Whom Will you Serve?
Notes
Transcript
The four Points of the compass of our life
The four Points of the compass of our life
Introduction:
People have always worshipped something. Even today we worship things.
Often times we think of worship as Robes, and taking place in a temple, but in reality worship takes place in our lives.
There are many things that fight for our worship:
popularity
money
relationships
drugs/alcohol
There are many things that fight for our attention and for our worship, and if you think about it right now, what has your heart?
What is it that you are pursuing or are chasing after
Point one: the god’s of our parents
Point one: the god’s of our parents
“So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone.
There is this term is phycology called the “law of exposure”. What this means is that our lives are determined by our thoughts, and our thoughts are determined by what we are exposed to.
Our minds absorb and we ultimately live out whatever we are frequently exposed too.
Having a parent that suffers from alcohol abuse issues may deeply and profoundly impact your development and overall life. As a result of your parent’s alcohol misuse, you may have experienced long-lasting problems that have persisted into adulthood.
Surviving a chaotic, dysfunctional environment as a child, or growing up in an alcoholic home can lead to the development of certain maladaptive characteristics. These maladaptations can lead to issues in relationships and negatively affect your psychological wellbeing.1
What we are exposed to, effects the way we live. What are you exposed to?
What has effected the way you live, the way you see yourself, the way you see God?
If a parent is missing or abandons you, it leaves a whole lot of Hurt that effects the way you live out your life.
Girls without fathers look for that love in other places that leads to hurt, and more hurt, as you slowly give yourself away to whatever it is that you are looking to take away the pain and hurt.
Drugs
Alcohol
Boys
Friends
Sports
Boys might do things for attention, even if it is bad attention, at least they are being noticed.
What are the god’s or your parents that are effecting your life today?
Point two: the god’s of your past
Point two: the god’s of your past
“ The god’s your ancestors worshipped… In Egypt”
Joshua who is saying this, specifically calls up the things of the past. The people he is talking to were delivered from slavery and bondage, yet some still held onto it.
It was what they associated themselves as, and therefore they continued to worship false god’s of the past that kept them bound.
Where do you find yourself today?
Do you still struggle with things from your past before you came to Christ?
Do you still struggle with hurts from the past, or labels that have been put on you by others?
Are these god’s still dictating your life and the way you live?
Do they still effect your way of thinking?
Point Three: Gods of our Culture
Point Three: Gods of our Culture
“Or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.”- Joshua 24:15
But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Just like the people who Joshua is talking to we live in a very diverse culture.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
This verse is saying, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its mold.”
Don’t let culture dictate who you are, or how to live your life. Don’t let the influence of others steal away what God wants to do in your life.
what are the influence that this world are on your life? We live in a world full of influencers. They are on youtube, instagram and especially Tic-Tok. They have gotten to the place of being paid because company’s see the effect they have on everyone’s life
Culture says, “be like this to fit in.”
Or “Do this and you will be happy.”
What is it that influences your life? Are you happy? or are you chasing after others yet never being satisfied so you continue your pursuit.
Point Four: God Himself
Point Four: God Himself
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond 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.”
This final option is actually the only real option because all the others are just a mirage. They truly aren’t god’s at all just distractions from the truth.
The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott “Dedication Is Abandonment”
Bishop Michael Chang, preaching in Westminster Abbey on November 1, 1948, said “Dedication is abandonment—abandonment to Christ of all we are, of all we have.”