen!” But that is getting ahead of the present point. In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul explains the totality of Jesus’ victory at the cross. He writes:

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in Him,” (Colossians 2.13-16).

At Calvary, God performed a miracle through the death of His One and Only Son. Whereas an angel was dispatched to prevent Abraham from slaying Isaac, his son, his only son, God the Father sent no angelic messenger with a stay of execution for His One and Only Son. He permitted His Son to be nailed to the cross. He ordained Christ’s crucifixion yet, in His perfect wisdom, He also ordained that horrible death to become for us what J.R.R. Tolkien has termed a eucatastrophe— (literally, a good catastrophe), a tragedy leading to a good end. For on the cross of Christ is nailed all our trespasses. And how encompassing is “all”? What sins have been left out if “all” our trespasses (ours as individuals and ours as a collective humanity, depraved and rebellious) have been nailed to the cross and covered by the blood of Jesus? The answer is none. (Now lest my Reformed friends believe me to have embraced universalism, let me assure them I remain convinced that while the blood of Christ is sufficient for all, it is efficient only for the elect.)

The cross of Christ’s crucifixion is where God put to open shame the very rulers and authorities who crucified His One and Only Son. To paraphrase an old professor, the wisdom of God may be foolishness to the rulers and authorities of this age, but then how much more foolish are they, who in their “wisdom” carried out the will of God by crucifying Jesus on the very cross by which He would put them to open shame?

J.C. Ryle is right. When we ponder Jesus’ declaration, “It is finished,” “no one single meaning exhausts the whole phrase. It is rich, full, and replete with deep truths.” Perhaps no one single meaning exhausts the whole phrase because in choosing those who will follow His Son, God has created a body (the church) as diverse as His manifold wisdom, and as numberless as the sands on the shore and the stars in the sky.

Before He was arrested Jesus declared, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You the Only True God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent,” (John 17.3). As those who have been graced with eternal life, let us commit to the eternal exploration of the “rich, full and replete” glory of this truth: “It is finished.”

You think about that.

MM

Friday 13 July 2007

“When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished,’ and He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit.” – John 19.30

The Valley of Vision is a collection of prayers written by the Puritans. One prayer titled, The Spirit’s Work is especially powerful. Midway through the prayer, the petitioner makes a request for the Spirit to do the following:

Lead me to the cross and show me his wounds,

the hateful nature of evil, the power of Satan;

May I there see my sins as

the nails that transfixed him,

the cords that bound him,

the thorns that tore him,

the sword that pierced him.

Help me to find in his death the reality

and immensity of his love.

Open for me the wondrous volumes of truth

in his, “It is finished”.

It would be worthwhile to ponder all the requests listed in the prayer, yet it is the last one that completely captures my attention, “Open for me the wondrous volumes of truth in his, ‘It is finished.’”

What is finished? Perhaps the writer of Hebrews can enlighten us;

“For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself,” (Hebrews 9.24-26).

When Jesus said, “It is finished,” he was referring to his ministry as the perfect high priest who presents himself to God the Father as the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins—forever! Once again the writer of Hebrews explains, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified,” (Hebrews 10.14).

“It is finished” means no sin is left unatoned for by the single offering by which Christ “has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” And those who are being sanctified (made holy) are those who rejoice to “find in his death the reality and immensity of his love.”

“It is finished” means we can expect grace where once we feared judgment.

“It is finished” means we can become a new creation in Christ, the old is passed and He who makes all things new has made us new—from the inside out.

“It is finished” means that we are no longer orphans, but that we are made part of a community. It is through Christ we “receive the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ It means the Holy Spirit, “himself bears witness with out spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him,” (Romans 8.15, 16-17).

There is more, of course. So I encourage you, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to discover the as yet unopened volumes of truth in the last words of Jesus Christ on the cross, “It is finished.”

You think about that.

MM

Friday 15 June 2007

I begin this post the same way I ended my last—with a quote by Dr. Gordon Fee: “the goal (of salvation) was not simply to fit individuals for heaven but to create a people who by the power of the Spirit lived out the life of the future (the life of God Himself) in the present age. The goal is not the populating of heaven with individuals. The goal is God’s creating a people who in their life together are His people living out His rule, His character,” (Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God, p. ix).

Salvation may be a personal matter, but once we are saved, we are to seek out the fellowship of like-minded believers. Once again, Dr. Fee, “To get saved means to be joined to the people of God by the Spirit; and to be saved means to live the life of the saved person,” (Paul, the Spirit and the People of God, page 97). Just as God declared it was not good for Adam to be alone, so too, it is not good for me to try to live the life of a saved person alone. I cannot work out my own salvation alone, in isolation from other believers. I need the church. I need the company of other saved persons with whom I can work out my own salvation “with fear and trembling.”

