The Importance of a Father's Choice

On this Father’s Day Sunday, we are looking at two very familiar verses from Joshua 24:14-15. From these two verses I want to issue seven challenges to every man here this morning.

Joshua 24:14–15 (NKJV) 14 “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! 15 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.”

1. CHOOSE TO BE THE SPIRITUAL LEADER OF YOUR HOME!

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Few, if any choices you will ever make in life will be more important than the decision you make as a Father to serve the One True God!

Joshua understood this. He knew that whether Israel chose to serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph or whether she placed herself in servitude to other gods would determine her character. Her character would then determine her future, whether blessing or cursing.

The choice of whom we serve -- the Bible's God or the world's gods -- will produce the same result. That choice will determine our character and that character will determine our future.

Let me make some facts clear about what happens as fathers and husbands decide who they'll serve.

* Fact: Studies continue to show that 90% of children whose fathers attend Church will themselves freely choose to attend and will continue to do so even when they've reached adulthood. Yet in those homes where mother takes the children to church and father never does, only 7% of those children will participate in a faith community when they reach adulthood.

* Fact: In marriages where the wife is part of a spiritual fellowship but her husband is not the divorce rate is the same two out of four as the rest of American culture. However, in those marriages where husband and wife participate together in a spiritual fellowship the divorce rate is so low as to be immeasurable.

Brothers, that's why the Word says in Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her".

That's why the Word proclaims in Ephesians 6:4, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

2. UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WILL SERVE SOMEONE OR SOMETHING!

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!

The issue is not if you will be in service to some person or power, only what or who you will serve.

Even the mighty Elephant, who has no known enemies in the animal kingdom, is still in bondage to its creator's natural plan. The Elephant will only do what nature's God demands because that is all the Elephant can do.

We too cannot exist and not be ruled by someone or something. Even the most powerful among us still have a master.

Fanatics serve hatred.

Politicians serve power and prestige.

The greedy serve money.

Our Lord Jesus Christ served the One True God.

Who or what are you serving? The object of your service will determine everything about you. It will create what you desire and value. It will set your goals and discipline your life.

3. MAKE YOUR CHOICE BASED ON FACTS, NOT FEELINGS!

15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,

Joshua laid out six historical facts concerning the character and actions of the God of Israel, which had convinced him to serve Him, the One True God.

* First, God had given Abraham truth. He took him from the idolatry of his home in Ur of the Chaldees and established a personal relationship with Abram where he discovered God's character and power.

* Second, God had given Abram an inheritance. He brought him to the land of Canaan and there promised he would be the father of a great nation and that the land of Canaan would never cease to be theirs.

* Third, God brought Abram's descendants out of the slavery of Egypt.

* Fourth, God protected them in their wilderness wanderings.

* Fifth, He kept the promise He had made to Abram and brought Israel into the Promised Land.

* And sixth, He gave them victory over their enemies.

Those historical facts were enough to convince Joshua that God was worth trusting and worth serving.

APPLICATION: As Fathers, we should make our choices for or against serving God because of the facts.

Stand the God of the Bible alongside the gods of this world and put them on trial. Even if you feel you must set up a test as Elijah did between Jehovah and Baal, go ahead. See who is able to send down fire and who isn't.

Now ask yourself whether it is the Bible's God or the world's gods who hold truth -- the real truth about who you are, why you're here, and where you're going?

Which god, the Bible's or the world's, loves you so much He sent His Son to die on a cross for you?

Which God, Jehovah or the Baals of this age, raised their Son from the grave and defeated death?

Which choice has demonstrated the grace, mercy, and miracle power to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and release the oppressed?

Can the gods of this world give you eternal life? As a father, your choice to trust Christ as your Savior not only affects your eternal destination but that of your children!

4. IF YOU CHOOSE THE GOD OF THE BIBLE, THEN GET RID OF ALL OTHER GODS! 15 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.

Jesus said, "A man cannot serve two masters. For he will either hate the one and love the other, or love the one and hate the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon."

We cannot entertain two kings on the throne of our lives at the same time. If you choose to serve God, take out the trash! Rid your life and your home of any vestige of other gods.

If you say you want to serve God and yet you worship the gods of self-pleasure and leisure at the neglect of His church where you are called to worship the One True God, then you need to throw out these other gods.

If you confess to follow Christ as your Lord and Savior but never give a true tithe on a regular and consistent bases, then you need to rid yourself of the love of money!

5. IF YOU CHOOSE TO SERVE THE ONE TRUE GOD, DO IT WITH INTEGRITY.

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

The God of the Bible won't settle for playing second fiddle. In the Book of Revelation He told the church at Laodecia, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because your are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

God is either Lord of your every thought and deed or He is master of none. If you decide to choose Him as the one you serve because you believe it is from Him alone all blessings flow, then He demands--He doesn't request--He demands that you be crucified with Christ so that you no longer live, but Christ lives in you.

God is looking for Fathers who are truly committed followers/disciples of Christ Jesus!

6. MAKE YOUR CHOICE BECAUSE OF WHAT'S RIGHT, NOT WHAT'S POPULAR.

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

If the only reason you say you're a Christian is because you want to please your family, keep your wife happy, think it will be good for the kids, or it looks good in your business circles, then then your decision is meaningless and will be unfruitful or unproductive.

God may have your lips, but He won't have your heart. It is with your lips you confess, but it is with your heart that you believe.

On the other hand, if you're afraid to serve God because neighbors, friends, or even family may ridicule you, it is time for you to stand up and be counted!

Joshua didn't care if all Israel turned its back on Jehovah. He and his family were going to serve God because it was right.

If the whole world chooses to go to Hell, you still choose to go to Heaven no matter what that hell-bound world does to you! Jesus said, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet looses his soul? What will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

7. FINALLY, MAKE YOUR CHOICE NOW AND MAKE IT PUBLICLY.

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

"Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation",declares the Word of God!

Jesus said, "If you confess me before men, I will confess you before my Father in heaven. But if you deny me before men, I will deny you before my Father in heaven."

You and I have no promise of the next moment, let alone tomorrow. Put off choosing to serve God now and it may be too late.

Do you remember when you first became a father? I remember the moment they took Penny into the delivery room. The doctor said to me, we’ll be back with your baby in just a few minutes. I remember at that moment thinking to myself, “I’m about to be a father!”

But oh, how time has passed!

So now is the day of salvation. Confess Christ now, today, and do it publicly, openly, and proudly! For what we are unwilling to confess publicly, we will not serve privately. If we're ashamed to stand up for God when all can see, we will not serve Him where none can see.

The world is not ashamed or afraid to confess publicly and proudly what they believe. Why should we, as fathers, be ashamed to confess Christ as our Lord and Savior?

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