I was thinking as we were singing that song, how precious it is to read the words or sing the songs of those that have been with us. We knew them. How wonderful it is for the blessed privilege to be able to fellowship with God's people. And I thank the Lord for that. Thank the Lord for you. May God has been pleased to give us another day that we can be together and we can fellowship. I want you to turn with me to the book, back to the book of Obadiah. Obadiah. We began looking at this book last time and I had it in my mind that I was going to try to finish the verses, but I'm going to just look at verses 11 to 16 this morning. As I began to read these blessed verses, my heart was drawn to just, let's take our time and see what the Lord has to say to us. Obadiah, verses 11 to 16. In the day that thou shouldest, oh no, I'm sorry, in the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces and foreigners entered into his gates and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger. Neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction. Neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. Thou shouldest not. have entered into the gate of my people, in the day of their calamity. Yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway to cut off those of his that did escape. Neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of his distress. For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen. As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee. Thy reward shall return unto thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually. Yea, they shall drink and shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. what these verses set forth. And I want us to remember of whom we're speaking. It was two brothers, Jacob and Esau. And these two brothers are representatives of one or the other of all men or women born into this world. We are either going to be proven to be a Jacob or an Esau. Jacob, the scripture sets forth, was loved of God. In Esau, the scripture bears out, was hated of God. So as we look at these two men, let's, let's just ask the Lord. If you've, if you've not asked the Lord, if I've not truly asked the Lord, Lord, please. Number one, forgive me for failing to ask for your blessing upon these verses. Let's ask him, ask him in your heart, ask him. He said you have not because you asked not. I want to ask. I want the Lord to speak to me. Now, as the Spirit of God speaks of these two men, Jacob and Esau, twins. These boys were born just moments apart. They grew up under the same parents. They heard the instruction out of those parents. But oh, the difference that was found in these two men. The older of the two, Esau, the scripture bears out that he cared nothing for the things of God. He cared nothing for the instruction of the Lord. He cared nothing for the blessing. And when he got the chance, because he was the older and was entitled by the word of God, the law of God, he was entitled to the birthright. He was entitled to the blessing of the family. But when it came time for that boy to hear what was getting ready to happen to him, or know what was getting ready to happen to him, he was gonna starve to death, he thought. He sold his birthright to his brother, Jacob. Scripture says, for a meal of pottage. He gave it up now. I want us to just stop and realize now, realize. Let's get it out of our mind that we're talking about two boys that lived on this earth. We are. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years ago, this is either one or the other of us right now. This is one or the other of us right now. I need God to speak to me. I need the Lord to speak to me. I need the Lord to do something for me. Here's two boys, and now we're gonna see one of them who would have received the birthright, refused it, gave it up for virtually nothing. Now let's just look at this, and I want us to realize that as the Spirit of God is speaking, speaking concerning what One should have done. You're gonna keep seeing this over and over. You should have, you should have, you should have. And realize this is God's word. This is God's instruction to us. Let me, let me be instructed of the Lord. Verses 10 and 11. I'll start with verse 10 here and we'll go from there. for thy violence against thy brother. Now the Lord is speaking to Esau. He's speaking to Esau, but he's speaking to everyone left to themselves with a spirit of indifference. You're gonna hear this word now numerous times in this message, indifference. I just don't care. I just don't care. I don't care. For thy violence against thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever. For in the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away the captive, his forces and foreigners entered into his gates and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou was as one of them. Now this, the Lord is reprimanding, reprimanding Esau. He's totally exposed for the unkindness that he showed his brother, Jacob. While the enemies or the strangers of the Jews fought against God's people, capturing them, warring against them, leading them off as trophies of their battle, casting lots for them, and treating them as if they were nothing more than