Hab 2:2-20 – The righteous will live by faith – sermon notes

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Summary so far

Ch. 1 (questioning, listening, disputing)

We left him (Hab 2:1) watching and waiting.

1. God speaks again

V2 – Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.”

This word is to be preserved, published and proclaimed

God reveals his word progressively – within Habakkuk; the OT, from OT to NT.

Bud/flower, shadow/substance, foundation/building, promise/fulfilment.

The later revelation completes the earlier.…

To what does God adopt us?

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(1.) He adopts us to a state of excellence. It were much for God to take a clod of dust, and make it a star; it is more for him to take a piece of clay and sin, and adopt it for his heir.

(2.) God adopts us to a state of liberty. Adoption is a state of freedom; a slave being adopted is made a free man. ‘Thou art no more a servant but a son.’…

The speed of love

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Love is:-

Slow to suspect — quick to trust.
Slow to condemn — quick to justify.
Slow to offend — quick to defend.
Slow to reprimand — quick to forbear.
Slow to belittle — quick to appreciate.
Slow to demand — quick to give.
Slow to provoke — quick to conciliate.
Slow to hinder — quick to help.
Slow to resent — quick to forgive.

(Source unknown)…

The uniqueness of Jesus Christ

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Only he:-

  1. was foretold in detail centuries before he came, Lk 24:27
  2. declared that he came from outside the world, Jn 6:38
  3. was without flaw of character, Heb 4:15
  4. claimed that he was God, Jn 8:58
  5. died for the sins of the world, 1 Pet 3:18
  6. rose from the grave
…

What can we learn from other religions?

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Can Christians learn any wisdom from other religions? Certainly! Our own Scriptures tell us that the God who spoke in many and various ways to our Jewish fathers (Heb 1:1) has not left himself without a witness among the Gentile nations. (Rom 1:19-20; Acts 17:22-28)

There are at least three good reasons for Christians to study other religions.

First, to appreciate our own religion better by contrast. We fallen creatures need contrast to appreciate anything.…

The deity of Christ

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‘As a matter of methodology it is a great mistake to confine our response to [an] attack on the deity of Christ to those parts of the New Testament which specifically describe Christ as God. There is no doubt, as we shall see, that the New Testament does very often describe Christ as God. But the proof of His deity is much wider than that. We simply must not allow Jehovah’s Witnesses to limit the debate to the narrow question, Does the Bible call Jesus God?…

Love – the greatest thing

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‘The greatest of these,’ writes Paul, ‘is love.’ (1 Corinthians 13:13)

John Stott (The Contemporary Christian) poses the question, ‘What is the chief distinguishing mark of a Christian?’  Various answers might be given:-

1.  Truth.  Certainly, sound doctrine is vital to the health of the church.  See 1 Tim 6:12,20; 2 Thess 1:14; 2 Thess 2:15; Jude 1:3.  But ‘if I…can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,…but have not love, I am nothing’ (1 Cor 13:2).…

Sin and suffering

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  1. Human sin is a general factor in explaining the presence of pain and suffering in the world, Gen 3:14-19; Rom 8:20-22.
  2. Sin is sometimes a causal factor in personal pain and suffering, Rom 1:18-32.
  3. There is not always a direct causal relation between suffering and sin, Job; Jn 9:2.
  4. Suffering can always be the occasion for a person to draw near to God, Jas 5:13-16.
…

Signs of new life

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Like a newborn baby, the new Christian,

1. cries, Rom 8:15
2. hungers, 1 Pet 2:2; Heb 5:12ff; 1 Cor 3:2
3. moves, Tit 2:14
4. rests, Ps 131:2 127:2
5. grows, 2 Pet 3:18…

Four maxims about justification

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The Puritan Thomas Watson lays down ‘four maxims or positions about justification.

1 That justification confers a real benefit upon the person justified. The acquitting and discharging of the debtor, by virtue of the satisfaction made by the surety, is a real benefit to the debtor. A robe of righteousness, and a crown of righteousness, are real benefits.

2 All believers are alike justified: justificatio non recipit magis et minus. Justification does not apply to some more than to others.!…