Bella Vista Church of Christ
Randall Caselman
June 3, 2001 A.M.
Choosing Today Whom We Will Serve
Reading - Joshua 23.1-8 & 24.14-28
Our lesson this morning is pointed directly at making a decision for Christ.
-Joshua admonishes us to... Choose today who we will serve.
-Paul tells us that... Today is the day of salvation... Now is the accepted time to do right.
If you've been thinking about a decision to obey the Gospel... Or doing something God wants you to do... Let this sermon speak to your heart, as an encouragement to act now... While there is still time.
The context of our reading this morning is Joshua's farewell address. He calls Israel to their day of decision. You see... TODAY... There are some things we know that we ought to do... RIGHT??... May God help us to decide to be His people... His person this very day.
Audience... Their challenge... Israel's challenge... Now becomes our challenge.
Notice with me now some important aspects of decision making.
First... The place may be important.
This final speech by Joshua is made at Shechem. Bible scholars have always questioned why not at Shilo... Shilo was the Capital of conquest Cannan. Why move the tabernacle... The Ark of the Covenant... And all the associated furnishings to Shechem for a farewell address?
I'm not sure... But I believe it was because Shechem was rich in Israelite history.
-It was the scene of God's first covenant with Abraham.... Jacob once lived here.
-This was a Levitical city... Shechem was a city of refuge.
-Joseph was buried here.
There is no doubt that Shechem stirred deep feelings within the people of Israel.
Sometimes our most life changing decisions come out of our deepest emotions... And sometimes a place can stir those emotions... RIGHT??
So... Sometimes the place of decision can be important.
Secondly... The time of decision is important. Joshua says... Choose this day.
There is no doubt that there are times that are right and ripe in the heart of each individual... There are times that are pregnant with possibilities. Shakespeare spoke of such times in the fourth act of Julius Caesar...
There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which taken at the flood, leads to fortune;
Omitted and life is bound in shallows and in miseries.
It is on such a full sea we now are afloat.
We must catch the tide as it serves or lose our ventures.
Jesus taught that we must do the work and will of the Father NOW... TODAY... While we can... For there will come a time when our work will be over. In Acts chapter two... The hearers of that first Gospel sermon were pricked... cut... touched... convicted by the message.
I am convinced that the Holy Spirit of God never touches the heart of an individual with such impact, such power, than that first time we are asked to decide to obey Him... In some area of life. What IF the Pentecostians had not responded to the message that day?
It would have been easier to say no to the Gospel the next time... Wouldn't it?
The time of our decision is important.
If and when you are touched... PROMPTED by the word of God to obey... Don't put it off.
You see church... Satan is behind our procrastination... He is the one saying... Not now... Not today... There will be a better time.
I'm not trying to frighten anyone, but the truth is... We're not going to live forever.
-In the Sermon the Mount, Jesus compared life to a flower... Here today gone tomorrow.
-Job likens life to a weaver’s shuttle... Moving so fast it can hardly be seen.
-James says... Life is like a mist or fog... You see it for awhile... Then it mysteriously disappears.
We ought to live every day... every hour... each moment, as if it were our last, for it could be.
Augustine said... God has promised forgiveness to our repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to our procrastination. God is saying... Today is the day of salvation... Now is the time to do what we know to be right.
We need to measure the consequences of our decision.
Joshua challenges Israel to put away the gods of their forefathers... To forsake the gods of Egypt and the Amorites... and serve Jehovah.
The people said... We will... We will!... Then Joshua seems to try to talk them out of it.
He says... Now God is jealous... He must not be taken lightly... If you promise to exclude all others and serve Him, you must keep that commitment or it will cost you. Jesus taught that... We must count the cost of discipleship.
Church... A decision for Christ is not something to be taken lightly. In fact... The Hebrews writer seems to indicate that if we turn back... If we renege on our commitment... Then the end is worse than if we had never accepted Him as our Savior. He wants us to know serving Him is a long term commitment with consequences.
Next... We note some reasons why we fail to make a choice.
Because of the false comfort of good intentions.
A few years ago... A member of our church came into my study. Because of his inappropriate behavior, with another woman, his family was falling apart... His wife had filed for divorce... In anger and hurt, he shouted at me...
-I meant to be a better husband...
-I meant to do better... I meant to be faithful...
-I meant to be a better father.
Doesn't that count for something? I said... No.... Not really.
Now folk...
-Meaning to do something...
-Meaning to become something... And doing it are two different things.
We must never, ever confuse the two as being synonymous... Because they are not. In fact, they are mutually exclusive! Mere good intentions are not enough.
James says... He that knows to do right... He that knows to do good and does it not.... Sins.
You see... MERELY HAVING good intentions is wrong... It is a sin.
At other times... We fail to choose because we refuse to face reality.
We deny our situation... We deny our need to choose or change.
We all do it don't we? We eat too much and say... with every bite...
-We can quit...
-We can go on a diet...
-We can start exercising anytime we get ready... Like tomorrow.
But... We don't... But we don't.
A refusal to face reality.
The challenge before ISRAEL... And before us is the same....
-If Jehovah be God... Then serve Him.
-If the world is God... Then serve it.
Folk... We cannot serve both.
We fail to choose because we think remaining neutral is an option. Our English word neutral comes from two words meaning not either. So... A decision not to choose is a wrong choice.
No place is this more evident than in the life of Pilate... His choice not to choose put Jesus on a cross.
The Hebrew's writer tells us... Every time we KNOW to do right and fail to choose... We crucify Jesus afresh... Put Him to open shame... And trample under foot the blood of the covenant by which we have been purchased. We become just like Pilate!
We fail to choose because we do not understand the consequences.
