Life Choices Series
#1 Making Jesus Lord of your life
Good morning everyone, Hey, we are so glad that you have joined us online and pray often that it will be a blessing to you.
We have started today a new series entitles “life choices”. The RightNow Media video some of you saw shows us that we make millions of little decisions in our lives but there are a few of those decisions that will change your life forever.
The decisions that we make in life not only affect ourselves but all those that are around us. Very few decisions don’t have some kind of a ripple effect in some way. We are in a sense our brother’s keeper.
Bad and good decisions affect us and others around us.
We decide how we are going to come up with a plan in which we decide which direction we are going.
There has to be some boundaries that we use to set up guidelines for ourselves and we will not leave those boundaries so that we stay the course.
Boundaries have value to us!
We all need boundaries. Boundaries keep us safe. ...
Physical Boundaries. ...
Sexual Boundaries. ...
Emotional or Mental Boundaries. ...
Spiritual or Religious Boundaries. ...
Financial and Material Boundaries. ...
Time Boundaries.
The illustrated power point showed us that we come to crossroads many times a day in our lives where we decide which road or path we will take. (Move hands and show many roads and the decision to pick one)
Some decisions don’t affect eternity…some do.
Some don’t really matter because it is a matter of preference and they can change daily with no consequences.
There are some of the decisions that we make are life changing, life threatening.
3 elements we use for of our decisions that we will use for several weeks as we look at life choices for a believer.
Strategic: Long-term, high-level decisions that determine the direction of where your life is headed and must have a lot of forethought.
Tactical: These decisions give us strategic direction into how we will live our lives once we make a decision.
Operational: Daily, routine decisions put strategic and tactical goals into practice.
Strategically you must put into motion the high-level decisions that shape or destroy our lives.
You must know what they are and what you will or won’t do with them.
Tactically- once you have made a decision, how it will be played out in our lives once we make the decision.
Operationally- what does that look like in our everyday routine life?
Amen! Here we go!
Please turn with me to the book of Acts chapter 26-
The bible book containing Acts of the apostles-
Set this up- Apostle Paul is being dragged in court before Festus because of his traumatic change being the persecutor of Christians known as the “The Way” and the his new found desire to convert everyone to being a Christian.
Festus could not find any legal reason to hold Paul for any crimes against Rome or Cesar but was headed to Jerusalem and wanted to do the Pharisees a favor and hear the case against Paul but they had to be careful because Paul was also a Roman citizen.
Acts 26: 9-11
“Festus wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?” Paul answered, I am now standing before Cesar’s court, where I ought to be tried, I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has a right to hand me over to them, I appeal to Cesar.”
Paul tells this lower court that he has done nothing wrong and is not afraid to stand trial before them.
He says that if he is innocent should be let go and if they find him guilty on trumped up charges that as a Roman citizen he appeals to Cesar to make final decision.
That Festus has no right to turn him over to the Jewish counsel for punishment.
This scenario is what happens to each one of us at some point in our lives.
All the people involved in the trials had a choice as to wither they will follow the Jesus that Paul told them about or openly reject him and pay the consequences.
#1 decision that must be made in our lives- the most important life choice bar none!
Wither we will accept or reject Jesus Christ as Lord.
Those who have not accepted Jesus will be shown all the opportunities in their life where the gospel was shared and they openly rejected or put off to a different time.
Now the world today would not agree with me on that. Because most live their lives without asking the Lord to be involved at any level of making decisions including His offer of salvation that they have taken lightly or not taken at all.
The miss guided thought that it does not matter what decision you make.
The misguided belief that all will somehow end up in heaven.
We will be blessed by God no matter how we live our lives.
Their thoughts on God
All roads lead to God
Just be kind to each other
Jesus never expected us to do that…
I hope that I did more good than I did bad things and the scales will be tilted in my direction.
No one really knows if they will spend eternity in heaven or not.
YES WE CAN…
It is the one decision that will affect and hinge all of eternity- you will spend eternity somewhere, and the decision you make in this life will determine where you will spend eternity.
SO LET’S BREAK THIS DOWN- Remember we will look at 3 element of important decisions by Strategic, Tactical, operational.
Strategic-
Knowing that high level decisions need to be thought out in our lives- nothing by chance.
We must do our homework on Jesus.
