Choose!

Scripture

Joshua 24:15-1

Joshua 24:14–15 NASB95

14 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Introduction 1

Introduction 1

(Another way to start: In some films and cartoons when a character has to make a choice, there are two figures that pop up on their shoulder....)

Have you ever been in a store trying to choose between two pairs of shrts that you like, or two pairs of shoes that you like or between two choices and because you couldn’t decide, you ended walking out the store with both?

Have you ever been in the same situation where you can’t decide between two choices, but eventually you choose one because you can’t afford to take both of them?

When it comes to your relationship with God, what type of shopper are you?

Are you the former, where you see God but you also see gods of materialism, gods of pleasure, gods of money and gods of emotion and can’t decide which one you want to serve so you take all of them?

Or are you the latter, where you live in a world full of different gods you can choose from, and there is a battle between what the flesh wants and what the spirit wants, but you eventually make a choice because you know that the wages of sin is death and that is simply a price you can’t afford?

Which shopper are you?

Today we are going to talk about the little gods that we struggle with everyday and that is trying to pull us away from serving the one true God. And before you tell yourself too quickly you don’t serve any other gods, let me put this into perspective for you. Martin Luther said that anything you rely on or place your trusts in more than God, is a god. He said that it is impossible to break any commandment without first breaking the first: “You shall have no other gods before me.” In other words, at the root of every sin, there is a god trying to take the throne of our lives.

And so as we talk about a few of these gods today, as a title of this message, I want to encourage you with one word: Choose!

Introduction 2

In our text, their are two main characters outside of God: Joshua and the Israelites.

Before God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites had spent 400+ years in a nation that was polytheistic as oppose to monotheistic. Polytheistic means to worship many or a multiplicity of gods. For the Egyptians, there was the sun god and the moon god and the rain god. A person who is monotheistic worships one God.

Before God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites had spent 400+ years in a nation that was polytheistic as oppose to monotheistic. Polytheistic means to worship many or a multiplicity of gods. For the Egyptians, there was the sun god and the moon god and the rain god. A person who is monotheistic worships one God.

In Exodus, we see God raising up Moses to lead the Israelites out of 400+ years of slavery.

Before God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites had spent 400+ years in a nation that was polytheistic as oppose to monotheistic. Polytheistic means to worship many or a multiplicity of gods. For the Egyptians, there was a sun god and the moon god and the rain god. A person who is monotheistic worships one God.

The highlight how large polytheism or serving multiple gods was in the ancient world I want to bring you attention to the first verse in the Bible: . When we read , In the beginning God created the Heavens in the earth, to the ancient readers, it was a very dramatic thing to say because polytheism was the normal. So when an ancient reader read it, the focus wasn’t on the detailed scientific play to play of how God created the world like we make it today, but the focus was on that one God created the world. To ancient reader, saying “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, is making the statement that there was no moon God, there was no sun, there was no rain god or sea god, but there was one God that made everything.

In Leviticus, God establishes the levitical priesthood (what Pastors and preachers are today) what it means to be holy and set apart.

In Numbers, the wilderness story is told, what would have been 1 year in the wilderness turned into 40 years because of the Israelites lack of trust in God (unnecessary hardship -11am service), and Moses ends up doing something that causes God to replace him as the person that will lead the Israelites into the Promised land.

So from Genesis to where we are now in our text God has been trying to shape a people who are used to a polytheistic world into being monotheistic and therefore serving Him, the one true God.

Deuteronomy is Moses’ last speech to them before he dies and Joshua takes leadership over Israel.

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.

Joshua, was the successor of Moses. He was one of the few people that could say that he was a slave in Egypt, survived the 40 years in the wilderness and was alive when they made it to the Promised Land. Joshua has led the people into the Promised land, fought many battles, divided up the land and now in chapter 24 Joshua is getting up in age and he is giving his last “State of the Union” speech. And in doing so, he understands that though the Israelites may seemingly (say seemingly) be monotheistic. Though the Israelites seemingly or look like they serve one God, he knows that for many of them, secretly, behind closed doors, when no one is watching, under the sheets and in the dark corners and areas, many of them still have polytheistic tendencies.

Before God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites had spent 400+ years in a nation that was polytheistic as oppose to monotheistic. Polytheistic means to worship many or a multiplicity of gods. For the Egyptians, there was the sun god and the moon god and the rain god. A person who is monotheistic worships one God.

