Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Welcome to a brand new series called Habakkuk. Over the next three weeks, we’re going to explore the Old Testament book of Habakkuk, which is where we got the groovy name for this series.

A lot of us have never even heard of this book. It is in the Bible. I promise. For those of us who know it’s in the Bible, a lot of us still have never read the book. And for those of us who have read it, it’s probably been a while.

This book doesn’t get much attention. It’s small…only three chapters long. It’s buried near the end of the Old Testament. It has a weird name that most of us aren’t even sure how to pronounce. The wording of the book is antiquated and kind of confusing. I challenged my blog readers to read the book of Habakkuk this week. Some of you did that, and felt completely confused by the end of it. You’re not alone.

Honestly, this book takes a little work. It takes some effort to understand the message of Habakkuk. But through this series, we’re going to discover just how relevant this book is to our lives today.

But we do need to understand just a little background on the book before we dive in. This book was written by a prophet named Habakkuk. Habakkuk’s ministry happened during a period where God’s people, the Israelites, had grown very wicked. So wicked that God allowed them to be overthrown by an even more wicked people…the Babylonians. A lot of what Habakkuk writes reflects what he sees happening in Israelite and Babylonian culture. And that is where we can find our connection to the book. What was happening in their culture is also happening in our culture today.

Let’s pray and then we’re going to hang out with the prophet Habakkuk.

One of the things that Habakkuk saw all around him was the sin of idolatry. People were making idols out of wood and stone, and then worshipping them as if they were gods.

In chapter 2, God asks Habakkuk, “Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.” (Habakkuk 2:18, NIV)

At first glance, this verse seems to have absolutely nothing to do with us. Anybody here carve a god out of wood or stone this week? That’s kind of what I figured. This is why we tend to skip over books like Habakkuk. They just don’t seem to apply to us.

But hang on a second. Look at this verse again. There is a principle here that is so relevant, so contemporary, so applicable to our lives today that we can’t afford to miss it.

Look again. “Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.” (Habakkuk 2:18, NIV)

Habakkuk saw idolatry all around him. Everywhere he looked, people were creating false gods made out of wood and stone. That doesn’t seem to apply to us…until Habakkuk reminds us that there is a bigger principle at play here.

The problem with all the idols in Habakkuk’s culture was that, after people created them, people put their trust in them. People started trusting in their own creations. They started to trust in their own ability to create a god that could solve all their problems. And if they could create a god to solve all their problems, then that made the people themselves the Creator. People began to trust only in themselves. They began to believe that they had what it takes to navigate life, to solve all their problems. They themselves were the only source of strength needed to get through anything that life would throw at them.

Listen to how God describes these people in the first chapter of Habakkuk. “…guilty men, whose own strength is their god.” (Habakkuk 1:11, NIV)

The people were creating gods and then putting their trust in their creations. It all emanated from their own strength, their own ability to control everything in their lives, their power to set their own destinies. The true god to be worshiped was their own strength. They didn’t need God. Why would they need God when they already had all they needed? They could do anything that needed done. They were self-sufficient.

As God’s people, we have to understand this truth…self-sufficiency is an impossibility. This is especially important to remember in our culture because self-sufficiency is a core value of a lot of Americans. From birth, we are taught that we can be whatever we want to be. We have the power and the strength within us to achieve anything. We have all we need to weather any storm. If you believe in yourself, you can do anything.

Now, I’m big on dreams. I’m big on hard work. But there is one problem with all of this…I don’t have all I need inside me. Neither do you. Believing in myself is going to get me jack squat. There is no such thing as self-sufficiency.

Listen to these words from Jesus himself. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NIV)

Apart from me you can do what? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Self-sufficiency is an impossibility. You and I can’t do a single, solitary thing on our own. We like to believe that, as Americans, we are independent. That couldn’t be further from the truth. We are completely dependent on Jesus. You take God out of the equation, we can do nothing. We are nothing.

But here’s the problem for a lot of us. We say we believe John 15:5. We claim to be completely reliant on Jesus. We need him to do anything. Without him, we are nothing. We claim to believe that.

But in reality, our lives more closely resemble Habakkuk 1:11. “…guilty men, whose own strength is their god.” We claim to need Jesus, but practically, we live like we can do it all on our own.

That’s a phrase that is heard quite often in our house. Our four-year-old son, Ryan, is constantly telling us, “I can do it by myself.” And for all of us who are living with that type of attitude, let me remind you that this wisdom came from a four-year-old.

A few months ago, we had a discussion in a staff meeting that has stuck with me to this day. Brian, Melanie, and I were talking about this verse in 1 Thessalonians where the Bible talks about our work produced by faith. In that staff meeting, we all admitted how easy it is to transition from a work produced by faith to a work produced by me.

