Introduction

Good morning. Let us delve into Habakkuk, chapter 3. This chapter is somewhat challenging to grasp. Why is that? It speaks of a time when the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines, the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls. Can you imagine such a life? I certainly cannot! How does this come about? And then, it says, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. This sounds rather peculiar!

Let me tell you, I have pondered over this sermon for several days. Just yesterday, I was still grappling with how to approach this chapter. Is it even possible to preach on this? If we do, will we all end up living a life where the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines? Would that be desirable? I wondered whether those among us who are in debt, who are utterly destitute, would feel that, well, at least they are a little better off than Habakkuk. But Habakkuk was not even in debt! He was not blacklisted, nor was he in financial ruin, which in Singapore we call bankruptcy. Thus, this chapter is not easy to expound upon.

After much contemplation, I finally understood what Habakkuk is conveying: the works of God. Therefore, the theme of this chapter is God, revive your works in these years! But to revive God’s works, that makes it all the more difficult. If you were Abraham, would you have ever witnessed Abraham in a state where the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines? Never!

Yet this chapter speaks of God, revive your works in these years. These works of God are truly terrifying! It was not long after the SARS epidemic that we faced the COVID-19 virus. Who knows, after some time, we may encounter an older version of the coronavirus. We might find ourselves living under the constant threat of coronaviruses. I tell you, these are all the works of God! Can you comprehend this?

I tell you, God’s works are just like this! Your understanding of God's works must be transformed to align with Habakkuk's understanding. I fervently pray that God would revive His works in these years. Why? Because God's works are meant to save people, not to allow them to live a life of luxury and ease, simply waiting for death. Let me tell you, God bristles at the sight of those who lead such a life. He thinks, You will die anyway! And then He unleashes His wrath.

People on this earth often accumulate wrath for themselves, until God's wrath is poured out. Before God's wrath arrives, you may think, I admire them so much, with their multi-billion dollar empires! But when God's wrath comes, you will think, I don't want any of it! I tell you, you must change your perspective to align with what Habakkuk tells us in this chapter, that is, to know God.

The Prophet Habakkuk Fears Upon Hearing God's Voice

Habakkuk is a prophet of God, but he fears upon hearing God’s voice. The scripture says: “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Revive your work in the days of our time; in our time make it known; in wrath remember mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:2)

And in verse 16, it says, “I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.” (Habakkuk 3:16)

After reading this, one might wonder: What is Habakkuk afraid of? Should he not pray for the spirit of fear to depart? But it is not about praying for the spirit of fear to depart. Rather, people should have this kind of mentality. Why? If you use the word of God as a mirror, you will see how defiled you are! When God comes, how can we stand before Him? If we do not have a bit of fear, wouldn't that be terrible?

When I was young, my parents would say, Spare the rod, spoil the child. If a child does not know reverence from a young age, they will suffer in adulthood! When the works of the Lord God manifest, will that not be deadly? I tell you, a believer must know that the Lord God is great and awesome, full of glory and power! Never treat God casually. But some Christians, when God wants them to serve, they say, Can't you see I'm busy? I have so many projects, so many things to do, how can I have time to serve? There are many such Christians.

I tell you, Chinese Mingding Doctrine was really like this in its early days. Why was that? Because the concept of fearing God was not conveyed. We became Christians, but we do not know how to fear God. I once spoke of a Christian in a church without the presence of God, who asked the pastor's wife to pray for him, wanting to have a child, but he ended up having a child with cerebral palsy, and he was still puzzled! This is a true story, he told me himself.

Even now, the pastor's wife is still puzzled, and she even comforted him by saying, This is God's grace.” Would you want such grace if it were given to you? No one would want it, right? It is so tragic when people do not fear God! Later, she prayed again, and she conceived again, and the child was slightly more normal, but still had some autism. Later, she continued to pray, and she gave birth again, but it was another child with cerebral palsy! Oh my goodness! Is this not a curse?

I tell you, every debt has its debtor, and every wrong has its doer. God will not make a mistake, and neither will the devil! How many parents spoil their children and indulge their fleshly desires? If you were Abraham, would Abraham have had a child with cerebral palsy? No! If you were Isaac or Jacob, none of your children would have any problems! If you were Joseph, would you have experienced a time when the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines?