And the truth of the matter is that though many Christians seem to be monotheistic. Though many Christians seem to serve the one true God. Though many Christians look like Christians dress like Christians, sing like Christians, usher like Christians, preach like Christians, hold leadership positions like Christians, secretly, behind closed doors, when no one is watching, under the sheets and in the dark corners and areas, between Monday and Saturday, many of us still have polytheistic tendencies.

and God makes Joshua, the one the who succeeded Moses, has led the Israelites into the Promised Land. This is the land in which God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the land in which they had been waiting for 40 years, since God had delivered them out of 400+ years of slavery in Egypt. When they came into the land, there were other people living inside the land, and as such, they had many battles.

No we didn’t setup Asheroth polls, or pray to other gods, but at the root of every sin is some form of idolatry.

Remember

ow we are in the Book of Joshua and Joshua has led the Israelites into the Promised Land that has been talked about ever since the book of Genesis. And in chapter 24, Joshua is getting ready to die himself and so he is giving his last speech to them.

Now we are in the Book of Joshua and Joshua has led the Israelites into the Promised Land that has been talked about ever since the book of Genesis. And in chapter 24, Joshua is getting ready to die himself and so he is giving his last speech to them.

They worshipped God on Sunday, but worshipped something else Monday through Saturday. They looked like Christians, talked like Christians, they ushered like Christians, they sung like Christians, they served in leadership like Christians, they preached like Christians, but underneath all the church clothes, they were just whitewashed tombs.

And so now in chapter 24, Joshua does two things: He reminds them of the one true God and and demands them to make a choice.

Joshua knew that the people who surrounded him, while seemingly (I said seemingly) serving God, were many of them secretly worshipping the ancient idols of their fathers

And so now in chapter 24, Joshua does two things: He reminds them of the one true God and and demands them to make a choice.

Do you mind if I allow the word to preach for itself really quick?” Look at verse 1 of chapter 24. I’m reading from the Message Bible.

Joshua 24:1–13 The Message

1 Joshua called together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He called in the elders, chiefs, judges, and officers. They presented themselves before God. 2 Then Joshua addressed all the people: “This is what God, the God of Israel, says: A long time ago your ancestors, Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor, lived to the east of the River Euphrates. They worshiped other gods. 3 I took your ancestor Abraham from the far side of The River. I led him all over the land of Canaan and multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac. 4 Then I gave Isaac Jacob and Esau. I let Esau have the mountains of Seir as home, but Jacob and his sons ended up in Egypt. 5 I sent Moses and Aaron. I hit Egypt hard with plagues and then led you out of there. 6 I brought your ancestors out of Egypt. You came to the sea, the Egyptians in hot pursuit with chariots and cavalry, to the very edge of the Red Sea! 7 “Then they cried out for help to God. He put a cloud between you and the Egyptians and then let the sea loose on them. It drowned them. “You watched the whole thing with your own eyes, what I did to Egypt. And then you lived in the wilderness for a long time. 8 I brought you to the country of the Amorites, who lived east of the Jordan, and they fought you. But I fought for you and you took their land. I destroyed them for you. 9 Then Balak son of Zippor made his appearance. He was the king of Moab. He got ready to fight Israel by sending for Balaam son of Beor to come and curse you. 10 But I wouldn’t listen to Balaam—he ended up blessing you over and over! I saved you from him. 11 “You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The Jericho leaders ganged up on you as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, but I turned them over to you. 12 “I sent the Hornet ahead of you. It drove out the two Amorite kings—did your work for you. You didn’t have to do a thing, not so much as raise a finger. 13 “I handed you a land for which you did not work, towns you did not build. And here you are now living in them and eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.