As Americans we spend the vast majority of our time, energy and money convincing people to get saved. Of late, and hopefully it’s not too late, we have come to understand the importance of what it means to be saved—of belonging to a community of people created by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Since to be saved is to be called to live the life of the saved person, this forms the core of Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 2.12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Fear and trembling are terms borrowed from the Old Testament. They remind us we live the life of a saved person by working out our own salvation coram Deo (before the face of God). Additional motivation for our obedience is provided by the fact “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” “You” is plural. We work out our own salvation by living the life of a saved person as part of the community of saved persons—the church. Paul has little patience for those who insist on practicing a private faith isolated from the assembly of the faithful. Those who are led by the Spirit will seek the fellowship of like-minded believers in order to live the life of a saved person in the grace, obedience and humility of Jesus Christ.

It is worth noting that prior to his exhortation in verses 12-13, Paul quotes from what many scholars believe to be an early Christian hymn proclaiming the grace, obedience love and humility of Jesus Christ. Paul introduces the hymn in Philippians 2.5, appropriately, with an exhortation, “Have this mind (or, attitude) among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

Who, though He was in the form of God,

did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,

being born in the likeness of men.

And being found in human form,

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross.

Therefore, God has highly exalted Him

and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.”

As we contemplate the humility of Jesus Christ, upon whom God has bestowed the name that is above every name, and before whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, what further motivation do we need to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling?

You think about that.

MM

This past Sunday I ended my sermon with the following prayer from The Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions (Arthur Bennet, Ed., The Banner of Truth Trust, Philadelphia, PA, ©1975).

The prayer is titled, The Grace of the Cross.

O my Saviour,

I thank Thee from the depths of my being

for Thy wondrous grace and love

in bearing my sin in Thine own body on the tree.

May Thy cross be to me as the tree that sweetens my bitter Marahs,

as the rod that blossoms with life and beauty,

as the brazen serpent that calls forth the look of faith.

By Thy cross crucify my every sin;

Use it to increase my intimacy with Thyself;

Make it the ground of all my comfort,

the liveliness of all my duties,

the sum of all my afflictions,

the vigour of my love, thankfulness, graces,

the very essence of my religion;

And by it give me that rest without rest,

the rest of ceaseless praise.

O my Lord and Saviour,

Thou hast also appointed a cross for me

to take up and carry

a cross before Thou givest me a crown.

Thou hast appointed it to be my portion,

but self-love hates it,

carnal reason is unreconciled to it;

without the grace of patience I cannot bear it,

walk with it, profit by it.

O blessed cross, what mercies dost thou bring with thee!

Thou art only esteemed hateful by my rebel will,

heavy because I shirk thy load.

Teach me gracious Lord and Savior,

that with my cross Thou sendest promised grace

so that I may bear it patiently,

that my cross is Thy yoke which is easy,

and Thy burden which is light.

Friday 8 June 2007

I began my last post with the following observation from David F. Wells’, book, Above All Earthly Powers: “It is very easy to build churches in which seekers congregate; it is very hard to build churches in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship.” I mentioned there that the key ingredient necessary to building churches in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship is obedience to the gospel. Followers of Jesus should practice a lifestyle in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship.

This brings us back to Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 2.12-13; “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Paul is neither exhorting us to work in order to earn our salvation, nor is he exhorting us to work in order to keep our salvation. We misunderstand his meaning primarily because of how our English Bibles translate the Greek verb “work out.” The basic sense of the Greek verb katergázesthe [kat-er-gá-zes-the] is to “accomplish” something, not in the sense of “fulfillment,” but of “carrying out” a matter.

Although imperfect, try this thought experiment. Imagine a young woman who has received a full academic scholarship to a very prestigious university. She has been granted four years at no cost with the guarantee that she can pursue further study (for as long as she wants) beyond her bachelor’s degree also at no cost. The only condition is that she carry out her scholarship to obtain her bachelor’s degree. Now let us suppose that after two years of hard work she is wavering in her commitment. Having written a letter to her father expressing her weakening resolve, he concludes his letter to her with this exhortation: “Therefore, my beloved daughter, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, carry out your scholarship with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

What does this young woman need to do to carry out her scholarship? She has to stay in school. She has to attend class. She has to study. She has to take exams. She has to participate in the community life of the university. She has to commit to practicing the lifestyle of a fulltime university student and all that being a student requires of her and from her.

