Obadiah: To the Nations | Sermon 09/22/2024

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Obadiah 15-21 Pastor Andrew ends his sermon series on God's Prophecy of Destruction to Edom through the Prophet Obadiah with sermon, "Obadiah: To the Nations" going over Obadiah 15-21

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Yeah but next week Pastor Wade will be back from his sabbatical and he'll continue going over our series on 1st
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Corinthians, Paul's letter, first letter to the church that is in Corinth. But today let's finish out
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Obadiah and by God's grace he really spoke through Obadiah and he ends this book, the smallest book in the
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Old Testament, with an absolute bang. This is a phenomenal, a phenomenal book and I'm excited to finish this up today with you guys.
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So between the house of Jacob in ruins and the kingdom of Edom, which has now been brought low, stood a great image.
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One of which reflected a timeline of nations. Nations which thought that their exceeding riches in power in turn entitled them to be sovereign.
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The one supreme ruler over the nations of earth, each with a kingdom they thought would be everlasting.
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Each one thought it would never be destroyed. And this image that stood between Jerusalem and Edom was that of a man.
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The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron with its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
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As time goes on our view of the image scans from the head of fine gold down to the legs of iron to the feet of mixed iron and clay.
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These are the kingdoms of Adam. Unlike the house of Jacob in promise, these earthly kingdoms ruled over Israel in successive generations.
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Babylon of fine gold, the Medo -Persian Empire of silver, Greece of bronze, and then finally
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Rome of iron with feet mixed with clay. In which every king descended from Adam sought to rule reign and take dominion over all things.
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Yet they all did in such a way where they wanted the glory that is due to the only God for themselves.
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And in turn they also made the house of Jacob suffer under the rule of wicked principalities and powers.
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The house of Jacob over time was influenced by each one of these earthly kingdoms as they awaited their salvation.
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They awaited their exodus for now they were captives in their own land of promise. Yet the day of the
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Lord was near and the prophets spoke of the day of which was soon to come. In the midst of the captivity of the house of Jacob, as you look at the image of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay that sits between Jerusalem and Esau, a stone appears.
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One which was cut out by no human hand. And it strikes the image on its feet of iron and clay, breaking the image into pieces.
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The skies darkened, the earth roared as the image toppled to the earth, breaking into pieces. The authority of the image that sat between Jerusalem and Edom has collapsed.
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And the heavens rejoiced as the pieces of this image were blown away like the chaff off a threshing floor.
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And the stone which struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth over time.
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No image of nations ruling in the succession of Adam could stand against this rock. This was the beginning of the coming of the day of the
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Lord. Something happened in which the ruler of this world was cast out. Where the strong man was bound and his kingdom was now to be plundered.
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There was one who came from a virgin, not cut from the line of Adam, and to him would be the obedience of the nations.
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To him would be a kingdom, not of earthly origin, but straight from the rock of God that would never be destroyed.
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Be not confused. Jacob I loved, Esau have I hated. All who are not in Jacob are that of Esau.
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And is now where Obadiah begins God's indictment to all the nations. Yet Obadiah speaks of the salvation that comes through the coming of the kingdom of God, to the
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Jew first and also to the Gentile, which can only have been given by the great coveted keeper who is the
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Messiah. To whom all authority on heaven and earth has been given. Whose kingdom shall cover the earth, swallowing up even
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Jerusalem, which was but a shadow of the heavenly Jerusalem, which now comes down from heaven, invading the earth.
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So hear the words of the Lord from the prophet Obadiah. Starting in verse 15.
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For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. Have you have done, it shall be done to you.
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Your deeds shall return on your own head. For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually.
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They shall drink and swallow, and they shall be as though they have never been. But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
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The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble.
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They shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau. For the
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Lord has spoken. Those of the Najib shall possess Mount Esau, and those of Shepholah shall possess the land of the
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Philistines. They shall possess the land of Ephraim, and the land of Samaria. And Benjamin shall possess
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Gilead. The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the
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Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Shepharad shall possess the cities of the
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Najib. The Savior shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the
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Lord's. Let's pray. God, thank you for this word. Thank you for these great promises that we see in Scripture.
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Jesus, you're more magnificent and amazing than we could ever, ever understand.
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The excellencies of Christ are never -ending. Help me, Lord, to speak clearly today.
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Help me get out of the way so your word shines through. These are profound truths that we're going to be going through,
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Lord, ones in which we can trust in you, that,
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Lord, again, you're the great covenant keeper when we are the horrible covenant breakers.
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But it's in your headship and your covenant, Lord, in which all of your enemies will be placed under your feet.
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Let us trust you. Let us love you. It's in your name we pray.
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In Jesus' name, amen. Now, the reason I wanted to start each sermon in Obadiah with a story is because I want you to have a picture in your mind of the biblical imagery
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God uses through the prophets. I want you to have the holistic expectation of God's people prior to the coming of the
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Messiah given by the prophets. And if you've read Daniel anytime recently, you may have found that I drew heavily from the dream that Nebuchadnezzar has in Daniel chapter 2, in which
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Daniel interprets the king's dream of that image. Mind you, this is during the beginning of the
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Jewish exile, yet the prophetic hope remains within Daniel. Something will come which will crush the feet of the image and rule will be given to that kingdom, which shall swallow up the power of all the kingdoms of earth.
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Last week, we dealt specifically with Edom, God's indictment on that brother kingdom of Jacob, which took advantage of Jacob when they were at their weakest.
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All of the crimes that Edom committed against Jacob were listed earlier in Obadiah, and the face of God was set against Edom in judgment.
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There was nothing that could stop the wrath of God against the nation of Edom. In a sense, their destruction was set in stone for what they did against the house of Jacob, and now
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God turns his hand of judgment to all of the nations. Here it is again, verse 15.
