WEBVTT 00:00:02.120 --> 00:00:05.160 So we're now in week four of our Chesed, right? 00:00:05.219 --> 00:00:06.799 The Hebrew, getting that back in the throat. 00:00:06.860 --> 00:00:10.900 That very phlegmy understanding of the everlasting 00:00:10.900 --> 00:00:15.880 love of God. We actually saw the word in Exodus 00:00:15.880 --> 00:00:19.339 chapter 20. So we see Chesed throughout the Old 00:00:19.339 --> 00:00:21.199 Testament. The embodiment of that, obviously, 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:24.879 being Christ. Smallest book of the Bible. That 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:27.739 we are in Obadiah, the minor prophet today, talking 00:00:27.739 --> 00:00:32.179 about a Chesed that defends his people. Okay? 00:00:32.179 --> 00:00:34.380 And now there's no chapters in Obadiah. It's 00:00:34.380 --> 00:00:36.719 only one chapter, so we're going to read a variety 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:40.420 of verses. But I want to ask the question, not 00:00:40.420 --> 00:00:42.280 just for you to think about it or reflect on 00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:45.299 it. Is there someone in your life, maybe it's 00:00:45.299 --> 00:00:47.740 you, and again, this isn't a time to nudge the 00:00:47.740 --> 00:00:49.579 person next to you or push the person in front 00:00:49.579 --> 00:00:51.640 of you. Don't make it weird. But do you have 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:54.179 people in your life that tend to take things 00:00:54.179 --> 00:00:58.060 very personally, very quickly? Just kind of think 00:00:58.060 --> 00:01:00.119 about that. Again, don't nod. I've already seen 00:01:00.119 --> 00:01:03.079 some people look at each other. That's on you. 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:07.659 But understand that we have kind of a gauge sometimes 00:01:07.659 --> 00:01:11.140 in our spirit of when we take things personally. 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:14.480 And some of us, it's kind of a slow cooker. It 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:17.959 takes a lot for us to really get offended. And 00:01:17.959 --> 00:01:19.799 sometimes we don't even get up here. We just 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:22.280 kind of keep it low. Some of us wake up offended. 00:01:22.909 --> 00:01:26.969 and everywhere in between. I saw way more of 00:01:26.969 --> 00:01:29.189 this after I said it last time, so we should 00:01:29.189 --> 00:01:32.450 probably just pray, but I will later. But have 00:01:32.450 --> 00:01:34.950 we ever thought about God taking stuff personally? 00:01:36.569 --> 00:01:38.769 Yeah, the conversation sure changes, doesn't 00:01:38.769 --> 00:01:43.469 it? That if God is steadfast and slow to anger, 00:01:43.530 --> 00:01:46.790 abounding in steadfast love, the Psalms tell 00:01:46.790 --> 00:01:50.409 us that. That's chesed. Does God take things 00:01:50.409 --> 00:01:53.680 personally? Well, we just read that I, your God, 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:58.780 am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities. So, 00:01:58.780 --> 00:02:00.659 wait, I thought God wasn't supposed to remember 00:02:00.659 --> 00:02:05.040 our sins. It's a very interesting conversation, 00:02:05.219 --> 00:02:07.900 isn't it? But I want you to look back at the 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:11.259 last week of your life. Would God have taken 00:02:11.259 --> 00:02:14.900 something that you thought, something you did, 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:18.759 something you posted, or said? Do you think God 00:02:18.759 --> 00:02:20.539 would have taken anything you did personally 00:02:20.539 --> 00:02:24.099 this week? The conversation sure changes, right? 00:02:25.060 --> 00:02:29.280 Because that is sin. Sin is missing the mark 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:33.360 of what God has intended us to do. God can take 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:37.439 everything that we do wrong personally. And now 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:39.379 I'm going to change the question. When you maybe 00:02:39.379 --> 00:02:42.479 get offended by somebody, how quick are you to 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:45.719 forgive them? How quick are you to judge them? 