Sundays at 9:00am & 10:45am

X Close Menu

Come What May

April 5, 2020 Speaker: Ken Ramey Series: Stand Alone Sermons

Topic: Perseverance Passage: Habakkuk 1–3

As the prophet Habakkuk observed the pervasive violence and injustice of Judah, he wondered why God was not dealing with the wickedness of the nation. God told him that He was planning to use the Babylonians to punish Judah. But this perplexed Habakkuk even more and he protested how God could judge His own people with a nation that was even more wicked than they were. God patiently instructed Habakkuk until at last he was able to testify that even though he knew things were going to get worse before they got better and even though God’s ways were hard for him to understand, God can and must be trusted and is worthy to be worshipped come what may. This is the timeless, triumphant message of this obscure minor prophet; live by faith particularly when the future looks bleak.

1. WRESTLING WITH GOD (CH. 1)

2. WAITING ON GOD (CH. 2)

3. WORSHIPPING GOD (CH. 3)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” These questions are designed to help you apply today’s message to your life. We encourage you to thoughtfully answer these questions and discuss your answers with others. For more information about joining a Grow Group that uses these questions as the basis for weekly discussion, prayer, and accountability, please call the church office at (936) 582-1977.

1. What has been the most difficult thing for you to deal with during this pandemic? Have you been guilty of protesting and complaining? Do you truly believe God knows what He is doing and is up to something good in your life (cf. Rom. 8:28-29)?

2. What are some ways God has shown Himself faithful to you in past predicaments? Can you think of any reason He cannot be trusted to protect and provide for you in this present situation?

3. Read Habakkuk 2:4. Why is this verse foundational to understanding the Christian faith (cf. Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11)?

4. Read Hebrews 10:38-11:1. How is Habakkuk 2:4 the key to understanding the Christian life? What does it look like practically for you to “live by faith” right now?

5. Read Habakkuk 3:17. Write down the disturbing things that have already happened to you and/or could happen to you in the future. List some reasons God is still worthy to be worshipped (v. 18).

6. How did God speak to you most specifically and most powerfully through the book of Habakkuk?

7. Thank God for pushing you out of your comfort zone to remind you that you cannot and will not find comfort in anyone or anything but Him. Ask Him to forgive you for being anxious, impatient, or defiant during this global health crisis that has disrupted your life. Ask Him to help you live by faith and joyfully worship Him come what may.

“As Christians face up to the problems, pressures, and pains of life there is a sense in which we live in blissful blindness. We have no idea how the swirling circumstances of life fit into God’s perfect plan for us, nor do we need to know. We may not know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future, and this should satisfy and stabilize us….J. I. Packer is spot on when he says, ‘The truth is that God in His wisdom to make and keep us humble and to teach us to walk by faith has hidden from us almost everything that we should like to know about the providential purposes which He is working out in the church and in the world.’ This applies directly to Christians facing severe trials. The solution that naturally appeals to us is their immediate removal. When we are sick, we want instant healing; when we are in financial difficulties, we want an instant injection of cash; when we have a problem, we want a prompt and complete answer. Yet faith has another option. This is how it is expressed by Joni Eareckson Tada....‘When we learn to lean back on God’s sovereignty, fixing and settling our thoughts on that unshakeable, unmovable reality, we can experience great inner peace. Our troubles may not change, our pain may not diminish, our loss may not be restored, our problems may not fade with the new dawn, but the power of those things to harm us is broken as we rest in the fact that God is in control.’” John Blanchard, Major Points From The Minor Prophets, 189

More in Stand Alone Sermons

March 10, 2024

A Model Church

February 25, 2024

A Biblically Healthy Church

February 11, 2024

God's Passion For His Glory