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For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done it, it shall be done to you.
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Your deeds shall return on your own head. Let's start with understanding the day of the
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Lord. In Scripture, there's many days of the Lord noted within the Old Testament, and this is used specifically when dealing with the destruction of nations.
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And with this destruction of nations, blessings are actually typically given for the people of God as well, and we'll get into that.
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What we find here within Obadiah is that the Lord speaks to judgment that has been given to all of the nations, and it's very important for us to understand what the day of the
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Lord is in this context, from switching to Edom to all of the nations. It's not specific to Edom anymore, and it's very important.
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Obadiah here is talking to all of the nations, and he begins a prophecy that finds its fulfillment in the coming of the kingdom of God and the messianic rule of Christ, meaning this prophecy has a dual fulfillment, and it's still abiding and revelant today.
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But I want you to understand something beautifully, something covenantally beautiful, which comes from the blessing from that day of the
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Lord, from the judgment that's upon all of the nations. Remember, God's people within the day of the
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Lord will have a blessing while judgment comes for those, number one, who kill the Messiah and the nations that stand against the rule of God.
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So if you can, please turn to Deuteronomy 30, and I'm gonna read right now verses 1 through 10, and we'll get into it.
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And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the
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Lord your God has driven you, and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice and all that I command you today with all your heart and with all your soul, then the
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Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the
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Lord your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the
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Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you, and the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it, and he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.
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And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the
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Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. And the Lord your
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God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you, and you shall again obey the voice of the
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Lord and keep all his commandments that I commanded you today. The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground.
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For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you as he took delight in your fathers. When you obey the voice of the
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Lord your God to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this book of the law, when you turn to the
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Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. This is way back in Deuteronomy.
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28 and 29 of Deuteronomy detail those blessings and curses, and here's one of the blessings here in Deuteronomy 30.
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What we find specifically, because we're Baptists, is this is a specific covenant that is being made between Moses and the people of Israel.
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It's a renewed covenant, right? Between the Lord and the people of God prior to the Hebrews entering into the promised land.
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But what happened? When we read the book of Judges, it's understood that with the conquest of Joshua, though it was successful, it was ultimately a failure.
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For God's word was not fully followed. It is much all of the blessings and curses ultimately fell on the
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Israelites. It's true. They faced the blessings and curses that were listed in 28 and 29. They could not fulfill in and of their own accord what chapter 30 in Deuteronomy was requiring.
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They couldn't do it. They couldn't love the Lord with all of their might, mind, and strength, right?
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It seems utterly hopeless. No one can do it. We're born sinners, right? We're born in iniquity.
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But here's a clue. Here's a clue. Verse 5 in Deuteronomy 30, going to verse 7 again. It says, and the
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Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it, and he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.
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And the Lord God, just listen to this, and the Lord God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the
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Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, that you may live. And the Lord your God will put all the curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you.
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Now there are scholars who believe that this is speaking of the future restoration of Israel, of which
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Paul longs for in Romans 11. To that I could say yes. I could say yes, but I think there's more.
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By and large, this is prophetic in nature. No fallen human being can accomplish what is required here.
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Yet there was one who came, perfectly obedient to the works of the law, the second Adam, as Paul likes to detail to us, who was not fallen, and all who believe in him are what adopted into the family of God through his blood.
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His offspring shall have circumcised hearts. Do we not, when we believe in Jesus, have that through his blood?
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It is the people of God in the new covenant that this finds its ultimate fulfillment. Jesus Christ initiated this blessing on behalf of all who believe in him by faith, the people of the kingdom of God.
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He holds the headship of this blessing, and even if we're gonna go back to what the scholars may think for Romans 11, to the future restoration of Israel, it would have to be through repentance, right?
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And being grafted back into the tree by the blood of Jesus through the power of the gospel. There is no separate thing that they must follow, but it's going back to Christ.
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So in terms of Jesus and the blessing that we inherit with the coming of the day of the Lord here, and the curses that follow the nations with respect to the
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Messiah, there's an era where the people of God and the kingdom of God inherit every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places through Christ.
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And what does it say there? It says, anyone, essentially, who curses these people, all of the curses will fall back on them.
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Part of that blessing is that every nation that stands against Christ and his kingdom will suffer all the curses without hope of renewal.
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And remember again, we have Obadiah here, switching from Edom to all of the nations.
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All of the nations. Now here again, God's speaking in the prophetic perfect states, as you have done, 15 of Obadiah, it shall be done to you, your deeds shall return on your own head.
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Very important here, Obadiah is giving this prophecy during the
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Jewish exilic period within Babylon, believed to be somewhere between 586 BC and 553
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BC. We went over that last year. In this era, there's specific hope for a time in which all of the nations will face judgment, and what is it?
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It says that day is near. And this is why I mentioned Daniel at the beginning. Within the framework of the prophet
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Daniel, we find a judgment given to the great nations of the earth, where they will be displaced and another will take its place.
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The nations mentioned reigned over Israel within the following time frame. So if we were to think back in Daniel chapter 2 with that image of that statue, go back there real quick.
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So we have the head of that image of fine gold represents Babylon, and they ruled from 605
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BC to 539 BC, and then they were destroyed by the
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Medo -Persian rule, which were the chest and arms of silver from 539 BC to 331
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BC is when the Medo -Persians ruled. And then after that, they were toppled by Greece, who ruled from 331
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BC to 168 BC, and that's the middle and thighs of bronze. And then finally, we go to the legs of iron with feet mixed of clay, which represents the rule of Rome from 168
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BC to what I believe teaches the ascent of Christ to rule the nations from his throne, started off the destruction of Rome, it was sure.
