Will You Choose Life or ... ?

Introduction (5m)

Distribute Choices/Events and consequences around congregation.

Ask people to read out A cards and invite congregation to decide which B card it is linked to.

Every action we do has a consequence. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Ask: What other choices could have been made?

Ask A & B card holders to face each other across congregation.

Explanation (5m)

God or Idols?

In first reading, Moses is explaining to people of God that their decisions and actions would have consequences

God rescued them from slavery, given them freedom.

But now they would have to choose to stay free

Deuteronomy 30:15–18 NLT

“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy. “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.

Could worship God and choose to live the way he wanted them to, and they would stay free.

Or they could turn to the idols of stone or wood but they would be destroyed and lose the Promised Land.

They had a choice between life and death, blessings and curses

Deuteronomy 30:19–20 NLT

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

What would you choose?

Life and blessings, of course.

But the OT shows us that it wasn’t as simple as that. Despite the choices laid out before them, times when they chose to be tempted by idols of their time and pray to gods who were not gods. Why? Because everyone else was doing it.

Life presents us with a series of choices

Easy to make the wrong choice and get lost in knotted mess of decisions and consequences. People of Israel had been rescued from slavery in Egypt, but often made the wrong decision to follow false gods and found themselves in slavery to their idols instead.

When Jesus came to earth, he asked us to make a choice too

He offers us life, freedom, forgiveness for our past, a new beginning

All we have to do is choose to trust him. To choose life.

Or we can reject him, refuse to love him, refuse to obey him and follow his purpose for our lives

Jesus died for us and took on himself the consequences of all our bad decisions

Cut the string between the A & B cards.

Gather up the B cards and lead B cardholders to the cross.

The cross means we are free to begin again and start living - really living.

It doesn’t mean mess magically disappears overnight

There may still be consequences to deal with - perhaps even over a lifetime.

But we do have someone who will help us find our way to freedom, healing and peace.

Cardholders back to their seats.

Paul told the Corinthians to grow up

They were choosing to get tied up in controversies and arguments

Does that sound familiar?

They were choosing between Apollos and Paul and fighting over who was best!

Paul reminded them that both he and Apollos were merely servants of God.

The Corinthian Christians shouldn’t be fighting over who was best, but seeking to be servants of God themselves:

1 Corinthians 3:7–9 NLT

It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

Application (5m)

The challenge of decision-making is always with us

We sometimes have to choose between God and his will and making money, achieving success, being popular, having many possessions.

We are called to choose to follow Christ and to accept his forgiveness, freedom, healing and peace.

We are called to act as mature Christians, respecting differences and diversity, attempting to see things from God’s perspective rather than blindly following our own agenda.

Choices always have consequences

Jesus will face them with us and will be there even when we get it wrong.

We need to ask for his guidance and listen to other people we know to be wise.

We need to choose life and the love that comes from God.

Next Steps

Prayer Activity