Even when Joseph was a slave in Egypt, his master was blessed because of Joseph's service in his house. It was because of God's mercy on Joseph that his master was blessed! Do you think a person with God's presence would be unlucky? No! But you must know that Joseph feared God! Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all feared God! When Joseph’s master's wife wanted to seduce him, many people would think, What a great opportunity! But Joseph wasted it. Joseph said, I won't do this, I fear God!

Some people who hear about Joseph's experience think, Why didn't this happen to me? This is what they have always dreamed of! Can you imagine? Although Potiphar's wife was not the champion of the Egyptian beauty pageant, she was at least the runner-up, and she was bestowed to him by the emperor, so she must have been beautiful! But Joseph was not tempted. If it were someone else, upon seeing Potiphar’s wife expressing her love to him, he would have been electrified and his whole body would have gone soft.

The prophet fears upon hearing God’s voice. Everyone must know that God has come! The works of God have been revealed! What a terrifying thing! It is best to fill our hearts with more reverence. Habakkuk said, God, revive your works in these years. This is a difficult choice. The prophet hears and fears God's voice, so why does he still call upon God to revive His works in these years? Because the works of God are for salvation. Even though he fears the works of God, fears God’s wrath, and fears the coming of disaster, he does it for the salvation of God’s people!

The Prophet Still Calls Upon God to Revive His Works

Habakkuk called upon God, saying: God, revive your works in these years. The works of God are so terrifying, why does he still call upon God for this? Because the prophet, through what was said in the previous chapter, finally understood that people must seek eternal life in God's temple, and seek the blessings from heaven that God gives us! We must seek God and, through God's wrath, destroy our worldly dreams, so the prophet still chooses to call upon God to revive His works.

Why can Habakkuk be a prophet? Because he knows spiritual things. Seeing injustice in this land, he began to be perplexed, until God gave him the revelation in the second chapter: The righteous will live by their faith, and the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will fill the earth. That is also the Lord’s slap filling the whole earth, slapping you into eternal life! Slapping away your worldly dreams! Slapping away your evil habits of indulging the flesh!

Think about it, if it were not for God’s wrath, God's slap, and God's glory, who could be saved? Who wouldn’t want to eat good things and indulge in the flesh? It is so comfortable! But the result is that you indulge yourself into destruction. This is a difficult choice, but this is the work of God, and God’s salvation is like this! If it were not for God's wrath, no one could be saved! If it were not for God's mercy, no one could be saved! So the prophet said that the works of God should be revealed in these years, and God remembers mercy in His wrath. We will no longer use human thoughts, but we will begin to long for the works of God.

Among our brothers and sisters, God slapped many of them in the face, but did not destroy their own logic. Because of God's mercy, God let him pay off his debt, and then he fell into the worldly logic system, and God slapped him in the face again, and his face was swollen! If it were not for God's mercy, I don't know where these two slaps would lead! Do we often experience these things? We just don't want to do things practically.

Living is a very simple thing, but some people have to get rich, become famous, and make a big deal! But this deal is an empty deal. I tell you, if you want to make a big deal, then find a blank piece of paper and write down how much money you want with an oil-based pen and that's it! These are all empty dreams.

Why did the prophet call upon God to revive His works? Because he saw these people, with a mighty army, running towards destruction on the wide road. When you turn your eyes and look, how many people are heading for destruction? Oh, I am very moved, and I hope that the brothers and sisters will know this sooner! You must know that in the blink of an eye, you will reach the age of physical decline. In the Singapore and Malaysia area, you often see elderly people with two legs bent, and from behind, the two legs draw an O-shape.

A few days ago, I visited an elderly man, and he was very tired! His two legs were bent, and he was still in debt in his seventies, and he had to go to the airport to do cleaning, and the room was like a garbage dump! Because he had no strength to clean it up. So, God, may you revive your works! Before the tragedy happens in the world, we must quickly and completely destroy our worldly dreams, so that we can see the days of decline are just around the corner. Don't wait until the days of decline come, and then cry to heaven and earth without response.