Audience... If there is a God... If this is His word... Then one day He will judge the world by what is found within its pages. The consequence of failing to choose God... and serve Him is eternal damnation... Eternal death.
OK... Note with me now some choices that ALL of us must make regarding God... Christ... and the Word. These decisions are not made easily... Nor are they risk free. But all of us must CHOOSE!!
We must choose between Jesus and our own self-righteousness.
Scripture teaches that:
-Only the blood of Christ can forgive sins... Save our souls.
-Only His blood can make us a child of God... Clothe us with Christ... Give us entrance into heaven.
We must know this morning that our goodness will not save us... Nor forgive one single sin. Scripture tells us that... All our righteousness is but filthy rags in the sight of God. Jesus said... I am the way... the truth... and the life... There is no way to the Father except by Me. Peter says... There is no other name given among men under heaven whereby we can be saved.
Here is where we have gone wrong audience...
It is not good people who are going to heaven, and bad people who are going to hell.
It is saved people who are going to heaven, and lost people who are going to hell.
You see... The worst form of badness... Is human goodness substituted for the righteousness... the goodness of Jesus.
Somebody says... Well I joined the church... NO. NO. NO.
One is not saved and admitted to heaven by joining a church... But by responding to Jesus Christ... His death... Burial... and Resurrection... the Gospel. In that response we are added to the body of the saved. Acts 2.47 tell us that... God adds the saved to the church.
Listen to me folk... The church is nothing more than the body of the saved to which God adds an individual when they are baptized into Christ. The church does not save... The church is the body of the saved.
Are we trying to be good enough to be saved?... I hope not... Because it is impossible. Become a child of God this morning by Faith... Repentance and New Testament Baptism... Immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins... and God will add you to the church... the saved. Let this be your day of decision.
We must make another decision... Will we love this world... or His World?
Listen to these disturbing verses from 1 John 2... Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world... The cravings of sinful man... The lust of his eyes... And the boasting of what he has and does... Comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away... But the man who does the will of God lives for ever.
On the plains of Mamre, Abraham and Lot came to their moment of decision and... Lot chose the love of the world. As a result... His life was one of misery... Lost in the shallows of worldliness. Lot ended up losing his home... his wife... and daughters... WHY? Because he decided to place this world... and the things of this world... before his God.
James 4.4 says... Don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Jesus asked... What does it profit a man... If he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?
Listen closely church:
-Before we consider the financial returns... or the pleasure of something, we had better consider the spiritual cost.
-Before we consider material things and earthly pleasures, we had better consider the moral and spiritual hazards involved in obtaining them.
It is true... We cannot serve two masters... We must decide which it will be, God or this world... His world or this world.
We must choose to live by faith or sight.
Picture this... The children of Israel standing on the mountain of decision. Ten spies had returned from the Promise Land. Joshua and Caleb said... YES... There are giants over there.... They are strong... Their cities are walled, and well fortified... The soldiers are well equipped... But with God's help, we can take it.
But scripture tells us of an evil report... A report of Doubt... Fear... Faithlessness.
A report based upon sight... not faith. Faithlessness in God and His word is always an evil report? For instance...
God has asked us to put Him first in our lives.
He asked us to trust in Him for our care and keeping.
He promises that He will work ALL THINGS out to our benefit... If we will trust Him.
The evil report says... You better look out for yourself.
Are we living by faith or sight?
He has asked us to be evangelistic in our churches.
The evil report says... Missionaries cost too much money... Require too much supervision.
Besides... We need to take care of things here at home.
Are we living by faith or sight?
God wants us to find our place in His kingdom and labor for Him.
The evil report says... I don't have the time... nor the talent.
The truth is... God has given each of us five things... TIME... TALENT... TREASURE... ENERGY... and TRUTH. And we will be judged on how we use each of these to His glory and honor.
Church... Are we living by FAITH... Or by SIGHT?... Without faith it is impossible to please Him... We must believe that He is... and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, diligently serve Him. Indeed we are in our day of decision.
We must choose to live by human logic or obedience to God.
Old Testament Saul was a man who was never happy... Never saw his life fulfilled because he always made his decisions on human logic instead of unconditional obedience.
-Recall at a place called Gilgal... Saul waited for Samuel as he was instructed... But when Samuel didn't arrive when Saul thought he should... Saul acted on human logic and offered
the sacrifice even though he was not a priest... WRONG!
-On another occasion Saul was commanded to kill all the Amalekites and completely lay waste to the land taking no prisoners or spoils... No bounty... No lute. Again he used human logic returning with captives and spoil to be offered as sacrifices.
Listen to God's response.... To obey is better than sacrifice.
We must know this morning that listening and obeying God is better than human logic.
-There is no human logic in God dying on a cross for the sins of the world.
-There is no human logic in giving ourselves to a God we cannot see.
-There is no human logic in baptism for the remission of sins.
Will we choose human logic... Or unconditional obedience to God?
Then finally... We need to decide on now, or never. We must catch the tide as it serves or lose our ventures.
Acts 24.25 tells us... As Paul reasoned of righteousness... temperance... and judgement to come Felix trembled and said... Go your way for this time... When things are more convenient... I will call for you and hear more. Felix was touched... Pricked... Cut... MOVED... Convicted by the Gospel... But he dismissed the preacher saying.... MAYBE LATER!!... MAYBE LATER!!
Think about this!!
Is there any record in the Bible where ANYONE... ANYONE ever turned down Jesus... Who later accepted him?
Here is God's advice...
-Seek you the Lord while He may be found.
-Today is the day of salvation...
-Now is the accepted time to do right.
Truly... This is our day... Our moment of decision. If this is right... Then you know what you should do... Do it now...
CHOOSE TODAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE!!...
As we stand and sing this invitation song.
Will you come?? 
