Podcasts about Habakkuk

(Habakkuk 3:17-18) Faithful worship and the joy of the Lord can be sustained even when circumstances collapse. Join Evangelist Scott Pauley for the last in the current series of broadcasts from the Book of Habakkuk. Drawing directly from Habakkuk 3:17–18, examine the prophet's stark picture of loss and famine and learn three practical, gospel-centered certainties to hold in hard times as well as responses for believers facing seasons of uncertainty. (10183260801) Join Scott Pauley's study through Scripture this year. Find resources for every book of the Bible by Dr. Pauley and Enjoying the Journey at enjoyingthejourney.org/journey-through-scripture/. Whether you're a new believer or have walked with the Lord for years, you'll find thousands of free devotionals, Bible studies, audio series, and Scripture tools designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding of the Bible, and help you stay rooted in the Word of God. Explore now at EnjoyingTheJourney.org. Extend the Work Enjoying the Journey provides every resource for free worldwide. If you would like to help extend this Bible teaching, you may give at enjoyingthejourney.org/donations/

By the time we get to this passage of scripture in the book of Habakkuk, we see a different prophet. He has been changed by his conversion with God. He is ready to submit his will to the will of God and is , in fact, able to praise God even though he realizes that he will suffer a tremendous amount when God's judgment actually arrives in his country. His prayer did not change God's decision, however, he was changed by his own prayer.