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So it's important to understand for the house of Jacob during this whole time frame, Jerusalem, Israel, though they were rebuilding, right, they were never a sovereign nation again.
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They were being ruled by each one of those nations. Though King Darius allowed Zerubbabel to start the reconstruction of the temple, which can be found in the book of Ezra, which was completed in 515
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BC, which also that temple never really compared to the glory of the temple that Solomon made till later when
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Herod made it more beautiful again. But the walls of Jerusalem still laid in ruins even when that temple was built in 515
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BC, and the people were mainly still in exile, Israel and Judah.
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Thus the rule during this time frame with those nations, we can call it the times of the
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Gentiles. They ruled over Israel from Babylon to Rome, and it was represented through the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream.
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That again was the times of the Gentiles, and that is the image that exists between the rule of Babylon to the destruction of the image with the rock not cut by human hands.
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And I hope you guys are trekking with me here. The question we must ask ourselves is when did the rock destroy this image?
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When is the coming of the day of the Lord that Obadiah is referring to here, when did that take place or has it yet to take place?
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Let us look more into the prophecies given to Daniel to state our case. Okay, so if you want you can turn to Daniel chapter 9, and we find that Daniel is given a prophecy of what is called the 70 weeks or the 70 sets of seven, which gave a time frame for the expectation of the
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Messiah and the end of the sacrificial system. So if you'd like you can turn to Daniel chapter 9, we're gonna read verses 24 through 27.
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70 weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and profit, and to anoint a most holy place.
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Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks.
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Then for 62 weeks it shall be built again with squares and a moat, but in a troubled time. And after the 62 weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing.
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And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war.
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Desolations are decreed, and he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week. And for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering.
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And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate until the decree end is poured out on the desolator.
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Earlier in Daniel chapter 9, we find Daniel is anticipating the coming of the day of the Lord within his own lifetime.
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In the beginning of chapter 9, he cites the prophecy of Jeremiah for the destruction of Babylon.
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So he's anticipating it. Here's the prophecy from Jeremiah 25 11. This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years.
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Okay, so Daniel here, he is taken into captivity with the first set of exiles into Babylon at 605
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BC. So he has the prophecy from Jeremiah within 70 years, right?
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The land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years. He's expecting something.
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And Jeremiah even repeats this again years later in Jeremiah 29 10. It says, for thus says the Lord, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.
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So again, Daniel was taken into captivity with the first set of exiles in 605 BC. The third set of captives was during the final destruction of Jerusalem in 586
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BC, and we went over that last week because what did Edom do during that time?
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Esau's people, when the people of Judah were trying to escape, they took them and they handed them over to be captives to Babylon.
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And then what did Edom do? Edom went into the land of Jerusalem after Babylon had destroyed it, and they plundered the kingdom.
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They plundered the kingdom. But here in Daniel chapter 9, we find that the reign of Darius, who was a
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Mede, so this would have been in the second part of the image.
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Already Babylon had been overthrown in Daniel chapter 9, and it had been 67 years since the first exile into Babylon.
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So Daniel again was anticipating something. He's anticipating the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah.
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So what does he do, right? He goes into a prayer of repentance. Remember last week when we talked about the curses from Deuteronomy 28 through 30 for the
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Israelites' disobedience and how those same curses were placed on Edom? What's interesting is
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Leviticus also details blessings and curses for Israel's disobedience, and in accordance with Jeremiah, Daniel would have been familiar with the book of Leviticus, which details this in Leviticus 25, 1 through 5.
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These are requirements for the rest of the land on the seventh year, okay? Listen to this. This is very interesting.
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Also, we have curses attached where the Israelites do not heed the requirements, and this is what will happen.
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So in Leviticus 25, 1 through 5 is the detail to give the land a rest from working it for a full year, and there's a curse in Leviticus 26, 33 through 34 that says what will happen if you do not let the land rest.
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This is the curse. Then the land shall enjoy its
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Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate while you are in your enemy's land. Then the land shall rest and enjoy its
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Sabbaths as long as it lives desolate, it shall have rest, the rest that it did not have on your
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Sabbaths when you were dwelling in it. Okay, 2 Chronicles 36, 21 details the fulfillment of this curse during the exile period of Judah in Israel.
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States this, 2 Chronicles 36, 21, to fulfill the word of the Lord by mouth of Jeremiah until the land has enjoyed its
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Sabbaths all the days that it lay desolate, it kept Sabbath to fulfill 70 years.
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70 years. Since Daniel was familiar with Leviticus, we find in chapter 9 he comes to God again, he is repentant for the nation of Israel.
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He even cites from Deuteronomy 30 in terms of the structure of his prayer, that God would pour out his mercy.
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In that, in Daniel chapter 9, the angel Gabriel comes to Daniel and gives further information until when the
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Messianic reign would be established, the one to put an end to the sacrificial system. This is detailed as the 70 weeks or 70 sets of seven that we read earlier.
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And quickly, I just want to go over this, not in too much detail, just so we can have an understanding that the people during the time of the
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Messiah were expecting the Messiah to come and they were citing and going through Daniel in order to do this.
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The sets of seven first start with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. We read that in Daniel chapter 9. And this is unlike the decree to rebuild the temple which was given to Zerubbabel in 538
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BC. And guys, forgive me for mispronouncing the names of these people. I'm gonna mispronounce them every single time.
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Lord, forgive me. So, even after the temple was built, Jerusalem was still in ruins.
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The decree to rebuild Jerusalem is detailed actually in Ezra 7 verse 8, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, which can be found to be in the year 457
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BC. Now, if the 70 sets of seven start here, the first set is that of 49 years for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, which leads us to 408
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BC. And then it says in Daniel 9 that there'll be 62 sets of seven after that, which is 434 years.
