Text:
Deuteronomy 30:19:
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Joshua 24:15:
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.
Theme:
Choose This Day
Introduction:
- The Book of Deuteronomy, as the remainder of the Pentateuch, of which Deuteronomy is the 5th book, is believed by contemporary scholars to have been a writing adopted by Moses, or, simply put, written by someone else other than Moses. However, there are many portions of information that leave the consensus to be that it was written by Moses.
- The book of Deuteronomy consists chiefly of three discourses delivered to the people of Israel by Moses a short time before his death. They were spoken to all Israel in the plains of Moab, in the eleventh month of the last year of their wanderings.
- These addresses to the people are followed by what may be called three appendices, namely
(1) a song which God had commanded Moses to write;
(2) the blessings he pronounced on the separate tribes; and
(3) the story of his death and burial, written by some other hand, probably that of Joshua.
The text is within the third discourse of Moses on the plains of Moab to the children of Israel.
- The Book of Joshua is the 6th book of the Bible, of the Old Testament, and of the books of history. The Book of Joshua documents the historical accounts from the death of Moses to the death of Joshua. It is believed that Joshua, which is another Hebrew form of the name Jesus, authors this book except for the last five verses, 24:29-33, which were authored by another unknown author.
- The book is divided into three primary sections:
- The first section accounts the history of the conquering of the land of Canaan.
- The second section accounts the division of the land among the twelve tribes as well as the establishment of the Levites and the homes of the eastern tribes.
- The third section accounts the farewell addresses of Joshua and his death.
- The Book of Joshua is believed to be a derivation of both written and oral sources of information compiled into a seemingly disjointed conglomeration of literary jewels in 24 chapters.
- Typical of how God took the motley crew of Israelites and put them together in a land flowing with milk and honey
- Typical of how God has taken us, some black some white, some tall some short, some mean some nice, some loud some quiet, some studious some sensuous, some strong some weak, and allowed us all to make up His Kingdom of God community in the glory of His Holiness.
- The text is within the third section of the book where consequently Joshua is having a similar discourse with the children of Israel as Moses did previously.
- The book is divided into three primary sections:
- Both the “father” and “son” reflect the same sentiment in these two books that followed each other in Hebraic history and the Biblical canon. From this common sentiment we derive our text è CHOOSE THIS DAY
Body:
- The Bible is permeated with the concept of a CHOICE. We have to choose WHOM we will serve.
- Matthew 6:24 & Luke 16:13, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
- The Freudian psychology concurs with the premise that we have a DAILY CHOICE.
- Freudian Psychology says that we live based on some innate desire that drives us to live and be.
- Therefore, it all adds up to everybody having ONE (1), and only ONE, “master” or “desire” or “motivation” at any given time that drives their decisions and actions.
- So, choose ye EVERY day the “god” that you will serve:)
- Three primary areas of concern are evident in seeking understanding when we “CHOOSE THIS DAY”:
- The IMMINENCE of a “choosing”
- We have to choose!!
- The text says in verse 19, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you”
- You can’t hide
- Psalms 139:7-8, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.”
- You can’t cover up your past
- Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
- You have to choose between right and wrong AND be accountable for your choices
- Ultimate judgment à Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
- Daily accountability à Philippians 3:15, “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.”
- The POWER of the “choosing”
- God gives us the power to choose – Free Will!!
- We are free moral agents created by God
- Hebrews 2:6-8, “…What is man, that thou art mindful of him?….Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet….”
- God wants us to us to use own Free Will to glorify Him
- Leviticus 22:29, “And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.”
- God’s glory comes from our “choosing” Him out of our own Free Will!
- The SUBSTANTIATION of a “choosing”
- The choice is serious!!
- In our text, we have Moses explicating the seriousness of the choice of the children of Israel
- “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live”
- The choice places before us the consequences of LIFE and DEATH…BLESSING and CURSING
- It is ultimately a consequence of “life and death” à It decides your life!
- Where will you spend eternity?
- But, it also places before us TODAY the consequences of “blessings and curses” à It decides your living!
- Do you want to live in the blessings of God’s Presence or in the curses of the world’s damnation?
- “therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live”
- The right choice has awesome consequences!
- “Choose life” (explained by verse 20)
- “Love the Lord”
- Deuteronomy 6:5, “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
- “Obey His voice”
- Exodus 19:5, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:”
- “Cleave unto Him”
- Verse 20 explains, “for he is thy life, and the length of thy days”
- “Dwell in the land”
- Verse 20 explains again, “which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them”
- Others have implored the same of the children of Israel, and US:
- Joshua spoke to us in our secondary text:
- “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve;”
- Elijah cried to the people from Mr. Carmel to make a choice,
- 1 Kings 18:21, “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”
- God, Himself, spoke to our impending choice to be made:
- Isaiah 1:18-20, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”
- So, it’s on YOU!!
- What are you gonna do??
- Joshua spoke to us in our secondary text:
- “Love the Lord”
- “Choose life” (explained by verse 20)
- The right choice has awesome consequences!
- It is ultimately a consequence of “life and death” à It decides your life!
- The choice places before us the consequences of LIFE and DEATH…BLESSING and CURSING
- “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live”
- You can’t hide
- The IMMINENCE of a “choosing”
Conclusion:
- Out of all of the cries to the people of God to “Choose This Day”, one gives a personal testimony of their choice!
- Joshua says in our text,
“but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”
- “but as for me”
- As the hymn says, “I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back!”
- I don’t know about you, mama, daddy, brother, sister, friend, wife, son, daughter, preacher, deacon, BUT AS FOR ME! I know that I know that I know!!! Thank You, Father, that I KNOW FOR MYSELF!!
- “and my house”
- We are responsible and accountable for the environment in which we live.
- In general, we CHOOSE the spirit that we add to the home.
- As men, we choose the Spirit that is sovereign over the home.
- “WE WILL SERVE THE LORD”
- We won’t serve…
- Money
- Jobs
- Popularity
- Material things
- We won’t serve…
- Buddha
- Allah
- Confucius
- Baal
- We will serve the LORD
- Who created us
- Who established us
- Who saved us
- Who kept us
- We will serve the LORD
- Who woke us up
- Who started us on our way
- Who clothed us in our right minds
- Who makes a way out of no way
- “WE WILL SERVE THE LORD”
- We won’t serve…
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