My analogy is imperfect to this degree. It is about one person carrying out a university scholarship. Paul’s exhortation is directed to the entire membership, men and women, of the church in Philippi. He exhorts them to carry out their salvation not just as individual believers, but as active participants in a community of believers.

Salvation is a matter of individual men and women being saved one-by-one, however, the reason we are saved is so we may become part of a larger community of people called by God to display His glory by the way we live. All who come to Jesus do so in response to the Gospel. Additionally, all who come to Jesus having been called to faith are also called to assemble as part of His new covenant community. Thus, the church is where our biblical faith matures into genuine discipleship. So part of our gospel obedience is active participation in the life of the church. Our faith-relationship with Jesus Christ is to be carried out through our relationships with those inside the church.

According to Gordon Fee, the goal of the gospel “was not simply to fit individuals for heaven but to create a people who by the power of the Spirit lived out the life of the future (the life of God Himself) in the present age. The goal is not the populating of heaven with individuals. The goal is God’s creating a people who in their life together are His people living out His rule, His character,” (Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God, p. ix).

In the second part of Paul’s exhortation we are exhorted to work out our own salvation “with fear and trembling,” because the power to work it out, the power to carry it to completion is not ours. It is God’s power—the power of His Holy Spirit.

That we will take up in our next visit.

Until then, you think about that.

MM

Friday 1 June 2007

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” – Paul the Apostle, Letter to the Philippians 2.12-13

David F. Wells, in his book, Above All Earthly Powers makes this trenchant observation about the Church as she lurches forward into the 21^st century: “It is very easy to build churches in which seekers congregate; it is very hard to build churches in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship.”

It is an intentionally provocative analysis. And if true, as I believe it is, the question that must be asked is— Why is it “very easy to build churches in which seekers congregate,” yet “very hard to build churches in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship”?

According to Dr. Wells, churches in which seekers congregate do not produce people “in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship.” The point is not whether people are hearing the gospel in such churches. Despite the complaint made by some, namely, that what is heard in churches in which seekers congregate is not THE gospel; let us, for the sake of argument, assume people are hearing THE gospel. Thus, hearing is not the problem. Obedience is the problem. It is very hard to build churches in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship because genuine discipleship requires rigorous and ongoing obedience to the gospel.

The concern over lax obedience to the gospel, then, is at the heart of Dr. Wells’ observation. It is also at the heart of Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” The reason their obedience is necessary is stated clearly in the next clause, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” As the apostle to the Gentiles (people who were not Jewish), Paul knew the key to building churches in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship is for each member of the body of Christ to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.

But what did Paul mean? The context tells us Paul’s exhortation is not for the Philippians to “get saved,” nor is he exhorting them to “persevere” as saved people. His meaning is actually very simple: biblical faith matures into genuine discipleship when people who say they follow Jesus actually behave as people who follow Jesus. In other words, people who say they are followers of Jesus should live like people who are followers of Jesus. Our actions should prove our words. To paraphrase Dr. Wells, followers of Jesus should practice a lifestyle in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship.

Paul’s exhortation to work out our own salvation requires us to practice what Jesus preaches. We are to obey the gospel, not only among those who do not follow Him, but, and just as importantly, we are to practice what Jesus preaches among those who do. In his commentary on this text, Gordon Fee writes, “At issue is ‘obedience,’ pure and simple, which in this case is defined as their ‘working, or carrying out in their corporate life the salvation that God has graciously given them,” (Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Wm. B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI, © 1995; page 235).

It is worth noting that Paul expects the Philippians to do what he says, “as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence.” Their obedience is assumed. He expects them to work out their salvation because it is God who will give them the ability and the energy to do so.

This is not working to earn our salvation. This is not working to keep our salvation. This is working toward a lifestyle in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. However, God lavishes His grace upon us so as to catalyze our faith toward maturity into genuine discipleship. Once again, we are saved by grace through faith alone in Christ alone, but the grace that gives birth to faith is given by God so that it may bear fruit for His glory over a lifetime of obedience practicing what Jesus preaches. There is a fine line between gospel obedience and gospel legalism. Paul exhorts us to work out our own salvation to achieve the former.

Over the next several weeks we will look at what it means to work out what God, by His grace, gives us the power to do for His glory.

You think about that.

MM

Friday 11 May 2007

If you cannot remember the last time you read the prophet Habakkuk (H?-bak -??k), or if you have never read him, it’s likely you are good company. To find him you must venture deep into the Old Testament. He is ensconced between Nahum and Zephaniah (two other lesser read minor prophets – minor only terms of the number of words used to communicate God’s message). Habakkuk begins with typical prophetic abruptness.