In this episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal delivers a rich expository sermon on James 5:1–6, one of the most striking prophetic passages in the New Testament epistles. Drawing on the Jewish literary and cultural context of James's original audience — Jewish Christians scattered from Jerusalem by persecution — Tony unpacks why this text is not a blanket condemnation of wealth, but a devastating judgment oracle against those who hoard riches and oppress the vulnerable. Along the way, he explores the eschatological weight of accumulated wealth, the theology of God's omniscient justice, and the stunning comfort available to the suffering believer. The episode closes by returning to James's thesis: that trials of every kind, including economic oppression, can be counted as joy because of who God is and what He has done in Christ. Key Takeaways James is a deeply Jewish book written to a specific audience — Jewish Christians dispersed from Jerusalem by Saul's persecution, not a general audience of wealthy or Gentile believers. The prophetic "Come now" signals a judgment oracle, not a direct address — James is not rebuking wealthy members of his congregation, but pronouncing eschatological judgment on oppressive landowners using a technique common in Amos, Malachi, and Micah. Hoarding wealth is not morally neutral — it is self-condemning — The corroded gold and moth-eaten garments are not just symbols of decay; they serve as legal evidence against those who refused to use their wealth for God's glory and the good of others. Withholding wages from laborers constitutes a form of murder — In the ancient world, depriving workers of their wages could literally cost them their lives. James draws on Old Testament law to frame predatory economic exploitation as a capital sin. God sees and hears the cries of the oppressed — The wages of defrauded workers "cry out" to the Lord of Hosts, echoing the blood of Abel in Genesis 4. God's justice is not passive or delayed out of ignorance — it is certain and coming. Matthew 25 reframes Christian mercy as care for the body of Christ — The sheep-and-goats judgment is not a general humanitarian mandate, but a specific call to care for persecuted brothers and sisters — and to recognize that mistreating them is mistreating Christ Himself. Trials are counted as joy through the doctrine of imputation — Suffering is not stripped of its pain, but it can be moved from the loss ledger to the profit column because God uses adversity as the instrument of sanctification and glorification. Key Concepts The Prophetic Address: Who Is James Actually Talking To? One of the most common misreadings of James 5:1–6 is assuming James is directly rebuking wealthy Christians in his own congregation. Tony Arsenal corrects this by grounding the passage in its literary and historical context. James employs a well-established prophetic technique — seen in Amos, Malachi, and Micah — of addressing an absent party in order to pronounce judgment on them, while simultaneously comforting those who overhear the oracle. His audience is the dispersed, impoverished Jewish Christians who fled Jerusalem under Saul's persecution. There were almost certainly no wealthy landowners in the room. The "Come now, you rich" is a judgment declaration directed outward, designed to assure the suffering poor that God has seen their oppressor and will act. Far from being a proof-text for radical poverty, the passage is a pastoral comfort wrapped in prophetic fire. Corroded Gold as Legal Evidence Against the Soul James's claim that gold and silver have "corroded" is deliberately shocking — and theologically precise. Gold, uniquely among metals in the ancient world, does not corrode. By saying it has already corroded, James is not making a metallurgical claim but a moral and eschatological one. The accumulated, hoarded wealth of the oppressor has lost its purpose. It sits idle while workers starve, and in doing so it becomes evidence — a legal witness — against its owner in the court of divine justice. Tony draws a direct line between this image and Jesus's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount about treasures stored on earth being subject to moth and rust. Both brothers — Jesus and James — appear to be drawing on the same shared wisdom, likely rooted in the same household and the same mother's instruction. Unused wealth does not just fail to help others; it actively indicts its holder. Counting It All Joy: The Accounting Logic of Sanctification Tony closes the sermon by returning to James 1:2 — the thesis statement of the entire letter — and unpacking the word "count" as an accounting term, directly related to the doctrine of imputation. Just as righteousness is reckoned to the believer in justification, so suffering can be reckoned as joy in sanctification. This is not a call to pretend pain isn't real, or to perform contentment. It is a theological reframing: what belongs in the loss column of the ledger can, by faith, be moved to the profit side — not because the trial was pleasant, but because God is sovereign, good, and working all things toward the believer's conformity to the image of Christ. The oppressor means their wickedness for evil. God means it for glory. The supreme example is the cross itself — the only truly innocent man, suffering the worst evil ever committed, for the redemption of His people. Memorable Quotes The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you — and the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees you — and that should be a great source of comfort. Imputation is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the loss ledger — what should be an expense — and we're able to move it to the profit. Not because it didn't hurt, and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified. Full Transcript Tony Arsenal: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you." It's always a little, uh, strange to sort of jump into the middle of a series, and, um, you know, Wes is one of the most competent preachers that I know personally, so I trust that he has given you a good and satisfying overview. Uh, but I don't feel like I would be doing my responsibility if I didn't at least touch on a few things, uh, related to the, the intro to James that I think is relevant for this particular passage in a way that maybe is not relevant for the rest of the book. So some of this I hope is review, I, I anticipate is review, but I think it's worth, uh, touching on. James, as you know, is the, the half brother of Jesus. He was the leader of the Jerusalem church, and specifically he was sort of the figurehead of the Jewish church as a whole. Um, the Jewish church was the only church for the very early part of the church's growth. There were always, uh, Gentile believers. Even in the Old Testament, there were Gentiles who trusted in the Lord of Israel and the God of Israel. They were often called God-fearers. They rarely converted all the way to Judaism, but they were sort of seen as an attachment to the Jewish people. They didn't participate in all of the blessings of the Jewish people, but they did participate in most. They often had the same kind of protection. They were in a form of covenant with God. Um, they were able to worship and offer sacrifices. The temple itself had a whole portion of the temple dedicated called the Court of Gentiles, specifically for these Jewish worshipers. And as the church spread, primarily through persecution, which we'll touch base on here in a minute, as the church spread out from Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth, it took on a, an increasingly Gentile Greek flavor. As more and more primarily initially Greek converts came into the church, and then of course, as it spread to other sort of non-Hellenistic lands, other, other types of people, other nations, other people groups joined the church, the scriptures which-- the New Testament we receive primarily from Paul, at least in terms of the epistles, um, also began to take on a more Gentile flavor. Not because Paul was a Gentile, but because Paul was ministering primarily to Gentiles What we'll see here is that James is a very Jewish book. I'm sure that along the way there's been several kinds of things pointed out to you to show that, but I wanna show a couple things that not only establish James as the author, James the brother of, of Jesus, but also root the, not only the author, but the audience in a distinctly Jewish Christian, uh, context. So you don't have to turn there, I'll read this, but in Acts, uh, 15, which is the, the great Jerusalem Council, uh, we read this. It says, "With the following letter..." So the, the council meets, they make a decision about what k- what parts of the Jewish law were going to be commended to and recommended, uh, and required for the Christian believers, the Gentile Christian believers, and when they're done, they send this letter to all of, all of the churches. And it says, "With the following letter, the brothers, both apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are at, of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings." Now, I don't know about you, but I always sign my emails the same way, right? I've got, like, my work signature that I have to use, that the, the hospital makes me use with all the proper formatting and colors and fonts, but I always have the same signature. Mine is very simple. I just say, "Thanks," right? I just sign it as, "Thanks," above my signature, and I'm sure you all have that sort of characteristic way you sign a s- sign an email, or maybe it's the way you say goodbye at the end of a phone call. My father-in-law always says, "So long," which is a phrase you don't hear very often, so it's very distinct to him. We all have these little tells in our communication that sort of tip off who they're from. If you turn quickly back over to James 1, so just flip the page, uh, to the left here, he starts his letter by saying, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, greetings." It's the only two letters in the New Testament that we have where the author identifies himself, sends to a sort of generalized audience, and then signs it, "Greetings." Now, James, the brother of Jesus, was the leader of the Jerusalem Church. He was the leader of the Jewish ch- the Jewish Church in general, and he signed the letter coming from the Acts Council as sort of the presiding minister. If, if we were, y- you might call them, like, the moderator of your business meeting, or we would call them the moderator of our presbytery or our session in the Presbyterian context I come from. He was the one who sort of, like, presided over there, and so the letter that went out to the churches was signed in his name and written, drafted by him. So we see this characteristic way that the letter is addressed with this final word, "Greetings," which is not used frequently in the New Testament We also see when we look at the language carefully that the audience of this, uh, of this letter, it's debated and there are good arguments, but i- in my opinion, it's very clear that the audience of this letter is not Jewish Christians in general or, uh, Jews who have not yet converted. There are some people who would say that 'cause they're called the 12 tribes. But instead it is the Jewish Christians who originally dwelled in Jerusalem and were sent out into the countryside after the persecution that was started primarily by Saul. If you look at Acts, Acts 1 which is, uh, the passage where Saul begins to persecute the church or where Saul kinda comes on the scene as the persecutor of the church, there's a couple distinct, um, distinct linguistic markers we should touch base on. Starting in verse one it says, "And p- Saul approved of his execution. And there arose a day-- that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. They were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church and entered the house after house. He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison." When we look at this and we compare it to that, uh, again, that first verse of James where he says to the ones who are scattered, we see that there's a pretty strong linguistic parallel that tells us that the people he has in mind for this letter, the people he's addressing, are the same people who were dispersed or scattered out of Jerusalem in the persecution. When he says to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, that word dispersion is not really a translation. It's what we call a transliteration. So it's not like we've taken a word and sort of given it an English word. We've just changed the word, the letters over to English letters. In Greek, the word is diaspora, dispersion, and in, uh, Acts 1, the verb used to, to sort of describe this scattering of them is diaspero. And it is a picture of scattering seed. This is what a farmer would do. So it's not even the normal word we would use when someone is fleeing persecution. It's this idea that God has scattered Christians out into the world, in this case by persecution. He scattered them out into the world to be planted. A lot of this is where we get phrases from Tertullian about the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Now, why does this matter? As I mentioned, we often think in Gentile categories when we're reading the New Testament, and for good reason. One, we're all, all Gentiles, I'm presuming. I, I don't, I don't think-- I think I mentioned this last time, and no one came up and corrected me. I don't think anyone here is ethnically Jewish with ancestry that they're directly aware of, you know, where they trace their lineage directly back. Europe is a, a big amalgamation of just about everything, so most of us probably have a smattering of different ethnicities. But none of us are ethnically Jewish to the idea that we would, uh, identify as such in the same way. And even if we were, we've been raised and grown up in a Gentile context. We live in the West. We have-- We think in different categories. And what's more is most of the New Testament is written primarily to Gentiles by someone who is ministering to Gentiles. So Paul uses a fair amount of, of Hebraisms or things that are related to the Old Testament. Of course, he's explaining the Old Testament, and he makes ample reference to the Old Testament because that is the word of God, and it is profitable for our teaching, our correction, our reproof, and ultimately for our, our sanctification. But he uses metaphors and language in a way that is not common to the Israel context that Jesus and James and Peter and the other apostles were raised in. We don't have time to go there, but there's even some metaphors that Paul uses that are actually used the opposite way in, uh, in the more Hebraic Jewish, uh, epistles we have. One example that comes to mind is, um, Paul looks at the concept of milk, and that's not necessarily a good thing, right? It's not a bad thing, but it's what immature believers use, right? They can't handle the meat of the Bible. They have to be given the milk of the gospel before they can progress to the meat. In the Book of Hebrews, which I don't think was written by Paul, and in other places, Peter uses milk as a way to talk about nourishment, right? We think of the land flowing with milk and honey. Milk was not seen as some sort of substandard food that was only for babies. It was seen as, like, the richest, best thing that you could eat. We all have a linguistic environment that we grow up in. We all have a shared vernacular. You know, if I say something like, "You can't get there from here," everyone knows what that means. Obviously, you can get there from here, but you have to take this circuitous route. We know what that means. I think if we went around the room, we probably would find that there is this shared language. And then if we took individual families, we'd find that even within those families, there's further narrowing down of sort of like inside jokes and words that are used in ways that are not necessarily the same as others So when we read James, or when we read the letters of Peter or the letters of John, we should default to thinking more along the lines of comparing them to the words of Christ in the Gospel, first and foremost, and then to the Old Testament before we start to think about them necessarily comparing them to Ja-- or to Paul or to other kind of first century Hellenistic literature. That's not, of course, to say that Paul and James contradict. I'm sure that we went through a long explanation with much detail when you got to James chapter two, which is, of course, the most famous example. Paul uses the word justification or justify in a legal sense to make or to declare someone to be righteous. It's the verdict that the judge delivers, and it communicates the status. It actually performs what it says. When the judge says, "I find you not guilty," it changes your status from being potentially guilty to being cleared of all charges. Paul uses it slightly differently. He's not using it in the sense of to make someone righteous or to declare them righteous. He's using it to say they've been shown to be righteous. They've been validated. They've been vindicated. And if we get that mixed up, that's the source of all sorts of confusion. So when we come to this passage, and we'll get there, I promise, when we come to this passage, we have to understand some of the metaphors and the language that's being used draws from an existing body of shared cultural language that is foreign to us and is in some ways foreign to the rest of the New Testament, apart from what we see in the Gospels And it's important to remember, and this is why it's so key to land, that the audience of this letter is the persecuted, poor Jewish Christians who probably had a fairly comfortable life, relatively speaking, living in Jerusalem. These are city folks. These are people that live in Jerusalem or farm into the fields immediately around Jerusalem. They were established. They owned land. They probably had family that they had to leave, and now they're scattered out into the country with nothing. They're sent out into the world with no jobs, no family connections, no social welfare. Because they've left the Jewish faith, at least from the perspective of the Jews, they can't even go to their Jewish brothers and sisters and rely on the hospitality that's required in the law of Moses This is so important when we think about how James opens the letter and delivers what I think is his thesis statement. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials of every kind." Trials like not knowing where the next meal is gonna come from, not knowing where the next roof over your head is, not being sure you can feed your children. We all face real trials and tribulations in our life. Some of them are related to our faith, and some is just the fallen human condition in the fallen world we live in. But we're talking here about a totally different category of, uh, trial and persecution than most of us hopefully will ever experience That brings us to our actual passage now. James opens up this section with a linguistic marker that signifies this is a change in topic. He says, "Come now," or another way to translate it might be, "Now listen. Listen up." When my son is doing something that, uh, I need him to stop or I need to give him instructions, I hold him by his shoulders and I say, "Look at my eyes. I want your eyes right here. Look at my eyes." That's what Paul is doing. He's stopping and he's interrupting the flow of language. This shows us this is a new topic and a new audience. James is not speaking to rich Christians in his audience. First, 'cause there likely weren't any rich Christians directly in his audience. Remember, these are the, the poor Christians scattered out into the Judean countryside, into Samaria He's using a technique that's really common in the prophets. It's common in Jesus, where he's addressing the people who are not really listening as a way to establish that they will be judged, to hold them accountable, but also to comfort those who are hearing the message. This is a form of prophetic address. We see this in Amos, where he's chastising the Jewish leaders. Uh, in Malachi and Micah, this happens. Malachi is primarily, at least initially, is primarily, uh, a book that is railing against the rich leaders in Jerusalem who had oppressed their own brothers and sisters. The chances that those Jewish cr- uh, Jewish leaders were reading his prophecy or hearing his prophecy is pretty slim. So he was addressing a different group to establish the judgment that he was proclaiming on another party. Jesus does this when he says like, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees." There were probably scribes and Pharisees in the audience there, but he wasn't just talking to the people in front of them. He was pronouncing a judgment oracle, a judgment prophecy on all people who fit that category, and James is doing the same thing here James is not opposing wealth generally. Sometimes James is used as kind of a New Testament example to justify the idea that we should all be poor and wear shabby clothing and walk around barefoot and dirty all the time. Right? This is a key passage that's used, uh, in parts of the church that really emphasize sort of a poverty-based lifestyle. Think of like the wandering monks of the Middle Ages or the, the, um, sort of more radical exclusionists that exist even in our day. I remember when I was in college, I was really enamored with this figure named Shane Claiborne. Some of you have probably heard of him, and I remember I was so impressed because he, he didn't buy new shoes. He just cut new shoes out of duct tape and put them back together. Now, there's some, you know, there's some rugged, uh, rugged get-it-done-ness that, uh, I think us, uh, New Englanders can appreciate, but God does not call us to wear duct tape shoes, at least not universally. I'm not gonna comment on whether he calls Shane Claiborne to do that. I also don't think Shane Claiborne does that anymore. Um, some of us he may call to a lifestyle of poverty in association with a mission field or in association with a specific calling. He does not call us generally to be poor or to not gain wealth What he is opposing here is the refusal to use wealth appropriately for God's glory and the accumulation of wealth just for wealth's sake We'll see that as we unpack the language here a little bit. He establishes that he's not just talking about the earthly hoarding of wealth, as though somehow the very act of accumulating wealth was itself the problem. What he's doing is he's pronouncing an eschatological judgment on those who hoard wealth and use it to oppress others. We see here he says, "Come now, you rich, and weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you." Th- that word weep and howl, those are li-- those are words that are most commonly used in prophetic literature to describe the final cry of anguish. Think about the weeping and gnashing of teeth that Jesus talks about. This is the language he's using. He's talking about the final estate of those who refuse to submit their wealth to God He says, "Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be the evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasures in the last days." Now, remember what we said. We, we should read this not in light of some general wisdom, although it is general wisdom that if we accumulate wealth, it tends to not actually go well for us if we're not utilizing it in God-honoring ways. But we should read this in light of the most obvious connection, his big brother, Jesus, who taught his people, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." To maybe land this linguistic, uh, this linguistic connection a little more, I don't know, vibrantly, I'm gonna speculate a little bit. So if you don't like it, then you can disregard it. This is not God's Word. This is a speculation. I can just imagine little Jesus, little nine-year-old Jesus, and probably little six or seven-year-old James and the rest of their siblings, and there's quite a few of them. And we have Joseph, uh, who maybe at this time was still living, although probably not. We know he was living until Jesus was later, you know, 12, he was still around, but we don't know exactly when he left the picture. But he was a carpenter, and he was not, probably not overly wealthy. Uh, they had had to pick up and move, you know, cross-country anyways. They-- We don't know exactly where they were from initially, but they went to Bethlehem, and then they returned to Nazareth. They probably didn't have a lot. There were a lot of mouths to feed and only one business. They didn't have a farm. They didn't own livestock that we know of. I can just imagine a time when little J- little James or one of his sisters was frustrated about the fact that they didn't have anything. And I could picture Mary getting down and going, "Do not store up treasures in, in, uh, in heaven or on Earth. It's all gonna waste away." The same way we might tell our children kind of a, a moral kind of story. Sometimes we have this picture, last time I was here I, I spoke on Philippians 2, we have this idea that Jesus was somehow like Superman, that he, he was just pretending to be a normal human most of the time. As it touches his humanity, as, as we think about Jesus as a human, he had a, his own human set of thinking faculties, his own human knowledge. He grew in wisdom and stature is what Luke teaches us. Well, where did he get some of this wisdom? There's a good reasonable argument to be made that some of the pr- more proverbial type sayings that we see in Christ, that they actually come from the wisdom of his mother and father. And a really good reason to believe that is James relies on the same exact, uh, sort of proverbial wisdom to l- land his point. He doesn't create his own metaphor, he goes back to, at the very least we can say he goes back to the words of Christ. That's a very safe position to take. But this is the shared linguistic context that they both grew up in And he says, "You've done this in the last days." Now, the, the phrase last days in the Bible, uh, in the New Testament generally refers to the time period from Christ's resurrection to his return. We, for a lot of reasons, think about it as kind of like that climactic end period in time. Depending on your, your persuasion, maybe this is when the Antichrist comes, or maybe this is before or after, or maybe during the time when the church is raptured. But in either case, we think of that sort of last period in time before Christ finally comes back. But the New Testament writers are really talking about the entire duration, from Christ's resurrection to his return is what they're referring to. But it does have in view this idea that we are in the last times. The, the final judgment is not necessarily strictly something that's out there in the future. We are living in the last days now, and so what we do and what we say and, and how we worship and if we worship is eschatology. It is the theology of the last times He also positions this as though this is a universal thing going on with those who hoard wealth. This is a very shocking image. Um, we have very good ways to preserve things in our modern world, right? We have ways to m- to make, uh, stainless steel that won't rust, or at least won't rust quickly. But most things in the ancient world, even most precious metals, corroded. Um, I remember when I was growing up, there was this project in my hometown. I lived in a, a little town called White Bear Lake in, in, um, Minnesota, although little is relative. It's pretty big compared to most of what we have out here. And I remember when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old, they had this big building project to build this brand-new, beautiful