Joshua 24:1–15 The Message

1 Joshua called together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He called in the elders, chiefs, judges, and officers. They presented themselves before God. 2 Then Joshua addressed all the people: “This is what God, the God of Israel, says: A long time ago your ancestors, Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor, lived to the east of the River Euphrates. They worshiped other gods. 3 I took your ancestor Abraham from the far side of The River. I led him all over the land of Canaan and multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac. 4 Then I gave Isaac Jacob and Esau. I let Esau have the mountains of Seir as home, but Jacob and his sons ended up in Egypt. 5 I sent Moses and Aaron. I hit Egypt hard with plagues and then led you out of there. 6 I brought your ancestors out of Egypt. You came to the sea, the Egyptians in hot pursuit with chariots and cavalry, to the very edge of the Red Sea! 7 “Then they cried out for help to God. He put a cloud between you and the Egyptians and then let the sea loose on them. It drowned them. “You watched the whole thing with your own eyes, what I did to Egypt. And then you lived in the wilderness for a long time. 8 I brought you to the country of the Amorites, who lived east of the Jordan, and they fought you. But I fought for you and you took their land. I destroyed them for you. 9 Then Balak son of Zippor made his appearance. He was the king of Moab. He got ready to fight Israel by sending for Balaam son of Beor to come and curse you. 10 But I wouldn’t listen to Balaam—he ended up blessing you over and over! I saved you from him. 11 “You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The Jericho leaders ganged up on you as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, but I turned them over to you. 12 “I sent the Hornet ahead of you. It drove out the two Amorite kings—did your work for you. You didn’t have to do a thing, not so much as raise a finger. 13 “I handed you a land for which you did not work, towns you did not build. And here you are now living in them and eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant. 14 “So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship God. 15 “If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.”

Joshua 24:14–15 NASB95

14 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24 NIV

1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. 2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt. 5 “ ‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. 6 When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. 7 But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time. 8 “ ‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. 9 When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand. 11 “ ‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’ 14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.” 19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied. 23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.” 25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. 26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord. 27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.” 28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance. 29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel. 32 And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants. 33 And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.

Joshua 24:1-

Joshua 24:14–15a NASB95

14 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24

Joshua 24:14–15a NASB95

14 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15 NIV

15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:14-15a

Joshua reminds them of what God has done for them, and then exhorts them to choose the one true God. There is something about remembering what God has done for you that ought to make you want to choose him over any other god.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXI Decision—Illustrated by the Case of Joshua (No. 1,229)

JOSHUA knew that the people who surrounded him, while ostensibly serving Jehovah, were many of them secretly worshipping the ancient idols of their Mesopotamian fathers, those teraphim which were once hidden in Rachel’s tent, and were never quite purged from Jacob’s family.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXI Decision—Illustrated by the Case of Joshua (No. 1,229)

The people were nominally worshippers of Jehovah, but in very deed many of them had turned aside unto strange gods.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXI Decision—Illustrated by the Case of Joshua (No. 1,229)

Joshua could not endure double-mindedness, and therefore he pushed the people to decision, urging them to serve the Lord with sincerity, and, if they did so, to put away altogether all their graven images. He demanded from them a determination for one thing or the other, and cried, “If it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, 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 among whom ye dwell.” He shut them up to a present choice, between the true God and the idols, and gave them no rest in their half-heartedness.

In front of the pulpit there is a communion table that reads “THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.” This is what Jesus told his disciples when he was having the Last Supper with them. And so in our tradition, every first Sunday, we remember how Christ died for us, we remember how he was mocked, we remember how he was beat, we remember how he was spat upon, we remember how he was speared in the side, we remember how he was nailed to the cross for our sins. WE REMEMBER! And when we remember, it should cause us to choose him over any other god.

Be Consistent

But then in verse 14,Joshua gives another choice. He says that if serving the one true God doesn’t quite line up with what you want to do, if that seems evil or disagreeable to you, then worship the gods of your fathers or the gods of the Amorites of whose land you are in. His point is this. Whatever god you worship, at least be consistent.

If popularity on social media is going to be your god, go all the way! If your job is going to be your god, go all the way! If success is going to be your god, go all the way! If your relationship is going to be your god, go all the way! Joshua is saying that if you are not going to be wise enough to choose the one true God, then at least have the decency to not play around with God. Don’t worship God on Sunday, then Monday through Saturday you worship other gods. Be consistent!

