The choice is yours

Today’s message is part of a new series we will be working through, entitled, “Faith not in vain.”

My reason for wanting to do this:

Maureen and my conversation

How can we get ready for the end (signs of the times)

How can we have the same confidence that the apostles had, and know that when Jesus comes, I am ready?

Philippians 1:6 AMP

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

Start a Little Earlier

Rarely a week goes by when I do not fly somewhere. Friends kid me about arriving at the airport so early. I have reached the age when I do not hurry, so I start in time to prevent it. I arrive in time to check in, go through security, and drink a cup of coffee while I read the paper. When they call my flight I am at the gate and ready to go.

I drive a lot. I drive, at least in my eyes, a lot. Between 2000 and 3000 kms a month.

Invariably, in at least 80% of the cases, I find myself having to rush to the next appointment. Speeding from one town to the next.

Sometimes I cannot help it. Some event or situation or person needs my urgent attention, and I am forced to rush in between appointments.

But sometimes — most of the time — it is my fault. Because I do linger at home, pushing my time of departure as far as possible, I sometimes get myself into a situation in which I have to put my life (and the life of others) in danger.

And I have come to hate that.

And I have a genuine desire (and I am putting it in action) to just start a little earlier. Who knows, it could save my life. This is my thinking.

Rarely a week goes by when I do not fly somewhere. Friends kid me about arriving at the airport so early. I have reached the age when I do not hurry, so I start in time to prevent it. I arrive in time to check in, go through security, and drink a cup of coffee while I read the paper. When they call my flight I am at the gate and ready to go.

But always someone rushes in just before the flight attendant closes the door. I say to myself, “If you had gotten up even fifteen minutes earlier, all that rush would have been unnecessary.” Some insist on “a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands” ().

I say to myself, “If you had gotten up even fifteen minutes earlier, all that rush would have been unnecessary.”

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Some insist on “a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands” ().

And before you know it…you are unprepared for something very important.

How can we be ready? And how can we know that we are?

Ph 1:6

How can we have a faith, not in vain?

1 Corinthians 15:12–14 NKJV

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

The New King James Version Chapter 15

12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

1 Corinthians 15:13–14 NKJV

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

Different context, but point remains: If you have lived your whole life a Christian, and at the end, have nothing to show for it, your faith is in vain.

This will be the questions we would like to answer in this series. For today, however, I would like to share with you a short message about where our focus ought to be, at least in the beginning.

This is what our series will be about.

Sirach 17:11–17 NRSV

He bestowed knowledge upon them, and allotted to them the law of life. He established with them an eternal covenant, and revealed to them his decrees. Their eyes saw his glorious majesty, and their ears heard the glory of his voice. He said to them, “Beware of all evil.” And he gave commandment to each of them concerning the neighbor. Their ways are always known to him; they will not be hid from his eyes. He appointed a ruler for every nation, but Israel is the Lord’s own portion.

Sirach…17:11-17

“It was the Lord’s doing that I fell away”; for he does not do what he hates. Do not say, “It was he who led me astray”; for he has no need of the sinful.The Lord hates all abominations; such things are not loved by those who fear him. It was he who created humankind in the beginning, and he left them in the power of their own free choice. If you choose, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. He has placed before you fire and water; stretch out your hand for whichever you choose. Before each person are life and death, and whichever one chooses will be given.”

Video: Jeffrey Rosario | Elevator Series | Judgment

In the end, it is not so much God’s future decision that we need to be concerned about. Rather, it is our present choices that we should be worried about.

Revelation 22:11 NKJV

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

The Bible’s teaching about the idea that God sets before us a choice of whether or not we want to live, is clear. Here are a few verses (there are many): I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live., Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”STATEMENT: The Bible does not portray humanity as the ones having to beg God for eternal life. In fact, it teaches the exact opposite. ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die…?’

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

Here are a few verses to that effect (there are many):

Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

Joshua 24:14–15 NKJV

“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

The Bible’s teaching about the idea that God sets before us a choice of whether or not we want to live, is clear. Here are a few verses (there are many): I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live., Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”STATEMENT: The Bible does not portray humanity as the ones having to beg God for eternal life. In fact, it teaches the exact opposite. ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die…?’

,

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live., Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”STATEMENT: The Bible does not portray humanity as the ones having to beg God for eternal life. In fact, it teaches the exact opposite. ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die…?’

The Bible does not portray humanity as the ones having to beg God for eternal life. In fact, it teaches the exact opposite.

Ezekiel 33:11 NKJV

Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

, Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”STATEMENT: The Bible does not portray humanity as the ones having to beg God for eternal life. In fact, it teaches the exact opposite. ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die…?’

‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die…?’

STATEMENT: The Bible does not portray humanity as the ones having to beg God for eternal life. In fact, it teaches the exact opposite. ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die…?’

Why should you die? Why would you want to die? Answer: You don’t. But here’s the catch.

QUESTION: Why should you die? Why would you want to die? Answer: You don’t. But here’s the catch.

While many of us desire to be saved, few of us are willing to do what is necessary to have that happen.

George Bernard Shaw: “Hell is paved with good intentions, not with bad ones.”

Ellen White: “Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians; but they made no earnest effort, therefore they will be weighed in the balances and found wanting. The will must be exercised in the right direction. I will be a wholehearted Christian.”

STATEMENT: Making good decisions is probably the most important aspect of being a successful human being.

Why do we make bad decisions though?

Some reasons I could think of was the following:

Pride (Eve, David, Lucifer)

Fear/Lack of Faith (Abraham, Elijah)

Love of money/world (RYR, A & S)

Hatred of people (Jonah)

Lust (David)

Love of past life (Israelites, Lot’s wife)

But no matter what your reason for making bad decisions, it all comes down to one thing:

Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? AMP: The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart…]? The problem with humanity is that we make decisions with our hearts. (And I don’t mean that we are too emotional, as women are sometimes pointed out as to be).

Jeremiah 17:9 AMP

The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]?

The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? AMP: The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart…]? The problem with humanity is that we make decisions with our hearts. (And I don’t mean that we are too emotional, as women are sometimes pointed out as to be).

The problem with humanity is that we make decisions with our hearts. (And I don’t mean that we are too emotional, as women are sometimes pointed out as to be).

What I mean is that we are moved and directed by our sinful hearts.

We are like the man from:

Isaiah 44:15–20 NKJV

Then it shall be for a man to burn, For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it. He burns half of it in the fire; With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand. And no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Then it shall be for a man to burn, For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it. He burns half of it in the fire; With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” They do not know nor understand…Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Brian Welch “There was a battle in my brain—in my soul—and I wasn’t sure who I was going to let win. This wasn’t the drugs talking to me; this was something different. It was almost like—well, it sounds weird—but it was almost like God and the devil were fighting over my soul. Like it was spiritual fight for my life, but it was up to me to make the final choice.”

You see, God is fighting for you.

Yet, the decision will forever be up to you, as to whether or not you will be saved.

God has given us the power of free choice.

But with great privilege comes great responsibility.

And so, when it comes to your eternal security, your care should not be as to whether or not God will think you’re good enough; Your care should be, “Am I choosing Jesus?” “Do I believe him?” “Do I trust him?” Will I follow him?”

In the end, it is not so much God’s future decision that we need to be concerned about. Rather, it is our present choices that we should be worried about.

Rather, it is our present choices that we should be worried about.

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.

He has given us the freedom to choose :)

The choice is yours

Introduction

The choice is yours

The Bible teaches that God sets before us a choice