Wait for the Lord, for the righteous live by faith.

 

Sermon for the Last Sunday of the Church Year, November 23, 2025

To all those loved by God…called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Habakkuk 1:1-3 & 2:1-4  The threatening oracle which the prophet Habakkuk saw.  ²How long, Lord, must I cry for help, but you do not listen?  I call out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save!  ³Why do you cause me to see injustice?  Why do you overlook misery?  Devastation and violence confront me.  There is strife, and tensions rise. … I will stand at my watch post and station myself on the city wall.  I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my complaint.  ²Then the Lord answered me.  He said: “Record the vision and write it plainly on tablets so that a herald may run with it.  ³Indeed, the vision is waiting for the appointed time.  It longs for fulfillment and will not prove false.  If it seems slow in coming, wait for it, because it will certainly come and will not be delayed.  ⁴Look, his soul is puffed up and is not righteous within him—but the righteous one will live by his faith.” (EHV)

Wait for the Lord, for the righteous live by faith.

Dear children of the heavenly Father,

            The prophet observed the pervasive, stifling wickedness in Judah, and he cried to the Lord with a complaint: “How long, Lord, must I cry for help, but you do not listen?  I call out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save!  Why do you cause me to see injustice?  Why do you overlook misery?” 

It’s quite possible that you and I are equally impatient with the Lord at times.  It’s hard to observe the wickedness in our world and wonder why God just doesn’t end it.  Why does He put up with such wickedness?  Why doesn’t He come and destroy those who seem especially evil?  Why does He allow the devil, the world, and our own weak and sinful flesh to tempt us into wickedness and doubt?

Habakkuk most likely lived and prophesied shortly before Babylon crushed the kingdom of Judah.  The times were evil in almost every way.  The leading members of Jewish society, the movers and shakers of the prophet’s world, had no interest in following the Lord and no interest in looking out for the welfare of the citizens.  The whole nation was afflicted by violence.  No one was truly safe from the predations of roaming criminals or the rulers in charge.  The king actively opposed the Lord’s prophets.  Many of God’s prophets were tortured and even slaughtered.  The courts, likewise, were corrupt, so a common person could get little help there.

In similar ways, we are tormented with daily reports of murders, bombings, rapes, tortures, robbery, fraud, and many other malicious acts.  In certain overseas places, Christians are more likely to be persecuted and murdered than to be allowed to worship freely.  In our own country, attitudes seem to be moving from bad to worse.  A large part of the population imagines that it is a good thing that unborn babies are still slaughtered every day.  Politicians on both sides of the aisle seem more concerned with enjoying the perks of their offices, raking in campaign contributions, and getting re-elected than with any real concern for protecting the ordinary citizen.  Oftentimes, it seems that some lives matter more than others, and court cases are decided more by the skills of the lawyers than by actual guilt or innocence.

Consequently, many wonder has God abandoned us?  Doesn’t He care that His people are tormented by the wickedness of our world?  Why won’t He stop this madness, sorrow, and pain? 

But indeed, the Lord has an answer, both, for Habakkuk and for us, and God had His prophet record this message to be shared with all people of the earth: Wait for the Lord, for the righteous live by faith.

While it is true that this world has always had terrible things happening in various places, the first question we must ask is “What right do we have to judge God?”  The honest answer is that we have no right to judge, or even to question God’s actions, for they are always holy.  Through Isaiah, the Lord declares, “My ways are higher than your ways and my plans are higher than your plans.” (Isaiah 55:9)

Now, you and I would certainly have the right to do what we want with anything we make.  In fact, God once sent the prophet, Jeremiah, to observe a potter working on his wheel and to see how the craftsman formed up a pot only to tear it down and start over when the vessel wasn’t up to his standards, then re-forming the lump of clay into something new.  At that time, God asked Jeremiah, “Can I not do with you as this potter does?" (Jeremiah 18:6)  Clearly, we should happily accept whatever God sends our way.

Yet, that answer still doesn’t take away our fears and doubts, does it?  Furthermore, God invites us to bring all our sorrows and our prayers to Him for help and healing.  So, what is the point of this text?  Clearly, the message is Wait for the Lord, for the righteous live by faith, for it is by faith that you are saved. (Ephesians 2:8)

Now, Habakkuk believed what God was telling him, and he said, “I will stand at my watch post and station myself on the city wall.  I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my complaint.”  Because he believed God, who created us and all things, Habakkuk stood in faith and soon received God’s answer.