lakeside pavilion in the center of town, and it w- just gleamed in the sun. It was so gorgeous, and it was made of copper, and everybody loved it, and two years later, it was bright green. I think it's still bright green. I think they figured out it wasn't worth repairing, so they, they just, they just make sure it doesn't keep getting worse, and at some point, I'm sure they either have or will tear it down. But the one metal in the ancient world that didn't do this was gold. It's part of why gold is such a durable measurement of wealth is because it doesn't wear out. It doesn't corrode. It's very soft. It's very easy to damage it, which is why we don't build statues out of it, or we don't build, uh, buildings out of it usually, but it didn't corrode. So when James says here, "Not only your silver, which tarnishes and corrodes, but your silver and gold have corroded." Not are corroding, but have corroded. The rich hearer of this is probably, you know, sitting around like Scrooge McDuck with a pile of gold coins thinking, "Ah, it looks pretty good to me." And what James is saying is, "No, no, no. No, it's corroded. It's eating away at your heart. It's lost its value because you refuse to use it, and so it sits in a pile doing nothing for no one, except serving to further your own condemnation." This is such a crazy, shocking situation that the insanity of not using your wealth, period, the insanity of sitting on your wealth in the ancient world is going to serve as a form of evidence justifying the condemnation of these wicked fools And further, the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. There's something about money. I was-- When I was here a couple times before, I preached one of the wealth passages out of Ecclesiastes, and there's something about money that has a unique way of really, really wrecking us. Either we don't have it and we want it, or we have it and we don't wanna lose it, or we have it and we don't spend it wisely. It seems like there's an infinite number of ways to screw it up. And we landed last time that the gospel is good news because with the nearly infinite ways of screwing it up, we're going to screw it up. But the one way that he talks about screwing it up here is hoarding it and sitting on it and not using it Moving on into verses four and five, James moves us now to a more sort of temporal register. He starts out by talking about what wealth is and what it's doing and how it will ultimately affect the entire life and eternity of those in his targeted audience, those he's proclaiming this prophetic, uh, judgment against. But in verse four, he moves back to the behaviors that are being, uh, being engaged in to show the state of these people's souls. He says, "Behold, the wages of the laborers you, who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." James here points at the, at the behaviors that show this hoarding behavior, and he does it for a number of reasons. One, he needs to call out sin. That's part of the role of a Christian, and especially a leader or a minister in the church, is, um, to not only call out sin in the body of, of Christ, but in a, I think a very particular way, and there's all sorts of, uh, all sorts of theological controversies flying on around about Christian nationalism and other associated things. Some of it is just the spirit of the age. Um, post-COVID, there's a, a real strong sense that our government has failed us and we need to replace it with something else. But there is a, a true way, and I, I think some of those things are a little misguided, but there's a true way that the church, particularly her leaders, should be speaking to the culture around us, and yes, even to the government, to proclaim the truth of God into a wicked and godless culture. This might take the form o- of a m- minister who goes to a town hall meeting to speak out against a gambling association that's going to be forming, or a, an elder in the church or a deacon in the church who goes to speak to, uh, to the city hall or to the state legislature about the wickedness of abortion and about what we see it does to women's lives when they are fooled into thinking that this is the right thing for them. Again, the church is not the state, and the state is not the church, and we should be very careful not to cross those lines for all sorts of reasons. But we as a culture, as a Christian culture, in the United States particularly, have lost sight of our responsibility to speak truth in all circumstances to those in power So James is doing that, of course. But even more so, this is a way that he establishes for his direct audience, for the Jewish poor Christians who have been scattered in this diaspora, in this dispersion. He looks at them in a sense and says, "I see you. I see what's happening to you." And as God's representative, as his chosen voice for this message, as his inspired author, God sees you too This goes back again, the first two chapters of James serve as kind of a thesis statement and table of contents for the whole book. We get an idea of what may have been happening, the actual, uh, acts that were being engaged in, in, in chapter two verse six, he says, "You have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?" James has in mind here a form of predatory land purchasing, where the rich were sort of sweeping up property. They were sweeping it up, and then they were charging probably exorbitant prices to those who would lease the land to try to eke out a living. Does that sound at all like any of our current context, right? When's the last time any of us have tried to buy a house and found anything reasonable? Well, a large part of that is that there are big companies that are scooping up all the land and buying all the, the developments. Now, I'm not commenting on those particular situations. I don't know those people. I don't know their hearts, and some of those things actually are doing good things for the community. But we're familiar with this idea of someone who will purchase a resource, who will then jack the price up in order to turn a profit on it. I'm not opposed to turning a profit. Y- y- yeah, it takes money to run a business, and you have to, you have to recuperate those funds if your business is going to survive. But there's a, there's a way that that can be done that is a predatory act These rich landowners were getting fat on those that they were victimizing In our, in our modern world, we tend to think of someone who is overweight as unhealthy, for good reason, right? Too much weight, and I say that with someone with a little too much padding around the middle, so no, no judgment on this, but too much weight is not healthy, right? We hear that from our doctors, that there's a healthy weight range and there's an unhealthy weight range. In the ancient world, obesity was not the concern, right? Malnutrition was the concern. And so when you see, uh, a king in the Old Testament who's, who's noted to be fat, that's not always negative. Sometimes it is, but he's noted to be fat or he's noted to be large. Even the word for glory, I'm sure you've heard this before, the word for glory in the Old Testament has to do with being heavy. So this idea of weightiness or, um, being able to eat enough to actually gain weight instead of being thin was seen as a good thing, but not when you use it as a way to victimize other people. A person who gathers wealth honestly and enjoys it, that's, that's Proverbs right there. That's the Book of Ecclesiastes in its sort of positive sense, is that we, when we accumulate wealth and we use it for God's glory, it's perfectly okay for us to also use it for our enjoyment. God wants us to enjoy the fruit of our labor. But when we accumulate wealth and use it as a way to gain power over someone and to abuse them, that is what James is railing against here And ultimately, with the audience that James is writing to, this is a form of murder. This is why he says, "You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter." Because a person who can't feed their family in the Old Testament or in the New Testament era was likely to see them die. There are not a ton of people in modern America that are starving to death on the streets. It's not to say it doesn't happen. It's not to say that there's not things like food insecurity or malnutrition, but there are, there are plenty of places people can go to get their basic food needs met. It was not like that-- It's not like that in most of the world now, and it certainly was not like that in the ancient world. And so a, a landowner who again refuses, we're talking about the Jewish landowners, refuses to obey the Jewish law to leave some leftovers for the poor, and instead gleans all the way to the corner so that they can turn a little bit of extra pro-profit, is not only sinning against the Old Testament law, but is committing murder in the strictest sense by refusing to preserve the life of these poor, uh, Christians who are destitute And again, James is encouraging his readers here that the Lord has not ignored their plight. We can think back to the Book of Habakkuk, where Habakkuk basically lodges a lawsuit against God, saying, "You are not paying attention. You're not doing your thing. You're not being faithful to your covenant." And God says, "Let me show you how faithful to my covenant I am. The Chaldeans are on the way." And Habakkuk is like, "Whoa, wait a second here. That's not what I had in mind." God sees the oppression of the poor. He knows when His people are targeted. He knows when children are abused or when widows are ignored. He knows when the government does something to shut down a church, or when the medical institution refuses to acknowledge your personal rights. He sees those things, and He's not ignorant, and He's not static. He's not sleeping on those things. The purpose here is to comfort the oppressed by showing that God is not ignorant of what has happened to them. Just two quick Old Testament examples that use similar language. In Genesis 4, we read of Cain and his murder of Abel, and in verse eight it says, "Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?' And the Lord said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.'" Numbers, uh, 35 verses 30 says, "If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. And you shall accept no ransom from him who has fled to the city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land except for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it." There's a rich history in the Old Testament of language of inanimate things, land, blood, wealth, other kinds of things that give testimony to God in some way, and specifically of these inanimate, uh, impersonal things testifying to the sin of the people that dwell around them. Even Christ says, "If these people do not worship me, the rocks will cry out." Now, the rocks are not literally crying out, although it certainly would be within God's power to make the rocks sing. But Christ is not saying in that passage that the rocks are going to form mouths and begin singing Hosanna or whatever song they might have been doing. What he's saying is that the very rocks themselves give testimony to the glory and goodness of God. So even if the people around here fail to do so, the entire rest of creation is doing so, and that is what James is saying here. My dear brothers and sisters scattered in the dispersion who have nothing, and in society's eyes are nothing, some of you are facing persecution. Some of you will be killed for your faith, but God sees because the wealth that is being accumulated on the breaking of your own backs is crying out. The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you We often want justice in the moment. I think we always want justice in the moment, don't we? I think it's a really hard discipline to say, "That person wronged me, but I'm okay letting God sort it out." That is a hard pill to swallow, but it is often the pill that we have to take. It's the medicine that God uses to further our justification, our j- our, uh, excuse me, our sanctification Paul says, you know, "Do not take vengeance. Let the Lord do that." We can trust, and this is where the comfort of this passage comes for us, brothers and sisters, we can trust that when we are wronged, that when someone has done something to us that is a violation of God's law, that that sin will be punished. Now, when we're dealing with other Christians, that sin has already been punished, and so it is not, it is not appropriate for us to hold onto that and to take vengeance. That's what the parable of the unmerciful servant is all about If I as a Christian refuse to forgive my brother and sister when they've wronged me, it's me saying that I'm a better judge of their sin and I'm a better executioner than the Lord is when he punished that sin on the cross. But that sin was not atoned for when we're talking about unbelievers. When we're talking about those who will ultimately end their earthly life and find themselves waking up in flames, that sin has not been atoned for, and so God will have his justice, and we will have our justice. We won't turn there, but in Revelation, we're familiar with the passage, I think it's chapter six, where the martyred saints are under the throne and they say, "How long, O Lord?" Well, God doesn't answer their question, but he gives them new clothes. When Job cries out and he's, he's saying, "I don't understand why this is happening. Why are you targeting me, God? Why, why are you a hunter with your arrows in my liver?" God doesn't tell him why, but he says, essentially, "I'm God and you're just going to have to trust me that this is right." We see a very similar, uh, kind of situation here when we think about when, uh, when Abraham, uh, when God tells Abraham what he's about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah, and then Abraham negotiates, apparently negotiates with God, uh, trying to secure the salvation of the city for the sake of the righteous. And we read starting in verse 20 of chapter 18, he says, "The Lord said to, to Abraham," he says, " 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. If not, I will know.' " God is always seeing and investigating the sin of people We're, we're teaching my son, August, the children's catechism, which is a, a great resource. Um, and one of the questions is, "Can you see God?" And the answer is, "No, but he always sees me." Now that may feel at first to some people like a little bit of a heavy-handed answer, but knowing that God sees us is not just there to correct our sin. It should do that, right? Even the secret sins we commit in the dark when, when we're not being watched by anyone else, even, even those God sees. But do you know what else He sees? He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees your progress. He sees you, and that should be a great source of comfort Now this passage, especially verse six, can be a little bit hard to apply because although we're the targeted audience, we're not the target of the judgment oracle. So I think what we have to do, we have to, we have to think about this in light of the way that God talks about the judgment of unbelievers in other places in the scripture, and how that helps us to understand kind of what our, what our status is. If you'll take your Bibles and open to Matthew chapter 25, I think the, um, the account here of the goat and sheep judgment, uh, is instructive for us Starting in verse 31, it says, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King answered them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those on the left, 'Depart from me for you for, uh, depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, I was naked and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also, uh, they also will say, answer saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not minister to you?' Then he will answer them saying, 'Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Now, this passage is sometimes understood as a general command to feed the poor or the sick, or to visit those in prisons, or any of the f- the sort of mercy ministry things that, that, um, are mentioned here. And those are all things that Christians should do, right? We should be engaged in, um, in mercy ministry to the poor, to those who are destitute. We should be mindful and thoughtful of those who have needs around us. What this passage is teaching, though, is not a general command to feed all people, but a specific command to care for your brothers and sisters in Christ when they have a need He doesn't say to the righteous, "You did these to everyone." He says, "Whatever you did to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me." All of the things that are listed here, the, the six mercy ministries that are listed by Christ here, are things that persecuted Christians were suffering at the time, persecuted Jew- Jewish Christians, and that would be common experiences for, for Jewish Christians and for all persecuted Christians. Right? They're hungry. They don't have food. Our diaspora Jewish Christians don't have land to farm, and even if they're able to scrape together enough funding to lease out a farm, they're being, uh, they're being totally overwhelmed by the cost of that. The sort of homeowners association dues of these pyramid schemes that were going on in the first century, they were so exorbitant that it wasn't even subs- subsistence farming. Christians were being thrown in, uh, in prison. They didn't have enough money to replace their clothes when it wore out. They couldn't have access to clean water. We take clean water as such a, such a basic thing, and it's so easy. You just turn on the tap, or you just go to the store and you buy a bottle of $7 water. It wasn't like this in the first century. If you didn't have a well, you didn't have water, unless you had someone who cared enough to share this precious resource with you. And so what Christ is saying to, to his people, both in the immediate audience on the Sermon on the Mount, uh, and in this, the Olivet Discourse here, what he's saying to his people is when someone in the body of Christ does not have what they need, the body of Christ should step up and make sure that that is the case, that they take care of that person. And likewise, he's saying to those who are not a part of the body of Christ, "Depart from me, I never knew you." Now, the intro to this, why it sometimes is called a parable, is the sheep and the goats. We sometimes go way too far into the arena of comparing the behavior of sheeps with the behavior of the people here, right? Sheep are nice, they're affable, they listen to you. In reality, from what I understand, sheep are pretty dumb and can be very stubborn, right? And then we, we read and we go, "Goats are stubborn, they're rebellious, they're not really good for anything." Well, there's a reason people have goats on farms. They, they can be stubborn, right? They can be destructive, but they also serve a purpose. So the point here is not that sheep are good and goats are bad. The point is that sheep are not goats and goats are not sheep. And, uh, another point that comes with this is sheep don't become goats by behaving like goats, and goats don't become sheep by acting like sheep. I have some friends that will tell you they have very affectionate, friendly, lovable goats, right? I'd, I would... If I could get my kids one of those little pygmy goats that everybody loves, I would do that, 'cause they can be very kind, very sweet, and they're very smart. But they're not sheep. And if you read this passage carefully, this fact that those who are taken to the right are, are in fact taken to the right is not because they fed the poor. It's not because they ministered to Christ by feeding the least of these. They did those things because they were part of the kingdom The King says to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The sheep on the right were always going to be the sheep on the right. They were predestined according to the counsel of God's will before all time to live and walk in good works. That's just Ephesians 2 there. That's also just James 2 there. You have faith, I will show you my faith by my works. This is evidence language, loved ones Likewise, the ones who are told to depart into eternal darkness were also predestined not to inherit this kingdom. No kingdom was prepared for them before the foundation of the world. They have no inheritance. They have nothing. They will end up in the state that they are trying to impose on these poor Jewish Christians. They will end up in the state that they may be trying to impose on some of us in this room And for the final verse here in, in chapter five, in verse six here, there's a lot of discussion and debate in the commentaries about who the identity of this righteous one is. It says, "You've condemned and murdered the righteous person, he does not resist you." Now, some commentators will take the fact that this is the singular righteous person, that he has been murdered and h- was condemned, and will take this as a reference to Christ. And that would, would make good sense, right? The Jewish, the wealthy Jewish landowners, the wealthy Jews in Jerusalem who per- who persecuted and cast out, um, the Christians, they were in the same group of people who condemned and murdered Jesus And at least at the time of writing this, and in many ways in our own day, God is not necessarily resisting them. He's allowing them to store up judgment for the coming day of wrath There are others who will take this as sort of the hypothetical singular, right? The righteous one or the righteous person is this, uh, representative hypothetical person that represents all of the persecuted Christians. And so it's more like saying, um, to the, the wealthy landowners who are persecuting Christians, "You have condemned and murdered the Christians, the righteous people, and we do not resist you." Now, at the end of the day, it's, it's always good to have good, sober, well-intentioned, text-based debates about what the Bible means. We can and we should try to convince others, uh, when we think they're wrong about what the scripture means. So that's not what I'm saying here. But in many ways, which of those two perspectives it actually is doesn't change the interpretation of this passage. Like we read in Matthew 25, like we read in Acts 9 when Christ comes and confronts Saul, what you do to God's people, you are doing to Christ himself. What you do to the body, you have done to the head. It's a little bit weird to say that when I stub my toe, I injure my head, but that's true, right? I don't injure my toe as though it's some separate piece. It's not like I'm a Lego man where I can just swap out a hand that gets cracked and put it back on. When I injure my toe, I injure myself. My whole body is injured even though it's specific to a part of my body. When you-- when someone persecutes you, when they, uh, try to extort your wealth, your funds, when they try to harm your body, when they try to take away your children, all things that are happening not just out there in the world, but in our country, even in our own region. When they try to tell you that because you don't wanna play a basketball game, that you can't play sports at all. When a city taxes a portion of a church's property because they don't think it's being used for religious purposes, they are doing that to Jesus Christ himself, and God will not be mocked This should call us both to faithfulness and to encouragement How people treat Christ or how people treat Christ's people, including how we trust, tr- uh, treat Christ's people, shows us what we think about Christ. The people who take care of the church do so because they love God, and they do it out of a regenerated heart that already loves God. And the people who hate the church do it because they hate Christ, and they do it out of their wickedness and out of their wicked heart This brings us back again to the thesis statement of James. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." And then he says later in that, uh, first chapter in verse nine, "Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass, he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower fails, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." Now, you're all coming up to the end of James here. Um, we probably have two, two more sermons, I would guess, and the rest of this chapter is reinforcing this. It's unpacking for the immediate audience and therefore for us, it's unpacking that although the rich have their punishment coming to them, that likewise our consolation, our comfort from Christ is also coming to us. He closes the whole letter out, he returns to his thesis statement to say, "I'm not going to pretend that the trials you're going through are joyful, but you can count it all joy." You can reckon it, you can impute it as joy, my brothers and sisters. You can put it in the joy column instead of the t- the pain column, right? We had discussion about the beautiful word imputation in the announcements and scripture reading in the beginning here Imputation is a, is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the, in the loss ledger, right? We're taking what should be an expense, and we're able to move it to the profit. We're able to move it to the positive side, not because it didn't hurt and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified When we are oppressed and opposed, those who are oppressing and oppose us mean it for evil, just like Joseph's brothers, uh, and Pharaoh, and all sorts of wicked men in, in the Old Testament and in our own world. Pilate, Herod, you mean, you name it in the Bible, this applies. They meant their wicked acts for wicked things, but God, rich in mercy, works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And what is that purpose? That we might be transformed into the image of Christ so that Christ may be glorified and He may be the firstborn among many brothers. When we face trials and suffering of every kind, it leads us to our sanctification and to our ultimate glorification. We do not earn those things. We don't sanctify ourselves any more than we justify ourselves, or that any more than we will glorify ourselves or will raise ourselves from the dead. That is all God's work from start to finish. But God does use these things that He brings us through as a way to bring about that work It's like he bends us over the hammer, over the anvil of trials, and he hammers us until we become a sharp sword in the hand of, in his hand. Or he polishes us with a rough cloth until we become a smooth, beautiful gem, right? Think of any number of refining things that need to be done. It always involves, if the thing was, uh, was a person, it always involves something that would hurt a little bit. It always involves a little bit of damage to wear away the impurities. Our sanctification and our glorification is no different than that. He uses adversity. He uses the wicked actions and intentions of, of evil men and women. He uses those things to glorify us. So although we should never, uh, we should never seek those things, right? You don't have to go and make yourself the soft target to the wicked people. It's okay to keep your head down. There's nothing wrong with that. The Jewish Christians were probably doing their best to keep their heads down most of the time, and that's fine. There's not any words in scripture about being a coward if you don't, if you don't put a target on your back. But your target is gonna get there eventually, and that's not a bad thing. We can welcome that. We can count it as joy because of who God is and what he's done. The supreme act of suffering, the supreme act of, of evil happened to the only innocent person there ever was, and it happened to him for us.  this episode is available below.

