WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:03.359 Thank you guys very much for being here today. 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:04.799 Good to see everybody. 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:07.839 Good news and bad news. 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:13.039 The good news is that Russ's sabbatical has come to an end. 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:13.599 Okay? 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:15.039 And he is back. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.719 Bad news is that you're stuck with me for today. 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:22.000 And then after that, all will return to normal. 00:00:22.079 --> 00:00:22.399 Alright? 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:23.679 So, well, I shouldn't say that. 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:25.440 That's probably a bad analogy right now. 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:28.719 Whatever. 00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:30.320 So, anyways. 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:35.359 But also, depending on how you view this, we also had to finish up Habakkuk. 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:37.840 So this could be a blessing or a curse to you. 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:40.240 Some of you are probably still searching for it through your Bibles. 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:42.159 That's perfectly understandable. 00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:43.920 It took me about three days to find it, too. 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:46.719 So that's alright, but we're going to finish it up today. 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:52.399 We don't have time to run through the entire third chapter of Habakkuk, so we're going to condense it down. 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:53.679 I'm going to skip to the good part. 00:00:53.759 --> 00:00:57.520 I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I'm going to get into like the real detailed stuff of it. 00:00:57.600 --> 00:00:59.119 I'm skipping all the way down to the good part. 00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:16.640 We're going all the way down to the end of chapter three in Habakkuk, and we're going to finish this thing up today just because, again, I keep getting slapped around by this little tiny book in the Bible that is just so full of things that pertain to our world today, I think. 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:24.159 And hopefully you've seen that as Brian preached to us, as David Rutland preached to us, all those guys who've come up here and really filled in the gaps for us. 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:28.079 And I hope that you've really taken something away from that and had a good time with it. 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:34.719 So today we're going to start in Habakkuk chapter 3, and we're going to read verses 16 through 19. 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:36.159 So let me read to you this morning. 00:01:36.319 --> 00:01:40.480 The Bible says, I heard, and my inward parts trembled. 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:42.879 At the sound my lips quivered. 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:53.680 Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble, because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people to arise who will invade us. 00:01:53.840 --> 00:02:09.840 Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exalt in the Lord. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:13.360 I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:20.960 The Lord God is my strength, and He's made my feet like hindsfeet, and makes me walk on high places. 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:22.560 Let's go to the Lord in prayer this morning. 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:23.919 Father, we love you. 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:24.800 We thank you for your word. 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:26.960 We thank you for all of those who are here today. 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:31.039 Father, those that are watching online at home, we just pray that you continue to bless each and every one of us. 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:39.360 Lord, most of all, please today open our minds and our hearts to hear your word and that we just pray that you would speak loud and clear this morning. 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:40.879 It's in Jesus' name we pray. 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:41.680 Amen. 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:51.599 So I got a lot of um text and phone calls from the last time that I preached, which can usually be either a good thing or a bad thing. 00:02:52.560 --> 00:03:01.680 Most of them were just really good friends checking to make sure that Mandy was still married to me after I told stories about her cooking last time. 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:03.599 And it's all good. 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:04.479 Everything's good. 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:12.240 But I need to explain to you that the reason I tell stories about my wife, and the reason is because she she's my person, you know? 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:13.520 She's my person. 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:21.520 I love her with all my heart, and she gets me and she understands me, and she fills in the gaps where I fall short. 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:22.960 I can assure you of that. 00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:26.240 Because I am a planner, okay? 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:27.759 I like to plan things out. 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:33.199 I like to have a good plan in place, and we march towards that plan to completion. 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:33.439 Okay? 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:35.840 I don't like sitting around and not doing anything. 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:37.280 That's that's not my thing. 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:40.000 But I do like to have a plan in place. 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:45.039 Mandy completes me in the fact that she needs no plan. