“Choices” Deuteronomy 30:15-20 1/19/25 a.m.
This week I was whining about what to preach on. I have a funeral tomorrow that I have to preach and I have this morning and this evening to preach. Please believe me when I say the struggle is real. For me, it is the hardest part of being a pastor. Trying to HEAR from God on what He would have me preach. So I walked downstairs and I was whining, “Oh man, what am I going to preach on Sunday?” And Abby was standing there and she said, “Wal-Mart and Dollar General. Why you should shop at Dollar General and not Wal-Mart.” Thanks Abbie!!!Sometimes I don’t know what I would do without her!!!
But that got me to thinking. We all make HUNDREDS of decisions everyday. What to wear, what to eat, where to go, what to watch and so on. And, I believe, there are many times that there is a RIGHT DECISION and a WRONG DECISION. But I also believe that there are times when God basically says, “I don’t care. Do what you want.” You see, I don’t think God cares if I have a Chicken Salad Sandwich or a Turkey on Rye.” I care, everyone knows Chicken Salad is better, but I don’t think God cares.
And I don’t think God cares whether I shop at Wal-Mart or Dollar General. But there are some things that God does care about. There is a RIGHT CHOICE and a WRONG CHOICE. And that’s what I want to talk to you about this morning. Turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy Chapter 30.
We’ll start reading at Verse 15 and we’ll read to the end of the Chapter.
“See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
This Chapter, Deuteronomy 30, is part of Moses’s farewell speech to the Nation of Israel. He knew that he would soon die.
And, in fact, he does die just 4 Chapters later in Chapter 34. And so Moses with some of his last words to the Nation of Israel explains to the people that there is a CHOICE for them to make.
Verse 15 tells us that there is a choice between LIFE and DEATH and GOOD and EVIL.
Verse 19 tells us that there is a choice between LIFE and DEATH. BLESSING and CURSING.
Listen, there are folks out there who are 5 point Calvinists. Most Presbyterians. Some Baptists. Others. They believe that God created some to go to Heaven and some to go to Hell. Can I tell you what the Bible teaches? God created ALL of US to go to HEAVEN. Jesus died for ALL.
Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
But God didn’t create ROBOTS to only do what they were PROGRAMMED to do. He created YOU and I with a FREE WILL. And that’s why we have CHOICES, DECISIONS to make in this life that will affect us for all eternity.
So should you shop at Wal-Mart or Dollar General? Casey’s or Quik Trip? Tractor Supply or Atwoods?
I don’t care and I don’t think God cares either. But there are some things that God does care about and that’s what I want to talk to you about this morning. But before we do let’s go to the Lord in Prayer.
Brother ____, would you lead us?
First of all, I want to make a statement. To CHOOSE not to CHOOSE is a CHOICE. And that CHOICE takes away all of the other CHOICES.
It’s interesting to me that in Joshua 24, Joshua is in the same boat that Moses was. The man who took over for Moses when he died is now getting ready to die himself. And he basically tells the people the same thing that Moses had told the people. In Verse 15 of Joshua 24 he says,
“Choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
And so some of the younger people who had HEARD the words of Moses many years earlier are now hearing the words of Joshua. YOU MUST DECIDE. YOU MUST MAKE A CHOICE.
And all of us setting here today must decide. We all have CHOICES to make today. Some won’t matter. Like ... Where you will eat for lunch. Charlies’ Chicken, Luigi’s, Dee’s or Senor Salsa.
Whether you take a 1 hour nap or a two hour nap. These things won’t matter but what you decide to do with Jesus is what will matter.
So let’s look at some of the CHOICES the Nation of Israel had to make.
I. First of all, they had to choose WHO they would SERVE.
In Verse 16, Moses COMMANDS the people to LOVE GOD, WALK in His WAYS, and KEEP His COMMANDMENTS, STATUTES and JUDGMENTS.
God commands it, Moses commands it, later on Joshua would command it but the people would have a CHOICE. Verse 17 starts off with the word “BUT”. To the CONTRARY.
“But if thine HEART turn away.”
