13.11.2016, Deacon Ted

Obadiah 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high;
You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’

Obadiah 10 “For violence against your brother Jacob, Shame shall cover you, And you shall be cut off forever.
11 In the day that you stood on the other side— In the day that strangers carried captive his forces, When foreigners entered his gates
And cast lots for Jerusalem— Even you were as one of them.

Obadiah 17 “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

Psalms 25 1 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me.

Why is it so difficult to possess your possessions (meaning peace, joy and righteousness in our lives)?

  • Pride in our heart (Obidiah 3).
    • Pride is defined as an high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.
    • However, our beauty, intellect etc. are given by God and we should respect that.
  • Rejoicing in the calamity and suffering of brothers and sisters (Obidiah 10-11)
    • Even if brother and sisters “deserved” some sufferings because they provoked it, we should not rejoice in it but actively help

 

What is Mount Zion in Obediah 17?

  • Psalms 25 1:2 explains it as the Place where you trust in God
  • On Mount Zion we receive Joy, Peace of Mind and
  • If we trust in God then we do not need to “care” anymore about the things of the world

 

How should we live in order to receive our possessions?

  • Give up your pride and give it all to God
  • God wants us to share the things he gave to us, e.g. our Time or false Friends !
  • We receive fullness of our possessions if we surrender to our Father
  • Give God the glory for all what your have: Your Beauty, House, Car, Intellect etc
  • Desire God’s word and presence
  • Be aggressive in LOVE, meaning help others when they are in need and try to find any way to do so.

Your Shepherdsplace Church The Hague Team