“This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received from the Lord in a vision. How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence!” I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see this sin and misery all around me? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralyzed and useless, and there is no justice given in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, and justice is perverted with bribes and trickery.” – Habakkuk 1.1-4 [NLT]

Habakkuk uttered these words some time between 640 and 615BC (approximately 2600 years ago). Since the word of God is eternal, Habakkuk’s words are as relevant today as the day he first spoke them. His words have a familiar ring do they not?

Many of us have either thought or spoken similar words to the Lord in our lifetime. The wicked violence that occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech, the continued strife in Iraq, the mortal tragedy of a recent murder in our community reminds us evil still wields the power to kill in world still groaning under the curse of sin – our sin.

How long, O LORD?

Flash forward 600 years from Habakkuk to the Book of Revelation. There, in Revelation 6.9,10, John the Beloved Disciple saw

“the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their witness. They called loudly to the Lord and said, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge the people who belong to this world for what they have done to us? When will you avenge our blood against these people.’”

How long, O LORD?

The question shouts our desire for justice. The question pleads with God to act, to vindicate His name and His people. The question voices our heart’s cry for vengeance – a judgment that belongs to God and God alone. We know in the end the Lord will punish with vengeance those who do violence, commit evil and destroy life. But in our frustration, in our impatience, in our humanity we lament through tears and gritted teeth.

How long, O LORD?

The irony in Habakkuk’s lament is that when the LORD answers him the response is not what the prophet expected. Habakkuk expected the LORD to wreak vengeance on those in his own culture who broke the covenant with apparent impunity. The LORD assures the prophet such is not the case. He will exact vengeance on those who do violence. The surprise is the unexpected means and the manner by which the LORD will exact His vengeance.

So what is the LORD’s unexpected answer to Habakkuk’s lament? Judgment will come in the form of invasion by a dreaded foreign enemy – the Babylonians.

“The Lord replied, “Look at the nations and be amazed! Watch and be astounded at what I will do! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. I am raising up the Babylonians to be a new power on the world scene. They are a cruel and violent nation who will march across the world and conquer it. They are notorious for their cruelty. They do as they like, and no one can stop them. Their horses are swifter than leopards. They are a fierce people, more fierce than wolves at dusk. Their horsemen race forward from distant places. Like eagles they swoop down to pounce on their prey.” – Habakkuk 1.5-8 [NLT]

Surely, this is not a case of “Be careful what you pray for.” To the contrary, this is an example of how in His sovereignty the LORD controls the destiny of nations and peoples in order to bring glory to His name. How this can be is beyond our ability to comprehend. This much is certain, and this we know because the Lord spoke it through the prophet Isaiah,

“’My thoughts are completely different than yours,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts,’” (Isaiah 55.8,9).

Nor is the LORD taunting Habakkuk in his grief. He is making very clear there is a plan, an order to the apparent chaos – a justice that is invisible to all those except the righteous who live by faith. But that is not how Habakkuk sees it. And that is not how we see it, not when the mainstream media all too willingly broadcasts the vindictive rant of a young man determined to kill, or of a terrorist gloating in his cleverness. There may be a plan but we do not see it, we do not have the faith to see it and so like Habakkuk we lament,

“O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal—is your plan in all of this to wipe us out? Surely not! O Lord our Rock, you have decreed the rise of these Babylonians to punish and correct us for our terrible sins. You are perfectly just in this. But will you, who cannot allow sin in any form, stand idly by while they swallow us up? Should you be silent while the wicked destroy people who are more righteous than they? Are we but fish to be caught and killed? Are we but creeping things that have no leader to defend them from their enemies? Must we be strung up on their hooks and dragged out in their nets while they rejoice? Then they will worship their nets and burn incense in front of them. “These nets are the gods who have made us rich!” they will claim. Will you let them get away with this forever? Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?” – Habakkuk 1.12-17 [NLT]

And having launched our complaint we, like Habakkuk, wait in smug silence for the Lord to answer certain we have argued an airtight case.

“I will climb up into my watchtower now and wait to see what the Lord will say to me and how he will answer my complaint.” – Habakkuk 2.1 [NLT]

However, when the answer comes we are reminded that there is plan after all and the working out of it is best left to God.

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else. But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.

“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked; but the righteous will live by their faith. Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest. They range far and wide, with their mouths opened as wide as death, but they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and peoples. But the time is coming when all their captives will taunt them, saying, ‘You thieves! At last justice has caught up with you! Now you will get what you deserve for your oppression and extortion!’ Suddenly, your debtors will rise up in anger. They will turn on you and take all you have, while you stand trembling and helpless. You have plundered many nations; now they will plunder you. You murderers! You have filled the countryside with violence and all the cities, too.