You see, what Moses was saying here was the CHOICE they would make, WHO they would serve, was a HEART DECISION. Listen, they could reason this out all they wanted. And me, looking back 4000 years, it seems to be an EASY DECISION. You can serve a REAL and LIVING GOD or a DEAF, FAKE FALSE GOD.
But here’s the deal. Part of SERVING a REAL GOD was that this REAL GOD EXPECTED OBEDIENCE. That FAKE, FALSE PIECE of STONE or WOOD didn’t require anything. And so it had to be a HEART DECISION. #1, did they really believe in that REAL GOD and #2, were they willing to obey that God?
And folks, that same decision has to be made today. WHO are you gonna serve? What CHOICE will you make today? And, once again, it has to be a HEART DECISION.
Romans 10:9 and 10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
When the Bible talks about believing with your heart it’s NOT TALKING about a MUSCLE that PUMPS BLOOD. It’s talking about the fact that MAN is a spirit; he has a soul; and that SOUL lives in a body.
So what does it mean when the Bible talks about the HEART? Well here’s a good example.
When we talk about the HEART of a tree. What do we mean? We mean the center, the very core.
When talk about the HEART of a subject. What do we mean? We mean the most important part of that subject . The MAIN PART. What everything revolves around.
And when God speaks about the heart, He is talking about the main part of man; the very CENTER of man's being, which is his spirit. When God speaks of the heart, He means the human spirit.
According to Romans 10, we have to BELIEVE and TRUST in God with our SPIRIT. Our very BEING. And a lot of folks aren’t willing to do that. For one thing, it REQUIRES OBEDIENCE.
We CANNOT come to God on our own terms, we have to come to Him on HIS TERMS.
We CANNOT serve God on our own terms, we have to serve Him on HIS TERMS.
Luke 9:23 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
Serving God is a DAILY TASK. It’s a WAY of LIFE. It’s what God expects.
Now here’s the deal. Satan really doesn’t expect anything. Serve and Praise him if you want to, ignore him if you don’t.
Live in Perversion if you want to, live a pretty good life if you’d rather. Satan doesn’t even get jealous if you become your own god. So why doesn’t he care? Because he knows where these things will lead you. Straight to hell.
So you need to make your choice WHO you will serve, One or the other.
Verse 15 “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;”
God requires OBEDIENCE. Satan requires NOTHING. But serving God leads to LIFE and GOOD ... serving Satan leads to DEATH and EVIL. So the Children of Israel had to make a CHOICE WHO they would SERVE.
II. Secondly, they had to choose HOW they would LIVE.
We’ve already talked about the fact that God expects OBEDIENCE. And so you could say the CHOICE for them was to LIVE in OBEDIENCE or in DISOBEDIENCE. But there’s more to it than that. How would these folks LIVE their LIVES? Can you do something for me. Imagine this in your mind because this really happened. This event occurred around 4000 years ago. Put yourself there in the wilderness. Right at the edge of the Jordan River. And there in front of all these people is a 120 year old man. And here’s what he says in Verse 19,
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”
Here’s the CHOICE that they had to make. They could live a BLESSED LIFE there in the Land of Canaan or they could live a CURSED LIFE. THIS IS ONE OF THE CHOICES THAT MATTERED. This was a CHOICE that God cared about.
According to Verse 16, a BLESSED LIFE involved a FRUITFUL LIFE. MULTIPLYING, PROCREATION, BEARING and RAISING CHILDREN. Becoming parents, grandparents, and even great grandparents.
A BLESSED LIFE involved a LONG LIFE.
And a life of CONTENTMENT. SUCCESS at driving the ENEMIES out of the land. See what it says there in Verse 15. LIFE and GOOD.
The ALTERNATIVE to this was a CURSED LIFE.
Verse 18 tells us that a CURSED LIFE will NOT have their days PROLONGED. It tells us that there will be Death and Evil.
And living a CURSED LIFE they wouldn’t have any SUCCESS of driving out their enemies.
And living a CURSED LIFE there would NO FUTURE for them or their children.
But the CHOICE was up to them. Would they OBEY God?
