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[4262.52 --> 4281.40] Praise me on earth, praise me on earth, through the peace that God delights in.
[4281.40 --> 4290.56] Amen, amen.
[4292.52 --> 4295.72] Peace be with you.
[4322.52 --> 4324.52] Amen.
[4324.52 --> 4326.52] Amen.
[4326.52 --> 4328.52] Amen.
[4328.52 --> 4330.52] Amen.
[4330.52 --> 4332.52] Amen.
[4332.52 --> 4334.52] Amen.
[4334.52 --> 4336.52] Amen.
[4336.52 --> 4338.52] Amen.
[4338.52 --> 4368.50] Thank you.
[4368.52 --> 4398.50] Thank you.
[4398.52 --> 4428.50] Thank you.
[4428.52 --> 4458.50] Thank you.
[4458.52 --> 4460.52] Thank you.
[4488.52 --> 4490.52] Thank you.
[4518.52 --> 4520.52] Thank you.
[4548.52 --> 4550.52] Thank you.
[4578.52 --> 4580.52] Thank you.
• Introduction to a new series on Habakkuk
• Reading and interpretation of Habakkuk 1:1-13
• Addressing the problem of evil and suffering in relation to God's goodness and power
• Personal story of crisis of faith and spiritual depression
• Connection between the problem of evil and Habakkuk's experience
• Acknowledging that many people struggle with similar doubts and questions
• Habakkuk's struggle with evil in the world
• The problem of why evil exists
• God's sovereignty and reasons for all things, including evil
• Historical context: the prophet Habakkuk, Judah, and Babylon
• The background to Habakkuk's prophecy: Babylon's rise to power, defeat of Assyria, and conflict with Egypt
• Judah's history with Babylon: from allies to vassal state
• The betrayal felt by Judah towards Babylon
• The local concerns in Judah: corruption and abuse of religious leaders, the paralyzed law, and injustice
• Habakkuk's cry out to God amidst evil and suffering
• Habakkuk's reaction to the abuses of power and exploitation of the poor in his world
• The problem of evil and why God allows suffering and injustice to exist
• The limitation of human perspective and understanding of God's intentions
• The concept of sovereignty and control, with God being in charge of all history
• Humility and trusting that God can be God despite not knowing the reasons for suffering
• The Christian God's sovereignty and plan amidst human suffering
• Peter Kreeft's quote on the Christian God deliberately experiencing pain through Jesus Christ
• Christianity providing resources for facing suffering with hope and courage
• Trusting in God's goodness despite evil and injustice in the world
• Worship as a response to evil, doubts, and hardships, leading to rest for one's soul
• The importance of community in times of crisis and struggle
[0.00 --> 10.38] this morning in our worship we're gonna start a new series together we're gonna
[10.38 --> 20.94] spend the next few weeks looking at the book of Habakkuk Habakkuk Mr. Eric there's one B not
[20.94 --> 28.08] Habakkuk so we're gonna spend our time in Habakkuk and we're gonna read this morning the first 13
[28.08 --> 34.26] verses and so really encourage you as always to open a Bible have that up on your phone whatever
[34.26 --> 39.92] the case may be it will also be on the screen but if you have a Bible or with your phone in hand you
[39.92 --> 48.38] can refer back as we go through I'm going to read starting at verse 1 through to verse 13.