“How terrible it will be for you who get rich by unjust means! You believe your wealth will buy security, putting your families beyond the reach of danger. But by the murders you committed, you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives. The very stones in the walls of your houses cry out against you, and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint.

“How terrible it will be for you who build cities with money gained by murder and corruption! 13Has not the Lord Almighty promised that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes? They work so hard, but all in vain! For the time will come when all the earth will be filled, as the waters fill the sea, with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.

“How terrible it will be for you who make your neighbors drunk! You force your cup on them so that you can gloat over their nakedness and shame. But soon it will be your turn! Come, drink and be exposed! “Drink from the cup of the Lord’s judgment, and all your glory will be turned to shame. You cut down the forests of Lebanon. Now you will be cut down! You terrified the wild animals you caught in your traps. Now terror will strike you because of your murder and violence in cities everywhere!

“What have you gained by worshiping all your man-made idols? How foolish to trust in something made by your own hands! What fools you are to believe such lies! How terrible it will be for you who beg lifeless wooden idols to save you. You ask speechless stone images to tell you what to do. Can an idol speak for God? They may be overlaid with gold and silver, but they are lifeless inside. But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.” – Habakkuk 2.2-20 [NLT]

A time is coming when God will punish with vengeance all those who do violence and cause destruction. But it will not happen quickly. “These things I plan won’t happen right away,” is God’s way of assuring us that while the wheels of His justice grind slowly they grind exceedingly fine. We mistake His tardiness for unconcern. It is grace that causes the wheels of His justice to grind slowly. It is His wrath that causes them to grind exceedingly fine. The LORD punishes the violent, the evildoers, and the criminal, but He does so in His time, in His way and in His inescapable sovereignty. Lest we forget while evil seems to have won the day,

“…the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.”

The prophet Isaiah speaks a similar word when he says,

“The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless:

Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire?

Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?” – Isaiah 33.14 [ESV]

In the end Habakkuk sees. He gets it. It is not the plan he would have chosen. It is not the strategy he would have implemented. It is, however, the LORD’s plan. The strategy of the Almighty God is a perfect tapestry although when looked at from our side of the tapestry all seems chaos.

The proud trust in themselves. They gloat in atheistic ecstasy. They trumpet the greatness of gods which are not gods at all. The arrogant ignore the reality of the Almighty and because of their arrogance they will die.

“But the righteous will live by their faith.”

And ours is not an empty faith. Nor is the word of the LORD spoken in vain. Judgment approaches. Vengeance awaits. His is judgment is holy and just, His vengeance timely and thorough. Thus we live by faith. We persevere with hope.

“This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk:

“I have heard all about you, Lord, and I am filled with awe by the amazing things you have done. In this time of our deep need, begin again to help us, as you did in years gone by. Show us your power to save us. And in your anger, remember your mercy.

“I see God, the Holy One, moving across the deserts from Edom and Mount Paran. His brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with his praise! What a wonderful God he is! Rays of brilliant light flash from his hands. He rejoices in his awesome power. Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close behind. When he stops, the earth shakes. When he looks, the nations tremble. He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. But his power is not diminished in the least! I see the peoples of Cushan and Midian trembling in terror.

“Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers and parted the sea? Were you displeased with them? No, you were sending your chariots of salvation! You were commanding your weapons of power! You split open the earth with flowing rivers! The mountains watched and trembled. Onward swept the raging waters. The mighty deep cried out, lifting its hands to the Lord. The lofty sun and moon began to fade, obscured by brilliance from your arrows and the flashing of your glittering spear.

“You marched across the land in awesome anger and trampled the nations in your fury. You went out to rescue your chosen people, to save your anointed ones. You crushed the heads of the wicked and laid bare their bones from head to toe. With their own weapons, you destroyed those who rushed out like a whirlwind, thinking Israel would be easy prey. You trampled the sea with your horses, and the mighty waters piled high.

“I trembled inside when I heard all this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains.

(For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)” – Habakkuk 3.1-19 [NLT]

Habakkuk’s faith and patience originate from one source, “I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains.”

For as long as we walk this earth we will live in slippery times, uncertain and violent days—days of injustice. Even so, let us live by faith. Let us persevere with hope in the LORD the Almighty. He will make us surefooted. He will help us keep our balance lest we fall away while wait for the vision to be fulfilled.

In our impatience for vengeance, we ask “How long, O LORD?”

And the LORD, who has infinite patience, is gracious enough to answer.

“Soon.”

You think about that.