In this message from our Faith series, we dig into what it really means to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith isn't just something we believe—it's something we allow to lead. It shapes how we think, how we speak, and the steps we take.When we feed our faith and let it go first, we stop being driven by pressure, circumstances, or what looks possible in the natural. Instead, we step out in obedience and watch God do what only He can do.In this teaching you'll hear:- Why faith must be allowed to lead- How our beliefs dictate our thoughts, words, and actions- The difference between Holy Spirit leading and outside pressure- Real-life stories of God opening doors that weren't even on the market- Why “the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17 / Habakkuk 2:4) is a command, not a suggestionWhether you're facing a big decision, believing God for provision, or simply tired of living by what you can see, this message will stir you to put your faith out in front again.Let faith lead. God is still working on your behalf.#Faith #WalkByFaith #ChristianSermon #2Corinthians5 #LiveByFaith Support the show

Pastor Ryan Marr concludes our study through the book of Habakkuk.Join us in person or online Sunday 9am-11am and Wednesday @ 7pm at: https://calvarystp.org/live/​​​​​​​​​​Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calvarystp/​​​​Subscribe to our channel for more content from Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg: https://www.youtube.com/user/calvarychapelstpeteFollow Calvary Chapel St. Pete: https://www.instagram.com/calvarystp/The gospel of Jesus is what produces faith, hope, and love, and is what allows us to be more like Him. Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg exists as a movement of the gospel of Jesus for all people. We are dedicated to advancing this gospel through gospel centered community, teaching, service, and multiplication.---------------------All messages https://calvarystp.org/messages/Visit our website https://calvarystp.org/Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/calvarystp/Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/calvarystp/CCLI Church Copyright License Number: 11303553CCLI Streaming License Number: CSPL012671