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:49.639 How quick are you to kind of swat that and really 00:02:49.639 --> 00:02:53.400 make it a bigger issue, a bigger deal? I'm not 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:55.000 saying that it's not a big deal. I'm not saying 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:58.360 it's a conflict you should avoid. But it's an 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:00.520 interesting take when we talk about God taking 00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:03.199 something personally. Because there are moments 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:06.879 in life when injustice, things that we think, 00:03:06.979 --> 00:03:09.939 things that offend us, when injustice tends to 00:03:09.939 --> 00:03:13.979 feel unbearable in life. Maybe a moment like 00:03:13.979 --> 00:03:18.099 someone wronging you. Again, when someone wrongs 00:03:18.099 --> 00:03:20.699 you, there's a kind of subjective filter that 00:03:20.699 --> 00:03:23.479 that goes through. What might wrong somebody 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:27.159 else might not wrong me or vice versa. How about 00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:31.659 when someone takes advantage of you? Interesting 00:03:31.659 --> 00:03:33.840 kind of filter for that, engage for that as well. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:36.620 How about when someone celebrates your pain? 00:03:37.939 --> 00:03:40.139 I think that's something I'd probably get offended 00:03:40.139 --> 00:03:43.419 by, right? We even saw that in the baptism, right? 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:46.259 Two of the three promised to not beat on Carter 00:03:46.259 --> 00:03:48.919 too much, right? But there's that one, right? 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:53.180 That middle born. You know who you are. Or someone 00:03:53.180 --> 00:03:56.419 maybe stands by while you suffer. Maybe you're 00:03:56.419 --> 00:03:58.960 going through the thick of it and someone just 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:02.759 tends to do nothing. We can take that stuff personally. 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:05.840 The hardest part isn't always the pain itself, 00:04:05.939 --> 00:04:09.360 but it's the feeling that no one sees or no one 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:17.120 cares or no one will ever make it right. We see 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:19.360 that a lot in the Holland Donor House in the 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:22.220 sense of brothers that do tend to beat on each 00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:25.040 other and do things just to get rise out of each 00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:27.120 other. And, you know, they understand if we try 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:29.300 to make everything right, that would be our full 00:04:29.300 --> 00:04:33.459 -time job. But how does that feel? When you believe, 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:35.779 no one's going to make the wrongs against you 00:04:35.779 --> 00:04:38.980 right. It can be a very hopeless, a very lonely, 00:04:39.079 --> 00:04:44.120 very angry place. But here we have Obadiah, the 00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:46.480 shortest book in the Old Testament, but it carries 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:49.920 one of the most powerful truths in Scripture. 00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:54.319 And it's about God's chesed. That God's chesed 00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:58.360 does not just comfort his people, God's chesed 00:04:58.360 --> 00:05:04.209 defends his people. Ashley, keep that one up 00:05:04.209 --> 00:05:07.649 there. The word that I think we're all going 00:05:07.649 --> 00:05:11.089 to disagree on at times is that word defend. 00:05:13.129 --> 00:05:15.750 Because if we're being honest and someone wrongs 00:05:15.750 --> 00:05:19.269 us, my guess is we go through a little bit of 00:05:19.269 --> 00:05:22.250 maybe the five phases of that offense. And a 00:05:22.250 --> 00:05:26.189 lot of us like to stay in the anger mode. Right? 00:05:26.310 --> 00:05:28.889 I'll liken it because it's easy. Maybe driving 00:05:28.889 --> 00:05:32.500 in a car. Someone cuts you off, and if we're 00:05:32.500 --> 00:05:36.160 being honest, there's a little part of you that 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:39.420 wishes that God would be more like Zeus and just 00:05:39.420 --> 00:05:41.720 annihilate that person with a lightning bolt. 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:43.779 How many want to raise their hand and own that? 00:05:44.819 --> 00:05:47.620 Wow, we actually have people. Let me write those 00:05:47.620 --> 00:05:51.579 names down. But we kind of want that ultimate 00:05:51.579 --> 00:05:56.360 judgment, right? Even if maybe they didn't cut 00:05:56.360 --> 00:05:59.339 you off, but they got in your lane 200 yards 00:05:59.339 --> 00:06:01.860 in front of you, but you took that as cut off, 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:05.740 and you go, God, take them anyway. We kind of 00:06:05.740 --> 00:06:08.360 have our own filter for that. That's not the 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:10.920 kind of defending we're talking about. Because 00:06:10.920 --> 00:06:14.160 Hosea taught us that God pursues us when we wander. 