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:47.280 Whatsoever. 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:53.919 As a matter of fact, she completes me in the fact that she will do things in spite of my plan. 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:55.360 Does that make sense? 00:03:55.680 --> 00:04:00.879 Like, in spite of the plan that I have so eloquently put in place, uh, things happen. 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:06.000 And this usually takes place in some phrases or some phone calls that I get, things like that. 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:22.639 If if I, like for instance, we've been married long enough now to where if I hear the words, we should, dot, dot, dot, uh, I need to be prepared that something is going to happen the next day while I'm at work that is going to uh throw everything for a loop. 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:23.040 Okay? 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:24.560 Give you an example. 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:31.120 Uh one day she tells me, we should get that tree in front of the house cut down. 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:32.959 That's wonderful. 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:37.920 My plan is call a couple tree guys, let's get some quotes, find a good guy to come cut the tree down. 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:45.920 The next day, okay, I get a phone call at work, and the question is, how do you crank this chainsaw? 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:52.240 Do you see how that, in spite of my planning, do you see what's going on here? 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:53.519 This isn't that's not the first time. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:55.199 I've gotten phone calls before at work. 00:04:55.360 --> 00:04:58.160 How do I know if the electricity is still on? 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:01.040 Do you want to know why she asked that question? 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:08.000 Because a wall that she no longer wanted in the house had gotten a hammer through it that morning while I was at work. 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:11.839 This happens. 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:13.279 This is my this is my life. 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:14.480 In spite of my plan. 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:18.000 I mean, there's there's a bunch of I I wrote down an entire list of them. 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:27.120 What I've told you before, uh, one time I was at work, she sold all our furniture out of our house on Facebook while I was at work because she wanted a new couch. 00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:30.720 And I said, you know, my plan was, yeah, let's save up a little bit of money. 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:32.240 We'll we'll, you know, we'll save some money. 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:33.600 You and I'll go look for a couch. 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:36.160 We'll we'll buy the couch, we'll bring it home. 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:42.240 What she heard in spite of my plan was, I'm gonna go get the money for the couch now. 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:46.079 We had no other furniture but a couch. 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:47.199 You understand that? 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.680 She sold everything to buy the couch. 00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:51.839 And it's a wonderful couch. 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:52.879 We love it. 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:58.240 But I mean, it's just some of the stuff is how do I get this drill to work? 00:05:58.399 --> 00:05:59.040 You know? 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:02.319 Most people would ask, what are you doing with the drill? 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:04.720 Now I don't even ask because here's the thing. 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:09.439 In spite of me asking the question, in spite of me making the plan, do you know what she's gonna do? 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:11.759 She's gonna do it anyways. 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:17.360 The best one that ever happened, though, was I was at work one time and I got a phone call from Andy. 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:20.639 And I had we we'd not had any conversations, okay? 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:22.079 No conversations about anything. 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:28.959 I was perfectly at peace in my office doing my work because we had not had any conversation about anything taking place. 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:30.800 No, we shoulds, okay? 00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:36.639 So I'm perfectly at peace, and I get a phone call, and I pick up the phone, and it's my wife, and I say, Hello? 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:41.040 I got no hello back, no hi, how are you, no, how's your date, nothing. 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:42.720 I pick up the phone, I said hello. 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:45.759 She said, What's your social security number? 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:48.160 That's it. 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:51.120 What's your social security number? 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:58.639 Now, most of you in this room would say, What do you need my social security number for? 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:00.480 Do you know what I said? 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:01.600 Two, five. 00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:05.279 I just started getting, I mean, she's gonna get it anyway. 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:06.319 It doesn't matter. 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:11.680 And I came home that night and I pull into the driveway, and there there's a car in a driveway, and I'm like, oh, we have a guest over. 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:12.800 You know, I wonder who's here. 00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:15.360 And I go inside and nobody's there. 