Faith that trusts, even when it doesn't understand. Habakkuk — Pastor James

In this sermon on Habakkuk, we explore the prophet's honest complaint to God – life is hard, suffering feels unfair, and God's timing can be difficult to understand. Through Habakkuk's dialogue with the Lord, we're reminded that faithfulness is not the absence of hard questions, but patient endurance rooted in God's past, present, and future faithfulness. Even when the fields are empty and answers are delayed, worship becomes our response: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.”Support the showWe are growing the Kingdom of God through the lives of everyday people by reaching UP to God, IN to Grow, and OUT to GiveJoin us on Sundays at 9:30 in person and online!FBC Nokomis Youtube: www.youtube.com/@FirstBaptistChurchofNokomisFBC Nokomis Facebook: www.facebook.com/firstbaptistnokomisFBC Nokomis Sermon Podcast: https://fbcnokomissermons.buzzsprout.com/share

When life doesn't make sense, it's okay to bring your honest questions and frustrations to God. Looking at the book of Habakkuk, we see that while God welcomes our complaints, He also invites us to trust His heart even when we can't understand His plans. Our circumstances may not change immediately, but worship shifts our perspective, reminding us that God is faithful, sovereign, and worthy of our trust. No matter what we face, our response can always be worship.-----------Join us for service online or in-person in Grand Rapids every Sunday at 9AM & 10:45AM.Decided to follow Jesus? We would love to help you figure out what's next! Let us know at https://bit.ly/TLC-i-decidedStay Connected!Website: http://localchurchgr.orgFacebook: http://facebook.com/localchurchgrInstagram: http://instagram.com/localchurchgrWeekly Email Newsletter: https://bit.ly/trendingatTLCVisit & What to Expect: http://localchurchgr.org/expectEvents: http://my.localchurchgr.org/eventsIf you would like to support The Local Church GR's ministry and help us continue reaching people in the Grand Rapids area, click here: https://localchurchgr.org/giveNeed prayer? Please let us know! https://localchurchgr.org/care

(Habakkuk 3:1-2) What does true revival look like? On this Weekend Pulpit broadcast Evangelist Scott Pauley continues his series on Habakkuk and examines Habakkuk's prayer for revival. Our prayers should not be superficial, token prayers but instead should be a sustained, burdened intercession that invites God's presence and power. (10177260725) Join Scott Pauley's study through Scripture this year. Find resources for every book of the Bible by Dr. Pauley and Enjoying the Journey at enjoyingthejourney.org/journey-through-scripture/. Whether you're a new believer or have walked with the Lord for years, you'll find thousands of free devotionals, Bible studies, audio series, and Scripture tools designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding of the Bible, and help you stay rooted in the Word of God. Explore now at EnjoyingTheJourney.org. Extend the Work Enjoying the Journey provides every resource for free worldwide. If you would like to help extend this Bible teaching, you may give at enjoyingthejourney.org/donations/

Habakkuk 3 by Lynnelle Pierce

How does the Lord answer Habakkuk's concerns? Habakkuk 1:5–11 prepares us for the evening sermon on the coming Lord's Day. In these seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must remember God Himself, when we consider His providence. This devotional explores the theme of divine providence through Habakkuk's encounter with God regarding the rise of the Chaldeans. Pastor emphasizes that God's ways are beyond human scrutiny, requiring believers to cultivate humility rather than judgment. By examining the wickedness of the Babylonians, the text illustrates how God sovereignly uses even evil nations to accomplish His purposes for discipline and justice. The message encourages trusting in God's character and wisdom despite present hardships, pointing to the cross as the ultimate proof of His goodness. Ultimately, the devotional calls for a posture of faithful submission and confidence in God's control over all circumstances.

Fr. Mike points out God's remarkable promise of deliverance to Israel even in the midst of their captivity and apparent hopelessness. Even when we don't see God working in our lives, we rejoice in God because we trust and hope in his promise of salvation. Today's readings are Isaiah 25-27, Habakkuk 3, and Proverbs 11:5-8. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

The Righteousness of God Revealed in the Gospel Hosted by Dave Jenkins Episode Summary In this episode of Anchored in the Word with Dave, Dave Jenkins explains Romans 1:16–17 and the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel. The gospel is not helpful advice, moral improvement, or religious self-help. It is the power of God for salvation because it reveals how sinners can be made right with a holy God through Jesus Christ alone. Dave unpacks the meaning of the righteousness of God, justification by faith alone, the importance of Habakkuk 2:4, and why Romans 1:16–17 became so central to the Protestant Reformation. He also explains how this truth helps Christians rest in Christ rather than their own performance. Listen Watch Key Scriptures Romans 1:16–17 Habakkuk 2:4 2 Corinthians 5:21 Philippians 3:9 Galatians 2:16 Episode Highlights Why Romans 1:16–17 is central to Paul's message in Romans What Paul means by “the righteousness of God” How the gospel reveals God's justice and grace Why sinners cannot achieve righteousness through personal effort How believers are justified by faith alone in Christ alone Why this doctrine became central to the Protestant Reformation How Christians can rest in Christ rather than their own performance The Gospel and the Righteousness of Christ Romans 1:16–17 teaches that the gospel is the power of God for salvation because it reveals the righteousness of God. This righteousness refers both to God's holy character and to the righteousness He provides through Jesus Christ alone. Believers are not justified because of their works, achievements, morality, or self-improvement. They are declared righteous before God because the righteousness of Christ is credited to them through faith. This is the heart of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. Reflection Question Are you trusting in your own righteousness, or are you resting completely in the righteousness of Christ? The gospel does not reveal how sinners earn righteousness. It reveals how God provides righteousness through Jesus Christ alone. Subscribe and Watch More Anchored in the Word with Dave is a weekly segment of the Servants of Grace podcast, helping Christians stay rooted in Scripture and anchored in Christ. Visit the Anchored in the Word page for more episodes, articles, and biblical resources. Watch the Anchored in the Word playlist on YouTube.

Pastor Ryan Marr begins our study through the book of Habakkuk.Join us in person or online Sunday 9am-11am and Wednesday @ 7pm at: https://calvarystp.org/live/​​​​​​​​​​Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calvarystp/​​​​Subscribe to our channel for more content from Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg: https://www.youtube.com/user/calvarychapelstpeteFollow Calvary Chapel St. Pete: https://www.instagram.com/calvarystp/The gospel of Jesus is what produces faith, hope, and love, and is what allows us to be more like Him. Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg exists as a movement of the gospel of Jesus for all people. We are dedicated to advancing this gospel through gospel centered community, teaching, service, and multiplication.---------------------All messages https://calvarystp.org/messages/Visit our website https://calvarystp.org/Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/calvarystp/Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/calvarystp/CCLI Church Copyright License Number: 11303553CCLI Streaming License Number: CSPL012671

As we continue journeying through the prophets, Fr. Mike helps us understand the oracle concerning Tyre and points out that God's judgment will always be completed. Today, we also begin reading the Book of Habakkuk and learn about the five powerful woes we can all relate to. Today's readings are Isaiah 23-24, Habakkuk 1-2, and Proverbs 11:1-4. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

07.19.26 Calvary Chapel Santa Maria

Sermon Series | HabakkukTo give to our M25 Initiative, text m25 to 623.252.5085 or visit redaz.in/m25.To download our Mobile App, search Redemption Church Peoria where you download apps to your device(s).To connect with us, visit this link:  http://redaz.in/RPTo invest in our ministry financially, visit this link: https://bit.ly/3roZDAW

Work Your Wait | Habakkuk 2:1–4 Waiting is one of the hardest parts of following God. When life feels stalled, prayers seem unanswered, and God's timing doesn't make sense, it's tempting to take control ourselves. But what if waiting isn't wasted? What if it's where God does some of His deepest work in us? In this message from Habakkuk 2:1–4, we discover three biblical truths for every waiting season: Position yourself to hear from God. Trust His timing over your own. Work your wait by living faithfully instead of trying to control the outcome. Habakkuk never receives the explanation he hoped for. Instead, God gives him something greater—a promise. While Babylon represents pride, control, and self-reliance, God calls His people to a different way of living: "The righteous will live by faith." No matter what you're waiting on—a job, healing, direction, restoration, or an answered prayer—this message is an invitation to trust that the throne is occupied and God is still at work. Scripture: Habakkuk 2:1–4, 5–20 If this message encouraged you, consider liking the video, subscribing to the channel, and sharing it with someone who may be in a season of waiting.

Have you ever prayed and felt like God wasn't listening? In this week's message from The Voice, our summer journey through the Minor Prophets, we open the book of Habakkuk — a prophet bold enough to argue with God about the evil and injustice around him, and honest enough to bring his doubt straight to God's throne. What he received wasn't an explanation, but a revelation: "the righteous shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 2:4). Discover how to climb the watchtower when God seems silent, and how Even-If faith (Habakkuk 3:17-19) can turn your lament into worship — even before your circumstances change.Show Notes:Speaker: Dan Culbertson, Shippensburg Campus PastorSeries: The Voice — a summer walk through the Minor ProphetsMain text: Habakkuk 1–3Supporting texts: Romans 5:3-5; Romans 10:9Habakkuk is written as a call-and-response conversation between the prophet and God, largely in the Hebrew form of lamentDoubt, frustration, and honest questions are not the opposite of faith — Jacob, Job, Jeremiah, and Thomas all wrestled with God, and He rejected none of themHabakkuk 2:4 — "the righteous shall live by his faith" — later quoted in Romans, Galatians, and HebrewsTwo practices for seasons of perceived silence: Climb the Watchtower (move toward God, not away — keep praying, keep seeking, position yourself to watch for His movement) and Even-If (decide in advance to worship even if the worst-case scenario happens — Habakkuk 3:17-19)Referenced: Craig Groeschel, Hope in the Dark — acceptance is not denial; honest grief and real hope belong togetherNext Steps (highlight in episode page):Follow Jesus. If you made a decision to follow Jesus during this message, we'd love to celebrate with you and help you find your next step — visit grandpoint.church or stop by Guest Services this weekend.Read Habakkuk this week. It's only three chapters — read it slowly and watch the prophet move from lament to praise.Name your Even-If. Write down your worst-case scenario, then bring it honestly to God in prayer and choose worship anyway.Connect with Grand Point Church: Website: www.grandpoint.church Instagram: @grandpointchurch Facebook: /grandpointchurch YouTube: Grand Point ChurchConnect with us at www.grandpoint.church/nextstepsWatch online on YouTubeFollow us on Facebook and InstagramSign up for our free weekly newsletter

Youth Pastor Cameron Cooper brings a word from the book of Habakkuk for anyone who has ever felt like God is silent, absent, or moving too slowly. Through the stories of Habakkuk, Joseph, and Paul and Silas, Cameron shows that God is always working behind doors you cannot see, and that his delays are not denials. You can trust God even when you don't understand his timing. You can trust God even when you don't understand his methods. Because God is doing something in your own day.

