Cecil Hutson Sermon Archive

April 6, 2003 PM

OBADIAH: CONCERNING EDOM

OBAD 1:1-4

INTRO: The little book of Obadiah has the distinction of being the shortest of the Old Testament books! But its brevity does not diminish the potential for some very important lessons for life. Another thing which makes this little book unusual from the rest of the prophets is the fact that it is addressed to Edom! Now, the fact that Edom comes into view in a prophetic book is not so unusual. Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel all refer to Edom as do others of the Minor Prophets. And the tenor of what is said in those books is in large part similar to what is said in Obadiah. But the little book of Obadiah is directed toward the fate of Edom ... the cousins of Israel. So, we turn our attention to the prominent lessons to be learned here.

I. THE FATEFUL RESULTS OF PRIDE

A. 1:3 refers to the pride of thine heart

1. pride is a heart problem

2. and since it is a heart problem, it will affect the whole person

3. the prophet refers to an entire nation enveloped in this hear problem

B. What has happened here is that pride hath deceived thee

1. and this is one of the very real, present dangers of pride

2. 1 Cor 10:12 - pride causes us to see ourselves in a warped, inaccurate way

3. at 1:4 is though thou exalt thyself- compare with Rom 12:3

C. Some things we need to hear about pride?

1. Prov 16:5 - Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord...I

2. Prov 16:18 - Pride goeth before destruction...

3. according to 1:8 the destruction of Edom would be Gods doing - while in life we may survive with our pride, in the judgment God will most assuredly take the proud in hand!

II. PRIDE MAY TAKE WARPED PLEASURE IN THE HURTS OF OTHERS

A. 1:10 notes that it was Edoms violence against cousins which brought her fall

1. at 1:11 proud Edom was as one of the enemies of her cousins

2. notice at 1:12 - ...neither shouldest thou have rejoiced ...in the day of their destruction...

3. so caught up in the pride of her heart was Edom that the Edomites even cut off those of his that did excape... (1:14)

B. Now, is this something we would admit? Initiate action?

1. probably not ... neither did Edom

2. but here is a graphic picture of reality - which shows us the ugliness of pride

3. finding pleasure in the downfall of another ... pride just cannot bear the thought of anothers standing taller (this is one of the reasons leadership can be so difficult and, at times, very unpleasant)

III. GODS JUDGMENT WILL BE BASED ON OUR OWN BEHAVIOR

A. So, 1:15 ...as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee...

1. often, this will be the case even in this life

2. for example, Rom 1:27

3. as we have mentioned in previous lessons, the day of the Lord (1:15) most often refers to times of Gods judgment ... and what would happen to Edom was the justice of God ... righteous judgment

B. Rest assured that in the judgment there will be no errors, no partiality, etc.

1. 2 Cor 5:10 - this is always the manner of Gods judgments

2. Gal 6:7 - but pride does deceive us and cause us to believe we are above the judgments of God!

3. there is something very haunting about these words: thy reward shall return upon thine own head

IV. NOTHING WILL DETER GODS ULTIMATE PURPOSE

A. Notice the last words of the little book

1. 1:21 - ...and the kingdom shall be the Lords

2. throughout history it would seem that Gods ultimate purpose has been sorely tested

3. Satan did everything he could to hinder, retard, ruin Gods plan to redeem

B. But at the end of the day, the kingdom is still the Lords

1. and so it is today that the church/kingdom of the Lord survives

2. all of the ugliness, the pride, the contention, the enemies which pound it may seem to slow its growth, its progress

3. but nothing will keep the Lord from accomplishing his purpose in His church

CLOSE: Was there any wiggle room for Edom? Was there any ambivalence on the part of God? Here are some powerful and final words: for the Lord hath spoken it. So, tonight, I would propose that each us needs to examine his heart. Whats there? Is there anything that could cause you to suffer the fate of Gods judgment?