Our staff here at ACC is very talented. At times, maybe a little too talented. Melanie can put together an incredible children’s event on her own talent. Brian can lead an amazing worship service on his own power. I can preach a powerful sermon on my own strength.

That’s scary. It’s scary to be able to do something on our own power and see that no one can tell the difference. I was convicted about this early in my ministry. I was getting all these compliments and pats on the back and atta-boys every time I preached. It seemed that my messages were really connecting with people. And then I realized something one day. I just preached a message from God’s Word, but I hadn’t prayed about it once. Not one time. The message was all mine. I wrote it. I fine tuned it. I preached it. But I never once prayed about it. It was done completely on my own strength.

Guess which of these two verses on the screen more accurately described my life. I claimed to need Jesus. Even preached about needing Jesus. But there was no practical application in my life. I was operating like my own strength was all I needed. I lived like I didn’t need God’s power at all…and I was a preacher! You see a problem with that?!?!

Back to the staff meeting that I mentioned. Brian, Melanie, and I all agreed that it’s so easy to do things on our own strength. It’s so easy to believe that we have all that we need. It’s so easy to operate like we’re self-sufficient. And in that meeting, we all committed to tap into God’s strength in our ministries. If we realize that we’re doing something on our own strength, we stop. We don’t go any further until the “work produced by me” turns back into a “work produced by faith.” We don’t do anything until we get back to the words of Jesus…“apart from me, you can do nothing.”

Which of these verses more accurately describes your life right now? Which is a more accurate picture of you? If you’re not sure, let’s talk about some clues.

You know that presentation at work? Did you tap into God’s power or did you do it all by yourself?

That big project for school. How much did you pray about it?

A lot of us are having some rough financial issues. Are you seeking God’s power or just trying to work yourself out of it?

Actually, we even get a better idea of where we are when we talk about the small stuff in our lives. A lot of us will pray for the big stuff. We’ll seek God’s power when it’s a big situation in front of us. But Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” He didn’t say, “Apart from me you can still handle the little details of life.” Apart from me you can do absolutely, positively nothing.

Do you approach every day with the mindset that, without God, you just can’t do it? Even the smallest, most insignificant details of your life…do you see it as something that you can’t possibly handle without God? Do you pray about the smallest things, seeking his power and not your own?

Check out this Scripture from the book of Acts. “[God] is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist…” (Acts 17:27b-28, NASB)

We need the power of God in even the smallest details of our lives. He is the reason that we live and move. He is the reason that we exist. If God were removed from the equation, we wouldn’t have the strength to draw our next breath. Everything we are, everything we can do, it all stems from his power.

This is not some subtle issue of semantics. This is not a minor change of perspective. What we’re talking about here gets to the very core of what we believe about God and what we believe about ourselves.

Relying on our own strength is idolatry. It is idol worship. Habakkuk warns us that it is so easy to allow our own strength to become our god. And we do it every time that we believe we can do something apart from Jesus. To think that you can do something apart from the Lord is the height of arrogance. It is setting yourself up as the god of your life.

Now, this brings up a question. Am I suggesting that, as God’s people, we are all wimps? You gotta be a pansy to be a Christian? If I can’t even do the simplest things without Jesus, does that mean that I’m just a hapless, helpless, put-on-a-dress-and-call-me-Nancy sack of wimpy flakes? Is that what it means?

The Apostle Paul answers our question. In 2 Corinthians, Paul told us that God gave him some kind of physical illness to keep him from becoming arrogant. Paul was getting all these unique, amazing revelations from God. But God wanted to be sure that Paul knew that he wasn’t receiving all this stuff by his own strength or his own power. Paul wasn’t getting all this special stuff from God because he was that good. So, to keep him humble, God gave Paul some kind of illness.

Obviously, Paul wasn’t a big fan of being sick. He prayed three separate times for God to heal him. Listen to what God said to him.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”

Did you catch this? Paul said that he would boast about his weakness so that Christ’s power would rest on him. God does not empower arrogant people. You want to short-circuit the work of God in your life? Be arrogant. Act like you can do it all on your own. Live like your own strength is all you need. Nothing stops the power of God faster than our own pride.

Paul goes on. “That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV)

For when I am weak, then I am strong. I know that doesn’t make sense at first glance. It’s a paradox of following Christ. The paradox is that the only way we can be strong is to admit that we’re weak. Because that’s when the power of God is unleashed in our lives.

So this whole question of, “Do I have to be a wimp to follow Jesus?” is really focused in the wrong direction. The question isn’t, “Why do I need to make myself weak to be a Christian?” The question is, “How can I invite the power of God into my life to its fullest extent?” The way we do that is to openly admit that we have nothing without the Lord and we can do nothing without the Lord.