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXI Decision—Illustrated by the Case of Joshua (No. 1,229)

Not to decide for the Lord is dangerous in the last degree. There is Lot in Sodom: perilous is his position, but the angels come to him, and they say, “This city is to be burned with fire, you must escape.” Lot is on the road at once, and ere long he reaches the mountain, and is safe. His wife is willing to go too, and yet unwilling; she wavers and delays. She has not quite made up her mind; she does not like leaving that house full of new furniture, and that wardrobe of fine linen; moreover, her neighbours, though they did not go to chapel every Sunday, and were rather loose in their morals, were very cheerful, chatty people, she did not quite like leaving them. See, she looks back! She may look back for ever, for there she stands, transformed into a pillar of salt. Oh, you who think the world has many attractions, you who would like to serve God but still feel that there is a great deal to be said on the other side of the question, come and taste this salt; its acrid flavour may be healthy to you if it makes you henceforth dread dallying and hesitating.

The other (g)ods

To make a choice is not a one time thing, but an everyday thing.

There are two choices outside of God that Joshua gives:

There are three choices that Joshua gives:

The gods of your fathers

The gods of your fathers

The gods of the Amorites in whom’s land you are living

To illustrate this, give me two youth and an adult (Luckey). These are the gods of your fathers. We are going to call them family gods. These are the gods of the Amorites of whose land you are living. We are going to call them family gods. This is Jesus Christ. This is the one true God. And this is the throne of your life and everyone of these gods want to sit on it. But there is just one small problem. There is only room for one.

We have already reminded ourselves of what Christ did for us, so lets see how these other gods play out when they take the throne. (Have girls bring lap cloth)

(Illustration with three gods.) All of them want to sit on the throne of your life, but there is only room for one.

The gods which your fathers served (Family Gods)

The gods which your fathers served (Family Gods)

(Don’t need to say again) The gods of your fathers are what we are going to call family gods.

As much as we try to not be like our parents, we do end up being a lot like them. We call it transference. A parent can transfer their attitude, their perspective on life, their personality and in this case, even their gods.

1) Busyness - Mom/Dad is obsessed with success at his/her job and is always busy. How might the god of busyness be transferred to the child. Well, though the child doesn’t have a job, she/he might tend to obsess with their schoolwork and spend all their time trying to get that perfect grade, even at their expense of their relationship with God. So what happens, because they have seen mom or dad use work as an excuse for not going to church or Bible study, they use their academics as an excuse for not coming to 1 hour of Bible Study, knowing that if a party was going on or something really fun they wanted to go to, homework or a project would not be an issue.

So if, for example, your dad or mom was obsessed with success at his job and was always working, you might tend to obsess with your schoolwork and spend all your time trying to get that perfect grade.

2) Emotional Gods - Young man that is told all his life don’t cry, real men don’t cry. But you can’t blame the parent because that’s what he or she was taught from their parents. Unknownlingly, with the good intentions of teaching their child how to be a man, they taught them how to bury their feelings, and thus created a ticking time bomb. As the boy grows he doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions so anger becomes his god because he was taught to suppress his emotions for so long.

What becomes important to us also affects our choices as to who we will serve. We have to remember that anything that comes before God can become a god which we serve.

3) Neglect - But family gods are not always one for one. Sometimes what ends up happening is that that because mom or dad didn’t deal with their gods, in creates other god sin their children. For example, let’s say dad has not dealt with his gods, so his two daughters feel neglected, but they break differently. Let’s say I had two glass bottles in my hand and they both drop. Do they break the same? Maybe, but let’s say one broke into five jagged pieces and the other glass shatters. The one that breaks into five jagged pieces is the daughter that is fast and who seeks attention from boys because she never got it from her father. Her god is boys. The glass that shattered represents the other daughter. This daughter also feels neglected but her problem is not boys. Instead, because dad never told her she was beautiful, because dad never affirmed her, she became depressed and developed low self-esteem. Her god became herself.

-Young man that is told all his life don’t cry, real men don’t cry. But you can’t blame the parent because that’s what he or she was taught from their parents. Unknowlingly, with the intentions of teaching theeir child how to be a man, they created a ticking time bomb. As the boy grows he doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions so anger becomes his god because he was taught to suppress his emotions for so long.

Using academics as an excuse for not coming to 1 hour of Bible Study, knowing that if a party was going or something you wanted to go to, homework or a project would not

4) Bitterness - Single mom has a god of bitterness because she has been hurt by the child’s father and the father is nowhere to be found. So mom raises her daughter to be independent, which is a good thing, but because mom was coming from a place of hurt and resentment towards her father, she unintentionally planted seeds of hatred towards men. When the child gets older, she dates, but because of her presuppositions towards men it doesn’t work out and so she begins to question her sexuality.