Looking around today, how many people need God’s salvation? How many people need God’s slap? To wake him up.

God’s Works Include God’s Wrath and God’s Salvation

The prophet still chose the works of God in the dilemma, because he looked around and saw that in the whole land of Judah, he could not see a person like Abraham, nor could he see a person like Isaac or Jacob! These people are all running wildly with worldly dreams. The scripture says that there is a plague raging before them. I ask you, how many people have died in a plague? Countless! Anyway, there must be millions.

“Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed – but his ways are eternal. I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish. “Was it against the rivers that you were angry, Lord? Was it against the streams that your wrath was directed? Was it against the sea that you unleashed your rage, when you rode with your horses and your victorious chariots? You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. In fury you strode across the earth and in anger you threshed the nations.” (Habakkuk 3:5-12)

After reading this scripture, don’t you feel that it would be very sad if there were no God in this world? But wouldn’t it be even sadder if there were God? You must listen carefully to what I say! Seeing so many disasters, so many stories, so many tragedies on this earth, how many people can know that this is the work of God? How many people can know? God's work is to destroy these worldly hopes.

God's work is really terrifying! During the pandemic, there were queues for the crematorium, and coffins were all snapped up! But not long after the pandemic passed, people have all forgotten! Do you think God is angry with the ocean? Is He angry with the rivers? No! He is angry with people, and God's work is to be revealed to people.

Look at the 311 tsunami in Japan, and people forgot about it in the blink of an eye. The tsunami in Southeast Asia, isn't this just around the corner? Oh, the tragic situation! In this way, God manifested His works and His wrath, but who seeks Him? No one seeks God! So people continue to pursue fame and fortune, and gather together to build the Tower of Babel. God said: You are building the Tower of Babel? I will improve you, so the eternal mountains crumble, and the everlasting hills collapse, and His ways are eternal.

Therefore, never think that Adam and Eve ate a basket of fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, no! Eating just one was enough for the curse. Now, the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is all over the world, and people eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as a common meal! I ask you, what will God do?

Look at the scripture: “I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish. (Habakkuk 3:7) You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers. (Habakkuk 3:9)

What do you think is the oath that God swore to the tribes? If you read Deuteronomy 28:1-14, it is all about good things. If you diligently obey the Lord your God, these blessings will overtake you. From verse 15 onwards, it says that if you do not diligently obey the Lord your God, these curses will overtake you.

Do you think the oath sworn to the tribes is the promise given to Abraham? That promise was given to Abraham, to those who practice righteousness, so that they may know God, fear God, and not trifle with Him! Therefore, I tell you, God's actions also include much wrath.

A pastor shared with me about someone he was ministering to, a person in whom God's wrath was at work, but also God's salvation. Some years ago, when she first came to our church, we couldn't say anything to her. Her bad habits were insurmountable. Later, she had a falling out with her pastor, but after a few years, she returned. In recent years, she has been in dire straits! She sold her old, dilapidated house and bought a new one, but she couldn't afford the installments, and then the property value was halved. Oh my goodness!

A low-income, lower-class person with no income, unable to afford the loan, and then a heap of this and that – that is God's wrath! However, after some time, she came to her pastor again, saying she wanted to return. Why did she want to return? Because of God's wrath, her experiences were terrible. Did this person need to experience these misfortunes? Yes! If she hadn’t experienced these things, she would have been running headlong on the road to destruction. Therefore, our brothers and sisters must fear God and strive diligently on the path to eternal life, lest we provoke God's wrath!

Another sister said to her pastor, Teacher, why am I no longer interested in reading God's Word? Think about it, if you don't want to be interested, then you won't be interested, right? Two weeks later, she contacted the pastor again. Where was she? She was in a lawsuit! Why? She parked her little scooter on the side of the road, went to buy something, and when she came back and started the scooter, bang! She hit someone. After hospital visits and complications, spending 100,000 or 200,000 RMB couldn't resolve the matter. Wasn't she being extorted? Now, are you interested in God's Word? Isn't this just idly provoking God's wrath?