And people all over our land, all over our world will make choices everyday HOW they are going to LIVE. What’s important in their LIVES. Whose important in their LIVES. Choices and Decisions that God cares about. The Choices we make SHOW EVERYONE what our PRIORITIES are.
Proverbs 19:20 and 21 tells us,
“Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
21 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.”
When it’s all said and done, when the SERVICE is over. The Pallbearers have carried you to the GRAVE. And you’re let down, the DIRT is thrown down on top of you, THE CHOICES you have MADE will either STAND or FALL. HOW YOU LIVED YOUR LIFE is ALL that you will be remembered for.
Look how Verse 20 starts.
“HEAR COUNSEL AND RECEIVE INSTRUCTION.”
Now look how Verse 21 ends.
“THE COUNSEL OF THE LORD, THAT SHALL STAND.”
How are you going to LIVE your LIFE? By your OWN DEVICES? Your OWN PLANS? Your OWN WAYS?
Proverbs 14:12 “ There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
OR... According to the COUNSEL of GOD. One won’t last and the other will. But the CHOICE is up to you. So the Nation of Israel had to DECIDE, they had to CHOOSE “WHO THEY WOULD SERVE” “HOW THEY WOULD LIVE”
III. And thirdly, they had to choose WHERE they would DIE.
This may sound kind of funny. They had a CHOICE to make where they would die. You see, 40 years earlier the Children of Israel had been at this same spot. They had sent out 12 spies into the Land of Canaan. One from each tribe. And when they had come back, they told about the wonderful things they had seen but they also told about the GIANTS in the land. 10 out of the 12 spies were scared to go and those 10 convinced the rest of the people to not cross over the Jordan River. And so for 40 years they wandered in the wilderness. According Numbers 14, all those over the age of 20 died during those 40 years.
The only exception were the two spies who wanted to go on over. Joshua and Caleb. Let’s read Numbers 14:26-32,
“And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against me.
30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.”
And so 40 years later the Children of Israel are back to the same spot. Now do they CHOOSE to go on over, live in the Promised Land and die there or do they CHOOSE to LIVE and DIE in the wilderness like their parents?
Now here’s what we know. The Children of Israel CHOSE WHO THEY WOULD SERVE. The TRUE and LIVING GOD.
They CHOSE HOW they would LIVE. A LIFE that was PLEASING to God. A LIFE where their Priorities were straight. A LIFE where they could have children and grandchildren.
And they CHOSE where they would both LIVE and DIE. In the Land of Canaan. The Promised Land.
Verse 15 of Deuteronomy 30 is still relevant today.
“See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;”
You have a CHOICE to make this morning. Where will you LIVE and DIE? Will you LIVE in the CENTER of God’s will and then enter the Promised Land when you die? Or will you choose to WANDER in the Wilderness of Sin and DIE THERE?
We ALL have that decision to make this morning. We all have CHOICES to make. And, I believe, God cares about the ones that affect our lives. He wants us to make the RIGHT CHOICE.
ILLUS: I remember years ago I read about a married couple who had one daughter. The mother was a Christian who served the Lord with all of her heart. The father was an Agnostic. He really didn’t know what to think about God and so he stayed at home while his wife took their daughter to church. But as the years went by the daughter got older and one day she asked why she had to go to church. Daddy CHOSE NOT TO, why did she have to go?
Mama said she should but daddy said “No, she doesn’t have to go if she doesn’t want to. She can choose for herself. Your WAY or MY WAY”
And so as the years went by the daughter did her own thing. Lived life her own way. Didn’t worry about MORALS or OBEYING God’s Word. But then the day came that she got very sick. She was rushed to the hospital but the doctors gave them little hope. She would die. When the father heard he rushed to the hospital and ran into her room. And this is what he said, “Honey, I have been a FOOL. CHOOSE MAMA’S WAY!!!”
So many choices to make and a lot of them really don’t matter. But some CHOICES, some DECISIONS do matter and there is ONE that all of us will make that will effect where we will spend eternity. In Heaven or in Hell.
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”
WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE TODAY?
Let’s Pray