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:17.319 Joel taught us that God restores us after devastation. 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:20.579 Amos last week taught us that God reshapes our 00:06:20.579 --> 00:06:26.250 lives with... But Obadiah teaches us something 00:06:26.250 --> 00:06:29.990 new today. God does not ignore those who harm 00:06:29.990 --> 00:06:33.810 his covenant family. He takes it personally. 00:06:35.389 --> 00:06:37.949 God does not ignore those who harm his covenant 00:06:37.949 --> 00:06:41.370 family. He takes it personally. So let's dive 00:06:41.370 --> 00:06:44.959 in to kind of this. Quick story of Obadiah, right? 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:47.339 The back story, these brothers turned enemies. 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:50.579 To understand Obadiah, we must go back to Genesis, 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:53.720 but let's go to Obadiah 10 and 11. Again, there's 00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:56.639 no chapters. Yeah, so harm is coming, he takes 00:06:56.639 --> 00:07:00.160 it personally. And so that first point is kind 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:02.759 of the back story, brothers that turned enemies. 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:04.959 Again, it's all in chapter one because there's 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:08.740 only one chapter. Obadiah 10 and 11. Because 00:07:08.740 --> 00:07:11.579 of the violence done to your brother Jacob, Shame 00:07:11.579 --> 00:07:14.399 shall cover you and you shall be cut off forever. 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:18.240 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:20.399 strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:22.519 entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, 00:07:22.759 --> 00:07:27.000 you were like one of them. So a little bit of 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:29.860 kind of historical context. Obadiah's prophecy 00:07:29.860 --> 00:07:33.920 is directed at Edom, E -D -O -M, the nation descended 00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:37.139 from Esau, Jacob's twin brother. So we're going 00:07:37.139 --> 00:07:41.019 back to Genesis. This is not just political conflict. 00:07:41.139 --> 00:07:45.980 This is family betrayal. Now I say that, and 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:48.079 I know that there's a handful of families in 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:51.930 this church that have felt that directly. Some 00:07:51.930 --> 00:07:54.629 that are still within this church. Some that 00:07:54.629 --> 00:07:57.050 they know that all too well. You see, for centuries, 00:07:57.470 --> 00:08:00.610 Edom refused Israel's passage through their land. 00:08:00.889 --> 00:08:06.949 Edom allied with Israel's enemies. Edom harbored 00:08:06.949 --> 00:08:11.230 resentment and pride. And Edom awaited for Israel's 00:08:11.230 --> 00:08:14.970 downfall. This is history. The breaking point 00:08:14.970 --> 00:08:18.410 comes when Jerusalem falls, roughly, we believe, 00:08:18.629 --> 00:08:24.610 586 B .C. But instead of helping these related 00:08:24.610 --> 00:08:29.529 nations, instead of helping, Edom rejoices, Edom 00:08:29.529 --> 00:08:33.330 loots, Edom captures fleeing refugees, and Edom 00:08:33.330 --> 00:08:37.970 hands them over to their enemies. Obadiah describes 00:08:37.970 --> 00:08:40.710 this with chilling clarity. We just read it, 00:08:40.769 --> 00:08:43.990 but Obadiah 11. On the day that you stood aloof, 00:08:44.110 --> 00:08:50.429 you were like one of them. This is not just me. 00:08:51.879 --> 00:08:57.080 Okay? This is cruel indifference. And what do 00:08:57.080 --> 00:09:01.340 we hear God say? God says, I saw it, I remember 00:09:01.340 --> 00:09:06.980 it, and I will deal with it. So let's pause there. 00:09:07.779 --> 00:09:10.679 It's a pretty big kind of setup there. There's 00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:12.120 a lot of hurt, a lot of pain, a lot of rejection, 00:09:12.460 --> 00:09:17.899 a lot of breaking of relationship ties. And for 00:09:17.899 --> 00:09:20.379 some of us, we know what that feels like. Maybe 00:09:20.379 --> 00:09:23.919 not in a grand nation against nation way, but 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:27.240 maybe interpersonally. Maybe in a marriage. Maybe 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:30.240 in a relationship with family. Maybe in a job. 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:34.720 That some of these feelings have been done to 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:37.860 us. Before we get to the restoration, we need 00:09:37.860 --> 00:09:40.360 to point out the sin one more time. The sin of 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:43.679 Edom, which was pride, violence, and the very, 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:47.820 very dangerous apathy. And so we see this in 00:09:47.820 --> 00:09:52.470 Obadiah verse 3. The pride of your heart has 00:09:52.470 --> 00:09:55.429 deceived you, you who live in the clefts on the 00:09:55.429 --> 00:09:58.490 rock, in your lofty dwellings who say in your 00:09:58.490 --> 00:10:01.330 heart, who will bring me down to the ground? 