just toys, nothing, nothing, make sport of them, acted with no sympathy toward the people of God, acted with no sensitivity They just didn't care. They just didn't care. And what made the offense so great was that Esau, he was Jacob's brother. He was bone of his bone. He was flesh of his flesh. a brother that one would think. Sympathy would have been shown and love and kindness was, that was due. It was his brother. Jacob, instead of being the one that was shown some kindness and respect, he was, he was hated. Hated. And the reason he was hated, I'm going to show you this in just a minute. The reason he was hated, because God loved him. Now here we are, we're living in a world. We're living in a world, and we've got people all around us, and people are born into this world every day, and people are dying every day, and there's only two kinds in this world. They're either Jacob's or Esau's. And his men are being born in this world. We're seeing the evidence of this right now. I just don't care. I don't care. I don't care for the things of God. I'm just indifferent. It just doesn't matter to me. This is the issue. The more I looked at this book, Obadiah, the more I was convicted. I'm guilty. I'm guilty. We're all guilty. By nature, we're all guilty. Now, you that hear my voice right now, those that'll hear this on sermon audio or wherever, if they hear it, let me ask you this, honestly. Is that your attitude by nature? It's mine. By nature, this is mine. I just don't care. I just don't care for the things of God. Here's the, The gospel, I got to thinking about the gospel of God's grace that's been preached here at Katie now for over 70 years. How the Lord's raised up the truth of the sovereign grace of God. Mercy to be found totally in the Lord Jesus Christ. And how many people have come through and sat under the sound of the gospel. sat and listened to the message of God's grace in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and walked away with this attitude. So, the Lord is going to set forth what's going to happen. And I read these words again, and I read them again, and I read them again, and I was convicted in my heart, and I'm thinking, Lord, thank you for mercy. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for forgiveness. Lord, help me. This is the issue of the day. Man by nature is indifferent to the things of God. It is honestly, Take it or leave it. If it's convenient, I'll be there. If it's not convenient, I won't. Oh, Lord, help us. Indifference. Actually, when it comes right down to it, and here again, I'm gonna preach to me. You listen in on it. Let me tell you what indifference, what the heart of indifference is. Hatred. I hate, I hate. Let me show you that. Turn to John. John chapter, John chapter 15. John chapter 15. John 15, verses 16 to 19. John 15, verse 16. Listen to the words of our Lord. Even as I'm preaching these words, I'm thinking to myself, these are hard things to hear. But thanks be unto God that he'd give us a heart to hear them now and admit our guilt now and ask for forgiveness now. Lord, that you didn't leave us to ourselves. John chapter 15, verse 16. You have not chosen me, but I've chosen you and ordained you. that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye ask in my Father's name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own. but because you're not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Therefore, the world hateth you. Now, according to these scriptures, the reason that men, women hate the things of God and hate the people of God is because God has loved them before the foundation of the world and chose it to salvation in Christ. That's the reason. And the world hates that. It hates God Almighty getting all the honor, the glory, and the praise. It hates the things of God. He saw a picture of all left to themselves to do what they want to do. He despised the birthright He despised the things that gave the Lord the glory and considered those things to be nothing more than just to be pilferage. Don't worry about it. Jacob, on the other hand, he sought after by the grace of God. He sought after the things of God and received the birthright and received the blessing. And Esau, who did not want the blessing. He did not want the birthright. He didn't want it. He didn't want it. Jacob didn't make him give it up. He gave it up because he wanted to. He gave it up because he wanted to. He was indifferent to the things of God. And he gave it up because I just don't care. And he gave it up. Esau hated him. Esau hated him. Esau did what he wanted to do. Beloved, we all do. We all do. We do what we want to do. Thanks be unto God that God would not leave us to ourselves. Because if he left us to ourselves, I can tell you what we would do. We would do the same thing. Oh, but I want you to consider, I want you to consider the emphasis that the Lord put on some words here. Here again, as I began to read them, I want you to look at verses 12, 13, 14. Let's just read a few of those. Look at verse 12. The Lord's speaking now to Esau, but thou, and that, I'm gonna put some emphasis on thou. But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger. Neither shouldest