Cecil A. Hutson

06 April 2003

God's Plan of Salvation

You Must Hear the Gospel

You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

You Must Believe

You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)

You Must Repent

You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)

You Must Confess

You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)

You Must Be Baptized for the Remission of Sins

Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!

You Must Be Faithful Unto Death

Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)

What is the church of Christ?

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build a church. In Acts 2:47, Luke tells us that people were being added to that church. Thus, we can conclude that Jesus built His church sometime between His promise in Matthew 16 and Luke’s statement in Acts 2. Indeed, a closer study of the events in Acts 2 reveals that the Lord’s church was established on that first day of Pentecost following the Lord’s resurrection when Peter preached the first gospel sermon. That church is the church of Christ.

A common misconception about the church of Christ is that “The Church of Christ” is its name. It is not. The “church of Christ” is its description. The church of Christ is the church that belongs to Christ, that was established by Christ, that was built by Christ, and that was bought by Christ. It is not our church; it is His church, the Lord’s church. We are not voted into the church by men, and we do not join a church the way some might join a country club. Instead, God adds us to His church when we obey His gospel.

Are those in the church of Christ the only people who are going to be saved? Of course they are! God adds people to His church when they are saved. If you are not in the Lord’s church, then you are not saved. If you are saved, then you are in the Lord’s church. To be saved outside of the church of Christ is to be saved outside of the body of Christ – and that can never happen. Jesus is not just a way to the Father; he is the way to the Father. As Jesus said in John 14:6, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Thus, the real question is not what is the church of Christ, but is rather how do you become a part of the church of Christ? That question was asked in the first century as it is asked today, and the answer remains the same. We are saved and added to the Lord’s church when we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like the Apostle Paul, we are saved when our sins are washed away at our baptism.

There is one church of Christ. If you are a member of something else or something more or something less, then you are not serving God according to His plan or according to His will. He wants you to be a Christian and only a Christian, wearing only the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the head and the savior of the church, His body.

Want to know more? Here are 10 things everyone should understand about the church, here are some common misconceptions about the church, and here is how God views the church.

What Must I Do?

What must I do? That same question was asked in Acts 2:37 at the end of the very first gospel sermon ever preached. Before we look at Peter’s answer in verse 38, let’s look at some answers Peter did NOT give.

What must I do? John Calvin answers, “Nothing!” According to Calvin, there is nothing we must do and nothing we can do. Each of us has already been personally predestined to Heaven or Hell without regard to anything we do on Earth, and so, logically, according to Calvin, the only answer to the question in Acts 2:37 is “Nothing.” But that is NOT how Peter answered that question.

What must I do? Many preachers today answer, “You must make Jesus the Lord of your life.” But that answer makes absolutely no sense then or now! Peter had just said in Acts 2:36 that “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Jesus was already Lord of their lives! Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings, which means he is your Lord and your King whether or not you obey him or believe him. We obey Jesus because he is Lord and King – not to make him Lord and King.

What must I do? Many preachers today answer, “You must pray the sinner’s prayer and invite the Lord Jesus into you heart.” But no one in the Bible was ever told to do that. In fact, Paul prayed after he saw Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), and yet Paul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always (Acts 10:2), and yet there remained something he still had to do after calling for Peter (Acts 10:6). If praying the sinner’s prayer was all that Paul and Cornelius needed to do, then why were Ananias and Peter needed?

What must I do? Listen as Peter answers that question: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38) That answer has not changed one bit in the intervening 2000 years. If your preacher is telling you something different, then you need a new preacher! “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16)

Want to know more? Here is God's Plan of Salvation.

Cecil Hutson

Baptism in the Bible

Matthew 28:19

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Mark 16:16

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 8:36

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

Acts 22:16

And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Romans 6:3

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Romans 6:4

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

1 Corinthians 12:13

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Galatians 3:27

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Ephesians 4:5

One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

Colossians 2:12

Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

1 Peter 3:21

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Want to Know More?

Please read this lesson on baptism from our series of lessons on Thought Provoking Questions.

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