I rarely hear people say, Teacher, I am not very interested in living, but I have hope and interest in eternal life. Instead, I often hear people say, Teacher, why don't I have hope for eternal life? I wonder, what is wrong with their brains? They have to wait until they are old, with bowed legs, hobbling along, with no money, no strength, unable to do anything! So, before the days of decline come, remember your Creator. There are too many tragedies in this world!

Habakkuk saw the sorrowful things in this world and understood that the righteous shall live by faith. Some people appear to be good on the surface but are evil in their bones. Those who do not believe in God and do not fear God are tragedies! Of the seemingly good people you see, how many believe in God?

God's actions include both God's wrath and God's salvation. Has any salvation ever been a joke? When the Israelites left Egypt, 20% of the Egyptians died. If there were ten million Egyptians, two million died. There would be a shortage of coffins! How could they produce two million coffins? Every Egyptian family lost their firstborn son, and even the firstborn of the livestock were struck down by God! Do you know God's actions? Do you think God is Santa Claus? If you think God is Santa Claus, why don't you try playing around?

I tell you all, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. How tragic it is when people do not fear God! So many Israelites died when they left Egypt, and more than 600,000 Israelites died in the wilderness. How great is God's wrath! How much God desires to bring us to the promised land! But why does it feel so difficult? People just don't want to fear God or believe in God; they insist on their own ways. Isn't this a tragedy?

The best advice I can give you is to fear God and be a wise person! In the end, even with so much paid in cost, it may not be enough to tear down the worldly and carnal desires within a person. Some people get cancer, lose control of their bowels and bladder, and start wearing diapers before they are very old. If people could recognize these things and begin to fear God, then you would definitely not end up in such a state.

If you ask me, What do I hope to receive? I hope that until I die, I can have normal bowel and bladder function, and I don't need anyone to take care of me. What I need is to serve my God, and I believe God will hear my cry and let me live in God's grace all my life! Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, this is no joke! So, stop provoking God's wrath. People cannot afford to play games with God!

God Comes Forth to Save His People, to Save His Anointed

You came forth to save your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the head of the wicked house, you stripped it from head to foot. With his own spear you pierced the head of his warriors, when they came out like a whirlwind to scatter us, gloating over those in misery, as if about to devour them in secret. You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters. (Habakkuk 3:13-15)

This is good! God will save His people, save His anointed one. Jesus Christ is the anointed one. How did Jesus Christ complete His path on this earth? How did He receive God's salvation? It was through His death on the cross, shedding His blood and sacrificing Himself for us, completing His mission! Then, on the third day, He rose from the dead. This is God's salvation! If you are walking the path of Jesus Christ, then you are the people who are saved.

This is why Chinese Mingding Doctrine speaks so much about dealing with the flesh. Dealing with the flesh is a key component of Chinese Mingding Doctrine pastoral ministry. If I haven't dealt with your flesh yet, it's because my relationship with you is not yet deep enough. If my relationship with you is good, without a second thought, scolding you a few times is normal! If the relationship is not good, wouldn't it be hurtful to be scolded?

You must know God. God is going to save His people, not to save this world! God is going to save His anointed ones, those who have a Mingding Doctrine are to be saved! The issue God is going to solve is not the issue of people living in this world, but the issue of humanity perishing, the issue of eternal life for humanity!

Many Christians place all their hope on this earth. Therefore, the Bible says in the New Testament, and also in the Old Testament. God says in the Old Testament: God's wrath, God will continually tear down. Finally, the nation of Israel was destroyed by God! Through the hand of Assyria, through the hand of Babylon, the nation of Judah was destroyed by God! Does God care about this? He does not care!! But what God cares about is saving His people, saving His anointed ones.

Why do I encourage you to become a person with a Mingding Doctrine? Because the anointed one is a person with a Mingding Doctrine. What did we come to this world to do? We are to be a blessing to others, because we have walked a path back to God. God is going to save His people, not the world! If people don't want to be God's people and only want to be people of this world, then let them do so. I thank God that God will save us, because God is the God who saves us!