thou, Esau, have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction. Neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people. in the day of their calamity. Yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway to cut off those that did escape. Neither shouldest thou have delivered up those that did remain. in the day of distress, thou, thou. Here the Lord reveals unto Esau that the day of Jacob's calamity, in these days when the Lord has, because the Lord loved him and chastened him, whom the Lord loveth, he chastens and discourages. And whenever Jacob, the one that the Lord loved, was chastened, because of God's love for him. Esau was glad. You're getting just what you deserve. You're getting just what you earned. You should not. Oh, the correction that was given unto Esau, and the word that's heavily laid on him. The Lord told him, you, it reminds me of whenever David had sinned against God, took Bathsheba, and had her husband killed. Thought he covered it up. And God sent Nathan, sent a prophet. This prophet told David the story about a little lamb. You know the story. David heard that story, how this man and this, you know, taking the only lamb that a neighbor had. It was the only one. He had all kinds of cattle and lambs and stuff like that. And David listened to that story and made him some man. He said, you tell me who that was. And I promise you, I'll take care of him. And Nathan, the prophet, looked at him under the inspiration of God and he said, thou art the man. You're the man. You did it. And I'm thinking to myself, This act of disobedience, this act of indifference, this act of just don't care, do care. By nature, this is me. This is me. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We're all guilty. We're all guilty. We're all deserving. Thou art the man. Oh, the sin, the great sin of indifference, indifference. And that God would allow us to hear it and give us a heart to be convicted of it and grant repentance for it. Call on the name of the Lord. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Listen, I'm just telling you this is the way we are. This is the way we are. And you're the only hope we got. is that the Lord would grant repentance to us, give us repentance. Oh, how long, how long, how long did I hear? Didn't care, didn't care. I'm just telling you, God's grace is sufficient forever and we're all guilty. I want you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 11, Matthew chapter 11. and listen to the words. We've read these words before. Matthew chapter 11, verses 24. Matthew 11. Matthew 11, verse 20, then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin, Woe unto thee, Bethsaida, for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, oh brethren, please ask the Lord now to give us ears to hear. I want the Lord to speak to me. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee. Let me bring this to home here. Almighty God has been pleased to send the gospel. He'd been pleased to send the gospel. Other places, yes, but he'd been pleased to send the gospel to Katie. He'd been pleased to send the gospel of God's grace to Katie Baptist Church. And I thank God for that. I thank God for his mercy and grace And not only did he send the gospel, he was pleased to bless it. Bless it to the hearts and salvation of some of his people. Bring them out, call them out of darkness. And he'd been pleased by his grace and mercy to continue to bless and teach and ground and solidify that which he started, that which he had begun. And look, and he's kept us here. He's kept us here. We're still here. That in itself is a message of God's grace, God's honor, God's glory. That's a message. That's a mighty work, a mighty work of grace. And the Lord told Chorazin and Daseida, if the mighty works that were done in thee, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrah. If the Lord would have permitted that the gospel be preached there, if it was not preached there, it's because the Lord didn't send it. Because he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. But if the mighty works that were done here had been done there, he said they would have repented. I still can't explain the depth of that. I just, I hear his word and I bow to it. But he said, I'll tell you one thing, in the day of judgment, it's gonna be more tolerable for them than it will be for you, because you heard. Oh, the great sin of indifference, to have heard the word of God, and then say, I don't care, I just don't care. Oh, Lord, Lord help me. Oh, There was an apostle. There was an apostle named Judas. He walked with the Lord. Heard the Lord preach the gospel. And that apostle left to himself. There was 12 of them. 12 of them. And as far as we know, 11 of them heard the gospel and God blessed it. And he blessed it. According to the immeasurable wisdom of Almighty God, according to God's will, there was one apostle that heard the gospel preached from the mouth and the heart of the Savior Himself and refused it. And it was the Lord Himself that said unto Judas, Luke 22, 48, when Judas betrayed him. And I looked at that passage and I wrote this down and I highlighted one word in there. Betrayest thou. Betrayest thou the son of man with a kiss. I