Pastor Harold from Little Falls Christian Centre in South Africa shares a powerful message on faith, vision, prayer, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from Habakkuk 2, he reminds us that God's vision always comes to pass in His perfect timing. Our calling is to remain faithful, endure with perseverance, and continue believing even when we cannot yet see the fulfillment. This sermon explores how God still speaks to His people, the authority every believer has in Christ, the power of praying in the Holy Spirit, and the importance of responding quickly to God's leading. As we seek Him in prayer and walk together in unity, He strengthens us, reveals His purposes, and equips us to accomplish the vision He has placed before us. Scripture References: • Habakkuk 2:1 to 3 • Job 33:14 to 16 • Isaiah 55:8 to 11 • Ephesians 6:10 to 18 • Jude 1:20 • Luke 10:19

What if the hard thing God is allowing in your life right now is not a detour from His plan but actually part of it? Fear, anxiety, selfishness, and lack of trust have a way of blurring our vision and pulling us off mission fast. The prophet Habakkuk wrestled with God through violence, injustice, and unanswered prayer, and what he discovered on the other side changed everything. The righteous will live by faith. Not by answers. Not by easy circumstances. By faith. Are you living that way right now?

Waiting is one of the hardest commands in the Bible because it confronts what we crave most: control, quick answers, and relief on our schedule. From Habakkuk 2, we walk through a surprisingly practical picture of faith under pressure, where God tells a confused prophet to stand watch, record the vision, and wait because God's plan will arrive at the appointed time.We break down three concrete ways to wait on the Lord when life feels unfair, chaotic, or spiritually dry. First, we wait patiently, not by pretending we're fine, but by humbling ourselves and letting go of the arrogance that assumes we know what tomorrow will bring. Then we talk about how trials can become personal growth instead of pointless pain, as endurance matures faith and turns pressure into refining fire. Along the way we draw from James and Job to show how suffering can deepen prayer, strengthen character, and produce a steadier trust in God's sovereignty.Next, we wait prospectively, climbing the “tower” for a bigger view. Scripture gives us a horizon beyond the crisis: Paul's promise of coming glory, Jesus' return, and the hope that the deepest debts and fears have already been handled at the cross. Finally, we wait obediently, like a sentry who stays at the post, serving God faithfully when feelings are gone and answers feel late.Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYefc9USZ9k

(Habakkuk 2:1-4) God still speaks, but are we ready to listen? There is a difference between outward religion and true spiritual awakening, and daily Bible reading and prayer are vital to having a close relationship with the Lord. Discover the four simple, actionable steps believers can take to hear God when He speaks. (10171260718) Join Scott Pauley's study through Scripture this year. Find resources for every book of the Bible by Dr. Pauley and Enjoying the Journey at enjoyingthejourney.org/journey-through-scripture/. Whether you're a new believer or have walked with the Lord for years, you'll find thousands of free devotionals, Bible studies, audio series, and Scripture tools designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding of the Bible, and help you stay rooted in the Word of God. Explore now at EnjoyingTheJourney.org. Extend the Work Enjoying the Journey provides every resource for free worldwide. If you would like to help extend this Bible teaching, you may give at enjoyingthejourney.org/donations/

This passage today gives us a lot to think about when it comes to prayer. We can clearly see that God does answer the prayer of the prophet but He may or may not answer our prayer in a way for us to see His answer immediately. Prayer does not change the mind or will of God but it does bring us in line with His will. One thing is obvious to me as I read this prophet is that prayer changed the prophet. God's answer remains steadfast but now Habakkuk is told to record the vision because the people need to know and because it is absolutely certain that God is about to judge the sins of the nation of Israel. It is set for an appointed time in the very near future , wait for it -it's coming.

Why did Peter return to fishing after the resurrection? Why did Jesus repeat the miraculous catch of fish? And why does John end his Gospel with a quiet breakfast on the shoreline?In this episode of the Verbatim Word Podcast, we explore John 21 and discover that the shoreline becomes the meeting place between our old life and God's new calling. Jesus reminds His disciples—and us—that apart from Him we can do nothing, but with Him ordinary lives become transformed.In this episode:• Why the disciples returned to the Sea of Galilee• What the miraculous catch of fish really means• How Jesus transforms everyone who truly meets Him• Learning to wait on God's timing• Recognizing Jesus in everyday life• Why our greatest lack often becomes God's greatest opportunityWhether you're studying the Gospel of John, preparing a Bible study, or simply longing to see Jesus more clearly, this conversation offers practical encouragement and biblical insight.BIBLE VERSE References: JOHN 21:1-13 | MATTHEW 11:5 | JOHN 9:25 | PSALM 107:1-3 | ROMANS 12:2 | MATTHEW 28:6-10 | MARK 14:28 | JOHN 8:36 | ISAIAH 30:1-3 | JAMES 1:2-4 | PSALM 27:14 | ISAIAH 40:31 | JAMES 1:2-4 | MATTHEW 18:20 | LUKE 11:1 | HABAKKUK 3:19 | REVELATION 3:14-22 | GEN 3:7 | GENESIS 3:21 | LUKE 5:1-11 *Music tracks by Blue Dot Sessions titled “Glass Beads” and “Come As You Were” were featured in this episode

Completely unrelated creatures that depend entirely upon one another to live and have no way of living without one another, pose a very serious challenge to those who claim that all living things evolved. The relationship is called reciprocal altruism.One startling example is the relationship between the fig wasp and the fig tree. Male figs are not for eating but they produce the pollen to pollinate the sweet, juicy female fig. But the flower parts of both the male and female figs are inside the figs. There is no chance that the wind could spread pollen from the male to the female figs. And there is no other creature except the fig wasp that can transfer the pollen.Herein lies an incredible story. The fig wasp hatches from eggs inside the male fig and its purpose in its short 24-hour life is to lay its eggs inside another male fig. The female wasp emerges from the male fig covered in pollen and is programmed to search among the female figs, thus fertilizing them, before laying its eggs inside a male fig and thus start the cycle again.The fig wasp will only lay its eggs in the male fig while the female fig cannot be pollinated by any other method. Clearly, both the fig wasp and the fig tree were created for this special relationship.Habakkuk 3:17-18"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."Prayer: Dear Lord, just as You created the fig wasp and the fig tree for this close relationship, You have created me for a relationship with You. There is no peace for me outside of a relationship with You. Help me to grow closer to You through the instruction of Your Word. Amen.Ref: Bob Devine, Uncle Bob's Animal Stories, (Moody Press, Chicago, IL). Image: Seres barbatus (fig wasp) entering syconium of fig, Alandmanson, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

The Horse And His Boy x Habakkuk 1:1-4Your daily crossover of faith and fandom! Experience daily Biblical encouragement from nerdy Christian podcasters, bloggers, and content creators. Join the Nerd of Godcast community at www.NOGSquad.com

In this series "Writing The Vision", Bill Gruhlkey encourages you to apply God's Word by writing your vision down and making it plain (Habakkuk 2:2), asking what you're believing God for, and not limiting Him. Bill shares how succession planning showed him the value of written clarity so others can "run" with it, and how his wife's dream board helped them see goals fulfilled over time. He urges you to dream big, speak your vision with faith, and avoid negative words, noting the power of the tongue (James 3) and that without vision people cast off restraint (Proverbs 29:18). He teaches that God has already given "all things" needed for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and has already blessed you (Ephesians 1:3), so you participate by receiving and speaking in faith.   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:   00:00 Write The Vision 00:45 Habakkuk Vision Challenge 02:07 Succession Planning Wakeup 03:30 Why Writing Works 05:12 Dream Board Testimony 07:08 God Helps Your Vision 08:31 Dream Big By Faith 10:41 Speak Life Over Vision 12:31 Growing The Family Farm 16:30 Already Given In Christ 22:56 Denali Keys Illustration 26:53 Closing And Connect   Connect with Bill & Roger Ministries: www.billandroger.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064668460680

Welcome to today's edition of The Bible Class! Today, Dr. Kenneth C. Hill concludes our look at the Old Testament Book of Habakkuk. For more on The Bible Class or to ask a question, please visit our website at WHCBRadio.org. We thank you for listening today! The Bible Class is a production of 91.5 The Blessing, WHCB, and Appalachian Educational Communication Corporation.Support the show: http://www.whcbradio.org/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Title: Practical FaithSpeaker: Pastor David SunderlandDate: 23rd November 2025Location: Canberra, Australia Summary:"Be doers of the word and not hearers only" is the line that shapes this whole episode. Episode 827 walks through the book of James as a practical companion to the doctrine we already believe, showing what it actually looks like to live out a relationship with God day to day. The episode traces who James was, the half brother of Christ who described himself simply as a bond servant, and why his letter focuses less on doctrine and more on doing. From there it moves through a series of honest, practical questions drawn straight from James: are you controlling your tongue, are you patient with people, are you humble, are you quick to help someone in need, are you living with the awareness that Christ could return at any moment. Rather than treating James as a checklist to feel guilty about, the episode frames these questions as a form of ongoing self-examination, the kind Paul describes before taking communion. Faith and action are shown to work together. Good works do not earn salvation, they are the natural result of it. Key Points: James was written to be intensely practical, focused on how faith is lived out rather than on doctrine alone Genuine faith and good works are meant to work together, faith without action is described as dead Self-examination should be an ongoing habit, not a once-a-week routine before communion James raises specific, practical questions about temper, humility, favouritism, gossip, and patience We are not saved by good works, we are saved for good works Reference Scriptures: James 1:22 James 1:25-27 James 2:1-9 James 2:13-26 James 3:8 James 3:17 James 4:1-17 James 5:8 James 5:13-16 James 5:19-20 Hebrews 10:14 Hebrews 12:14 Mark 9:24 Romans 14 Romans 1:17 Habakkuk 2:4 1 Corinthians 11:28 Listen to the entire Podcast Revival library by visiting https://podcastrevival.com The Revival Fellowship is a Bible-directed, Spirit-filled Church and we welcome visitors to our meetings at any of our locations worldwide. To find your nearest venue visit https://therevivalfellowship.com © 2026 The Revival Fellowship. All Rights Reserved.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sermon Series | HabakkukTo give to our M25 Initiative, text m25 to 623.252.5085 or visit redaz.in/m25.To download our Mobile App, search Redemption Church Peoria where you download apps to your device(s).To connect with us, visit this link:  http://redaz.in/RPTo invest in our ministry financially, visit this link: https://bit.ly/3roZDAW

What do you do when God doesn't make sense? In Week 2 of our Habakkuk series, Nick walks through Habakkuk 1:5–2:1, where the prophet wrestles with one of the hardest questions in Scripture: How can a holy God use an even more wicked nation to accomplish His purposes? Habakkuk cries out over the violence and injustice around him, only to discover that God's plan is far bigger—and far more surprising—than he expected. This message reminds us that God is always working, even when His work confuses us, and that faith is often formed while we wait for answers. In this message: • The world is more broken than we often realize. • God is always working, even when His work confuses us. • We all want justice... until justice points in our direction. • Faith waits when understanding cannot. Whether you're wrestling with unanswered prayers, confusion, or difficult circumstances, this message will encourage you to trust God's character even when you can't fully understand His plan. Scripture: Habakkuk 1:5–2:1 If this message encouraged you, like this video, subscribe to our channel, and share it with someone who needs hope today. Join us every Sunday at 9:15 AM & 10:45 AM.

