Life is full of choices. This morning all of us here have already made several choices today that will impact how this day turns out.
For many of us, the morning began with the choice of whether or not to get out of bed when the alarm clock went off. And then that choice led to a whole string of other choices:
- Am I going to take time to read my Bible and pray?
- What am I going to eat for breakfast?
- Am I going to go to church today?
- What am I going to wear?
So every day we have a string of those moment-by-moment choices and each impact to some degree how our day is going to turn out.
We also have larger life choices that also have a tremendous influence on our lives:
- Am I going to get married, and, if so, to whom?
- Am I going to have kids?
- Which job am I going to take?
- How will I handle my finances?
- How am I going to allocate my time?
- What am I going to do to maintain my health?
And every one of those choices also has a tremendous impact on what my life is going to look like, so I must make wise choices.
But this morning, we’re going to look at a choice that is far more important than any of the kinds of choices I’ve mentioned because it’s the fundamental choice that will not only impact the kinds of choices that I’ve mentioned, but which will ultimately determine my destiny. That is because… our destiny is not a matter of chance, it’s a matter of choice.
WE ARE WHO WE ARE TODAY BECAUSE OF THE CHOICES WE MADE YESTERDAY.
WHO WE ARE TOMORROW, WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE CHOICES WE MAKE TODAY! The choices we make today have an impact on the decisions we will be making tomorrow. They establish a Pattern and a Foundation for our life.
Some may say, “But Pastor, I haven’t always made the right choices!” You and I may never be able to undo the choices we made yesterday, But I have good news for you. He, who holds our tomorrow, is willing & able to turn it around for us.
Today I want to focus on one choice that will have a huge impact on our lives.
Joshua 24:1-15 Verse 29
So, here in the text, we see that Joshua had gotten to be an old man now; and he had seen a lot of things in his lifetime.
In his early years, he served the great liberator named Moses, his latter years were spent leading God’s people into battle in the Promise Land.
In his years he has seen some things; he saw the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea and he took a trip through the desert.
40 years he wandered through the wilderness
He saw God part the Jordan River
He saw the walls of Jericho come crumbling down
He also saw the punishment of Achan, the one that was executed for being disobedience after taking plunder from Jericho
He has lived a full life; he has been strong and courageous as God has commanded him. He has the scars of a hundred battles.
He has known the power and the presence of God in and on his life.
Joshua has seen a lot of things and he knew for his children’s sake and the sake of the Israelites that a declaration needed to be made.
So, he gathers his family members together, and he summons the leaders together so that he can give his final words.
He says to them that I have been with you all a long time now, we have had some good times and we have seen some bad times, but now it’s decision time.
Vs14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness (sincerity and in truth). Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
Joshua is saying some of you ARE serving other gods, and some of you have been worshiping idols your ancestor worshiped beyond the Euphrates river and from Egypt. Joshua says it’s time to throw them all away. To remove anything and everything that would be a stumbling block to you serving the Lord wholeheartedly. (SINCERITY AND TRUTH)
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Listen church I know that some of you have seen a lot. I know that some of you have been through a lot.
Some of you have been hurt more times than you want to remember. But I’m here to tell you that it is time for us to take our eyes off of man, it’s time to take our eyes off the past, it’s time for us to take our eyes off the world to stop worshipping the idols of the world AND CHOOSE TODAY TO LEAN ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS OF OUR SAVOIR JESUS CHRIST.
Joshua’s declaration states, Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
In other words, it’s time in sincerity and truth to make a declaration today by saying for God I shall live and for God, I shall die.
It’s time to make a declaration for your house and say, come what may, it doesn’t matter, worship who you will, BUT, AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.
We’ve got to say to ourselves, no longer will I be bound in my prayer life, no longer will my worship be hindered, and No longer will my praise be silenced.
I’m going to fellowship with Him, I’m going to praise Him, I’m going to worship Him, and I’m going to lift my hands in adoration to my worthy Savior.
God reminded the people of all that He had done for them. Let me do the same:
- Blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ
- Chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless
- He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ
- In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins
- We were included in Christ when we heard the message of truth, the gospel of our salvation.
- When we believed, we were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.
We were dead in our transgressions and sins, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But we have been made alive in Christ. And He has created in us a new humanity. (HE has redeemed us and empowered us-different)
And when we have decided that: AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE WE WILL SERVE THE LORD:
God will:
- Unite what satan has divided
- Restore what sin has destroyed
- Beautify what the world has tarnished
- Clarify our confusion
- Heal our pain and hurt.
- Recover our peace the joy of our salvation
And when we choose Him:
- The Father is Glorified
- The Son is Magnified
- The Holy Spirit is Gratified
- The Bible is Ratified
- The Church is Edified
- The Soul within us is Satisfied
- And the devil is horrified
Can I tell you something? Not everybody that’s talking about God is serious about God.
But there comes a time in our life when we’ve got to decide WHO we are WHOSE we are And WHERE we are going.
My prayer this morning is that each person here this morning would come to the point in their lives where they can make a personal declaration, I choose you, Lord…I choose you.
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