Dead End Decisions

DEAD END DECISIONS

TEXT: JOSHUA 24:15

INTRODUCTION: Every day all of us face many decisions that range from trivial to very important ones. When you get up out of the bed in the morning it is a ¡§new¡¨ day that god Himself has given to you that could possibly have an outcome that can effect the rest of your life. There are those decisions that we make that will effect us in a positive way and in a negative

Way.

This morning we will refer to two different ¡§roads¡¨ that can have the cause and effect syndrome in life. The positive road is the road to achieving godly success, and the negative road we will classify as ¡§dead end decisions.

Our text this morning gives us the perfect Biblical example that when we make the wrong decisions it WILL effect us in a negative way.

The first cause and effect of a dead end decision is:

I. TINY TENDENCIES

1. A tendency is likelihood to move, thinks, or act in a particular way.

2. As we look behind the history of this text when Joshua told the people to ¡§choose¡¨ it puts into our mind the tendencies that they had with the leader Moses that was before Joshua.

3. At first their tendencies were not that big of a deal. Right?

4. Wrong! Let¡¦s look at a few tiny tendencies that they had that caused ¡§dead end decisions¡¨ to be made.

„h the murmuring (low indistinct sound)

„h In the book of Exodus 16-17 it gives us a history of the tendencies that the children of Israel had.

- God provided manna from heaven

- They enjoyed it for a while and then begin to complain about it

- God sent them quail from heaven

- They enjoyed it for a while and then began to complain about it.

- Then the Bible states that they had a fight with their leader Moses in Exodus 17:2 about wanting water.

- After the meal that God had provided they said to Moses ¡§why have you brought us out here in the dessert to die?¡¨

- So, God said to Moses take some of the leaders and strike the rock at Horeb and water will come out to drink.

- The place was called Massah and Meribah because they tested the Lord by saying ¡§is the Lord among us or not?¡¨

- Massah means testing and Meribah means quarreling.

5. These tiny tendencies of murmuring caused them not to cross over to their inheritance.

6. God told Moses that because of these tendencies they could not cross.

7. The children of Israel were at a dead end because of a dead end decision!

8. What about you do you have any tiny tendencies that are causing dead end decisions in your life?

The second cause and effect of a dead end decision is:

II. TREACHEROUS TRADITIONS (Matthew 15:1-9)

1. What can cause a major dead end decision in our life?

2. Jesus was not just dealing with murmuring and complains but he was dealing with traditions that were taught by men.

3. Things that are traditional that we deal with in the Church that have caused the Church abroad to make bad decisions:

„h Church music

„h Church (days and times of worship)

„h The type of instruments

„h The type of music in the Church

„h The type of outward appearance in the Church

„h The style of the building its self

„h The words or phrases we use in the Church

„h The list goes on and on!

4. Jesus was dealing with the same Spirit recorded in Matthew 15 ¡V look at verse¡¦s 10-11

5. Joshua knew that the children of Israel had a tendency to make dead end decisions because of their treacherous traditions.

6. He would have to lead them in a way that he could communicate that God looks at the heart and not the outward!

7. The only way out of ¡§bad traditions¡¨ is to teach what the purpose is.

8. If the tradition still works and has a defined purpose then it should still be implemented.

9. If it don¡¦t it should be trashed and a new fresh new vision is needed!

The next cause and effect is what we cannot keep from happening but God CAN heal:

III. TRANSFORMING TRAUMA¡¦S

1. The children of Israel did go through some serious looses through out the years of things, family, friends, etc. that caused them to make dead end decisions.

2. When it seems that our hope is gone we make dead end decisions.

3. The fact is when we are in the worst of trauma¡¦s we must eventually come out of them so that we can think clearly to make right choices and decisions.