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And if we calculate that, that's around AD 26 to 27, which is believed to be the year that Jesus's ministry starts.
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Interestingly enough, following a three and a half years later, he is crucified in AD 30 -31.
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And then three and a half years later, Stephen is stoned, the first martyr of the church, and a decree from the
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Apostles to preach from the Jews to the Gentiles is enlisted. Following the
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Messiah, we find in Daniel 26b, 926b, and 27b, which are the last parts of those verses, the destruction of Jerusalem, which is a consequence of killing the
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Messiah. So what's the point that I'm trying to make? So I don't want to get us caught in the weeds, but the argument being made is this. Within the time frame of Daniel 70 sets of seven, we found that the
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Messiah would be alive, right? Within 483 years from the decree to rebuild
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Jerusalem, then the Messiah, it says, would be cut off, he would be killed. Then, destruction of Jerusalem will come.
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So you might be asking, why does this matter? This matters because if we remember the image of the nations that Nebuchadnezzar had in his dream, the argument being made is that the rock was to come not cut by human hands, that the anointed one was to come to establish his kingdom.
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Meaning that the day of the Lord referred to within the framework of Jeremiah and Obadiah to the nations is that of the rule of the
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Messiah in the kingdom of God. And we actually find that as well with Peter. So while we had
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Acts chapter 2 being read in the beginning, that Peter also quotes from the prophet of Joel, referencing that that time, that's the day of the
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Lord was coming. Judgment was coming for the house of Israel. So in Acts chapter 2, starting in verse 14, we have reference to this day of the
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Lord, which is taking place as he is speaking at Pentecost. This is what it says,
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Acts chapter 2, starting in verse 14. But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give ear to my words.
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For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it's only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet
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Joel. And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
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Even on my male servants and female servants in those days, I will pour out my spirit, and they shall prophesy.
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And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
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The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
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And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. We must continue reading in Acts, and I really want this to hit home here,
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Acts chapter 2, verses 22 through 36. Listen. Men of Israel, hear these words.
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Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst.
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As you yourselves know, this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and for knowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
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God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
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For David says concerning him, I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken.
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Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced. My flesh also will dwell in hope, for you will not abandon my soul to Hades or let your
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Holy One see corruption. You have made known, you have made known, sorry guys, you have made known to me the paths of life.
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You will make me full of gladness with your presence. Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch
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David that he both died and was buried and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades nor did his flesh see corruption.
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This Jesus God raised up and that we are all witnesses, being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the
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Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
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For David did not ascend into the heavens but he himself says, the Lord said to my Lord, sit in my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.
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Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this
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Jesus whom you have crucified. Now the rule and reign of Christ is implied by Peter as this is a fulfillment of prophecy.
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This is Christ's rule which anticipates the kingdom of God invading the earth. It is here, right, but not yet fully realized here, not yet, with the coming of the kingdom of God.
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The rock judgment will come to the nations. Israel first for they killed the
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Messiah and then through the reign of Christ in time will come the obedience of the nations.
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Heed the words of Jesus, this is about the kingdom of God, Matthew 4 17. From that time
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Jesus began to preach saying, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It's right after he was baptized.
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Matthew 12 28. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
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Luke 10 verse 9. Heal the sick in it and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you.
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Luke chapter 17 verses 20 through 21. Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, the kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say look here it is or there.
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For behold the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. Continuing on in verse 42 of Acts chapter 2,
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Peter states, save yourself from this crooked generation. The kingdom of God has come.
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There are blessings for the covenant people of God but there are curses for those, number one, who killed the
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Messiah and for the nations that do not obey. And what does Peter say here? Save yourselves from this crooked generation.
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Later in Acts chapter 2 he also talks about selling all that you have as a believer in Christ.
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Give it to one another. Why? Because Jerusalem is going to be destroyed soon. Your property won't matter.
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Sell it. Indeed like Christ said in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, destruction was coming to that generation.
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The great and awesome day of the Lord is ushered in by the Messiah, warned there to the
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Jews by Peter. So our King Jesus came to initiate a rule and a reign over the nations, a heavenly one that expands not through flesh and blood but through the
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Spirit of God as he convicts the world of sin and righteousness. So we must heed the prophecies of the coming
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Messiah from the Old Testament. What is old was passing away and you cannot put new wine in old wineskins.
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Jesus, he's the one who ushered in the true Mount Zion, the city of the living
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God, the heavenly Jerusalem. And we have come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant and a sprinkled blood that speaks of a better word than the blood of Abel, the rock which shatters the image, the generations of dominion and rule through the progeny of Adam.
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And we have now come to a covenant that was fulfilled, the original one made to Abraham and echoed from the prophets of the past.
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This is all very important to understand. Genesis 49 10, about the coming of the
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Messiah. The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until tribute comes to him and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
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And then Psalm 22, near the end of the psalm, after the prophecy of the crucifixion of Christ.
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This is absolutely beautiful. Psalm 22 27 through 31. All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the
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Lord and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the
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Lord and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship.
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Before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.
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Posterity shall serve him. It shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation that they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.
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Isaiah 9 6 through 7. It's a prophecy from Isaiah. It's our favorite Christmas prophecy that everyone will be speaking about later this year.
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I know my son, when it started getting cold outside, or my daughter as well, we're like, hey, we're gonna start putting on Christmas music.
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It's like, it's not even fall yet. But hey, when it starts getting cold, we start playing Christmas music. So Isaiah 9 verses 6 through 7.
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For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder.
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And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
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The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. We cannot separate the coming of the
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Messiah from the coming of his kingdom of God. We can't do it. The prophets didn't do it.
