A Gospel of your choosing
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Great family night last week. Thankful for everyone that put work into it.
Big room got painted a couple weeks ago. Big thanks to Juan for organizing and making it possible. Thank you to everyone who came out and helped.
This week we are going to the book of Joshua.
Joshua 24 to be exact.
For those that are not familiar with the book of Joshua, it chronicles the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua as lead by God, in their conquest of Canaan. Canaan is the promised land that God promised to Abraham in Genesis.
Throughout this book you will find God delivering His people in various battles.
There is an old hymn that talks about how Canaanland is just in sight.
First off, great hymn. One day we will work it in to our worship service. I love incorporating old hymns into our music. I love new music too, I listen to crowder and casting crowns but I can enjoy some of the gaithers to.
Second, while a great song of rejoicing…the Canaan that the Israelites entered wasn’t the picture of Heaven that some may view it as.
Yes, after the conquest it was much like Heaven. Reaping the benefit of things we did not build or sow.
But when the Isrealites got to Canaan, they had to fight their way through.
I see Canaan as more of a picture of the Christian life. Choose to trust God by faith and He will deliver you through the battles of life.
We saw a couple weeks ago how the Israelites chose not to trust God and he made them wonder for 40 years in the desert.
Life without faith in Christ is just wondering in the desert.
This chapter of Joshua is Joshua’s farewell address to the nation of Israel and how they should proceed.
Follow along with the first few verses and then we will examine the rest as we go along.
1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
PRAY
I. God has made His choice
I. God has made His choice
V.3 says that God took Abraham. He chose him. It wasn’t something Abraham had done to be righteous, he was an idol worshipper from a family of idol worshippers
Yet God chose Him to be the father of the nation that would represent Him on earth.
How do we explain that?
This gets into a discussion between to opposing thoughts on the sovereignty of God in scripture. I’m going to bring up 3 right now and remember all are man made and can have flaws.
The first is Armenianism, their key beliefs are as follows
Arminianism
Partial Depravity
humanity is depraved but still able to seek God. We are fallen and tainted by sin but not to the extent that we cannot chose to come to God and accept salvation, with the help of prevenient grace from God. Given such grace, human will is free and has the power to yield to the influence of the Spirit. Note: many Arminians reject partial depravity and hold a view very close to Calvinistic total depravity.
Conditional Election
God only “chooses” those whom He knows will choose to believe. No one is predetermined for either heaven or hell.
Unlimited Atonement
Jesus died for everyone, even those who are not chosen and will not believe. Jesus’ death was for all of humanity, and anyone can be saved by belief in Him.
Resistible Grace
God’s call to be saved can be resisted and/or rejected. We can resist God’s pull toward salvation if we choose to.
Conditional Salvation
Christians can lose their salvation if they actively reject the Holy Spirit’s influence in their lives. The maintenance of salvation is required for a Christian to retain it. Note: many Arminians deny "conditional salvation" and instead hold to "eternal security."
On the other end of the Spectrum is
Calvinism
Total Depravity
As a result of Adam’s fall, the entire human race is affected; all humanity is dead in trespasses and sins. Man is unable to save himself (Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-18).
Unconditional Election
Because man is dead in sin, he is unable to initiate a response to God; therefore, in eternity past God elected certain people to salvation. Election and predestination are unconditional; they are not based on man’s response (Romans 8:29-30;9:11; Ephesians 1:4-6, 11-12) because man is unable to respond, nor does he want to.
Limited Atonement
Because God determined that certain ones should be saved as a result of God’s unconditional election, He determined that Christ should die for the elect alone. All whom God has elected and for whom Christ died will be saved (Matthew 1:21; John 10:11; 17:9; Acts 20:28; Romans 8:32; Ephesians 5:25).
Irresistible Grace
Those whom God elected He draws to Himself through irresistible grace. God makes man willing to come to Him. When God calls, man responds (John 6:37, 44; 10:16).
Perseverance of the Saints
The precise ones God has elected and drawn to Himself through the Holy Spirit will persevere in faith. None whom God has elected will be lost; they are eternally secure (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:3-14).
And then, the system I believe to be most accurate and has only recieved its name in recent years, is
Provisionalism
https://www.gotquestions.org/provisionism-provisionist.html
People sin
Which separated all from fellowship with God.
Responsible
Able-to-respond to God’s appeals for reconciliation.
Open door
For anyone to enter by faith. Whosoever will may come to His open arms.
Vicarious atonement
Provides a way for anyone to be saved by Christ’s blood.
Illuminating grace
Provides clearly revealed truth so that all can know and respond in faith.
Destroyed
For unbelief and resisting the Holy Spirit.
Eternal security
For all true believers.
If you were to ask me where we as a church fall, that would be it.
What does that mean though?
Well, it means I do believe God soveriegnly chose Abraham and knew what his response would be and Abraham had the free will to choose how he would respond.
Abraham in this passage is like us, we are born in sin
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.
He was living a life apart from God. And God chose Him, not for salvation. But to be a living example based upon his faith.
Abraham is mentioned in the hall of faith Hebrews 11 and there we see that he lived by faith
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
And in romans, Paul wrote about him and said
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
He believe God. God called Him, Abraham responded by faith, and God chose to have Him represent Him.