Let’s go back to the verse we started with today. Habakkuk 2:18 says, “Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.” (Habakkuk 2:18, NIV)

These idols that the people were making, even though they couldn’t speak, they still taught the people a lie. The lie that these statues taught was, “You’ve got what it takes. Look at what you can create. Look at what you can do by your own strength. What do you need God for? You can do anything on your own.”

And there are idols in our lives that can teach us the very same lie. “Look at all this money you have made. Look at the house you own. Look at the degrees on your wall. Look at everything you’ve accomplished. Look at how people admire and respect you. Look how important they think you are. You did it all by yourself. You really are something. There’s nothing you cannot do.”

We still have idols and they still teach the same old lie. The lie that we are self-sufficient, completely independent, able to do anything on our own. That’s a lie. That’s lie. That’s a lie. And if we believe that lie, it will eventually come back to destroy us.

Look at the next verse in Habakkuk 2. “Woe to him who says to wood, 'Come to life!' Or to lifeless stone, 'Wake up!' Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. (Habakkuk 2:19, NIV)

These people had built all these idols with their own creativity, their own artistry, and their own strength. But God said, “Ok, so this is what you’ve done. Pretty impressive. Now, ask your creation to help you out. Ask it for guidance. Ask it to come to life and help you when things get rough.”

Obviously these statues of wood and stone just sat there like…wood and stone. They looked good. They were overlaid with silver and gold. They were beautiful creations that wound up being completely useless.

That’s how it works when we do things on our power. We can create something, a business, a family, a career, an education, a life. We can create it on our own, and it can look good. But then something happens. Something goes wrong. Something doesn’t go as planned. And all of sudden, we figure out that all this stuff that we have done doesn’t amount to anything. All of a sudden, instead of thinking about everything we can do, we’re reminded of everything we can’t do.

It’s called brokenness. And sometimes, it’s the only way God can get our attention. When we become arrogant, when our hearts are filled with pride, believing that all we need is inside of us…God may have no choice but to break us.

Listen to these Scriptures. From Proverbs 16: “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18, HCSB)

From Obadiah 1: “The pride of your heart has deceived you…you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'

Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the LORD.” (Obadiah 1:3-4, NIV)

And then in Leviticus 26, God simply tells his people, “I will break down your stubborn pride…” (Leviticus 26:19, NIV)

When you think about these verses together, one truth comes into focus. If you are prideful and arrogant, then you are inviting God to punish you. You are asking God to break you. You are throwing down the gauntlet and daring God to do something about it. You should know this…he will.

If you are prideful, he will humble you. If you believe that you can handle life on your own, he’ll show you that you can’t. God will break your stubborn pride.

So what do we do? Instead of waiting for God to break us, we go back to his Word and obey it before it’s too late. And the key for us is the central verse of the book of Habakkuk. If you want to sum up the entire book of Habakkuk, there is one verse you need to know. And this one verse is the prescription for how we live our lives as God’s people.

Habakkuk 2:4: “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4, NASB)

Pride warps our soul. It convinces us of our self-sufficiency. It blinds us of our need for God.

But the righteous live by faith. The righteous person relies on God for strength. The righteous person realizes that God is the source of all of his blessings. Anything that I’ve achieved is a gift from God. Any blessing that I have in my life comes from God. Anything I can do in my life, I can do because God gives me the strength to do it.

Living by faith is acknowledging that God is central to all I do. God becomes the center point of who I am. My mission in life becomes pleasing him instead of pleasing me. And I realize that without the strength and the grace of God, I would have absolutely nothing and I would be absolutely nothing.

I love the way that the Living Bible paraphrases Habakkuk 2:4. “Wicked men trust themselves alone…and fail; but the righteous man trusts in me, and lives!” (Habakkuk 2:4, TLB)

This is what it comes down to. Who do you trust? Do you trust in your own ability to handle your life, or do you trust in the grace and strength and love of God to sustain you?

God did something amazing to prove that you can trust him. He died for you. He gave up his own life to save yours. Why would God go to such great lengths for you if he was planning to back out on you? Jesus’ death on the cross proves that he will never leave you. He will always be there for you. He can be completely trusted.

Some of you have never trusted Christ for the first time. You’ve never trusted him enough to allow him to forgive your sin, erase your past, and give you a second chance at life. You’ve never trusted his grace to give you eternal life in heaven.

Others of us have made that initial commitment to Christ, but we’ve since backed away from our full trust in him. We thought we could do a pretty good job on our own, but it’s not working out. Maybe you’ve tried to do it alone and now things are a mess. Is God breaking you? Is he reminding you of your total need for him?

There isn’t a person in this room who doesn’t need Jesus desperately. He can be found. He’s waiting for you to shelve your pride and come to him and trust him.

“Wicked men trust themselves alone…and fail; but the righteous man trusts in me, and lives!” (Habakkuk 2:4, TLB)

Mike Edmisten

Tags: Habakkuk, idolatry, pride