Still, doesn’t it seem really hard to be brave, patient, and faithful when the world is so against us?  Of course,

the Lord never said life in this corrupt world would be easy.  Rather, Jesus told us that we will have trouble and persecution just as He endured.  The same enemies that were opposed to Jesus’ efforts to save us also oppose us and God’s plan to keep us faithful.  We know that evil drives many in our world just as sin infects each of us.  So, why doesn’t God just end the world and send all the wicked immediately to hell?  Finally, it is God’s mercy that keeps this world going, even in its troubled and wicked state. 

Can you imagine the horror for you if God would have brought Judgment Day upon the world in the days before you were brought to faith in Jesus?  How awful it would be for us if God wouldn’t have brought us the Gospel or washed us in the healing waters of Baptism before ending our days.  In the Bible, the Lord tells us that He “wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)  Consequently, God first demonstrates His great love by being merciful to sinners like you and me, and even to the very worst sinners of the world.  God wants all people to be turned from their wicked ways, to believe in Jesus and live.  In fact, many of the people shown God’s mercy in the Bible had committed grave sins; Paul, Peter, David, and Abraham all did some terrible stuff.  Still, God keeps this world going because of His great love, and His big heart to save people like you and me.

Therefore, God tells us to wait.  Wait and see how God plans to save some of those wicked creatures.  Wait with the strengthening Word of God carrying you through these times of trial.  Wait for the Lord to bring His vengeance upon those who hate and reject Him, but at the same time, hold out the Good News of Jesus, to friend and foe alike, so that some might hear that Gospel and be saved.

The Lord also tells us that the wicked will indeed get their just reward.  Those who refuse God’s mercy will get the appropriate sentence come Judgment Day.  In Habakkuk’s day, God used the pagan nation of Babylon to bring justice down upon unfaithful Judah.  But, Babylon wouldn’t escape justice for long.  After only a few short years, Babylon too would be ground under the boot of a foreign conqueror, and that seemingly strong nation would never rise again.

This prophecy isn’t just about destroying Babylon, though.  It is about God keeping His promises that the Savior would come into the world and be the fulfillment of God’s salvation plan.  Regarding Habakkuk’s complaint, The LORD replied: “Record the vision and write it plainly on tablets so that a herald may run with it.  Indeed, the vision is waiting for the appointed time.  It longs for fulfillment and will not prove false.  If it seems slow in coming, wait for it, because it will certainly come and will not be delayed.  Look, his soul is puffed up and is not righteous within him—but the righteous one will live by his faith.”  This is the promise of the Gospel, that God grants forgiveness and salvation through the gift of faith in Jesus.

Judah and Babylon were wicked just like so many people of our day are immoral, wicked, and cruel.  Still, we dare not consider ourselves above them for sinful man is always puffed up and unwilling to obey God.  However, that didn’t stop God from wanting to save us.  At the appointed time, Jesus came into the world, fully God and fully man.  When God’s Son came into human flesh, He did so not to rule a kingdom on earth, nor to judge and condemn.  Rather, Christ came to take on Himself the judgment and death we each deserved, and His resurrection from the dead was the beginning of the end times.

Jesus also came to live the absolute, perfect faith that so often escapes us.  Where we are weak and worried, Jesus remained strong and bold in trusting His Father.  Where we want to question God’s plan and God’s care for us, Jesus prayed, "Father,…not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)  Jesus didn’t pray for just those disciples who loved Him in the moment.  Rather, He implored His Father in heaven,  "I am praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me through their message.  May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you.  May they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.” (John 17:20-21)  Furthermore, though He had all power to do so, Jesus never sought revenge on those who hurt, abused, betrayed, and finally had Him killed; rather, praying for them and for us all, Jesus pleaded, " Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

Dear friends, when the evil of this world begins to overwhelm you, remember that Jesus prayed for you.  When you feel your guilt, remember: Jesus lived a perfect life for you, and He died the death you and I deserved so that His Father in heaven has now rightly declared us innocent of all guilt.  Whenever the troubles and sorrows so common in this broken world start to break down your trust in the Father, realize that having won your forgiveness full and free, God’s Son sent His Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament to give you this saving faith in Jesus that covers you with His perfect righteousness.  Remember also that Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you, just as He promised.  In fact, He surrounds you with guardian angels to protect your life, and with His love and protection keeps you in saving faith until the moment God has chosen for you to enter Paradise. 

What lies ahead for us tomorrow?  Will there be good times, or bad, before we are called to go home to His heaven?  The words of the prophet tell us simply to keep focused on the love of God; keep trusting His amazing mercy and grace; Wait for the Lord, for the righteous live by faith.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.