00:07:15.600 --> 00:07:16.240 Except for me. 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:17.920 I said, Whose car is that in the driveway? 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:19.360 She goes, It's ours. 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:23.360 You know what she needed my social security number for? 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:25.279 Financing of the car. 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:33.680 She literally sold and bought a car while I was at my office under my social security. 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:36.879 I thought about filing identity theft charges against her. 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:45.120 All on a phone, and it was in spite of the fact that I could have come up with a great plan to buy a car, but we didn't even know, we don't need a plan. 00:07:45.199 --> 00:07:47.519 I'm gonna do this in spite of you, anyways. 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:54.079 But the best part is that I love her for it because sometimes it gets us going and gets us moving in the right direction, you know. 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:57.920 When I want to sit, hang back, and be like, oh, let's plan this a little bit more. 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:00.079 Uh no, no plan needed. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:01.199 We're going. 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:04.639 And that's why she's my person. 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:05.439 You know what I mean? 00:08:05.519 --> 00:08:12.160 That's why she's my person, the one that that every now and then, as mad as I get about, and sometimes I think like, why can't you just follow the plan? 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:13.759 Come on, lady. 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:18.079 But it makes me move, it makes me get going. 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:28.000 And so when I read this last part of Habakkuk here, I wish we had time to run through the entire chapter because the entire chapter of this thing in chapter three is literally like a history lesson almost. 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:37.919 The first part of this is Habakkuk going back through history and listing out not only everything that God's told him thus far, which has not been that great, by the way, okay? 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:41.360 It's it's not been a great conversation between Habakkuk and God. 00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:43.919 It's not something that he wanted to revisit, but he's doing it anyways. 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:49.039 And he's going back through the history and he's looking at how God has laid out his plan and how all this stuff is happening. 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:58.240 And he gets down to verse 16, and when he gets into verse 16, all of a sudden we kind of turn this corner a little bit, and some stuff starts happening. 00:08:58.320 --> 00:08:59.200 Look at verse 16. 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:02.320 It says, I heard and my inward parts trembled. 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:05.279 At the sound of at the sound, my lips quivered. 00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:16.320 Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble, because I must wait quietly for the day of distress for the people to arise who will invade us. 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:18.879 This is a distress call to God. 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:26.000 What Habakkuk's doing right here is he's running back through God's plan and he's realizing this plan stinks. 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:38.720 I don't want anything to do with this plan, but he's saying, I'm literally so fearful and so overwhelmed by the fear of what God is going to do that I can do nothing but tremble in my place. 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:42.480 It says, decay enters his bones. 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:44.559 Think about that. 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:53.039 What's the best way to stop something from moving, especially a human being, is let decay enter your bones to where they no longer work anymore, right? 00:09:53.679 --> 00:10:04.639 He's stuck in this place of distress and fear and anxiety over what God is going to do right in front of his very eyes. 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:07.759 And he knows it's coming is the worst part. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:12.639 It's not like he's guessing at it, he knows it's coming. 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:15.919 And he spends all of verse 16 talking about his distress. 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:18.320 But then we get down into verse 17 and look what it says. 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:34.080 It says, Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls. 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:39.440 Do you see kind of a kind of a grouping going on there? 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:43.679 All of these things are daily sustenance to us, right? 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:51.919 He starts to mention food and uh crops in the field and cattle and all of these things, the things that we need to survive every day, right? 00:10:52.080 --> 00:10:53.759 Food and water we can get by. 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:56.720 And and I'm I'm on board with this right now. 00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:02.639 I understand the place of pain that he's coming from right now because Mandy has put us on hole 30. 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:06.080 So I'm angry today, okay? 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:07.360 I need you to understand that. 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:11.039 I'm angry because we're on the hole 30. 00:11:13.279 --> 00:11:18.399 If you don't know what whole 30 is, it's literally the worst diet ever created in the history of earth. 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:25.120 You basically go outside and pull leaves off of trees and eat them, is what it turned basically turns out to be. 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:26.960 It's all it's the worst. 