Welcome to today's edition of The Bible Class! Today, Dr. Kenneth C. Hill begins our look at the Old Testament Book of Habakkuk. For more on The Bible Class or to ask a question, please visit our website at WHCBRadio.org. We thank you for listening today! The Bible Class is a production of 91.5 The Blessing, WHCB, and Appalachian Educational Communication Corporation.Support the show: http://www.whcbradio.org/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One Hit Wonders | Week 4: When Faith Is All You Have | Dakota Adair

What do we do when God's plan does not make sense, our prayers seem unanswered, and the circumstances around us begin to shake our faith? Pastor Timothy walks through the book of Habakkuk, one of the most honest and relatable prophets in Scripture. Habakkuk looked at the violence, injustice, and corruption surrounding him and cried out, “How long, O Lord?” God answered—but His answer was not what Habakkuk expected. Through this powerful conversation between the prophet and God, we learn that the Lord is not intimidated by our honest questions. When our faith feels unsteady, we are invited to stand our watch, seek God's perspective, and cling tightly to Him. Habakkuk's name means “to embrace,” “to cling,” or “one who wrestles.” His journey reminds us that wrestling with God can ultimately teach us to hold onto Him more firmly. Even when everything appears to be falling apart, the believer can confidently declare: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” —Habakkuk 3:18 The circumstances may not immediately change, but God can strengthen our feet like those of a deer, enabling us to stand securely and walk faithfully through difficult and uncertain places. Key Scriptures: • Habakkuk 1–3 • Habakkuk 2:4 — “The just shall live by faith.” • Habakkuk 3:17–19 • Psalm 73 • Romans 1:17 • Galatians 3:11 • Hebrews 10:38 No matter what burden, disappointment, loss, or unanswered question you are facing, steady yourself on Christ. Stand, watch, listen, and trust that God is still working—even when His ways are beyond what we can currently understand. Guest Speaker: Pastor Timothy Bachleitner Date:7/12/2026 ComeToFreedom.com

Song List:1- We Have Come into His HouseTeacher: Bro. Michael OdenScripture: Romans 9:15-16, Psalms 145:8, Ephesians 2:8, 1 John 4:7-8, John 3:16, Revelation 4:8, Habakkuk 3:4 July 12, 2026 (Sunday School)

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if God were to speak to you audibly in your prayer time? Well, if you have then you will love the messages in this little book called Habakkuk. The prophet prays and God answered him audibly, but it is an answer a lot different than what the prophet wanted and in this message we can hear his response to God as he deals with an answer that would be very confusing to any of us. The prophet asked God how He could use a people who sinned worse than the nation of Israel. God's answer might surprise you -so come with me to the scripture to hear the words of a confused yet reverent man of God.

CheckoutThe God Centered Concept Academy Training Community to learn what growth in Christ ishttps://api.tuvu.com/redirectGroup/6a2ac0e2c9f728027338244cCheck out this link to view Kingdom Cross Roads on TV.https://jesussaid.tv/?affiliate=tswright_gccTo get a copy of our new book "Embracing the Truth" or to have TS Wright speak at your event or conference or if you simply want spiritual or life coaching or just a consultation visit:www.tswrightspeaks.comVisit our website to learn more about The God Centered Concept. The God Centered Concept is designed to bring real discipleship and spreading the Gospel to help spark the Great Harvest, a revival in this generation.www.godcenteredconcept.comKingdom Cross Roads Podcast is a part of The God Centered Concept.In this episode of Kingdom Cross Roads Podcast, TS Wright welcomes Tarsha Campbell back for a deeper conversation on the subject of vision. Building on her previous appearance, Tarsha explains why vision is central to life, purpose, faith, relationships, ministry, business, and personal growth.Tarsha describes vision as a God-given principle of creation, rooted in the fact that mankind was created in the image and likeness of God. She explains that while vision can operate universally, believers must begin with prayer, devotion, the Word of God, and quiet time with the Lord in order to discern the vision God has for their lives.The conversation moves from the “why” of vision into the practical “how.” Tarsha shares how vision boards, journals, planning, and daily action steps can help believers move from revelation to manifestation. She also discusses her book, My Next Step Vision Board, Dream Journal, and Planner, which guides readers through creating vision boards for seven key areas of life and writing down daily next steps to help bring those visions into reality.Listeners will also hear how Tarsha applies vision in her work as a book publisher, graphic designer, author, and coach. She shares how she seeks the Lord for creative direction, then uses practical tools and action steps to bring what she has seen into finished form.This episode is a powerful encouragement for anyone who feels stuck, uncertain, or in need of renewed hope. Tarsha reminds listeners that if God has revealed it, He has not changed His mind. The key is to stay focused, remain obedient, and keep walking with Him one step at a time.Key Topics Covered:God-given vision and purposeWhy prayer is the starting point for visionWriting the vision and making it plainVision boards, dream journals, and planningFaith, obedience, and practical action stepsTurning revelation into manifestationStaying focused on what God has shown youTarsha Campbell's book and coaching workEncouragement for believers who need hope and directionFeatured Resource:My Next Step Vision Board, Dream Journal, and Planner by Tarsha CampbellGuest Website:TarshaCampbellEmpowers.comKeywords:Tarsha Campbell, Kingdom Cross Roads Podcast, TS Wright, Christian podcast, Christian vision, God-given vision, vision board, prayer and purpose, write the vision, Habakkuk 2, faith and action, Christian encouragement, Christian coaching, Christian author, dream journal, spiritual growth, purpose-driven life, Kingdom purpose, biblical vision, Christian leadership, discipleship, Jesus Said TV

Bible teacher Carol McLeod takes us to the book of Habakkuk who, although seeing so much loss and coming sadness, still said "yet I will sing."  Rejoicing is a daily act of the will.  The American Bible Society's John Plake takes us deeper into the State of the Bible Survey 2026, looking at what Americans think about AI and if it can be used for better Bible engagement.  Do we want sermons written by AI?  How can it be used well?  The Reconnect with Carmen and all Faith Radio are made possible by your support. Give now: Click here

Every year, over 120,000 people are released from New Jersey's state prisons and local jails — into communities often unprepared to receive them and systems that too frequently set them up to fail. Nearly two-thirds will be rearrested within three years. But those numbers don't capture the full story: the near-impossibility of finding housing with a conviction on your record, the employer who won't call back, or the trauma a punishment-focused system was never built to address.In this episode of Jersey Gives a Damn, host Aaron Turner sits down with three people doing something about it. Chino Ortiz, who spent thirty years incarcerated before co-founding the Returning Citizens Support Group in Newark, talks about what that first day of freedom actually looks like. Aisha Babilonia of Habakkuk's Vision describes the wraparound support that meets people where they are — from inside prison walls to long after release. And Kevin Bott, Executive Director of Ritual4Return, shares how a 14-week theater-based program helps returning citizens heal through storytelling and public ceremony.This is what it actually takes to come home.Learn more about our guests' work: Habakkuk's Vision: https://hbbkv.org/Returning Citizens Support Group: www.returningcitizensnj.orgRitual 4 Return: www.ritual4return.orgRelated articles: But They All Come Back: Facing the Challenges of Prisonr Reentry by Jeremy TravisPerforming Emancipatory Rites of Passage, co-edited by Kevin Bott and Jan Cohen-Cruz (30% discount code: H6CZF7T9D)

*Listen to the Show notes and podcast transcript with this multi-language player. Summary This podcast explores the flow of the Word and the anointing that comes when the Body of Christ listens to the Lord and moves together in submission. The Family shares how the Holy Spirit brings the Word to life, creating a flow that is beyond human thought and rooted in Christ being revealed within us. As each member waits, listens, prepares, and submits to what the Lord is speaking, the anointing builds and the Word ministers to the whole Body. The conversation also emphasizes maturity: learning when to speak, when to wait, and how to recognize the keynote of what God is saying. Through preparation before the Father, the prayer of listening, and the recognition that we are sons of God seated with Christ, the Family points to a deeper reality of oneness with Christ, the Father, and one another. Show Notes This episode centers on the spiritual flow that comes when the Word is spoken by the Holy Spirit through a submitted Body.The Family discusses the importance of finding the “keynote” of what God is speaking and not deviating from it. The anointing is found in that flow, and staying in it requires listening, maturity, and submission to one another.A strong emphasis is placed on preparation before the Lord. Waiting on the Lord, learning the prayer of listening, and allowing the spirit to be trained are presented as important foundations for flowing in what God is speaking.The conversation also highlights that Christ is being revealed within His people. As Christ the Word comes forth, the Body recognizes His voice and flows together in the anointing.The episode concludes with the reality that believers are in Christ, seated with Him in heavenly places, and brought into the presence and anointing of the Father. Key Quotes “The flow of the word. It's really a mystical thing in so many ways, but once you're in it, there's such a level of anointing in it that it carries the word into a different realm of oneness.”“It's taking a stance as a son and declaring the things that, that God wants to declare, frame, or create today.”“It's finding the keynote and staying in the keynote.”“Christ is, he's being revealed in us. Once the revelation of Christ the Word begins to speak in us, everything flows out of that.”“The greatest level of this flow will be in our submission to one another in the Lord.”“That's how we create the flow is through preparation.”“It's not difficult. Just listen And your spirit will tune right into the Christ that's flowing.”“He is in us, speaking the word that goes throughout the family and builds up the body of Christ.”“We're one with Christ and the Father, and one another.”“We're more prepared than we realize. We're sons of God.” Scriptural References Christ the Word Revealed Within Us These scriptures support the theme of Christ being revealed within His people and speaking His Word through them. John 1 (1–14) Colossians 1 (26–27) Galatians 2 (20) John 14 (20) Flowing in the Holy Spirit These references connect with the discussion of the Holy Spirit bringing the Word to remembrance and leading the flow. John 14 (26) John 16 (13) Romans 8 (14) 1 Corinthians 2 (10–13) Submission and the Many-Membered Body These scriptures support the idea of the Lord speaking through a many-membered Body, with each member submitting to the flow of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12 (12–27) Ephesians 4 (15–16) Romans 12 (4–8) Ephesians 5 (21) Waiting on the Lord and Preparation These references reflect the need to wait on the Lord, listen, and be prepared in spirit. Isaiah 40 (31) Psalm 27 (14) Habakkuk 2 (1) Mark 1 (35) Sons of God in Christ These scriptures connect with the closing emphasis on being sons of God, seated with Christ, and brought into the Father's presence. Ephesians 1 (3–6) Ephesians 2 (4–6) Romans 8 (14–17) Galatians 4 (4–7) Takeaway The flow of the Spirit is not produced by human effort; it comes as Christ is revealed within His people. As the Body listens, prepares, submits to one another, and stays with what the Lord is speaking, the anointing of the Word builds up the Family and brings them into a deeper expression of oneness with Christ, the Father, and one another.

Marinus and Martha were wealthy Persians; but they sold all their goods and traveled to Rome with their sons Audifax, Habakkuk, Valentine, and Cyrinus, in order to venerate the holy relics of the apostles and martyrs. When the Emperor Claudius asked them why they had come so far, at such cost, to seek the dead in Rome, they answered 'We are servants of Christ, and are come to venerate the holy apostles whose immortal souls are alive with God, that they may be our intercessors with Christ our God.' All of them were sentenced to interrogation and to death if they would not deny Christ. Valentine, who was a priest, was handed over to a General named Asterius. When Valentine healed Asterius' daughter, who had been blind for two years, Asterius and his entire household accepted Christ and were baptised by Valentine. All of them, along with Marinus and Martha and their family, underwent torture and death for the sake of Christ.

