Welcome! Here at Grace, children are important to us. Normally, we have a nursery for infants and toddlers 0-2 off our fellowship hall during the service and 3y.o. preschoolers through 3rd grade are dismissed to children's church before the message. For now, until co-vid regulations change, families will be staying together. If your little one gets fussy, we have a changing station and nursing area for babies in the “mother’s” room by the office. Your older ones should have received a packet with activities to use during the service when they came in this morning.
The offering is for those who consider Grace Bible their church family. As a visitor, please do not feel obligated to participate in this portion of worship. We are so glad to have you with us today and look forward to getting to know you.
SENIOR PASTOR JED JOHNSTON
jed@aplaceofgracegbc.com
- Beautiful One
- Great Are You Lord
- Death Was Arrested
- Proverbs 6:16-19 states in a very clear and powerful way this message:
Proverbs 6:16–19 NASB95 There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of my mother’s passing. This was one of the passages that she quoted most often to me and my siblings when we would not be getting along with one another.Today's passage deals how we treat others, especially those of family relation, and we will look at God’s awareness and response to wrong treatment.Obadiah is a book of ProphecyOften- prophecy in scriptures offersWarnings (coming judgement)ComfortHope (Most often depicted in Christ or relating to Him)Obadiah exhibits these traits as well even while being the shortest of the prophetic books and the shortest book in the Old Testament.Brevity DOES NOT detract from the impact and power of this book. Here is his message from the Lord… Obadiah 1-21Obadiah 1–21 NASB95 The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom— We have heard a report from the Lord, And an envoy has been sent among the nations saying, “Arise and let us go against her for battle”— “Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You are greatly despised. “The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, You who live in the clefts of the rock, In the loftiness of your dwelling place, Who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to earth?’ “Though you build high like the eagle, Though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord. “If thieves came to you, If robbers by night— O how you will be ruined!— Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleanings? “O how Esau will be ransacked, And his hidden treasures searched out! “All the men allied with you Will send you forth to the border, And the men at peace with you Will deceive you and overpower you. They who eat your bread Will set an ambush for you. (There is no understanding in him.) “Will I not on that day,” declares the Lord, “Destroy wise men from Edom And understanding from the mountain of Esau? “Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Teman, So that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter. “Because of violence to your brother Jacob, You will be covered with shame, And you will be cut off forever. “On the day that you stood aloof, On the day that strangers carried off his wealth, And foreigners entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem— You too were as one of them. “Do not gloat over your brother’s day, The day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast In the day of their distress. “Do not enter the gate of My people In the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity In the day of their disaster. And do not loot their wealth In the day of their disaster. “Do not stand at the fork of the road To cut down their fugitives; And do not imprison their survivors In the day of their distress. “For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head. “Because just as you drank on My holy mountain, All the nations will drink continually. They will drink and swallow And become as if they had never existed. “But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape, And it will be holy. And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions. “Then the house of Jacob will be a fire And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau will be as stubble. And they will set them on fire and consume them, So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,” For the Lord has spoken. Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, And those of the Shephelah the Philistine plain; Also, possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, And Benjamin will possess Gilead. And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel, Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad Will possess the cities of the Negev. The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion To judge the mountain of Esau, And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.Prophecy… is often much better understood when we better understand the events current and past dealing with what is being stated…Today I would like to illustrate the context and history in a creative way: On FaithLifeTV you can watch the various illustrations of the books of the bible done by the BIBLE PROJECT. This is Obadiah.BIBLE PROJECT SLIDE WHILE VIDEO PLAYSLet’s take a brief look at the three areas of WARNING, COMFORT, HOPE and as we do let’s get a better understanding of the heart of God… these are after all direct revelation the words of God!The Warning of Coming JudgementThe Bible presents a holistic view of God as both just and loving.God is absolutely and fully righteous in how He deals with sinGod is just in His message He delivers to EdomGod’s wrath on sin is justified… we have a problem as mankind being too flippant with SIN. We strive hard to justify our sin, rather than look at our sin before a just God.Edom’s “arrogance of the heart” (verse 3) pride has blinded themIt is our own arrogance that permits us to justify in our own minds our sinEdom justified their sin because of past hurts and wrongs done…Did they hurt…YESWas wrong done… YESPAST WRONG DONE OR HURTS NEVER JUSTIFIES OUR SIN TODAY!!!And sometimes it is family who hurts us the deepest (CHURCH FAMILY TOO!)It was good for Israel to hear this message too… Psalm 73:3Psalm 73:3 NASB95 For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.As Israel dealt with their own judgement for their sin before God and saw Edom prospering and in good with other nations it could make one want to draw into sin too!As we consider WHO God is and see a complete picture of Him we see in the pages of scriptures WARNINGS… Galatians 6:7 & Hebrews 10:30-31Galatians 6:7 NASB95 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.Hebrews 10:30–31 NASB95 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.Appreciate the GRACE we see in this warning...God goes to Edom… He went to Nineveh in Jonah…God has always had a heart for humanity!Look at how it turns to “All the nations” in verse 15… (Two Fold Prophecy)What is coming and will occur with Edom will foreshadow what God will do in the Day of the Lord...The “Day of the Lord” referring to God’s judgment and wrath in the end on all peoplesGod has always judged sin Romans 3:23 Romans 6:23 on all peoples Jew and Gentile alike!Romans 3:23 NASB95 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,Romans 6:23 NASB95 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.God has always offered GRACE!!! (It is NOT a New Testament thing!Nineveh was spared, repented and obeyedOne who responds in obedience to the grace of God has everything to gain, but a person who spurns His grace in pride has everything to lose.John 3:16-18John 3:16–18 NASB95 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.WARNING WORLD… God judges sin, all have sinned, you stand condemned already… BUT GOD!!!Comfort in this MessageGod uses this message to comfort, not only Israel (God’s Chosen People) but also godly sufferers throughout the ages, reminding them of His power to crush their oppressors.This world is full of sin and oppression… BUT GODHe is not blind or unaware of our situation… Oh how this must have comforted IsraelIllustrate with Mackenzie throwing the block and then crying… We were fully aware.God is not mocked… HE SEES!It is comforting to know that He knows.God desires to warn people… mankind cannot say they were not warned!Ultimately we have HopeThis message was primarily to Edom… Yet with a warning to ALL NATIONS and all people.The hope is in the One who in the end Rules… Jesus Christ will rule, Jesus Christ is returning!Verses 18 is so encouraging “For the Lord has spoken”It will happen… Edom soon after this began to see exactly what God warned ofBy 6 B.C. Edom had ceased to exist.God has said He will return… His word is TrueAs with Edom… God will deal with sin in the end as well.The ONE who paid for our sin will one day return to crush sin once for all!!!“For the Lord has spoken!!!” Proverbs 6:16–19NLT
Obadiah 1–21NLT
Psalm 73:3NLT
Galatians 6:7NLT
Hebrews 10:30–31NLT
Romans 3:23NLT
Romans 6:23NLT
John 3:16–18NLT