Every person has been called to salvation
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Those three verses alone I believe prove that Jesus died for all and God wants everyone to be saved but not all will respond.
What does that mean to you?
God is calling. Old song of the faith-Jesus is calling. Calling sinners to come home.
God has chosen to send Jesus to die for you. You need to choose to respond to Him.
God has made His choice, will you?
Because
II. God’s Choice can deliver you
II. God’s Choice can deliver you
Abraham chose to follow God and God delivered Him out of the land of idols and into Canaan. he multiplied his descendents resulting in the 12 sons of Jacob that were the heads of the 12 tribes.
4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
7 And when they cried unto the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
Abraham to Moses, men who were leading the nation of Israel chose by faith to follow God and God delivered them.
Were all of their journey’s easy? No. Will your life as a Christian be easy? No.
Abaraham had to fight in battles, Isaac had family issues and sons that hated each other, Jacob was tricked into marrying a woman he didn’t want, ended up with children mothered by 4 different women and had his son Joseph removed from Him for 20 years.
Moses and Aaron had the wilderness, the confrontation with Pharoah, and the complaining Israelites.
It wasn’t easy but in choosing to live by faith in God, God delivered them through their lives.
Almighty creator God has chosen in his sovereignty to make salvation by grace through faith. And you can have access to that faith in Christ when you make a choice to believe in Him.
Now, let me approach something that until recent days I wasn’t sure how to reconcile but I am comfortable bringing it in front of you now.
It’s the doctrine of Predestination.
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The question I had asked for a long time was how do I reconcile this?
The question asked as I studied this…Why do I need to?
We create a false dichotomy when think that God’s predestining someone to Heaven predestines others to Hell. It’s that second part that we dont’ find in scripture. It’s possible to have that thought but I don’t believe it is accurate.
What we do have written in the Bible is that God predestined some and whosoever will may come.
Why can’t both be true? Well Pastor it doesn’t seem fair. Remember, your not God. God determines fair.
I don’t believe He said “ok, you heaven, you heaven, you hell, you hell, you heaven.”
Remember 2 Peter 3:9…Not His will that any should perish.
It’s also true that not all of us are meant to have lives like David, or Solomon, or Charles Spurgeon, or Billy Graham. We are not called to those types of lives. We are called to be faithful to the Lord in the areas He has us.
That’s why I speak so often of the role you are in. What is the role God has you in now? How can you be faithful in those roles?
A young preacher once approached Dr. F. B. Meyer and asked how he could one day become as influential and well-known as Dr. Meyer. Dr. Meyer responded, “Don’t waste your time waiting and longing for large opportunities which may never come. But faithfully handle the little things that are always claiming your attention.”
God has made his choice to call people to salvation. God’s choice will deliver you.
III. Your Choice will Determine your deliverance
III. Your Choice will Determine your deliverance
The Israelites were chosen by God and have conquered the land of Canaan by God’s grace and His might. Now Joshua is telling them your choice to follow after God will be the determining factor in your blessing
14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, 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, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;
Joshua tells them, you choose. Choose who will serve. The God’s of your ancestors who are idols and do nothing OR choose the one true God that has proven Himself time and time again.
Of course they all said “We will follow God. God forbid we forsake Him.”
If you know the story of Israel at all, this was the equivalent of a child saying “If you buy me this, I’ll clean my room EVERYDAY.”
Joshua, stood firm though. He sat the example.
As for me and my house…we will serve the Lord.
He decided that day there is no reason I wouldn’t serve God.
He has chosen me. He has delivered me. I will serve Him and so will my family.
Living in the 21st century we have the same choice to make. Do we serve God or do we serve idols? Do we serve God or self?
What choice will you make? Are you willing to fully surrender to the Lord? Are you willing to be like Samuel who said “Speak Lord for your servant heareth?” Would you be like Isaiah who said “Here am I Lord Send me?”
Will you say “God if you call me to do something I will do it without reservation?”
God I’ll give, I’ll go, I’ll do, I’ll give up, all I want is you.
God has chosen how He will conduct Himself. His choice for you is one of deliverance.
Jesus said He wants us to have life and have it more abundantly.
How do we have that abundant life? By choosing to serve God with it.
What does it mean to serve God though?
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
That sounds great right? I bear my cross for God. What is that though? I do not believe it is putting up with the difficulties of life.
As you serve the Lord you will find difficulties yes but to take up your cross isn’t about the difficulties.
First notice that service to God is personal.
Take up YOUR cross. Don’t try to serve or live for the Lord how someone else does. Joshua didn’t say As for me and my house we will serve the Lord and you should to.
He spoke for himself because thats all you can give an account to the Lord for.
I heard of a great message one time about staying in your little red wagon. (TALK ABOUT RED WAGON)
Second, Taking up a cross is following after Christ. It’s taking everything you are and giving it over to God.
It’s not allowing the cup God has for you to pass from you.
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Does God have you in the role of someone that needs to forgive…then forgive…Does God have you in the role of someone who needs to love, then love.
God made His choice in Sending Jesus to die for you and His choice has provided a means for deliverance. Will you choose that deliverance?
Will you choose to live in that deliverance? Will you choose that deliverance by faith?
Time of Response
Time of Response