00:10:01.769 --> 00:10:05.850 Edom's downfall begins with pride. It says it 00:10:05.850 --> 00:10:08.529 in Proverbs. We believe it even today. Pride 00:10:08.529 --> 00:10:12.669 cometh before the? They lived in rocky mountain 00:10:12.669 --> 00:10:16.429 fortresses. They believed they were untouchable. 00:10:17.899 --> 00:10:21.320 Pride makes people think they are immune to accountability, 00:10:21.539 --> 00:10:25.700 that they are beyond judgment, and they are self 00:10:25.700 --> 00:10:28.419 -sufficient. Now, some of you are going, time 00:10:28.419 --> 00:10:30.139 out, Pastor. Being self -sufficient is a good 00:10:30.139 --> 00:10:33.000 thing. Absolutely it is, right? Being tenacious, 00:10:33.159 --> 00:10:35.679 being a self -starter, entrepreneur, all of that 00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:38.679 good stuff. What this self -sufficiency was is 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:41.879 placing their self -sufficiency over others. 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:46.220 My self -sufficiency is going to be over you 00:10:46.220 --> 00:10:51.419 even if it causes you pain. But pride always 00:10:51.419 --> 00:10:57.080 produces fruit. The question today is, is it 00:10:57.080 --> 00:11:00.080 good fruit or is it bad fruit? So let's look 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:03.740 at the threefold sin of Edom. So the threefold 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:07.899 sin. First, prideful self -trust. They trusted 00:11:07.899 --> 00:11:12.789 geographically instead of on God. They trusted 00:11:12.789 --> 00:11:15.309 their surroundings. They trusted what they built 00:11:15.309 --> 00:11:20.629 up over their trust in Yahweh. Their second sin, 00:11:20.669 --> 00:11:23.750 violent participation. They didn't just watch 00:11:23.750 --> 00:11:26.830 Israel fall. They joined in on the destruction. 00:11:28.029 --> 00:11:31.250 Guilty by association, we hear in our lifetime, 00:11:31.429 --> 00:11:34.529 right? Whether that was you as a kid making fun 00:11:34.529 --> 00:11:36.669 of the other kid, or being in the group that 00:11:36.669 --> 00:11:40.600 made fun of the other kid at school, or... Some 00:11:40.600 --> 00:11:42.759 kind of silent coup that goes on at your job 00:11:42.759 --> 00:11:46.120 that you don't speak against, even though it's 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:50.620 wrong. Prideful self -trust, violent participation, 00:11:51.019 --> 00:11:57.100 and heartless indifference. Church, this is a 00:11:57.100 --> 00:12:01.659 tough one. This is a tough one. They exploited 00:12:01.659 --> 00:12:06.009 suffering instead of showing mercy. Obadiah lists 00:12:06.009 --> 00:12:09.330 their sins in verses 12 to 14, but I'm just going 00:12:09.330 --> 00:12:12.210 to give it to you now. Gloating, looting, cutting 00:12:12.210 --> 00:12:14.909 off escape routes, and handing survivors over 00:12:14.909 --> 00:12:21.009 to enemies. God sees all of this. God knows all 00:12:21.009 --> 00:12:25.000 of this. God is offended by it. And he is not 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:28.480 vague about this injustice. We see this in our 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:32.580 next point, Obadiah 15. As you have done, it 00:12:32.580 --> 00:12:37.580 shall be done to you. I title this God's Justice. 00:12:38.620 --> 00:12:42.419 Obadiah 15. For the day of the Lord is near upon 00:12:42.419 --> 00:12:45.580 all the nations. As you have done, it shall be 00:12:45.580 --> 00:12:49.799 done to you. Your deeds shall return on your 00:12:49.799 --> 00:12:58.860 head. Unfortunately, for Edom and for us, we 00:12:58.860 --> 00:13:02.539 hear this at times after we've done something. 00:13:02.899 --> 00:13:08.879 What Obadiah, speaking then to now, 2026, is 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.960 if you're about to do something, you can stop 00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:17.600 and not do it. And this won't apply. But for 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:21.840 a lot of us, you know, growing up, it could be 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:25.820 as small as... Five years old, right? Five years 00:13:25.820 --> 00:13:28.360 old in the, let's say, the Venice house, right? 