The bible is clear that all roads do not lead to God.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me.
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”(1Tim 2:5)
Mediator is an official “go-between” who acts as a link between two parties to reconcile their differences. The term literally means “one who stands in between.” In legal disputes, a mediator represents the interests of both parties, working as an intercessory agent to negotiate a settlement. In global conflicts, a mediator intervenes between opposing world powers to try to achieve peace.
The apostle Paul writes In 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” Humanity is born into sin (Psalm 51:5). Sin is a problem because it stands in the way, blocking the relationship between humans and God. All people enter this world separated or estranged from the Holy God (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 5:10, 12) and deserving of His wrath (Ephesians 2:3). Romans 6:23 explains that the penalty for sin is death, not only physical death but spiritual, eternal death (Revelation 20:11–15).
So Paul is now standing before King Agrippa and strategically lays out the salvation that is in Jesus.
Acts 26:1-10 read from bible
Paul was just like them until he had an encounter with Jesus! Paul knew his audience.
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?
(15) “Who are you, Lord? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, the Lord replied, now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.”
Strategically know Jesus… know the verses that tell you about Jesus. It will be what you accept or reject of a relationship that you have or do not have with Him.
Tactically- Paul experienced Christ and He changed his life forever.
What he thought was important now took a back seat to what he knew Jesus now wanted him to do.
He went from persecuting the believers to trying to win people to the Lord.
Total change…transformation!
(19) “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. But God has helped me to this very day, so I stand here and testify o small and great alike.”
Strategically- know Jesus- know what you believe.
Tactically- get on board once you encounter Jesus and don’t wait for a better time.
Watch tactically how Festus responds to the testimony of Jesus in Paul’s life-
(24) “At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. You are out of your mind, Paul he shouted, your great learning is driving you crazy.”
Paul… you used to be on track, but now you have gone rogue! You are insane with your crazy beliefs. You have become a fanatic! You have gone to the extreme and have no way of coming back!
Sounds like today when we have sold out to Jesus and we come in contact with one that has thought we have lost our minds! We have gone off the deep end. Our medicine has slide of the spoon!
Festus, represents those who are Alienated from Christ. He thought that Paul was a madman.
We have an opportunity tactically to be joined with Christ as He fills us with His Holy Spirit and empowers us to be able to with stand the enemies attacks on us.
We also have an opportunity to be a madman for Jesus (according to the world) and show them Jesus!
To let the transformation that HE did in our lives show to others so that they might know Him in that deep of a relationship.
At first they may think that our medicine slide off the spoon but they will soon find out that we are actually bring medicine for their broken lives and that this medicine will bring healing to their mess up lives.
Sin, broken relationship with God- means to be estranged or shut out from intimacy and fellowship with God and the only way back is through Jesus!
All human beings (Jews and Gentiles) are alienated from God because of sin, and the Gentiles were also alienated from the people of God.
Commentary from Acts 26
And the last one this morning Operational- what does our decision to follow Christ look like you our routine everyday life?
Can people see a change in your life? Have you allowed Jesus to make the necessary changes to draw you into a closer relationship?
Scriptures have pointed you to Jesus-
Your pastor has given a message of salvation-
You have had people talk to you about change in your life- have you responded? Or our you going to be like Festus and the world and say that all they heard was from a madman that they will not accept it.
Paul speaking
(25) “I am not insane, most excellent Festus, Paul replied, what I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?”
Don’t let pride stop you this morning from hearing what the Lord wants to show you- don’t let the voice of the world and all its distractions cause you to put off till another day the decision that will forever change your eternity with or without Jesus.
These next words from King Agrippa are unfortunately going to be the words that most will say and one day stand before the Lord and have to answer for.
(28) “Then Agrippa said to Paul, Do you think in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul replied, “Short time or long- I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains. The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. After they left the room, they began saying to one another, this man is doing nothing that deserves death or imprisonment.”
He almost became a Christian- do not let that happen to you or someone you love-
Remember last week I said it was the unexpected things that cause us to stumble- that is true but it also the unexpected times that the Lord has something to say to us and it is a divine moment and right now for your relationship with the Lord may be that moment- don’t let it slip away.
Would you bow your heads and be quiet before the Lord. The most important decision you will ever make is accepting or rejecting Jesus as Lord. Have you made the right decision?
