Deal Or No Deal: It's Your Choice!

Deal or No Deal: It’s Your Choice!

IT’S NOT MY LIFE…IT’S HIS!

Today, we begin a new sermon series entitled Deal or No Deal? The Choice is Yours! For the next few weeks, I want to talk about making the choice to obey God and not waver from His ideal for your life in the following areas of your life:

Your Time * Your Treasure * Your Temple * Your Testimony * Your Talent

I’ll just tell you upon the outset that we will get all of our direction from God’s Word. And, as we search the scriptures, I’ll just tell you that the Bible will motivate us over and over again to obey God no matter what by reminding us that – if it weren’t for God who blesses us, sustains us, who puts life in our lungs, or gives us the capacity to think, feel, and live…then we would be lost. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to choose God’s Way – every time!

Our theme verse for this series is a verse that summarizes this so clearly and profoundly:

I Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

This series is all about making a CHOICE on how to use this life of yours. And my prayer is that you make the choice to follow God’s Way – every time – and never consider an offer or temptation to compromise…which leads me to what you see on stage this morning…DEAL OR NO DEAL!

Fortunately for us, we don’t have to rely on just “guesses” or “hunches” when we make our choices in life. Throughout these next six weeks, we will search God’s word in order to receive specific clear directions on how we should manage these five areas of our life. We will also receive clear explanations as to why we should live life God’s way, along with receiving helpful motivations to encourage us along the way!

But, today, I want to talk about deciding from the outset - to settle in your minds to live life God’s way! In other words, before we even talk about these five topics that speak to specific areas of your life, I want to talk today about settling the decision in your mind, “Will I obey God in every area of my life?”

So, when we do talk about specific areas of life for the remaining five weeks, our minds will already be conditioned to want to hear what God’s Word says about it. In other words, before we talk about making choices on these five areas of life, there is ONE FUNDAMENTAL CHOICE that must be made. And it is this:

“Are you going to live your life according to God’s Way?”

There is a Hebrew word “Dabaq” (Dah-Bach) or (Dah-Bock). It means: passionately fixing our heart on Him – being loyal no matter what! “Dabaq” is used in the following verses:

Psalm 57:7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

Psalm 63:8 My soul follows hard after thee: thy right hand holds me.

In other words, we are to cling to Him, holding on to God for dear life! It is the heart that says, “I don’t want to leave!” “I can’t leave!” Or, “How dare I leave!” So, in life you must make your choice!

There is an excellent Biblical example of one person who made His choice…and provides for us the best example of fixing your mind on living life God’s Way. That example is Jesus Christ Himself.

Jesus Christ Himself was put to the test to see if He would make a deal with the Devil at the beginning of His earthly ministry. Before Jesus performed any miracle, offered any public teaching, any recorded sermon, he went into the wilderness to demonstrate to us his commitment to the Father’s will.

Satan, though, had a different plan. He wanted to play “Deal or No Deal” with our Lord to try to convolute Jesus’ commitment to obey the Father…and, by default, keep Jesus from dying on the cross to pay for our sins. Satan knew that Jesus had made a choice – “I will go to the cross!” “I will pay for the sins of the world…and nothing will stop me!”

So, Satan, decided to play a little “Deal or No Deal” with Jesus to see if He could make Jesus settle for less! But, we know, that If Jesus would have settled for less – we would not just be less-spiritually satisfied, or not just “less happy”…OUR SOULS WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST!

So, a lot is riding on how Jesus does at this little game that Satan played – Deal or No Deal.