Sermon Series | HabakkukTo give to our M25 Initiative, text m25 to 623.252.5085 or visit redaz.in/m25.To download our Mobile App, search Redemption Church Peoria where you download apps to your device(s).To connect with us, visit this link:  http://redaz.in/RPTo invest in our ministry financially, visit this link: https://bit.ly/3roZDAW

Habakkuk 1 | Wrestle... Don't Run Key Scripture Habakkuk 1:1–7 Big Idea God isn't afraid of your honest questions. Faith isn't pretending everything is okay—it's bringing your pain to God and choosing to stay close, even when His answers are difficult. Main Points 1. God welcomes honest wrestling. Habakkuk doesn't hide his frustration. He brings his questions directly to God. Real faith includes honest prayer. Key Passage: Habakkuk 1:1–4 2. Running from pain always costs more than wrestling through it. We all have ways of escaping: Success Sports Humor Work Entertainment Relationships Busyness—even church activity God invites us to bring our wounds to Him instead of hiding them. 3. God often meets us before He explains Himself. Prayer isn't presenting a polished version of yourself. God already knows your heart. He wants your honesty more than your performance. 4. Staying close changes everything. Like grappling in jiu-jitsu, creating space leaves us vulnerable. The safest place is staying close to God, especially when life is confusing. Distance from God rarely produces healing. 5. God's answers aren't always what we expect. Habakkuk asks God to deal with injustice. God responds by raising up Babylon. Sometimes God's plan is harder than we imagined, but His purposes remain trustworthy. Key Passage: Habakkuk 1:5–7 Memorable Quotes "Wrestle with God. Don't run from Him." "Prayer isn't presenting a polished version of yourself; it's bringing the real condition of your heart into God's presence." "When God tells you something you don't want to hear, will you create distance—or stay close?" "God isn't asking for perfect faith. He's inviting honest trust." Questions for Reflection What difficult questions have you been afraid to ask God? What do you typically run to instead of wrestling with God? Where have you been creating distance between yourself and God? Can you identify a season when God's answer didn't make sense until later? What would it look like this week to stay close instead of running? Challenge Bring your real thoughts, fears, and frustrations to God this week. Instead of escaping, choose to stay close. Trust that even when you don't understand His ways, His character remains faithful.

Pastor Jamie Crawford delivers an encouraging sermon urging listeners to remain persistent in prayer, faith, and obedience even when answers seem delayed. Drawing on Habakkuk 2:3, Luke 18:1, biblical examples (Jacob, Bartimaeus, Noah, Elijah, the woman with the issue of blood) and personal testimonies, he shows how persistence produces breakthroughs and increases faith. The episode ends with practical calls to keep praying, keep giving, and join Epicenter Church and the Wow God podcast for ongoing encouragement and revival.

Presented by Lauren Stigben As a culture we are so consumed with what is in front of us. Typically, we don't “feel” an injustice or the brokenness in this world until it really hits home. Our concerns are focused on the here and now, the me and not the us. Let's reflect. I live in a nice suburb of a large city. My grass is green, and my neighbors are friendly. I live on a street that has no outlet, meaning if you don't need to be on it to come home, visit someone, or deliver a package, you would have no reason to be here. Safe. I am not thinking about theft and brokenness here very much. Last week, our neighbor rang the bell distraught. In broad daylight, someone parked in front of his driveway and stole his children's play climber from just outside his open garage. He was seeking any camera footage. Just like that, my mind wondered who would do such a thing?! I thought about safety in my neighborhood. I lamented the brokenness of a woman in a nice white SUV stealing a plastic play climber. And while my insular suburban bubble was broken, I only thought of that: my bubble, me, and my neighbor. Let's shift to work. Reflect on this, how much do you think about unemployment or underemployment? How much are you thinking about jobless rates or layoffs? How much are you thinking about injustices at work like hiring discrimination or harassment? How much are you thinking about building relationships with younger generational workers to mentor them? Are you thinking about your supply chain? Is your workplace honorable to God? Unless you are experiencing these things or you are working very specifically in a field that addresses these issues, my guess is you are not thinking about them much at all. They may never cross your mind, or perhaps you simply make a nice donation to a charity that works for a cause. The list of brokenness spans much greater than my mentions here. As a reminder, this all started with Adam and Eve. Perfection turned to multiplied pain, dissonant desires between men and women, pain, and sweat. It moved to jealousy and murder with Cain and Abel, and on it multiplied. Adam and Eve were created in God's image, and so are we. And this sin caused our God to lament! God saw violence and corruption that really grieved God. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart (Genesis 6:6). We are made in his image, and if lament is modeled by God himself, this should be a strong indication that this is his plan for us too. We need to care about the things God cares about and this extends beyond our immediate needs. He calls us to see things like Jesus did, through a lens of loving him and loving our neighbors. As I have shared before, this extends into our workplace. As ambassadors for Jesus at work, lament is one way we can shine the light of Christ in dark times. The simple act of engaging in and acknowledging brokenness can open the door for you to share how your lament is brought to God because you trust him even when things seem like they cannot get any worse or better. This takes both a level of micro and macro engagement and very good listening. At a micro level, perhaps you learn someone is dealing with a significant challenge in your workplace. I mean, let's face it, life is lifey! Issues can range from death of a loved one, health, marriage, prodigal children, caring for an elderly parent, and many more! Or it could be an issue of someone not feeling like they fit in at the office. Perhaps you know someone who has been out of work for a longer period. Jesus was our best model of the micro level lament for others. He saw each individual in their need. Think about the compassion he showed the woman who was so desperate in her illness that she crawled through crowds in the dirt just to touch the fringe of Jesus' garment. He stopped as he was on his way to be part of someone else's lament over a sick and dying young girl. Clearly the woman believed Jesus could heal her, but think of the years before that moment. The lament she must have cried with in her personal pain and loneliness. He met the grief and lament of his dear friends Mary and Martha when their brother and Jesus' friend Lazarus passed away. In John 11:35 we read, Jesus wept. In Romans 12:15 we are told to weep with those who weep. Sometimes we are called to lament over the sin of another person. We cannot change them, but we can cry out to God about their brokenness and trust that can redeem anything. Jesus lamented over the heart of the rich young man who was unwilling to give up his possessions to follow him. In Mark 10:21, we read Jesus looked at him and loved him. Sometimes when we see people who are stuck in patterns of sin, believers or not, it is fitting to cry out to the Lord. God, how long will so and so keep on in their sin? God, when will you call so and so to follow you? Ultimately, we need to trust God to move in a sinner's heart. What about macro engagement? In this sense I am talking more about issues facing groups of people. Perhaps it is a large issue at your workplace like fear of a layoff that is buzzing around the proverbial water cooler. But, more often, we are engaging in conversations that shape our local, national, and global communities. All this can be polarizing and choosing what to lament is simply impossible sometimes because there is so much brokenness to choose from! David's lament to God about the wicked in Psalm 10 is fitting even today. Some selected verses from this Psalm read: “Why, O' Lord do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him, all his thoughts are “There is no God.” (Psalm 10:1-4). His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent (Psalm 10:7-8). The Psalm is further filled with words like helpless, crushed, forgotten. I encourage you to read Psalm 10 in its entirety. Jesus even lamented over the people in his day in Matthew 17:17. O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long must I put up with you… (Matthew 17:17). Nothing is new. How long will we be dealing with the evil in this world Jesus promises us in John 16:33? The short and disconcerting answer is until Jesus returns. In the meantime, how can we share grief together over some of these heavy broken issues? How you express your deep concern and grief about these macro issues can shape how people view you at work. Do you engage in the latest rhetoric on the news, or do you point out the root causes of the issue at hand, and explain that you pray for these things? Do you perhaps suggest action? For example, if your community deals with homelessness and food insecurity, are you talking about it or taking action to help your colleagues be part of the solution. Perhaps you suggest serving at a local shelter or doing a food drive. Taking action can be one of the most loving things you can do! One of our prayer leaders here at The Christian Working Woman takes time each month to pour into a community of elderly who don't have a lot of resources. They deal with loneliness and other insecurities. Just the time she spends brings them hope and love that many don't have from family. This is also something she can share with her colleagues! What about when you simply don't have the words or actions? Some of the challenges today are way too big for us and we may not know what to say, let alone what to pray or do! Take heart. Romans 8:26 reminds us, In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans (Romans 8:26). We can feel this heaviness in our body—a tightness in our chest, shoulders, and headaches. It can even be so heavy the injustice makes us angry. These feelings rise up that you may want to call righteous anger. Remember, only God can judge and provide ultimate justice! We simply are not made as superheroes, and try as we may, we can't separate from the feelings we have to address something in a loving and Christ honoring way. Sometimes lament can be fiery—a direct complaint to God. He wants to hear this too! We simply may not understand why God isn't moving like Habakkuk. In Habakkuk1:1-4 we hear the prophet lament, O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you, “Violence” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence before me; strife and contention arise. So, the law is paralyzed and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so, justice goes forth perverted (Habakkuk1:1-4). In both the micro and macro situations we face at work each day, we need to humbly seek God and know he will work all things for our good and for his glory in due time. Lament allows us to unburden our hearts to God and remember we are from God and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Our hope needs to be set to eternity when Jesus returns to restore his Kingdom! He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelations 21:4). Until this glorious day, we can lean into lament but also trust God to move in his ways, all the while praising him for his goodness! These are practical, God-given actions that have been given to us. What does practical lament look like? Start with the Psalms. I have talked about some of them today, but others to reference are Psalms 44, 60, 123, 79, and 94. Of course, this is not exhaustive. These are some of my favorites. Read these out loud. Put them into your own circumstances or words. Some even suggest writing your own lament. Take out a pen and paper. Write what you are feeling to cry out to the Lord. Next, express your trust in the Lord. Like David, can you say, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” God is bigger than anything you are lamenting about. God, I trust you! And finally, praise God for his goodness! When things are heavy, I love writing down all the ways God has provided for me. God, I praise you! I hope this can be a reminder that we can lament about the small and big stuff. God is in it all, and he wants to hear from you!

On today's episode of Back Porch Theology, Lisa and Allison are joined by Kristi McLelland for a rich conversation about the Minor Prophets, with a special focus on the book of Hosea. Together, they trace the threads of Hosea's powerful love story—a living illustration of God's relentless pursuit of His people. While the Minor Prophets contain sobering warnings and calls to repentance, they ultimately point to a God who never gives up on His people and whose story culminates in redemption through Jesus. Pull up a chair and join us—we're so glad you're here. Scripture References: Joel 2:28 Amos 5:24 Obadiah 1:21 Jonah 2:2 Micah 4:4 Nahum 1:7–8 Habakkuk 3:17 Zephaniah 3:17 Hosea 1:2–8 Hosea 2:1; 5–8; 14–20 Hosea 3:2 Hosea 6:1–3