Single mom has a god of bitterness because she has been hurt by the child’s father and the father is nowhere to be found. So mom raises her daughter to be independent, which is a good thing, but because mom was coming from a place of hurt and resentment, she was really planting seeds of hatred towards men. Later on in her child’s life

5) Cheating - Dad was a rolling stone so I became a rolling stone.

So if, for example, your dad was obsessed with success at his job and was always working, you might tend to obsess with your schoolwork and spend all your time trying to get that perfect grade.

I believe their is such thing as generational curses. But I also believe their is good news and that fortunately you don’t have to be who your parents were, but through the power of Jesus cycles can be broken.

4) Temper

But fortunately, just because your parents may or may not live that way does not mean that you do; cycles can be broken.

The gods of the Amorites (Cultural Gods)

Breaking the cycle of not serving the “family gods” requires a choice to let God be God in your life and for you to be who He has called you to be.

The gods of the Amorites (Cultural Gods)

(Don’t need to say again)The gods of the Amorites are what we are going to call cultural gods.

Cultural gods are tricky, because they are the type of gods that are in your face everyday, but you don’t know that they are gods because they feel harmless, natural and normal.

God of pleasure

God of Social Media - I say high to Facebook before I say hi to God.

Being Liked

God of Money (Where thy treasure is, so is your heart)

God of pleasure

We live in a culture that says if it feels good, do it, if it itches scratch it, if you have an appetite feed it, if you have a passion, fulfill it.

So if I desire to have sex before marriage, do it. If I want to drink before I turn the age 21, drink it! If I want to smoke marijuana, get high! If I want to eat junk food all the time because I don’t like healthy food, eat up! If I want to play video games from sun up to sun down, play on! If want to listen to music that has nothing good to say, then listen up! If I want to buy even though I can’t afford it, buy it! Whatever makes you happy, do it!

And there is nothing wrong with being happy. God wants you to be happy. But when the things in this life become the source of our happiness, they become a god.

Sex

Sex is the most search word on the website, especially during 9-5, work hours.

The interesting thing about the gods of pleasure, is that before they became gods, they were gifts from the one a true God. Isn’t it amazing that we take God’s blessings and turn them into gods.

3) TV (Binge)

God of Love

1)There is nothing wrong with love.

But Jesus calls us to “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind.

The question is “Is it the Lord that you love that way or is it someone else? Is it your husband or wife, girlfriend or boyfriend, or child? Who are you loving with all your heart soul and mind?

Love has inspired great poetry. It is the plot lines of movies. We hear people say famous lines like “You complete me” and we internalize that as I’m not whole unless I have someone to complete me. But the problem with that is that we are made for God so only God can really complete me.

2) Or sometimes we become so obsessed with love that we are willing to do whatever it takes to be liked. I was in the gym one day and these two men came in. They lifted for a little, but then one guy begin to take pictures of the other with his shirt off. It was so awkward. But at then end of it all, one of them said something. he said the things we do to get a couple of likes on instagram. You may or may not take off your clothes for instagram, but are you willing to take off God to get a couple likes?

God of Money

Jesus says that we can’t serve two masters, both God and money. There is nothing wrong with money, but there is a problem with the love of money.

We use money to pay bills, to buy food, to keep the lights on, to put gas in the car, to buy a car, to go to the movies, to buy houses. How much money you have determines where you live, what clothes you wear, what car you drive and your status. And before we know it, money can easily take the throne of our lives.

A person who faithfully goes to church every Sunday but then has the opportunity to get a promotion. However, the promotion will cause them to miss church and miss Bible study and it will make them extremely more busy? What decision should they make?

When I was in corporate America, one of the things you had to do in order to move up was socialize and network. The issue for me was that the socializing was always in the context of alcohol. I was never a drinker, but slowly but surely I started to drink more and more. One day I found myself meeting my coworkers downtown at a club. I thought to myself “This is not my setting, but I got to do this if I’m going to make it in corporate America.” So I found myself with a drink in my hand and then the guys I were with begin to talk about smoking and they began to point out girls they may consider taking home that night. And immediately I had an out of body experience where I lifted out of body, turned around, pointed at myself and said “YOU DON’T BELONG HERE.” So I had to make a choice. Either I was going to stay and see how far this rabbit hole goes, or leave and choose to stand on what I believed. I quickly chose to leave.