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We shouldn't do it today. And what did Malachi say in Malachi chapter 4 verses 5 through 6?
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Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before what? Before the great and awesome day of the
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Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.
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Remember again, in Deuteronomy 30, Israel could not keep this covenant with God, but the one true
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Israel came who is prophesied us is who is Jesus Christ, who is Jesus Christ.
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Daniel chapter 7 details the entrance of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as he goes up before the
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Ancient of Days, which was the fulfillment of Psalm chapter 24, which states,
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Swing wide, you ancient doors, and the heaven gates swung wide open and the
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King of glory made his entrance. To him, what does it say in Daniel chapter 7? To him was given a rule, a dominion, and authority which will never pass away, in that he sat down at the right hand of the
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Majesty on high, as Hebrew states, for the name he has inherited is more excellent than any of the angels.
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So let me be abundantly clear here that the coming day of the Lord and the judgments of nations spoken of by Obadiah and Malachi and Joel is through the rule and reign of Christ.
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It's through the rule and reign of Christ. Anyone who curses God's people, who stands against the
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Lord and his anointed, the very same curses that fell on Israel will fall on them, and it takes time.
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We must be patient. From the curse that was given from Obadiah to Edom, it took over 500 years till Edom was utterly devastated.
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They were fully destroyed as a nation in 70 AD. Edom was. But he judges the nations currently in the present, currently until the consummation of all things, the second coming of Christ, which we wait.
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Remember Matthew 28, 18 through 20. And Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
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Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.
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And then Paul in 1st Corinthians 15, listen to this, says, for as by a man came death, by a man has also come the resurrection of the dead.
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For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order,
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Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the
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Father after destroying every rule and authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
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The last enemy to be destroyed is death. What does it say in Hebrews chapter 1? The Lord said to my
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Lord, sit at my right hand till I make all of your enemies a footstool. What did it say in Acts chapter 2?
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What did Peter say? The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I put all of your, make all of your enemies as footstool for your feet.
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Peter's saying that this rule and authority and power, this dominion, is happening at that time. Paul as well.
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What's the last thing to be defeated? Death. Now here, listen, verse 16 of Obadiah.
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For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually, they shall drink and swallow and shall be as though they had never been.
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Not only Edom, but all the nations in the times of the Gentiles shown through the image given to Nebuchadnezzar had gotten drunk off of the holy city of Jerusalem.
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In effect, they drank themselves to death and they shall be as though they had never been. Prior to the coming of Christ, we find the judgment given to the nations who ruled over Israel during their exile.
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Their destruction was sure, and it indeed did happen. Babylon, destroyed by the Medo -Persians, in turn destroyed by Greece, Rome then overthrows
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Greece, and then Christ dethrones all principalities and powers and triumphs over all of them in him with his resurrection.
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Therefore, in like manner, the nations who stand against the reign of Christ today will face the wrath of God.
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Though we as a people of God may be afflicted momentarily due to the wickedness of nations in disobedience to God, those nations, they will eternally face the wrath of God and drink continually from the wine of God's wrath.
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That's the reality. That's the dual fulfillment of that prophecy. In the times of the Gentiles, those nations were destroyed.
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Today, anyone who stands against God, who drinks from his people, they will face the wrath of God.
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Revelation 14 .10. He also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the
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Lamb. And we find, with abiding relevance to all nations today who plunder the kingdom of God and stand against the
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Lord and his anointed, please turn to Psalm chapter 2. We're going to read the full thing.
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Why do the nations rage in the people's plot and vein? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the
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Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.
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He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying, as for me,
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I've set my king on Zion, my holy hill. I will tell of the decree. The Lord said to me, you are my son.
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Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I'll make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with the rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
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Now therefore, O kings, be wise, be warned. O rulers of the earth, serve the
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Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way for his wrath is quickly kindled.
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Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Let's couple Psalm 2 here with Psalm 110, 1 through 2.
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The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.
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Continuing on verse 2, the Lord will extend your mighty scepter from where Zion, his holy hill, saying, rule in the midst of your enemies.
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The kingdom of God is growing. It's like a mustard seed. It's like a little bit of leaven and a lump of dough.
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God is ruling today in the midst of his enemies. What does it say in Psalm chapter 2?
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You are my son, today I begotten you. We find in Hebrews chapter 1, quoting from that Psalm, when the father is speaking to the son when he brings the firstborn into the world.
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God is ruling and reigning today in a kingdom not built by human hands, not cut from hands of stone, not ruling from the line of Adam, but the second
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Adam. But what am I saying ultimately? Obadiah is abidingly relevant today.
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For Jesus Christ and his kingdom is the rock that has crushed the image of Nebuchadnezzar for the kingdom of God has come.
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It's the truth. Deuteronomy 32, 4 states, he is the rock, his works are perfect, all his ways are just.
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Deuteronomy 32, 15, the rock, their Savior. Deuteronomy 32, 18, you deserted the rock who fathered you.
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Psalm 18, 31, who is the rock except our God. There's many, many other scriptures. But let's continue on with this messianic prophecy in Obadiah going into verse 17 and verse 18.
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But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
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The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble.
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They shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the
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Lord has spoken. There are spiritual implications of verse 17 and they're of massive importance right now.
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In Mount Zion there shall be a deliverance. Those who escape, it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
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Understand that in Christ we find the height of deliverance. He rules from upon Mount Zion, the heavenly
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Jerusalem, in which those who by faith believe in him shall be what? Holy. The house of Jacob, those of Abraham, are that of spiritual belief stated in Romans 9, not all of Israel are of Israel.
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It is those who believe by the promise of Abraham who are Israel. Listen again, but in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
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But here again what Obadiah is saying, he is talking about holiness. How is one made holy?
