GETTING OFF THE FENCE
A week ago yesterday, I had the opportunity to perform the wedding ceremony for an old high school friend of mine. After the wedding, I went to the reception and visited with some other old friends. Sitting around the table, telling stories from the old days, the parents of an old classmate said, “Gene, we thought you were always a good guy.”
Like many of you, I grew up in church. I was in church before I knew I was in church. As a child, I invited Jesus into my heart when I was 6 years old, and was baptized at Francis Baptist Church in Palatka shortly thereafter.
My Dad came from an active, church attending family, and largely through the work of my grandfather, by the time I was ½ way through elementary school, I had memorized a number of Bible verses and the books of the Bible. I grew up attending numerous Christian conferences, retreats and conventions. In 7th grade, I participated in Campus Crusade for Christ’s “I Found It” campaign, going around to different churches, teaching people how to share their faith using the 4-Spiritual Laws booklet.
For a number of years, my parents led the youth or were active in the youth group of our church. My dad was a deacon and my mom has always taught Sunday School. We used to regularly have preachers over for meals and one of our former pastors came and helped when we built our barn which is now the church’s pavilion.
I say all of this to say, I grew up knowing about God. I grew up knowing the difference between right and wrong. I grew up knowing the Bible, but I had never reached the point in my life when I had consciously decided that Jesus was going to be the Boss, regardless.
When I was 19 years old, a friend and I, after finishing SCC, moved to Monroe, Louisiana to attend college. When we moved there we didn’t know anybody else in town. He taught me to play tennis that first semester, because we didn’t know anybody. The guys in the room next to us invited us to attend their church, Temple Baptist Church, and we did.
Now let me tell you. That Baptist church was not like any Baptist church I had ever attended before. It was a Southern Baptist Church, just like I grew up in, but those people played choruses in addition to playing hymns. Those people often raised their hands when they sang. I said, “Don’t these people know we’re Baptists? Baptists don’t do that.” But I digress.
Within a few months of attending that church, my roommate and I ran into a problem. You see, he was pretty much like I was. We were friends most of our lives. We grew up together. We pretty much lived alike as well. He and I both knew how the game was played. On Sundays we would live and act one way. The seniors at church wanted to believe the best about us, so we put on an act. During the rest of the week we lived the way we wanted to.
Now, back to our problem. You see, we were getting active in church. This time we were active because we wanted to be, not because our parents wanted us to. To make matters worse, the Lord was working in both of our lives. At the same time the Lord was working on us and we were attending church, we were still living in the world. Let me tell you my friend. That is a miserable way to live. We had enough of the world in us that we weren’t happy in church and enough of the Lord in us that we weren’t happy in the world. Finally, things came to a head and we had to make a choice. Was Jesus going to be the Boss in our lives, or wasn’t He? Were we going to let go of Christ and run hog wild in the world, or were we going to let go of the world and let Jesus be all we claimed He was?
I don’t need to tell you that I have made many mistakes since then. I have gone through weak times, but I praise the Lord that on that day, through His prompting and drawing, and in answer to many people’s prayers, I decided to make Jesus the Boss in my life.
I am only in my early 40’s, but I tell you today, without reservation or condition, that was the smartest and best decision I have ever made. Fortunately, you do not have to take my word for it. There are others who have walked with God much longer than I, who will give you the same testimony.
Turn with me this morning please to Joshua 24.
- Read Joshua 24:14-24
Joshua reviewed all the Lord had done for Israel up to this point. He reviewed the history of their nation and their ancestors. He reminded them of how God had defeated their enemies and of how He had blessed them. Then he said, “You decide”. Make a choice. Make a decision. Quit beating around the bush. Quit playing around. Make a decision.
This morning I do not have the time in the short space of this message or service, to go into or list the many things God has done for you. If you would think for just a moment, the Lord can bring to your memory many more things than I could possibly list. He can remind you of close escapes you’ve had, where He protected you. He can remind you of the blessings you enjoy simply because you are a citizen in this country. He can remind you of the weight you fight against, when many in the world struggle to find enough to eat. He can remind you of the forgiveness He’s made available to you, and the great price He paid so you can be forgiven. He can bring many more things to your mind than I could ever list. I will not go into all of that. This morning, however, I want you notice several items.
I. YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DECIDE
First I want you to notice that you have a great opportunity. You have the opportunity to decide.
- Read v 15
In verse 15, God, through Joshua, commands us to decide. In other words, you have the opportunity to decide.
Last week, Gladys taught the children in Children’s Church about the Lord’s Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane. When she was preparing her lesson and going over some of it with Drew, let me tell you, Drew got mad. This week he did as well as they were working on this week’s lesson. Drew got mad at God. He couldn’t understand why God would make Jesus go through all of that, and why God would turn His back on Jesus instead of just making us all good. He didn’t think it was fair. He and I discussed it some this week.