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:30.639 Makes a man utter the four words he should never have to say. 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:33.279 I'll have the salad. 00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:36.480 It's terrible. 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:42.559 And every day I come home and there's some new whole 30 recipe waiting on me. 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:45.279 Isn't that what you want after a lovely 10-hour day at work? 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:49.039 To walk in the door and go, mmm, smells of arugula. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:54.720 Like, I mean, just awesome, you know. 00:11:55.039 --> 00:11:58.399 Every day you just come home and you're just like, I mean, just somebody just kick me. 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:01.840 I'd I'd rather just be kicked at this point than have to do whole 30. 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:03.440 So obviously I'm doing really well. 00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:07.200 I don't know if you can, if you've picked up on that, I'm doing really well with it. 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:18.879 It's terrible because you you just have this very little bit, you know, like you just get these, you just get this little bit that's supposed to, you know, keep you going and do all this stuff. 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:21.919 And I'm like, this is, it's, no, it's not working. 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:25.600 And when I read this portion of Habakkuk, he starts listing out all this stuff in verse 17. 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:26.320 Look at what he says. 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:40.879 Though the fig trees should not blossom, there be no fruit on the vines, the yield of the olives should fail, the fields produce no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls. 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:44.639 Do you understand what the message he's trying to convey here? 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:48.960 Is that he literally knows what's coming is physical hunger. 00:12:49.279 --> 00:13:00.960 So now not only does he feel far from God and far from God's plan, but now we're going to throw in on top of that the physical things that sustain you every single day being cut off. 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:08.000 So if it wasn't bad enough to have that kind of spiritual longing to be far away from God, now let's make it physical. 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:10.639 Let's cut off your food supply too. 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:13.519 And let's see how that makes you feel. 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:16.320 Do you see how bad things are getting here? 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:20.399 Do you understand that Habakkuk's not saying this going, God, please don't do this? 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:24.240 He's saying this going, I know it's coming. 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:28.080 And I'm in the middle of it right now. 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:30.879 And this is what's happening. 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:36.159 And literally back in verse 16 he says, and all I can do is sit and wait on it to take place. 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:46.399 And you would think, man, if we had to stop right there this morning, if we had to literally just pump the brakes on those two verses right there, this would be the worst sermon you've ever heard. 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:49.919 And you'd leave here today and go, I don't know if I want to go back to church. 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:55.120 But then all of a sudden in verse 18, this switch flips. 00:13:55.919 --> 00:14:03.679 Now remember, we've got spiritual separation, we've got physical separation from food and hunger and all of this stuff. 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:08.960 There's literally this element of distress and pain and anxiety and physical hunger. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:12.799 Think about all of those things coming, just literally closing in on you. 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:14.559 And then look at verse 18. 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:18.720 Yet I will exalt in the Lord. 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:23.200 I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:29.759 Don't you wish that, maybe you do, I don't know if you do or not. 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:37.039 Don't you wish, though, that that our attitude, that we could just find just a glimpse of that attitude for a moment in everything that goes on? 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:38.799 In everything that happens in our life. 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:41.120 And then he takes it a step further in verse 19. 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:43.200 He says, The Lord is my strength. 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:48.240 He's made my feet like hindsfeet and makes me walk on high places. 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:55.519 He literally goes back and is looking at the thing that brings him salvation. 00:14:56.559 --> 00:15:03.840 In verse 18, he says, I will exalt in the Lord, I'll rejoice in the God of my salvation. 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:18.240 Now, the reason that that gets difficult for us, or at least for me, hopefully you too, maybe you can get on board with this, is that we live in a world that likes to set up an alternate salvation. 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:19.840 Does that make sense to you today? 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:21.279 Like, I'll give you an example. 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:26.639 There are plenty of people on earth, and I'm being apolitical about this, okay? 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:31.440 There are plenty of people on earth, you're not making a move until there's a vaccine. 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:41.519 Do you understand that what happens is that we have an entire group of people in this world now that literally are setting up a vaccine to be the salvation. 