00:13:28.460 --> 00:13:30.240 Which one out of the two of you were the cookie 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:32.919 eater that really loved the cookies? Yeah, okay. 00:13:33.059 --> 00:13:35.980 So Taylor really loves the cookies. Mom makes 00:13:35.980 --> 00:13:39.019 the cookies. Mom says, Taylor, do not eat these 00:13:39.019 --> 00:13:42.039 until a certain time. Did Taylor eat the cookies 00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:43.879 prior to that time? I appreciate your honesty, 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:46.320 right? You don't know that Riley's the one that 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:49.620 told on you, but understand that that could be 00:13:49.620 --> 00:13:51.980 as small as that. You're being told something 00:13:51.980 --> 00:13:56.419 to do, you do the opposite, right? Or it could 00:13:56.419 --> 00:13:59.120 be someone, another household or another job 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:02.480 as we get older. You hear bad things at the water 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:05.240 cooler, you do nothing about it. Because you 00:14:05.240 --> 00:14:07.519 have this weird understanding that snitches get, 00:14:07.740 --> 00:14:13.340 wow. That is not at all in the Bible, yet 90 00:14:13.340 --> 00:14:15.720 % of you knew what that was. The other 10%, you've 00:14:15.720 --> 00:14:20.240 fallen asleep. Why do we live by prison code 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:22.720 in life? Because I'm pretty sure that's where 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:26.039 that comes from. Snitches get stitches, settle 00:14:26.039 --> 00:14:28.080 out in the holland on our house, also prison. 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:32.919 Okay? We should not abide by that. What God is 00:14:32.919 --> 00:14:36.519 saying here is because of your actions, there 00:14:36.519 --> 00:14:41.980 are consequences. I could laundry list, and this 00:14:41.980 --> 00:14:44.419 is not me getting high and mighty. My sins can 00:14:44.419 --> 00:14:47.669 be in there too, of Christian leaders. Known 00:14:47.669 --> 00:14:49.990 Christian leaders in our community that fall 00:14:49.990 --> 00:14:55.769 and fall horribly. And there are consequences. 00:14:56.370 --> 00:15:00.029 But yet some of us like to think that if I confess 00:15:00.029 --> 00:15:02.789 my sins. Pastor, you say it all the time. He 00:15:02.789 --> 00:15:05.070 is faithful. He is just. He'll forgive us my 00:15:05.070 --> 00:15:07.149 sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 00:15:07.370 --> 00:15:10.049 Absolutely. But friends, there's still consequences. 00:15:11.110 --> 00:15:16.139 There are still consequences. This is the moral 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:19.740 center of this book. God's judgment is not random. 00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:23.740 He's not like, and you get the punishment. It's 00:15:23.740 --> 00:15:27.200 not like a weird Oprah, okay? It is measured. 00:15:27.259 --> 00:15:31.220 It is fitting. It is just. This isn't revenge. 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:37.080 This is righteous reckoning. Here's the thing. 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:42.549 God gets to do the reckoning, not us. And for 00:15:42.549 --> 00:15:45.090 a lot of you, you don't like that I just said 00:15:45.090 --> 00:15:47.830 that because you want to be the reckoning doer. 00:15:49.190 --> 00:15:52.649 But vengeance belongs to the Lord, never us. 00:15:53.970 --> 00:15:58.230 God's justice is not opposed to his chesed. God's 00:15:58.230 --> 00:16:05.029 justice flows from his chesed. And for some of 00:16:05.029 --> 00:16:07.230 us, we can't reconcile that because we want this 00:16:07.230 --> 00:16:10.509 hippie -loving Jesus that is never going to have 00:16:10.509 --> 00:16:12.830 us go through consequences for our wrongdoings, 00:16:12.830 --> 00:16:15.509 for our sin. That's never how it works. That 00:16:15.509 --> 00:16:19.009 is never what's in here. That is not how it started 00:16:19.009 --> 00:16:21.570 in the Old Testament. God just doesn't look away 00:16:21.570 --> 00:16:24.389 through Jesus. No. Is there forgiveness? Absolutely. 00:16:24.610 --> 00:16:27.610 Is there restoration? Absolutely. Is there cleansing? 00:16:27.889 --> 00:16:30.570 Absolutely. But there are also consequences. 00:16:31.950 --> 00:16:35.580 Why is this? Because God loves his people, because 00:16:35.580 --> 00:16:38.519 God cares about righteousness, and God refuses 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:44.240 to normalize cruelty. Chesed does not mean God 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:48.340 looks the other way. Chesed means that God steps 00:16:48.340 --> 00:16:53.259 in. If you're a parent here this morning, or 00:16:53.259 --> 00:16:56.360 an aunt or an uncle, and you know when people 00:16:56.360 --> 00:16:59.409 are just going at it, Right? When my boys were 00:16:59.409 --> 00:17:02.269 younger, it worked a lot more that all of a sudden 00:17:02.269 --> 00:17:04.569 when they were going at it and dad stepped into 00:17:04.569 --> 00:17:09.730 the room, things stopped. Right? Now that my 00:17:09.730 --> 00:17:12.410 oldest is almost as tall as me, I have to get 00:17:12.410 --> 00:17:14.849 on my heels