Yet I Will Rejoice in the God of My Salvation

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

You must know, why does the fig tree not bud, the grape vine not yield fruit, there are no cattle in the stalls, no sheep in the pens, and the fields produce no food? It is because of God's wrath!

If you were Abraham, would this still happen? No, it wouldn't! Why not? Because you would tear down the worldly things within yourself, would God need to tear them down? God would treat you as His friend. A carnal person is an enemy of God. Remember, God will make anyone who loves the world pay the price for loving the world!

God's plan is to make our feet like the feet of a deer, enabling us to walk on the heights. That is, we need to experience these things and tear down all the worldly things within us. What will happen after that? After tearing them down, won't you become like Abraham? Did Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph have these worldly problems? They did not.

God's plan is for prosperity, so now come out of your own plans and into God's plan! If God says, This is cursed, then let's not do it. If God says, This will get you slapped, then let's not wait to get slapped! Tell God, God, boldly work in my life, tearing down the worldly logic systems within me. Even if the fig tree does not bud and the grape vine does not yield fruit, I will still do Your will! Do you have this courage? If you do, I tell you, God will surely enable you to walk on the heights!

I don't believe that people will live a drab life because they believe in the Lord! They get cancer because they believe in the Lord! They get into debt because they believe in the Lord! Everyone needs to think about why so many tragic stories are created. It is because people are filled with things that provoke God's wrath. Why is God's plan not fulfilled in us? Because we don't believe. Even if God has shown much grace in your life, you may not be able to tear down the worldly things within. So, start tearing them down now.

If you know God's actions, then become strong and reflect on the path you have walked in the past few decades. You need to understand, Oh, so the path I walked was this path! You need to wake up! Even if God has shown so much wrath in the past, don't blame God, blame ourselves! Know that we ourselves are the ones who made the mistakes! Still choose to return to God, begin to trust God and believe in God, and walk this path filled with God's glory!

What exactly is in your head? Don't act arbitrarily and go your own way. The result is that people are upset, demons are happy, and God is even more upset! God is guiding you, God wants to save His people. If you say, Look at those who don't believe in the Lord, how well they are doing, then quickly stop believing, or you will get slapped after believing. If you say, I don't believe in the Lord anymore, I don't want to be God's people anymore, and I don't want any eternal life, then perhaps life will be a little better. But in reality, it won't be much better!

You want to be God's people, but you also want to live by your own hands and swords, and your abilities are not even as good as Cain's, you can't run as fast as Esau, and you still want to be a worldly person! God wants you to live by His blessings, but you think that is wrong, and you insist on living by your own hands and swords. What is wrong with your brain?

Don't misunderstand this statement. God does not want His people to live in a state where the fig tree does not bud and the grape vine does not yield fruit. These are the results of God's wrath. Even so, I will still rejoice in the Lord, be joyful in God my Savior! You must come out of the world, God will become your strength! God will make your feet like the feet of a deer, enabling you to walk on the heights, making you the head and not the tail, above and not beneath! This is God's intention.

Don't misunderstand this passage, thinking that it is good not to prosper, good to be in debt, good to have a lot of illnesses, thinking that these are blessings in disguise. Wake up, this is undisguised wrath, God's wrath manifested in our lives! Why don't we tear down the foolish things within us?

You Must Know the Glory of God, the Splendor of God, the Power of God

Let's look at the scripture: God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays of light flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. (Habakkuk 3:3-4)

It turns out that God is full of glory, great and awesome, and full of power! Isn't it a simple matter to save you? If God becomes your strength, if you actively tear down your internal logic systems completely, stop loving money so much! Loving it until you become demented before you are very old, and stop loving this world so much! Start learning to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

We have experienced enough of God's wrath in this world! We must know God's power, God's splendor, and know God's glory. God's glory is God's power in the eyes of those who are saved, and God's wrath in the eyes of those who are perishing. You need to choose carefully, whether you want to be among those killed in the plague, or among those saved in the plague?

Our God is great and awesome, and full of power! Look to Him, the righteous will live by faith! When a person experiences God's wrath, quickly reflect! Such stories are common among us, readjust, and don't misuse God's glory anymore, Amen!

We will stop here, may God bless everyone!