God of Power

Underage Drinking/Drugs (Weed)

Be careful of the slippery slope of chasing money and success because you can easily end up in places you don’t belong.

God of self ( yogurt land, smashburger, pieology/blaze)

The interesting thing about most gods, is that they don’t start off as gods. They start off as gifts from God that we in turn make gods.

1) God of Social Media - I say high to Facebook before I say hi to God.

2) relativity

3) Popularity - Being liked on social media.

God of Self

There is one God that connects every god we have talked about. Whether it be a family or god or a cultural god. And that is the god of self. It is the god of self that says everything needs to revolve around me. My dreams are to be pursued, my happiness is to be pursued, my success is to be pursued, even if it means at the expense of others or my relationship with God. In Jesus demands us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily.

But you know what, for me I have found that the issue for me is not kicking the gods off the throne of my life, the issue is making sure that gods stay off. Anybody ever called yourself getting rid of something but it always found itself coming back? In , … It’s not enough to just get rid of the god, but you have to replace it with Jesus.

It’s not enough to get rid of the god of busyness by deleting things off your schedule, but you have to fill up the free time you now have with time with Jesus. Otherwise, what you deleted along with 7 other things will find itself back on your schedule. \

It’s not just about what you have been freed from, but its about what you have been freed to.

It’s not just about dying to yourself, but it’s about what you are living for.

It’s not just about getting rid of your Old self, but it’s about replacing it with the new self.

Today there is a choice on the table. Are you going to serve the one true God or are you going to serve the other gods? You can’t have them both. You are either on one side or the other. God will not have half of your soul and the world will not have half of your soul. Both God and and the world will either have all of you or none of you. No one can have two masters and no one can be without a master. Who get’s to sit on the throne of your life?

Music

And so you walk out today, I exhort you to do one thing: Choose!

And I will go first: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Social Media - I say high to Facebook before I say hi to God.

Joshua lays out this final option, but it has really been the only option all along.

If you read Joshua’s entire speech to the people, he spells out a history of how God has been actively involved with the people all along, being their source of strength, comfort, peace, and guidance.

So, in making your choice in who you will serve, you got to ask the question, “What have the other gods (choices 1-3) done for me?”

The answer is nothing; the other choices are not real.

All the other choices are gods that only mirror what we want out of our own lives, and they always turn up empty-handed because they are based on us.

Joshua had seen God move in the midst of the people, he had seen the walls of Jericho fall down, and he had experienced peace in knowing that God was going to win the battle for the people. He knew that serving God was the only choice that would lead to true happiness and fulfillment.

But it all comes down to choosing who you will serve.

This is where those 35,000 choices come into play – each choice you make determines who you serve.

Do your choices “go against the flow” or do they serve the gods of our culture and end up short?

We are all wired to worship something. Even if you do not think you worship anything, you will end up serving one of the gods in these four choices.

So who will you choose to serve?

The Israelites did not have to serve the gods of their parents. Joshua was calling them to serve a God much better who had a much better life in store for them.

Breaking the cycle of not serving the “family gods” requires a choice to let God be God in your life and for you to be who He has called you to be.

The gods of the Amorites (Cultural Gods)

When gifts from God become gods.

Luke 11

Have people bring their sins to the front.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXI Decision—Illustrated by the Case of Joshua (No. 1,229)

In closing, remember that to be between the two is, after all, utterly impossible. Though I have thus pictured some as hovering between the two armies, it is not actually the case, for every man is on one side or the other. You are either dead or alive, either justified or condemned, either in the gall of bitterness or enjoying the sweets of liberty. No man can serve two masters, and no man can be without a master. God will not have half the soul, and the world will not have half the soul. Both God and sin are imperious, and monopolizing they will have the whole or none.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXI Decision—Illustrated by the Case of Joshua (No. 1,229)

Put Christ into the heart and he will chase sin out, or keep sin in the soul and sin will put down every better thought till the man is altogether vile. When you get home write this down if you can, “As for me, I will serve the Lord.” Put your name to it in earnest. Or, if this is not to your mind, write “As for me, I will serve the world,” and put your name to it. I long to drive you to decision. If God be God, serve him; if Baal be God, serve him. Oh, may the Spirit of God lead you to decide for God and his Christ this very moment, and he shall have the praise for ever. Amen.