and then I have to enter the room. 00:17:15.390 --> 00:17:18.829 And hopefully that stature stops it or the voice 00:17:18.829 --> 00:17:21.670 stops it. This is where I wish I was like Dan 00:17:21.670 --> 00:17:24.289 Arzma. Right? Dan's got a foot on me. I would 00:17:24.289 --> 00:17:29.089 love to walk in a room. How tall are you? What? 00:17:29.089 --> 00:17:32.170 He's got a foot and an inch over me. And so I 00:17:32.170 --> 00:17:34.089 would love to be able to walk into the room. 00:17:34.190 --> 00:17:36.349 But if I walk in on stilts, are you going to 00:17:36.349 --> 00:17:41.170 take me seriously? No. You answer that way too 00:17:41.170 --> 00:17:48.049 quick, Jack. God steps in. Because why? Next 00:17:48.049 --> 00:17:53.849 point. God defends his people and restores their 00:17:53.849 --> 00:17:58.460 futures. Obadiah 17. But in Mount Zion there 00:17:58.460 --> 00:18:01.740 shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:05.019 and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. 00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:10.400 After judgment comes hope. God does not only 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:13.359 punish Edom, but he promises restoration to Israel. 00:18:13.619 --> 00:18:17.039 The restoration promises here are huge. It's 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:19.960 deliverance for the remnant, the remnant, always 00:18:19.960 --> 00:18:21.960 in the Old Testament being Christ, but this is 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:24.099 the remnant of that temple, of the relationship 00:18:24.099 --> 00:18:27.319 with Yahweh. Returning to the land that God gave 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:30.700 them, renewal of the covenant blessing, and future 00:18:30.700 --> 00:18:34.559 victory over oppressors. But then the book ends 00:18:34.559 --> 00:18:40.220 with a triumphant declaration. And I love this. 00:18:40.380 --> 00:18:45.680 Obadiah 21. The kingdom shall be the Lord's. 00:18:46.319 --> 00:18:49.460 It is a wonderful reminder that even though we 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:52.019 sin and even though there are consequences for 00:18:52.019 --> 00:18:55.359 us that mourn that sin, turn the 180 and follow 00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:59.259 after Christ, that there is restoration, that 00:18:59.259 --> 00:19:03.680 it all belongs to God. It's all in his kingdom. 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:08.240 That is a good thing for us. Yet for some of 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:11.619 us, when we go through that restoration, we really 00:19:11.619 --> 00:19:14.200 want part of that to be, oh, but God, I really 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:17.329 want that pound of flesh. That person really 00:19:17.329 --> 00:19:21.049 wronged me. I'll forgive them, but I will never 00:19:21.049 --> 00:19:24.670 forget. Forgive and forget, that's not what we're 00:19:24.670 --> 00:19:27.150 talking about, right? Because you're also not 00:19:27.150 --> 00:19:30.269 called to be a doormat. And so if someone does 00:19:30.269 --> 00:19:33.039 something to you and that trust breaks, It may 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:35.240 take a long time to trust that person again. 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:37.420 And that's okay. That's you protecting yourself. 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:40.039 I get that. But holding that on and when that 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:42.980 person does it again, you re -bank that stuff 00:19:42.980 --> 00:19:49.500 onto that person. That is not forgiveness. The 00:19:49.500 --> 00:19:54.329 kingdom shall be the Lord's, not ours. This is 00:19:54.329 --> 00:19:57.130 church language. This is revelation language. 00:19:57.410 --> 00:20:00.470 This points beyond Edom to Israel. It points 00:20:00.470 --> 00:20:03.890 beyond Israel to the final triumphant of God's 00:20:03.890 --> 00:20:06.970 reign. You ever think about that? The new heavens 00:20:06.970 --> 00:20:09.369 and the new earth? Who gets the glory in that? 00:20:09.470 --> 00:20:11.289 Though we're going to be in our glorified bodies, 00:20:11.410 --> 00:20:13.430 and I don't know what that means for some of 00:20:13.430 --> 00:20:15.640 you. I don't know what that means for me. Maybe 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:18.619 my glorified body, I am 6 '8". I have no idea. 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:22.019 But the glory becomes God's because it's always 00:20:22.019 --> 00:20:27.119 been God's. It's never been ours. Because the 00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:30.319 chesed that God gives us preserves us and vindicates 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:36.700 us the way God desires, not ours. Right? Vindication, 00:20:36.859 --> 00:20:39.420 we have certain ways we want to be vindicated. 