Choices

Title: Choices

Text: Matthew 6:24

This portion of Scripture talks about the valley of decision. Every person enters a time in their life when they must make a decision. Sooner or later a person must make a choice – the way he should go and the life that he should live.

The Bible tells us that there are two masters. But in Luke 16 it tells us that you cannot serve two masters. You must choose to serve the Lord with all your heart, or you choose to serve the devil. The Bible also tells us that there are two roads, but Matthew 7 says “Enter ye in at the straight gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction . . . . Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life.” The Bible also speaks of two religious systems. Proverbs 16:25 says: “There is a way that seems right unto a man.” And then you turn over to the New Testament in James 1:27 it says: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to stay unspotted from the world.” These are just some of the decisions that we must make in our lives. You may ask how do I really live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, it is found in James and that is to stay unspotted from the world.

No one can make these kinds of choices for us. With buying a new car, we may leave it up to someone else to decide, or a new house, but with decisions that last for eternity, there is no one who can make these decisions for you. We must make the choice, Romans 6:23 says: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life.” Again, there are two choices. There were some people in the Bible that made some pretty serious choices.

JOSHUA MADE A CHOICE!

In Joshua 24:14-15, Joshua says, “if you don’t want to serve the Lord, then choose this day whom you will serve, BUT as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua did not pressure these people in making one choice or the other, he let them make their own choice and if you read down in verses 16-17 you will find what their choice was, but Joshua had his mind made up that no matter what they decide, no matter what decision you folks make as for me and my house, we are going to serve the Lord. There are so many people that are wishy washy in this Christian walk. They just want to please their friends; they don’t dare stand up for Christ. Joshua had a made-up mind that no matter what other people decide, I have made my decision, I have staked my claim, I have drawn the line in the sand, and I am not ashamed, for the world’s behind me and the cross before, by the grace of God I will serve the Lord.

There may be people here this morning that you have never made a decision to serve the Lord before, or maybe at one time you did make a decision but somehow did not stick with it, I have came with a message today that you need to make a decision. You can either make a decision to serve the Lord, just as Joshua did, or you can make a decision not to serve the Lord, either way the choice is up to you.

We need to be able to say, I have made my decision, I am going to serve the Lord, the devil may come after me with everything that he has, but I’ve already got a made up mind. Nothing is going to cause me to go back on Jesus Christ because my mind is made up today. The devil may throw the trials, but as for me and my house, we are going to serve the Lord. Doesn’t matter what my kids try to talk me into, we have got to serve the Lord.

Joshua did not say, well all of you take a vote and see which God you want to serve, and after that vote I will see which side has the majority and if the majority goes for God then I will decide to follow Him as well, but if it goes for Baal then count me in. Other people’s opinion did not matter to Joshua because he already had his mind made up that he was going to serve the Lord. And if we as Christians can make our minds up totally that no matter how many times I have come to this altar for salvation this time I have made the decision to go through with Jesus.