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Purely through Christ and for Christ he delivered a remnant of Jews, for the gospel went from the
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Jew first but then also to the Greek. Matthew Henry in his commentary on Obadiah states this, he states, the apostles of Christ by their preaching shall gain possession of the hearts of men for him whose messengers and ministers they are, and when they possess their hearts they shall possess their possessions.
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For those who have given up themselves to the Lord give up all they have to him. And we can find that Mount Zion here in its fulfillment, we're not just speaking of Jerusalem here, in its fulfillment is the
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New Testament Church. He saves Mount Zion but to utterly destroy it in 70
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AD, the true fulfillment we hear is God's Church through the power of the kingdom of God as the law goes forth, prophesied in Isaiah 2 verses 2 through 3.
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This is what the Prophet Isaiah says, it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the
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Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains. Remember the rock grows into the largest mountain, shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills, and all the nations shall flow to it.
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And many people shall come and say, come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the
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God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, that we may walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the
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Lord from Jerusalem. Remember Deuteronomy 30, and the
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Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring so that you will love the
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Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, so that you may live.
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And what does Jesus teach us in John chapter 6, quoting from Jeremiah that you will not have to teach the other in reference to the new covenant in terms of the people of God, but the
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Lord is the one who teaches them, the Lord is the one who saves them. We're echoing this also in Ezekiel 36, 23 through 28.
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I'm reading a lot from Old Testament prophecy here because I think it's very, it's crucial for us to get this understanding of how the
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Old Testament prophets spoke about this coming of the day of the Lord, and the beauty that we can have here in the kingdom of God, and the new covenant with Jesus Christ as he sits as our great high priest, but also our king and the king of the nations.
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It's so important. Ezekiel 36, 23 through 28, and I will vindicate the holiness of my great name which has been profaned among the nations, in which you have profaned among them.
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And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.
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I will take from you, or I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land.
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I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanliness, and from all your idols
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I will cleanse you. Here it is. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.
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And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules.
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You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your
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God. From out of Jerusalem was proclaimed the victory of Christ.
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The church of Christ was set up in the midst of our enemies, yet is purely successful through the power of the gospel in the reign of Christ.
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The power of salvation to possess their hearts and minds, and that the house of Jacob is a fire, and the house of Joseph is a flame.
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For our God is an all -consuming fire. And when Christ came, he was to be the refiner's fire to the house of Jacob.
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It states Malachi 3, 1 through 2, but I want you to hear this verse. I quoted it earlier, but I want you to hear it again.
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Malachi 3, 1 through 2. Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.
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And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight.
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Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears?
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For he is like a refiner's fire, and like a fuller soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver.
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And they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. And that is what happened, verse 18, in Obadiah.
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We find the house of Jacob is a flame, and the house of Joseph is a fire, refined by the refiner's fire, whom is
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Jesus Christ. That is the remnant from whom through the church the manifold wisdom of God is made known, as the kingdom of God possesses first its own possessions, and now
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Obadiah stretches it to the ends of the earth, with verses 19 through 20. Those of the
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Negev shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephalah shall possess the land of the Philistines.
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They shall possess the land of Ephraim, and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the
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Canaanites as far as Arapah, and the exiles of Jerusalem, who are in Shephard, shall possess the cities of the
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Negev. Understand, what's being spoken of here finds its depth and meaning within the spiritual implications of the gospel church, and the possession that the kingdom of God does with those individuals, right?
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From north and south, what was once separated kingdoms, Israel and Judah, will be possessed again.
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The nation will be made one, and then expand and grow even into the depths of Babylonian land and rule.
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Herein is the power of the gospel. Genesis 12 5 states, when Abraham gathered more people, souls, that's what it states in 12 5, it was noted, as he possessed them.
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This possession in Obadiah is not a force, but of promise. Jesus said it himself, my kingdom is not of this world, which does not mean that his kingdom does not transform this world, but instead the means in which the kingdom of God expands on earth is through the work of the
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Holy Spirit by the power of the gospel going into the ends of the earth. Where Jesus' sheep hear his voice from every tribe, tongue, and nation, this possession spoken of in Obadiah is that of a spiritual possession through grace in this land.
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And the first reality of this truth actually happening takes place during the day of Pentecost. We heard it earlier when
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Peter preached during Pentecost in Acts, quoting from Joel 2. But here's the beauty, during Pentecost, all the exiled people of Israel and Judah would come back to the land to celebrate the
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Feast of Weeks, which happens 50 days after the Passover. Side note, Jesus Christ is crucified and then resurrects from the dead over the
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Passover and appears for a period of how many days? We noted in 1 Corinthians 15, over a period of 40 days, and then ascends into heaven.
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So this is soon after the ascent into heaven by Christ. And we found what? The outpouring of the
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Holy Spirit, the promise of the Messiah to the people of God, and this is the birth of the
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New Testament Church. Amazingly, we find the gospel going out to those of Jerusalem, but to all of the exiles that traveled for this holy day.
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And the text says that there are those who heard Peter's speech in their own language and many believed and were baptized that day.
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These exiles, though the land of promise was held by Rome, were delivered from death and into the kingdom of God that day.
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People that were spread across all over the lands. Furthermore, we find that in the Old Testament, whenever God makes his present known, his presence known, windstorms, fire, and lightning are always associated with the event.
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And where God dwells is known as holy ground, which is a temple. The kingdom of God does indeed have a temple.
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We've talked about it before. It is the people of God. But listen, Moses with the burning bush, right?
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God appears, the angel of the Lord in a burning bush, holy ground, temple of God, God dwells there. Moses, Mount Sinai, fire, lightning, smoke, storm, can't even touch the holy mountain or you'll die.