00:20:39.900 --> 00:20:41.880 Whether it's that person that caught us off 200 00:20:41.880 --> 00:20:44.900 yards away. Whether it's that spouse that really 00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:47.160 hurt us. Whether it's the job that was taken 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:49.220 away from us. Whether the fact that we're the 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:52.859 last person to have our driveway plowed by the 00:20:52.859 --> 00:20:55.619 company we bought or that we paid for. Whatever 00:20:55.619 --> 00:20:58.619 it is, that point really didn't land when I can't 00:20:58.619 --> 00:21:01.400 say it out loud. But understand that we want 00:21:01.400 --> 00:21:04.359 vindication our way. We want to prescribe it. 00:21:04.519 --> 00:21:06.579 Why in the world would the vindication of the 00:21:06.579 --> 00:21:09.640 Lord be prescribed through a sinful person? It 00:21:09.640 --> 00:21:12.180 has to go through the holiness of God. Never 00:21:12.180 --> 00:21:17.940 us. Never us. Chesed that preserves and vindicates. 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:20.720 Not only does Obadiah show us, but the Canons 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:24.500 of Dort shows us as well. Grace 101. God's love 00:21:24.500 --> 00:21:29.380 is not neutral. Canons 1, 7. God's love flows 00:21:29.380 --> 00:21:34.640 from his sovereign, gracious election. That God 00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:39.519 pursues, that God's love flows for his people. 00:21:40.099 --> 00:21:43.220 That's why his vindication is the right one, 00:21:43.259 --> 00:21:46.799 never ours. Because God's vindication doesn't 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:49.640 flow through sinful ideology like ours does. 00:21:49.819 --> 00:21:54.539 It flows from who he is. God does not stand in 00:21:54.539 --> 00:21:57.299 the distance and watch injustice. He is a covenant 00:21:57.299 --> 00:22:00.259 God. He chooses his people and he binds himself 00:22:00.259 --> 00:22:04.480 to them. Canons 1 -7 reminds us again God's love 00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:08.940 flows from a sovereign, gracious election. God 00:22:08.940 --> 00:22:11.940 defends those he has chosen, not because they 00:22:11.940 --> 00:22:18.220 are perfect, but because he is faithful. Well, 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:21.599 God, I really wanted them to be more hurt. I 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:23.519 really wanted them to have things taken away 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:27.039 like I did. That might not be how God does it. 00:22:27.299 --> 00:22:30.140 And as followers of God, we need to be okay with 00:22:30.140 --> 00:22:34.359 that. Grace 201, God preserves his people through 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:38.420 oppression. Canons 5, 3, God preserves believers 00:22:38.420 --> 00:22:43.000 so they never fully fall away. Even when Israel 00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:45.660 was exiled, humiliated, scattered, and wounded, 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:49.119 God never abandons his covenant people. Remember 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:53.119 the remnant? That remnant is huge. Obadiah reminds 00:22:53.119 --> 00:22:56.519 us, you may have been wounded, you may have been 00:22:56.519 --> 00:22:59.609 shaken, you may have been outnumbered. but you 00:22:59.609 --> 00:23:04.430 are never forgotten. All right, but let's be 00:23:04.430 --> 00:23:07.150 honest. There are times that we sit there with 00:23:07.150 --> 00:23:10.130 all this other junk going on around us, and we 00:23:10.130 --> 00:23:13.730 go, I have been forgotten. God does not see me. 00:23:13.789 --> 00:23:16.710 He's not helping me the way I want his help. 00:23:18.549 --> 00:23:22.549 I'm sorry. Do you think when I have to reprimand 00:23:22.549 --> 00:23:25.230 or punish one of my sons, I look to my other 00:23:25.230 --> 00:23:27.490 sons to give me like the Roman emperor thumbs 00:23:27.490 --> 00:23:31.369 up or thumbs down? No, because a lot of them 00:23:31.369 --> 00:23:33.049 would be like this, and I don't know what to 00:23:33.049 --> 00:23:35.849 do with that, okay? No, it's on me and Carrie 00:23:35.849 --> 00:23:41.390 as the parents to decide. It is. That's the same 00:23:41.390 --> 00:23:46.269 thing with God. Why? Grace 301, God will vindicate 00:23:46.269 --> 00:23:50.049 his people. Canons 510, the canons teach that 00:23:50.049 --> 00:23:53.390 God renews confidence, restores hope, and assures 00:23:53.390 --> 00:23:56.640 believer of the final victory. Obadiah's closing 00:23:56.640 --> 00:24:00.619 vision points to Christ. The kingdom belongs 00:24:00.619 --> 00:24:03.920 to the Lord. Guess what? His justice will win. 00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:08.059 His grace will reign. And God will make all things 00:24:08.059 --> 00:24:12.980 right the way God has