thought, but for the grace of God, that's what I'd have done. That's what I'd have done. Oh, beloved, back in, back in, Obadiah, let's hear the word of God's warning. I just want to set forth these scriptures as the Lord has. Verse 15, 16, Obadiah. For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen. As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee. Thy reward shall return unto thine own head, for as Ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall the heathen drink continually. Yea, they shall drink and they shall swallow down and shall be as though they had not been. It is an eternally dangerous thing, especially to hear the gospel and then treat it with indifference as if it's nothing. I'm telling you this blessed word of truth, this blessed word of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'm going to just say it again. Salvation is of the Lord. If the Lord allows it to be blessed to your heart, you are an eternally blessed person. Lord, bless it to me. All who've been made honest in heart can admit that the same Spirit, I myself have been indifferent. I've been indifferent. Lord, I am the sinner. Lord, I'm the one. But I've got a word of comfort for you. I was waiting to get to this part. I want to be honest with you. I want to be as honest as these scriptures are honest. I got a word of comfort, a word from the Lord of mercy. there is mercy found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. If the Lord has revealed to you, if he's revealed to me, Marvin, you've been indifferent. Lord, give me a heart to cast myself upon you for mercy. He's the only hope for indifferent sinners like us. Lord, save me. Lord, save me. Salvation is of the Lord. But I'm telling you, if God's given you a heart to call upon him, that desire didn't come from you, I'm telling you. Salvation is of the Lord. Beloved, let's just remember, every redeemed sinner struggles. Yeah, but you don't know the struggles that I've had because I've done I want you to turn with me, I'm gonna wrap this up. I want you to turn with me to Song of Solomon. Song of Solomon chapter five. There's hope, there's hope for sinners. Now if you're good and you don't need this, well, if you see yourself as somebody that's guilty, I'm looking for guilty sinners. I'm looking for guilty people. I want you to look at Song of Solomon. I've just got a couple other comments here. Song of Solomon, chapter 5, verses 2 and 3. Song of Solomon 5. Now here's every redeemed sinner's struggle. This is every redeemed and regenerated sinner's struggle. Let me tell you what it is right now. I'm going to read it to you. This is your struggle. Song of Solomon, chapter 5, verses 2 and 3. I sleep, but my heart waketh. It's the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, open to me, my sister. My love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with you. My locks with the drops of the night. Here's our answer. Here's the answer of every redeemed, regenerated sinner that still possesses a heart. That old heart. One belief. Verse three. I've put off my coat. How shall I put it on? I've washed my feet. How shall I defile them? Every true believer still possesses a heart of unbelief. Difference. The apostle said, he kind of wrapped it up. I see in me, that is in my flesh, it dwelleth no good thing. to will is present with me. But how to accomplish that which I want? I don't find it. That's our problem. That's the struggle that every believer still has. But for those that the Lord will not leave to themselves, He knows how to convict us. He knows how to draw us. We see the battle. Still staying right there in Song of Solomon, chapter five. What does he do? Well, Song of Solomon 5.4, my beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels, my heart moved for him. I rose up to open to my beloved, and my hands dropped with my fingers, sweet smelling myrrh handles of the lock. I opened to my beloved. My beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone. My soul failed when he spake. I sought him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he gave me no answer. The watchmen that went about the city found me. They smoked me. They wounded me. The keepers of the walls took away my veil and all how we need it. I need the convicting word of God. Lord, teach me. Lord, tell me. Don't leave me to my indifference to perish. Lord, convict me by your word. I charge you, oh daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, tell him that I am sick of love. Beloved, Almighty God was pleased through a prophet named Obadiah to send a word of truth, a word of truth concerning what we are by nature. And we need to hear it. I know man by nature is gonna say, well, don't tell me these hard things. Tell me how good I am. Tell me, let's sing, Jesus loves me, this I know. Don't deal with these hard things. Beloved, these things are so. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. The Apostle Paul said, I'm chief. I'm the chief of sinners. Oh, the mercy that God has shown us, his people, by showing us what we are by nature. showing us who He is, merciful, and giving us a heart to bow before Him. For His glory and our eternal good, Lord, speak to me. Amen. All right.