What Shall I Become

It’s A New Year-What Am I Going To Become

NLAC 1-19-14 Joshua 24:11- Ephesians 4:17-32

How many of you can think of at least one area in your life that you would like to see changed in 2014? In our Marriage Sensation class last Sunday, one of the things that stuck out was the speaker saying “I guarantee you this, you will not be the same person in five years as you are today”. How many of you can be look back and see, that you are not who you were five years ago? Was there any one thing that got you to where you are today or was it more of a series of choices that you made?

What you are and where you re on December 31st, 2014 is being determined by what you are doing and choosing to do with your life right now. How many of you think of yourself as being pretty smart? You don’t really need people telling you what to do. The problem is is that most of us are pretty smart.

As a matter of fact, we are so smart, we have the ability to deceive even ourselves. Have you ever tricked yourself? You convinced yourself, you could do something and not get caught, or you could do something and not face a consequence, or you could do something that other people did and messed themselves up, but it wasn’t’going to happen to you like that but it did.

One thing about us as Americans is that we got our rights. We all have our own opinion. Why is your opinion better than mine. I have my freedom. How many of you enjoy having freedom? Have you ever thought what is necessary for you to have freedom? Can you think of a decision you made that cost your freedom, all because you did what you wanted to do.

A couple of months ago I had a phrase in one of my sermons that said many people believe that being free is being able to say I can do what I want, when I want, with whom I want, as long as I don’t hurt anyone.

Although many of us won’t actually say this, there is a part of us that believes this. The only problem is, if you actually live like this you are eventually going to hurt you. If you hurt you will hurt those who care and love you. You will eventually hurt those who hang out with you. You will even hurt those who are coming after you. How many of our kids start out a disadvantage simply because their parents had this philosophy. How many times does a whole family suffer because one member of the family tries to live like this?

I can do what I want, when I want with whom , I want as long as I don’t hurt anyone. If you live like this in January, there will be a list of people hurting in December. You may not even like the person you will have become. One of the interesting books in the bible is the book of Judges. It is the book which describes the time period after Joshua had led the people into the promise land that God wanted them to have, and before there were kings.

God was suppose to be the people’s king and God had given them the law to obey so that they could be free to enjoy their lives. God only gives us laws to protect us. But we are smart enough to believe that no, this law is really holding me back from a good time. How many of you know a good time is not defined by how something feels at the moment, but what were the consequences that followed.

Going out with the most popular guy may feel great, but then he when he posts on facebook on how he won the $20 bet that he could get you to have sex with him and now you’re history does not feel so good does it. But you got to do what you wanted to do, when you wanted to do it, with whom you wanted, but you couldn’t stop somebody from getting hurt.

We misunderstood the connection between our freedom and God’s love for us. God’s people had been slaves in Egypt for over 430 years. They suffered every kind of abuse imaginable, even to the point of being forced to throw their baby boys into the River. They cried out to God and in his great compassion, he delivered them and told them. Look as long as you will follow me, you will not have to suffer abuse and beatings like you did under the king Pharoah.

When Joshua was their leader, they followed the Lord and they won victory after victory and overcame the people in the land. When Joshua was getting old and thinking it was about time to die he called the people together to give them one final public speech. In that speech Joshua told them all that God had done for them. How he delieverd them out of Egypt. How he fed them in the wilderness. How they had defeated nations, they never should have been able to defeat. He then says to them :