Decision upon a Hill
Dear loving families, as a family service today let us meditate from the Old Testament passage of Joshua 24:15b “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.
As we all know, Joshua was a great military leader. He was the successor of Moses, when Moses, the servant of the Lord, died in the land of Moab. Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem. He's getting ready to die, and this was his farewell address. And during this address, he warns the people about their idolatry. He warns them that the judgments of God will fall upon them unless they live for the Lord. He says, ‘if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your father served that were the other side of the river, or the gods of Amorites, in whose land you dwell.’ But then Joshua says, ‘as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’
Joshua said even if every one of you serves idols and other gods, it will make no difference. Because as for me and my house, we've already made a decision. We will serve the Lord. And that's a decision that every single person has to make. You may serve the gods of materialism, which are all around us, or in the true living God. Joshua was warning the people in this passage; to choose God and to follow him instead of those other gods.
Moses had warned Israel, the earlier generation, when he was dying. He said, Deu.30:19 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” Moses had said the same thing that Joshua is saying separated by many years. And every generation has to hear it over and over and over again. That's why the gospel never grows old. It applies to every generation, even this generation today.
James says in 1:6, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” He said, ‘a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:8 & 4:8) Are you unstable about your relationship to Christ? Do you waver in your relationship to Christ? Are you totally committed to Christ as your Lord and Savior? What do you waver about, and do you waiver by the way you live? My dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Today, this morning service I would like to address how we should make the decision to follow and serve God. And to proclaim we are His children in this world.
I. Decide without a Wavering Heart
Jesus warned the hypocrites of people who pretend one thing and live another. For they say, but do not do (Matthew 23:3). This was his great battle with the hypocrites in the church. We have an old proverb; He who hesitates is lost. Don't waver to make a decision, do it now. That's what Joshua said, the great military hero, led them from victory to victory. Reminding them of all the victories that God had given. He said serve God and live, serve these other gods and you'll die. You should come to the judgment of God or come to the Lord to serve Him . The message has not changed. Choose life or death for He is your life and the length of your days (Deu.30:20). The grass withers, and its flower falls away. But the Word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:25)
The people of Israel were well settled in Cannon and now the wars were over, but Joshua found that the people were going toward idolatry. Many times the problems of peace are greater than the problems of war. Joshua had called all these leaders to Shechem. On one mountain he put six of the tribes, and on the other mountain he put the other six. And Joshua spoke with a mighty voice even though he was an old man. He spoke of the history of Israel and how God had blessed them? How they had won their victories not by their own power and their own strategies and their own talent and their own strength, but by the power of God. The people should have been grateful to God, but instead they were now going to other gods.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! I plead you, we should be grateful to God for the blessings that he has given us. But we find that sadly some people are worshipping other gods; the gods of pleasure, the gods of pride, and greed. Hate the gods of materialism and even the gods of war. Joshua tells them that such a condition cannot continue. They must decide whether they want to serve the idols or to serve the Living God. He will not allow any open-mindedness or impartiality. Joshua said, ‘you have to decide immediately now. You choose this day, not tomorrow, this day whom you're going to serve.’ “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). What is the number one priority in your life? Is your priority Christ, or is your priority something else? There's no room on the throne of your heart for two gods. There is only one room in your heart. It's either you have Christ or the other idol.
When you come to Christ, you have to give up all other gods. We must lay it out straight that you cannot serve God and idols. You must be able to give your life to Christ. He'll challenge you, because he says you must deny oneself and take up a cross. He says, ‘I'm going to a place of execution, come and go with me.’ Deny your own selfish ambitions and greed. Turn to me and go to the cross with Me.
II. Decide with your Whole Heart
You have to make a choice, and many people choose like the rich young ruler. Remember, he came to Jesus, and he was filled with questions (Luke 18:18-27). He wanted eternal life, and he said good teacher, what must I do to find eternal life? Jesus looked at him and said, ‘go and sell all that you have. Give it to the poor, take up the cross, and follow me.’ The young man was grieved and he wept. He wanted Christ, but he wanted to have money more. Now IF he had said, ‘all right I'll do it Lord’. I'm sure the Lord would have said I don’t need your money. I want your heart. Paul taught that a Christian is someone who has turned to God from idols, to serve the living and the true God.
Joshua said, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Choose to serve God or other gods. There is only one way for you. The scientist says that invention and discoveries are the only way out. The philosopher says you can think your way out. But none of it works. Jesus said, ‘I am the way, I'm the only way. I'm the only way to permanent peace. I'm the only way to eternal life. I'm the only way to forgiveness of sin. I'm the only way to the Father. No one comes to the Father except through me.’(John 14:6)
When Jesus began to talk about dying on the cross a lot of his followers left. They said Lord, ‘we thought you were going to sit up on a big throne, and we were going to drive in Cadillacs. And we were going to have beautiful swimming pools and lovely clothes, and all other riches. We didn't really know that you were going to die and wanted us to go with you. We thought this was going to be a kingdom, and we were going to overthrow Rome.’