Listen, God had Jesus go through all of that so that you would have the opportunity to decide to make Him your Lord. Jesus didn’t go through all of that so He would have bragging rights in heaven. He did it so that you would have the opportunity to decide to have a different future.
> Ezekiel 18:4 Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son—both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die.
> Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
> Hebrews 9:22 According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
The Bible says that we have all sinned. The punishment for sin is death and the only way to do away with that is the shedding of blood. Jesus died to give you the opportunity to be saved, to give you the opportunity to make God your Father.
Do you know how lucky you are to be able to make that decision? All around the world, there are countless millions of people who have never heard that they have the opportunity to claim a God Who loved them enough to pay the price for their sins. …
You have the opportunity to decide.
II. YOU HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE
- 14-15
Here, Joshua gave the people an opportunity to decide. He said, “You have a decision to make. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be like the Hindu and select a little here and a little there.
> Exodus 34:14 You are to never bow down to another god because the Lord, being jealous by nature, is a jealous God.
11 Times the Bible speaks of our God being a jealous God. He will not share your affections with anyone or anything else.
> Luke 16:13 No household slave can be the slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t be slaves to both God and money.”
My friends, there are many things you can choose to pursue. There are many things you can choose to love or to serve, but God says you must love Him first and foremost.
> Matthew 10:37 The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; the person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
You have a decision to make. Who or what will be God in your life? What will be the most important thing in your life?
III. YOUR DECISION REQUIRES A COMMITMENT
When you say that the Lord will be your Lord, when you chose Jesus, it requires a commitment. It means you choose:
1. Action over inaction –
- Luke 10:30-37
> James 4:17 So, for the person who knows to do good and doesn’t do it, it is a sin.
2. Faith over fear –
- Matthew 6:31-33
3. Obedience over disobedience –
> John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
4. Direction over Drifting –
>Philippians 3:14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
You don’t just drift along in life, collecting things as you go along, like you’re playing monopoly. You have a goal. You have a passion; to pursue Jesus Christ, to serve Him.
5. Priority in your Planner
> Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
IV. YOUR DECISION REQUIRES EXPRESSION
Do you remember
>Matthew 10:32-33: Whosoever shall deny Me before man, him will I deny before My Father in heaven. But whosoever shall confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father which is in heaven.
That’s what God says. Do you remember Paul writing in >Romans 10:9 and 10? If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in thine heart that God raised Him from the dead and that He lives, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart, we believe unto a God-kind of justification and righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
There is no such thing as an undercover Christian in God’s army. There is no such thing as a spy in God’s army, going around undercover and without uniform. A Christian takes a stand and lets it be known that he, or that she is a Christian.
V. YOUR DECISION IS URGENT
- Joshua 24:15
Did you notice what Joshua said? He says, “Choose today. Decide today Who will be your Boss!”
Your decision is an urgent one. It is urgent for a number of reasons.
1. If you have never decided for Christ, you have wasted too much of your time on the Devil already.
2. If you have never decided for Christ, you have missed far to many opportunities to serve Christ already.
3. If you have never decided for Christ, you never know if you will get another chance.
> 2 Corinthians 6:2 … Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation.
In this passage, the Bible tells us that Joshua set up a stone to be a witness of the commitment the people made. It would testify to their commitment and to Joshua’s warning. This morning, I will not set up a stone. I will not set up a marker, but I will mark and date my Bible. On this date, September 29, 2007; I have faithfully shared with you God’s Word and His warning. Will you choose Jesus this morning?
I would like to close this morning with the words to a song an old lady in an Arkansas nursing home shared with me. She wrote:
STAY ON YOUR JOB AND WORK FOR THE LORD
You have to stay on your job and work for the Lord.
You can’t work for the Devil at night and for the Lord in the day.
He don’t give no part time pay, you have to work night and day.
You have to stay on your job to work for the Lord.
You have to stay on your job, to work for the Lord.
If you want to get good pay, you have to work good night and day.
You have to work for Him, just like He said.
You have to stay on your job, to work for the Lord.
You have to stay on your job, to work for the Lord.
This is what He said, that He would do for you.
He would reward you according to the kind of work you do.
You have to stay on your job to work for the Lord.
You have to stay on your job to work for the Lord.
This is what He said, He would reward you for the kind you do.
If you do good work your reward would be, if evil the same you see.
You have to stay on your job to work for the Lord.
She closed by writing: Please excuse all mistakes. I am just a 7th grade church-house school scholar. 91 years 7 months old, with 8 operations and a nerve shock, using my last teeth I cut, and scribbling this without glasses. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord! Sincerely, Carrie C. Smith.