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Or when the tabernacle was completed, the glory of the Lord descended as fire. God's presence marked this as a holy place, a temple.
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Similarly, in Acts 2, 1 through 3, it states, when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
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And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
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And there appeared to them tongues as a fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
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Just as Jesus promised here, the Holy Spirit now dwelled within God's people, making each one of them a brick in the temple of the true and living
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God. This is part of the kingdom of God, part of the new covenant of promise that is given from the new
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Jerusalem above. That's the truth. And this brings us to the last verse.
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What does it say? In Obadiah 21, it says, saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule
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Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. The kingdom shall be the
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Lord's. Here we find the beauty and promise of this messianic prophecy, the kingdom shall be the
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Lord's. Understand that the saviors being mentioned here are those who preach the gospel.
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For in the proclamation of the gospel, people are saved from the eternal fires of hell. From the gospel, people pass from death into life, people are taken from under the headship of Adam and brought into the family of God through what?
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Through adoption by the blood of Jesus Christ. In that proclamation of the gospel from upon Mount Zion, those who believed are saved and those who reject the gospel are condemned already.
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They rule Mount Esau. In that, the world is to be judged. Esau, Edom, even
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Babylon. Judged through the proclamation of the gospel. Whatever you want to call it, they're all judged.
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And that is the command of Christ, right? Go out and proclaim the gospel to all of the nations. That is the call of Obadiah.
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Repent. The day of the Lord is near to all of the nations. Believers come to faith from the proclamation of the preachers and the unbelievers are condemned to their detriment.
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And note, the kingdom again shall be the Lord's. There is no losing his kingdom.
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It shall be his. The mountain grows, covers the earth. Isaiah 42 states that in the rule of Christ, he will not grow weary in accomplishing his purpose.
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That means there is difficulty in the growth of the kingdom of God. But does our God ever grow weary?
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No. Just because there's difficulty in suffering today does not mean that God is not ruling. It says what?
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It says he will bring forth justice in Isaiah 42. In the midst of his enemies, the coastlands wait for his law.
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All of this comes forth from the heavenly Jerusalem, where the King of kings and Lord of lords is seated.
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Thus, the heart of Obadiah here is to proclaim to the nations, the coming of the day of the
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Lord is near. Heed the words in this prophecy. Humble yourself before God, the God of our salvation.
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Repent or be placed under the feet of Jesus. There is no other option.
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There is no other option. Herein lies the application, right? The rock has come to destroy the image.
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Rome, the lake's feet mixed with clay as a representation of even Babylon was destroyed.
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This rock is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God was brought by the Messiah. Jesus is ruling and reigning today in the midst of his enemies.
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The reality right now is that all nations, whether they want to believe it or not, are covenanted to Christ.
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There is no place outside of the jurisdiction and rule of Jesus. You can point from there to there.
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As far as the east is from the west, he remembers our sins no more, but also as far as the east is from the west, the universe around our country, whatever.
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Jesus Christ is ruling and he is reigning today. In that rule of Christ, Jesus is unlike the wicked rulers that he displaced in his resurrection.
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What does it promise us? There's nothing but the increase to his government. Any nation that tries to set itself against God and his people, echoing Obadiah, as you have done to God's people, it shall be done to you.
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Judgment from God can take a long time. Again, it took over 500 years for Edom to be fully destroyed in 70
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AD for what they did against Jerusalem, but judgment happened in phases.
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Just because we're 2 ,000 years after the death of Christ and we see nations disobeying him today, it does not mean that he is not ruling and reigning.
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No, he's actually ruling and reigning in the midst of his enemies. When we see the nations today, confused in their own gender, loving the same sex, heartily approving of those who do wickedness, what do we find in Romans chapter 1?
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That God, in his power, hands them over to a debased mind. Why?
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Because he's ruling and he's reigning today and that's how he judges the nations. That's the reality.
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To the presidents of the world, to the governors of the world, to the kings of this world, the call is obey
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Christ or perish. He will crush you like a pot shirt. And what ought to be the call of the people of God within this world if we truly loved our neighbors?
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Christ is king. Obey what he says. It's futile.
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It's kicking against the goats when we don't obey Christ. The nations ought to obey him.
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They are covenanted to him. If they seek to drink from the church of God, the people of God, to take from the people of the
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Lord, they will drink. They will drink continually, just like it says in Obadiah, until they are no more.
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That is happening today. Our God never grows weary. He is ruling in the midst of his enemies.
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He is doing something that sometimes we just don't understand. We are just a little blip on the timeline of the kingdom of God.
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Just this little blip right here and we tend to base all of it off of our limited experience we have today.
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But what I ask is to trust in the overwhelming testimony of Christ that he has done something and he will bring it to fulfillment and there's no reason for us to doubt
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Jesus Christ because he is the great covenant keeper when we are the great covenant breakers.
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It was promised in the Old Testament that the Messiah would come. He would be perfectly obedient to the works of the law.
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He would be considered a curse for us, curses every man who hangs on a tree. Did he not do it?
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He did it and he resurrected from the dead. If he, if God upheld his covenant made with Abraham, will he not uphold this covenant he has given us today?
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Habakkuk 2, 13 through 14. Has not the Lord Almighty determined that the people's labor is only fuel for the fire?
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That the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the
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Lord as the waters cover the sea. My friends, that's the time frame in which we live today.
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What are we to do? Faithfully proclaim the gospel, live like Christ is
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King, as Lord of our hearts and Lord of the nations, in the way we raise our children and children in the fear and admonition of the
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Lord, as we go out and preach to those who don't know him so that the sheep may hear his voice.
