From Why to Worship

Jonathan Lamb

Description

In a world which often seems out of control, Christians today need to make a vital spiritual journey through the book of Habakkuk. This journey begins with life’s toughest questions. It involves times of patient waiting. But it leads to a revelation of God’s greatness and the discovery that he truly is in control of the world, the events of history, and of our own lives. We discover that God can be trusted, even in the darkest times.
From Why to Worship is structured with sections and subsections that provide a clear set of preaching units that will serve preachers in building a sermon series but this is also an ideal book for individual or group use with questions, discussion points, ideas for action and further study suggestions.

Informations

• Publié par: Langham Creative Projects
• Date de parution: 30 mai 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783683901
• Langue: English

Extrait

Simply excellent. I cannot recommend this too highly.
Michael Ramsden
International Director, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
It was truly memorable to sit with more than three thousand people at the Keswick Convention listening to Jonathan preach through the book of Habakkuk. I am delighted that this material is now being made available for a wider audience.
Peter Maiden
International Director Emeritus, Operation Mobilisation
From confusion to confidence, from mourning to mending, from faith to action, God’s word brings purpose, hope and comfort to God’s people in every generation. God’s word also challenges and warns against serious inconsistency, as well as a drift towards an easy religion and faith shaped by personal expediency rather than godly determination. The Langham titles on the books of Nehemiah, Habakkuk and James by Jonathan Lamb bring alive God’s word in a clear, faithful and relevant manner. They challenge us to live consistent, authentic Christian lives in a morally bewildered and spiritually confused world, with God’s purpose and for His glory. I highly recommend them to you.
Patrick Fung
General Director, OMF International
We need sermons that are authentic to the text of Scripture, lucid in conveying its truths, and courageous in applying the word of God to our lives today. In the expository ministry of Jonathan Lamb you will find all of these characteristics, and the sermons contained in this book bear witness to this commendation. They once blessed a live audience and have since continued to bless many more people through the printed page, along with the additional questions and application. May your soul be enriched as you find the big questions of life answered from Scripture in studying these passages yourself!
Conrad Mbewe
Pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church
Chancellor, African Christian University, Lusaka, Zambia
Jonathan Lamb gave a series of talks from the book of Habakkuk in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and I was profoundly impacted by the clarity, depth and relevance of what he expounded from this short minor prophet. I rejoice that this material is now published and available to a wider audience – in this way more people will be able to follow the journey from why to worship .
Igor Amestegui
Director, Langham Preaching Latin America

From Why to Worship
An Introduction to the Book of Habakkuk
Jonathan Lamb

© 2018 Jonathan Lamb
Published 2018 by Langham Preaching Resources
An imprint of Langham Publishing
Langham Partnership
PO Box 296, Carlisle, Cumbria CA3 9WZ, UK
www.langham.org
This book was previously published in 2007 by Keswick Ministries, UK. ISBN: 978-1-85078-747-1
ISBNs:
978-1-78368-892-0 Print
978-1-78368-390-1 ePub
978-1-78368-391-8 Mobi
978-1-78368-392-5 PDF
Jonathan Lamb has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the Author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, Anglicised, NIV®. Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-78368-892-0
Cover & Book Design: projectluz.com
Langham Partnership actively supports theological dialogue and an author’s right to publish but does not necessarily endorse the views and opinions set forth here or in works referenced within this publication, nor can we guarantee technical and grammatical correctness. Langham Partnership does not accept any responsibility or liability to persons or property as a consequence of the reading, use or interpretation of its published content.

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Contents

Cover


Introduction


Using This Book


Using This Book for Personal Study


Using This Book in a Small Group: A Note to Group Leaders


Preaching from Habakkuk


Section 1


Why?


Habakkuk 1:1–2:1 Why?


Introduction to Section 1


1 Habakkuk’s Problem


1. Habakkuk’s Problem (vv. 1–4)


2. God’s Purpose (vv. 5–11)


2 Habakkuk’s Perplexity


1. Confidence (vv. 12, 13)


2. Contradiction (vv. 13–17)


Review of Section 1: Habakkuk 1:1–2:1


Section 2


Wait!


Habakkuk 2:1–5 Wait!


Introduction to Section 2


3 Careful Listening


1. An Expectant Faith (2:1)


2. A Submissive Spirit (2:1)


3. A Responsive Heart (2:2)


4 Patient Waiting


1. Patient Waiting (2:3)


2. Steadfast Believing (vv. 4 and 5)


Review of Section 2: Habakkuk 2:1–5


Section 3


Woe!


Habakkuk 2:6–20 Woe!


Introduction to Section 3


5 The Certainty of God’s Judgment


1. Woe against Selfish Ambition (2:6–8)


2. Woe against False Security (2:9–11)


3. Woe against Ruthless Power (2:12, 13, 17)


4. Woe against Shameless Exploitation (2:15–17)


5. Woe against Foolish Idolatry (2:18–20)


6 The Certainty of God’s Rule


1. A Present Reality (2:20)


2. A Future Certainty (2:14)


Review of Section 3: Habakkuk 2:6–20


Section 4


Watch!


Habakkuk 3:1–15 Watch!


Introduction to Section 4


7 Habakkuk’s Appeal


1. A Conviction about God’s Work (3:2)


2. A Call for God’s Action (3:2)


3. A Cry for God’s Mercy (3:2)


8 Habakkuk’s Vision


1. The Coming of the Lord (3:3–5)


2. The Power of the Lord (3:6, 7)


3. The Victory of the Lord (3:8–15)


Review of Section 4: Habakkuk 3:1–15


Section 5


Worship!


Habakkuk 3:16–19 Worship!


Introduction to Section 5


9 Respect for the Lord


1. Respect for the Lord (3:16)


2. Rest in the Lord (3:16)


10 Rejoice in the Lord


3. Rejoice in the Lord! (3:17, 18)


4. Rely on the Lord (3:19)


Review of Section 5: Habakkuk 3:16–19


About Langham Partnership

Endnotes
Introduction
The journalist John Simpson is the BBC World Affairs editor, and he knows a thing or two about the global situation. This is what he said not long ago: “Sometimes it seems there are so many threats to our life and prosperity that it’s hard to choose which of them to concentrate on. Human existence is becoming a little like one of those video games where you are a soldier dodging down endless corridors with some ludicrously large weapon in your hands, while enemies of every conceivable description jump out at you from all sides.” [1]
And it’s true, isn’t it? Whether it is the devastation of natural disasters, the fears of global climate change, the turbulence in the Middle East, the threat from rogue states, the underlying and universal fear of terrorism, water shortage, the economic downturn, nuclear proliferation – each has contributed to a global mood of uncertainty and bewilderment. So much so that in the book The Age of Anxiety the authors suggest that if you are troubled by what is happening in the world, you need to see a psychiatrist. But if you are not troubled by what is happening in the world, you definitely need to see a psychiatrist!
There is hardly a country around the world where these questions are not surfacing: who is in control? What’s happening to our world, and where is it all heading? Who can you trust?
Such questions surface in the minds of the Christian community too. As we will see in the pages that follow, Christians have faced a wide variety of additional pressures: persecution impacting an estimated two hundred million evangelicals worldwide, a range of challenges associated with religious pluralism, and moral and spiritual decline. This is not simply to do with global events, but is also reflected in a concern that their own personal world often seems out of control.
These chapters were originally prepared as five Bible expositions given at the Keswick Convention in the English Lake District. The event was organized around the theme “Out of Control?”, and the short prophecy of Habakkuk seemed appropriate because Habakkuk both articul