[48.38 --> 60.80] The Oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received how long oh Lord must I call for help but you do not
[60.80 --> 68.86] listen or cry out to you violence but you do not save why do you make me look at injustice why do
[68.86 --> 74.98] you tolerate wrong destruction and violence are before me there is strife and conflict abounds
[74.98 --> 83.76] therefore the law is paralyzed and justice never prevails the wicked hem in the righteous so that
[83.76 --> 92.00] justice is perverted look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed for I am going to do something
[92.00 --> 100.90] in your days that you would not believe even if I told you I am raising up the Babylonians that
[100.90 --> 107.48] are ruthless and impetuous people who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their
[107.48 --> 113.86] own they are a feared and dreaded people they are a law unto themselves and promote their own honor
[113.86 --> 121.56] their horses are swifter than leopards fiercer than wolves at dusk their cavalry gallops headlong
[121.56 --> 130.40] their horsemen come from afar they fly like a vulture swooping to devour they all come bent on violence
[130.40 --> 138.64] their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand they deride kings and scoff at
[138.64 --> 145.10] rulers they laugh at fortified cities they build earth and ramps and capture them then they sweep past
[145.10 --> 155.76] like the wind and go on guilty men whose own strength is their God oh Lord are you not from everlasting
[155.76 --> 164.60] my God my holy one we will not die oh Lord you have appointed them to execute judgment oh rock you have
[164.60 --> 174.96] ordained them to punish your eyes are too pure to look on evil you cannot tolerate wrong why then do you
[174.96 --> 185.28] tolerate the treacherous why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves
[185.28 --> 187.76] this is the word of the Lord
[187.76 --> 206.48] as we begin together this morning i am well aware of what our experience has been for the past year
[206.48 --> 215.76] and we are well aware of the unknown and the confusion and the chaos that exists in the midst of the right now
[215.76 --> 224.56] a series that we are beginning this morning i'm calling wrecked and worshiping and it comes out of a context
[224.56 --> 232.72] in which many of us are just feeling wrecked and weak and overwhelmed with everything that has been going on
[232.72 --> 243.12] now as we jump into this first know that you are not alone that we are all experiencing this together
[243.12 --> 250.16] and we all have these kinds of experiences and out of that we all ask the same sorts of questions and so
[250.16 --> 258.00] let's ask those questions today together i'll begin with a bit of a personal story
[260.00 --> 269.28] a number of years ago while i was still in seminary i had what you know i would call rightly i think a crisis
[269.28 --> 276.88] of faith i was in seminary and i was taking a graduate level class on post-enlightenment philosophy
[276.88 --> 283.60] and i was reading a lot of books and a lot of essays from people who were just opposed to orthodox
[283.60 --> 289.68] biblical christianity and these authors in their writing right would challenge the authority of the bible
[289.68 --> 297.44] they would attempt to kind of dismantle the claims of authority of faith and the rationality of faith and
[297.44 --> 303.76] they would challenge right from the very existence of god on the basis of reason or science or logic or
[303.76 --> 314.88] history or whatever the case may have been i was reading this all and unfortunately due to the busyness of
[314.88 --> 321.92] my schedule in school i didn't make time to read other things to read good things constructive things
[321.92 --> 333.36] devotional things helpful things and so i was eventually consumed by the chaos of this thinking
[333.36 --> 341.92] and thought and i began to slide and slide and slide and i slipped into a time that can only be called
[341.92 --> 349.68] spiritual depression right and maybe faith apathy and for a couple of months maybe even half a year
[349.68 --> 360.48] my friends and i would argue and debate and we would fight and i would push buttons and i would raise concerns
[360.48 --> 368.56] and i would make arguments against faith and christianity together and i was in seminary remember
[369.20 --> 374.24] and a good seminary at that it got dark in my heart
[374.24 --> 385.52] and i would challenge my friends and my professors and myself and how could god let this kind of thing
[385.52 --> 393.52] happen right how could god create a world in which he knew there would be sin right right down to the
[393.52 --> 400.08] sometimes more complicated questions of why is there no external evidence for the resurrection of jesus don't
[400.08 --> 405.28] you think that the annals of roman history would have recorded something as significant or important as that
[408.00 --> 413.20] really i was in deep and i was spiraling out of control
[415.28 --> 423.36] i suspect many of you if not all of us know what that's like right i was in seminary training to be a
[423.36 --> 428.88] minister of the word and i had these doubts i had this crisis of faith i had this spiritual depression
[428.88 --> 434.40] and if church leaders like me or future church leaders back then like me can face those kinds of
[434.40 --> 443.12] things surely everyone does i know that many of us had these sorts of struggles maybe you aren't sure
[443.12 --> 451.44] what to believe or if you believe or even if belief is possible maybe you're there right now maybe you're here