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:45.120 The vaccine becomes a salvation, right? 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:54.879 For some of us, maybe when our kids physically get to go back to school and be in the classroom, that will be our salvation. 00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:57.120 We set that up as salvation. 00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:00.240 That's the only thing that's going to save us, is when they go back to school. 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:02.320 We set that up as salvation. 00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:05.840 And you can fill in the blank with whatever it is that you want to fill it in with. 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:10.399 I'm sure you have people in your life that they like to fill in that blank for you sometimes. 00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:12.000 This should be your salvation. 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:13.759 It should be XYZ. 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:24.399 And the only problem with that is that when we do that, when we set up something to be our salvation, you have to understand that salvation has to come with a savior. 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:38.720 So when we say things like a vaccine or like a school or fill-in-the-blank XYZ, and we set those things up as our salvation, do you realize what we're actually doing? 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:44.320 We're actually saying those things become our savior. 00:16:46.320 --> 00:17:08.480 And what Habakkuk is doing right here is he's saying, apart, in spite of all of that, in spite of spiritual separation, physical hunger, pain, anxiety, all of these things, fear that has literally crippled him in his bones to stand in his place in spite of all of those things. 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:16.400 What he's saying is, I refuse to take any of those in that list and set them up as my salvation. 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:26.720 And in verse 18, he hits us with one of the greatest things that could ever be said, and he says, I rejoice in the God of my salvation. 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:32.640 Do you see how good that is today? 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:44.559 Do you know how easy it would be to set up an alternate salvation in his world and go, no, I think I'm going to worship the cows because I would really love a steak today. 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:51.200 I think I'm going to worship the fields because I would really love for a crop to spring forward here so I could get a little something to eat. 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:56.880 I would really love for God to come up with an alternate plan here and I'll help him out with my plan. 00:17:56.960 --> 00:18:01.440 I'll set my plan up as the salvation so that I don't have to go through any of this. 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:03.759 And then I can be the Savior. 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:07.440 Do you see how easy that would be for a guy like Habakkuk? 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:17.920 And yet, in all of this distress and fear and pain and anxiety that comes along, his words are, I will exalt. 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:22.079 That word exalt is literally find joy. 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:26.559 I will find joy in the God of my salvation. 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:32.720 I love that that definition is find joy because you realize you can't find something until you go look for it, right? 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:35.839 Like you gotta you gotta find that joy. 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:37.119 That's the hard part. 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:40.160 We want joy to hit us in the face, or at least I do, you know. 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:41.599 I want to come slap me around. 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:43.359 I don't want to have to go looking for it. 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:50.799 Uh the problem is that sometimes in our lives, and especially in this world, we have to go out and we have to find that joy, right? 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:57.920 We have to go seek it out because it's not coming, or it definitely seems like it has missed us somewhere along the road. 00:18:58.160 --> 00:18:59.359 And we got to go looking for it. 00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:07.440 And I'll just be real honest with you, last uh last week, Friday previous, was just it was it was a just kind of a rough day. 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:16.559 You know, there was a lot of things that happened, a lot of spinning wheels in my world, work, home, uh, kids' lives, all of this stuff, you know, it's just one of those days. 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:18.960 And I don't I don't know if I need to phrase it any better than that. 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:20.480 Just one of those days. 00:19:20.960 --> 00:19:34.240 And and I'm I'm driving home from work, and I had the radio was set to, you know, some talk radio thing, and and it's just hit after hit after hit of how terrible everything is. 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:36.640 Does that, I mean, I'm sure you've been there. 00:19:36.880 --> 00:19:42.960 How we're all gonna die, everything's terrible, uh, just keep hitting, keep hitting, keep hitting. 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:48.559 And finally, I just I just shove the radio, you know, off. 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:55.680 But I accidentally hit my auxiliary button, which is what my phone plays through on the phone, and I have Amazon music. 00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:57.039 I don't know what music player you use. 00:19:57.200 --> 00:19:58.960 If you don't have Amazon music, it's awesome. 00:19:59.119 --> 00:19:59.759 You need to get it. 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:01.599 She's got a built-in Alexa. 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:06.400 And so, Alexa, who knows me, okay? 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:09.599 Some of you have an Alexa, and you know. 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:10.880 She knows. 00:20:11.039 --> 00:20:11.599 Alright? 