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Are we not obeying what he says? I think for the last a hundred or so years there's been a defeatist mentality within the church where we have taken that light and we've tried to hide it.
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But the reality is, is if we truly love our neighbors and those who do not know God, we should be spreading that truth.
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Spreading it to our neighbors so that they can know him, have a reconciled relationship with him, that their hearts will be circumcised, that the
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Spirit of God would be placed within them, that they could be part of the new covenant church, the kingdom of God in which it is growing until it finally comes at the great consummation of all things.
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We've got to be faithful. Though it is hard now and it may be hard in the future, the reality guys is that God disciplines those he loves but he gives wrath to those who disobey him, to the nations that disobey him.
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As the church, the people of God, though we live in a country with a wicked president, that president doesn't represent me before the
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Father. First and foremost, I'm represented and covered through the blood of Jesus Christ and as the people of God, the headship in which we are under is that of the
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King of glory. He will be successful in converting the nations because he is without sin, he is not the first Adam, he is the second
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Adam, and he is ruling and reigning today. So let's pray. Lord, thank you for your promises, thank you for your beautiful scripture that we have,
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God. You have clearly spoken that you are the sovereign King of the universe, that Lord we have nothing but faithful expectation of what you are going to do.
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Though difficulties may come, though trials may come, you stay the same,
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Lord. Your years have no end. The nations are like a garment. You will roll them up and in that we have refuge in you,
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Jesus. We are hidden in you with our faith and you have given us your spirit,
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God, who dwells within us, gives us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, who seals us for the day of redemption,
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Lord. Where the people of God are, there is your temple and you,
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Lord, are building that temple today. That mountain will one day cover the earth and the nations are going to stream up to it,
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Lord. Let us be faithful in that. Let us believe that. You are a good
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God and your years, again, have no end. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
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We love you, Lord, and we praise you. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, guys, it's time in the church service when we go to the
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Lord's table. We go to the Lord's table to remember what? His promise that he made to us, right?
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His body represents the bread that was broken for us. The blood is represented here in the wine which was poured out for the remission of sins for a new covenant.
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We remember the gospel. We do it every single week. That's why we do it. Jesus Christ is faithful.
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So when we come up today, let's remember that Jesus Christ is faithful. If you're part of a like -minded church that believes that Jesus Christ is the eternal
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God who took on flesh and died the death that we deserve and through only in faith of him that we are justified, declared righteous before the
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Father, you can come up here and take of the blood, or not the blood, of the of the bread and the wine.
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But if you deny that and you don't know Jesus, please refrain from taking of the bread and the wine today.
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If you're under church discipline from another church and they've said, please do not take from the table, don't take of the table, to go around the judgment of your elders, speak with myself and I'll try to help you get reconciled with them.
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This is a time to worship Christ and Christ states to do it. If you have any issues with anyone else in the body, if there's any sin issues, please talk to them.
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Let forgiveness happen before you come and take of the bread and the wine. God says not to do it in an unholy way.
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And if you're a baptized believer, must I mention again, then come and take from the table. Do not come if you're not a
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Christian. Do not come unless you've settled any disputes with your brother. And again, do not come if you're under church discipline from another church.
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But let's read the section of the scripture to prepare our hearts for the table. First Corinthians 11 23 through 30 states, for I received from the
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Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said, this is my body which is for you.
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Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way he also took of the cup after supper saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
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Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the
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Lord's death until he comes. And here here's why it's important right here to abstain from taking of the Lord's table.
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If you do it in an unholy way, it says whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the
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Lord. Let a person examine himself then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
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That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died. But the truth and the reality is today guys, is that God made a promise to Abraham that through his seed all of the nations of the earth will be blessed.
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And we're told by Paul in Galatians chapter 3 that the seed referenced to was that of Jesus Christ.
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He was born of a virgin. He was perfect to the works of the law in which all of us fail.
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James chapter, I forget where it is, is it James chapter 2 or 1? When it says if you fail at one part of the law, you're guilty of all of it.
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James chapter 2, thank you brother. That's the reality. I don't know about you guys but I have failed at one point of the law.
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I haven't loved the Lord with all of my might, all of my soul, all of my strength. I'm a sinner before him.
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I'm guilty of the law of God. There's nothing that I could do to make myself worthy or reconcile a severed relationship with God.
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I can't do it. It's impossible. But there was one who came and who did it.
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That was Jesus Christ, again born of a virgin, the second Adam, perfectly obedient to the works of the law.
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And he died the death that I deserve. It says the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.
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So if you repent and believe in the gospel today, you will be with Jesus for all eternity.
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That's the hope of the gospel, that is the call of the gospel, and that is why we take of the table today. I'm gonna pray and then we'll take of the table.
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God, thank you so much for what you've done for all of us.
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Thank you God for building your church. Thank you for ruling in the midst of your enemies. Thank you for never growing weary.
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You have decreed it and your counsel will stand. Thank you,
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Lord, that your kingdom is one, not built with human hands or isn't a flesh and blood, but by your
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Spirit. You don't call us to take up arms and rise up against at war with other nations and kill in the name of Jesus, no.
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You tell us to tell those who don't know you to repent and believe, and then they become dead, crucified with you, and rose again, raising again a new life that we can call brothers and sisters.
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The gospel is so amazing. Your kingdom is greater than we could ever imagine, Lord. Please, Lord, as we take of the bread and the wine, that we remember what you have done for us.
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We have forgiveness of our sins, reconciliation with the Father. We have redemption, Lord. The cost of our own souls, we couldn't ransom another man to raise them from the pit.
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No, it had to be you, Jesus. You had to come and die. You are the firstborn from the dead, and in that hope we will all be resurrected one day.
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We love you, Lord, and we praise you. In Jesus' name, amen. Come take it from the table.