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.
It is not just making up our minds for salvation, but what would happen if all of us could have the determination that we are not going to give up in the midst of this trial, we are not going to give up in the midst of this sickness, we are not going to give up until our healing comes, we are not going to give up until God gives me the victory that He has promised to me. If we had that kind of determination then God would intervene in a miraculous way. If you come to this altar for two or three months in a row for healing, then you decide to give up, don’t blame God for not healing you, because if we have our minds made up then no matter what may happen we will keep pressing in. God already has that healing waiting for you, that is all you have to do is reach out and take it. That’s it! Take that healing the Lord has, take that deliverance that He has. He wants to give it to you, now just receive it.
Joshua made a choice to serve the Lord no matter what, but not only did Joshua make a choice:
ELIJAH MADE A CHOICE
In I Kings 18 Elijah asks the people an important question: He says “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him.” You all know the story; the one that answered by fire was the true God. Elijah prayed a short prayer, then fire fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. After they saw this miracle performed then people decided to make a choice: “When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, the Lord, he is the God.” Nowhere in the Bible will you find that the Lord tried to prove there is a God, but everywhere proof is evident.
People sometimes say how do we know that the Lord is real? How did Elijah know He was real? Elijah knew that God was real because he experienced first hand what the power of God could do in his life. If you are here and you have never been saved and you wonder if what I am saying is true, the only thing that I can tell you is that you need to ask God to make Himself real to you. If you will but only ask Him to make Himself real, then He will.
There once was a Baptist lady that kept saying well I don’t know if the Holy Ghost is real or not, so she decided one night that if the Holy Ghost was real, then she would ask God to fill her full of the Holy Ghost. So she got down beside her bed that night and said Lord if this Holy Ghost is real then you show me that it is. All of sudden she began to shake, something came over her that just took total control of her. She got so scared that she stopped praying and never got filled with the Holy Ghost all because she was afraid of how she might look or act. God wanted to make Himself real to her, but she refused to accept that.
This lady made a choice, she asked God to make Himself real to her, and He attempted to, but she was not willing. She needed to experience God for herself. She gave up to soon, but you don’t have to be like that here today. You can experience God for yourself. You may say I don’t know if God is even real, ask Him to prove Himself to you, and He will.
Elijah made a choice, and each and every one of us is left with a choice to make. Just like Elijah told the people that day, you can’t stay between two opinions, if God be God then serve him, if Baal be your God then serve Him. In other stop straddling the fence. I must say the same thing to you today; it is time that you make up your mind. Either serve God or don’t serve God. It is time to stop playing games with the Lord. You may have gone to church for years, but regardless you must make a choice today. That choice is very simple, either serve the Lord, or don’t serve the Lord. Not only did Joshua and Elijah make a choice,
III. MOSES MADE A CHOICE
Hebrews 11:24-25 says “by faith Moses when was up in years,
Chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” And then in verses 26-27 it says that Moses esteemed the “reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. By faith he forsook Egypt.” Egypt is a type of sin. Moses chose to suffer and to give up the pleasures of sin because worldly pleasures are temporary. Moses knew that the pleasure of sin only lasted for a season. And each and every one of us need to know that the pleasure of this world is but only for a little time, but when you choose God’s way, His way is eternal. WE MUST FORSAKE SIN. There is no other way but God’s way. We have got to get out of the sinning business. I am sick and tired of people giving in to the enemy all the time, it is about time that we stick up for God and let the devil know that nothing is going to separate us from the love of Christ.
Romans 6:14-15 says “Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law.” My friend you do not have to let sin take control of your life. We don’t have to sin every single day; we need to know that the pleasures of this world will be done away with. We must make a choice! Are you going to choose to be with Jesus, or choose the eternal damnation of hell? The pleasure that you have on this earth is not worth going to hell for, the drugs, the alcohol, the affairs on your spouse, lying, cheating, doing things that you know God would not approve of, it is not worth going to hell for. It is important today that we make the right choice.
Each and every one of us are faced with a decision that we must make. Are we going to be like Joshua and say no matter what may come me and my house we will serve the Lord, or like Elijah and never give up no matter what until that fire falls. Or be like Moses and make a decision that I am going to give up sin, I am going to suffer persecution with the Christian before I will fail my Lord. If you don’t think it is important to make that decision, this text is for you. Proverbs 1:24-33 in the Amplified Version says this:
Because I have called, and you refused, in other words you would not choose me; you decided against me. I have stretched out my hand and no man paid attention, and you treated all my counsel as nothing and would accept none of my correction, I will also laugh at your calamity, I will mock when the thing comes that shall cause you terror and panic. When your panic comes as a storm and desolation and your calamity comes on as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then you will call upon me, but I will not answer; you will seek me early and diligently but you will not find me. Because you hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, and you would not accept my counsel and despised my correction. Therefore shall you eat of your own fruit in your own way, and you shall be filled with your own devices. For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. This is the great part. But whoever hearkens to me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet of fear of evil.
This portion of Scripture makes it sound like God is a very heartless person. In one part of this Scripture it says that when you call upon Him He will not answer. But this actually is for the people who make the wrong choice. The only reason they are calling upon the Lord is because of the hard time that they are facing, but today you can make a decision that whether in valleys or on the mountaintop, I am still going to serve the Lord, God can restore you. If you are here and you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you want to make a decision to serve the Lord from today on, God wants you back, He is waiting here with open arms for you to come back to Him.