But, dear brothers and sisters, the cross comes before the crown. Some of us want the crown before the cross. The Bible says there is a way that seems right unto a man, but, in the end, these are the ways of death. What are some of the ways? Well, some people may say, ‘I'm going to follow my conscience.’ But many of us have a dead conscience. Your conscience is no longer a safe guide, because you have hardened it.
The Bible says Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by the works of any man to boast. Understand, IF you could work your way to heaven or pay your way to heaven, you would get up and say, ‘look what I did; I got here myself by my own good works.’ However, we all know, the only way you can make it to heaven is to come to the cross, where Christ took our sins.
There's some people that say well I'll reform. I'll do better. There are people that are always saying, ‘I'm going to do better,’ but they never do. They don't have any power within themselves to do better until they come to Christ. When you come to Christ, he gives you the power to live your life. Dear church, the Holy Spirit has to live in you and Christ has to live through you, so you can live the Christian life.
For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, which many will go in. But through the strait gate and narrow way, which leads unto life, few will find it. There are the two ways of life we must choose from. He said only a few are going to find that narrow gate in that narrow way.
III. Decide with a Single Mind
There are some people who not only struggle to choose between two ways of life, but also struggle to choose between two masters.
Two Masters:
Jesus said no man can serve two masters. Either he will hate one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and materialism. He says in Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” You have to make a choice. All throughout the Bible; choices, choices, choices. Not only between two ways of life and two masters but you're going to have to choose between two destinies.
Two Destinies:
Heaven or hell. Solomon wrote about the way to hell in Proverbs 7:27 Her house is the way to hell. Descending to the chambers of death. CS Lewis, the great Cambridge and Oxford professor, used to emphasize that no one ever had so much to say about the way to hell as did Jesus Christ. On the other hand, no one ever spoke of heaven with more clarity and authority as Jesus Christ as well. Jesus Christ is the stairway to heaven. He is the way to heaven. Come to him. He said, ‘in my father's house there are many mansions, if it were not so I would have told you.’ Yes, Jesus is in heaven preparing a mansion for you now. Waiting for you there is a future life and eternal life. But it does not begin when you die and go to heaven. It begins here and now when you make this choice for Christ, because eternal life comes to dwell in your heart this morning. Jesus Christ is the gateway to heaven.
IV. Decide for Yourself
Joshua said, ‘as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.’ Your father can't make that choice for you. Your mother can't make it for you. Your children can't make it for you. This is where you must choose for yourself. Joshua knew that he could not choose for the tribes of Israel, they must choose for themselves. Man is a social being, however there is an inner sanctuary within ourselves. The greatest battles of life must be fought alone. This is a decision that you have to make alone.
Which has your priority? That's the great question Moses asked. ‘I call heaven and earth to record this day that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live forever.’ This choice will affect your children and your grandchildren and your grandchildren's children. The faith that we have in Christ is passed on from generation to generation.
Hebrews 11:25 recounts how Moses chose his life. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.” He made a choice. Moses could have probably been close to the Pharaoh of Egypt. He was the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Heir to all the riches in Egypt. However, he made a choice to suffer and face persecution and reproach with the people of God. He didn't know that his name would be in history. He didn't know that he would lead all of Israel. He didn't know that, someday, he would be considered one of the greatest men that ever lived. But he made that choice on the basis of simple faith in God. You can say you can't change your past, but you can determine your destiny by deciding for Christ. When you do that, Christ changes your past. He wipes out all the sins of the past. Because the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. Without the shedding of the blood there is no forgiveness. When he died on that cross, He forgave all the past.
Conclusion
Joshua called up all the people publicly, Moses called upon the people publicly to inscribe their commitment. And that would be seen publicly for generations to come. From the church, I'm asking you today. Take the decision to make Christ the priority in your life.
Do not let your heart waver and be tempted by the false blessings of materialism and other worldly things. Take up the ways of the Lord with your whole heart. Dedicate your whole life and soul to carrying the cross of God, even in this earthly world. Do not be double minding, for we can only have one master and one destiny. This decision, dear church, can only be decided by you and you only. No one can earn salvation for you. You must call upon God with your own heart.
Dear brothers and sisters, God is holding us right now on a high hill, just like Joshua. He is calling on us to make a decision. Will you wholeheartedly carry His cross or fall to the earthly idols of greed and pride and envy. He calls upon you today. Where is your priority?