defined it. Why in the 00:24:12.980 --> 00:24:16.140 world would God look through our right? He wouldn't. 00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:21.059 He has the right all along. So let's land this 00:24:21.059 --> 00:24:24.019 plane. What does Obadiah teach us about living 00:24:24.019 --> 00:24:28.680 out Chesed today? First, that God sees every 00:24:28.680 --> 00:24:34.220 injustice done to you. All is fair. And every 00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:37.019 injustice you have done. That's the flip side. 00:24:37.099 --> 00:24:39.099 But the point is, God sees every injustice done 00:24:39.099 --> 00:24:42.220 to you. Nothing you suffered has ever been ignored, 00:24:42.500 --> 00:24:47.059 wasted, or never has been ignored, wasted, or 00:24:47.059 --> 00:24:52.059 forgiven. Right? Nothing you have suffered. It 00:24:52.059 --> 00:24:56.619 all is seen by God. God knows it. God's hesed 00:24:56.619 --> 00:25:01.420 means to you that your pain matters. That we're 00:25:01.420 --> 00:25:04.559 going to have perspective in pain. We should 00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:07.579 find perspective in pain and in disappointment. 00:25:08.619 --> 00:25:12.220 Your pain matters to God. Second, we must refuse 00:25:12.220 --> 00:25:16.500 the sins of Edom. Obadiah is not just about Edom's 00:25:16.500 --> 00:25:20.279 sin, but it's about our temptation to gloat. 00:25:20.599 --> 00:25:24.640 over others' failures, benefit from someone else's 00:25:24.640 --> 00:25:29.160 pain, remain silent when injustice happens, and 00:25:29.160 --> 00:25:32.500 choose comfort over compassion. Chesed calls 00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:36.460 us to intervene, not speculate. To intervene 00:25:36.460 --> 00:25:39.720 the way God would call you to intervene. How 00:25:39.720 --> 00:25:42.039 do I know how God's calling me? Read the good 00:25:42.039 --> 00:25:46.160 book. Read his word. It will help you. Third, 00:25:46.319 --> 00:25:48.859 the church must be a safe place for the wounded. 00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:52.779 If God defends his people, then his church must, 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:57.000 must reflect that same heart. Munster Church 00:25:57.000 --> 00:26:00.359 must be a place where victims are believed, the 00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:03.640 vulnerable are protected, the hurting are embraced, 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:07.299 and injustice is not minimalized. I know, that's 00:26:07.299 --> 00:26:10.480 a big set of phrases. But that, if we're going 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:13.039 to say we're a hospital for the sick and a lighthouse 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:15.339 for wayward ships, that's a recognition that 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:19.299 we sit in that as well. Victims are believed, 00:26:19.539 --> 00:26:22.019 the vulnerable are protected, the hurting are 00:26:22.019 --> 00:26:25.000 embraced, and injustice is not minimized. And 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:28.400 don't you dare make that political, because then 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:31.839 that's your ideology. It is not mine. It is not 00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:35.470 this church's. Four, Jesus is the fulfillment 00:26:35.470 --> 00:26:39.150 of Obadiah's promise. Where Edom crushed God's 00:26:39.150 --> 00:26:42.250 people, Jesus was crushed for God's people. Where 00:26:42.250 --> 00:26:45.609 Edom gloated over suffering, Jesus absorbed suffering 00:26:45.609 --> 00:26:49.650 to save sinners. Where Edom trusted pride, Jesus 00:26:49.650 --> 00:26:54.809 humbled himself unto death. And because of Jesus, 00:26:55.089 --> 00:26:59.630 the kingdom has always and will always belong 00:26:59.630 --> 00:27:03.359 to the Lord. So friends, in this week, remember 00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:09.579 that Chesed fights for you. Hosea showed us a 00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:12.880 God who pursues us. Joel showed us a God who 00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:16.519 restores us. Amos showed us a God who reshapes 00:27:16.519 --> 00:27:20.720 us. And Obadiah shows us a God who defends us. 00:27:21.660 --> 00:27:24.140 If you forget anything else, remember this last 00:27:24.140 --> 00:27:27.819 slide. God's Chesed means you are never alone 00:27:27.819 --> 00:27:30.740 in your suffering. God's hesed means injustice 00:27:30.740 --> 00:27:36.099 will not win. And God's hesed means God himself 00:27:36.099 --> 00:27:40.319 will fight for you. The final word over your 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:44.519 life is not betrayal. It's not injustice. Not 00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:49.920 even loss. Because the kingdom shall be the Lord's. 00:27:50.079 --> 00:27:50.940 Let's pray.