00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:12.480 She knows. 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:16.799 I said, Alexa, play country music. 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:20.640 Full disclosure, I'm a country music fan, okay? 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:23.920 Not the stuff you hear today that they call country music. 00:20:24.079 --> 00:20:26.240 I need I need a little bit older school stuff. 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:28.000 I also don't want the 1920s stuff. 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:31.279 Don't come hit me up with your, you know, Hank Williams Sr. 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:32.079 and all that stuff. 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:33.599 Like, I'm I'm past that too. 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:35.359 Sorry, I'm somewhere in the middle, all right? 00:20:35.599 --> 00:20:38.240 But I said, Alexa, play country music. 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:44.000 And she pulls this station called 90s Country's Hits. 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:52.880 And Garth Brooks, Friends in Low Places, comes on. 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:57.200 And I crank it up. 00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:01.680 And I'm not a windows down guy, I'm an AC guy, okay? 00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:04.079 But the windows came down. 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:23.200 And I am going home in my truck, Garth Brooks blaring on the radio, singing at the top of my lungs with the windows down, and people literally staring, pointing, and laughing if I have to stop at any stop signs or red lights or anything like that. 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:25.519 But it's happening, man. 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:26.400 You know what I mean? 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:28.720 It's happening whether you like it or not. 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:31.599 Garth's gonna take control of this thing. 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:34.000 And I'm just I'm letting it fly, man. 00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:40.640 And in that moment, you know, in that moment right there, for just a minute, I was I was 16, you know? 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:44.079 I was 16, I had$20 in that pocket. 00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:50.400 Oh, and I was headed to go get my lady for a date at the Waffle House. 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:54.640 Just in that moment, that's where I was. 00:21:55.440 --> 00:21:57.680 You remember, I mean, you've had that moment, right? 00:21:57.839 --> 00:22:04.400 Where your mind just goes back and you're like, yes, sir, this is Friday night, and the Waffle House is calling. 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:13.359 And you know, you know, you feel it in your bones, and there's just that moment of release where you're like, this is it, man. 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:15.440 That was the life right there. 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:23.039 And the song ends, and you pull up in the driveway, and everything goes right back to what it was, but you remember that moment, right? 00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:28.319 You just had that one feeling that just put that smile on your face, and you're like, this is it, man. 00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:29.519 I remember it. 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:33.759 And that's what it took for me on that day just to shake that mood off just a little bit. 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:38.079 I wish I could give you some spiritual analogy of how I prayed the whole way home and everything was fine. 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:40.079 It was Garth Brooks, man. 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:41.359 Period. 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:54.799 But now I understand where Habakkuk's coming from as he lists all of these terrible things and he sees all of God's plan that he doesn't want anything to do with, and actually, probably, for being honest, hates. 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:56.480 He hates this plan. 00:22:56.720 --> 00:23:15.279 Doesn't want anything to do with it, and yet, in this moment, right here, at the very end of this book, you get that flash of greatness, just that second where all of a sudden that tension releases, and he goes, But I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:25.680 And the windows are down, and he's letting it fly, man. 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:31.279 And in verse 19, he says, The Lord God is my strength. 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:37.119 He's made my feet like Hind's feet and makes me walk on my high places. 00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:47.839 Walking on high places is a great analogy of how he's starting to feel that moment of going up the mountain, and literally it's a painted picture of being closer to God. 00:23:50.079 --> 00:24:19.519 And God begins to draw him in to help him understand that no matter what we set up as salvation, apart from salvation from an Almighty God by grace through faith, it will absolutely 100% of the time fail us and leave us crippled in our fear and in our anxiety. 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:38.640 So, brothers and sisters, for you today, find that moment, that sweet salvation moment where Christ saved you, where his work on the cross became real in your life. 00:24:39.119 --> 00:24:41.279 Let's go, Lord, in prayer this morning. 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:43.039 Father, we love you. 00:24:43.119 --> 00:24:46.720 We thank you for an opportunity to open your word and to hear from you. 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:58.319 And Lord, we just pray today that your word would speak loud and clear, Lord, that it would bring us to that moment of peace. 00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:10.960 That moment of understanding, that moment of seeing that no matter what comes, in spite of everything that comes, your salvation is where we find our joy. 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:14.799 We love you and we ask all this in Jesus' name. 00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:15.839 Amen.