Before we pray, I'd
like you to open your Bibles
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this morning to Joshua 24:15.
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God has been really
tapping on my forehead lately
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and when I say "lately," I
mean that toward the ending of
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last year and the
beginning of this year,
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my wife and I have
really, by God's leading,
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revolutionized our study
life, not just a quick devotion
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in the morning, if we
only had time to do that,
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we would at LEAST do
THAT, but we would pray
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in the morning, pray in the
evening, pray in the afternoon,
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read our Bibles
chapter after chapter;
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now we're in the
book of Judges...
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And if you want to strengthen
your relationship as a family,
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as a couple, as parents with
children, as husband with wife,
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you really need to take
the time to put in your mind
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those things that
could make the difference.
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The word of God - the entrance
of God's word gives light;
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the entrance of God's
word gives nourishment;
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the entrance of
God's word gives wisdom.
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You may have read the
Bible or read through the Bible,
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or read portions of
the Bible for years,
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but I believe that the
closer we get to the coming of
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our Lord, the more we
need to be fortified with the
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truth of God's word.
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And this passage in Joshua
24 is synonymous with making
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a conscious, deliberate decision
about where your life is headed.
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Joshua 24:15, and
the Bible reads...
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... That even
sounds strange to say..
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Let's read the
last part together...
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Are you ready
with some strength...
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Let us bow...
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Loving Father in
Heaven, Speak to our hearts
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that we may make eternal
decisions that we will determine
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and make decided measured
effort that we will take hold
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of Your power and ask You
to come in and help us to make
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decisions that will
impact our lives for eternity.
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In Jesus name I pray... Amen
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The single most powerful gift
God has given to every one of us
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is the power of choice.
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If you trace your life,
you will see in the fingerprint
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of your journey - bad
choices and good choices;
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uninformed choices
and well-informed choices.
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As you look at the unfolding of
the history that is behind you,
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you will see that
every moment of every day,
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you have made a choice and
who you are and what you are
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becoming, and what you
have been, and what you are now,
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going to be, and where
you're headed and where you're
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not headed - all is
hinged and predicated on the
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power of choice.
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I mean, becoming very
real about it, we can think of
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the fact that
we are wiser now...
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As we get older, we
ought to get wiser...
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come on somebody, say Amen...
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Sometimes you get a hiccup
and you make dumb decisions
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when you get older and I had
eliminated from my vocabulary
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the word "mistake"
because somewhere along the way
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you've got to come to the
conclusion that you are not
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where you are by mistake,
but you are where you are
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by choice.
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To choose to study or not to
study your Bible will determine
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who you become.
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To choose to worship or
not to worship will determine
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how strong you are.
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To choose to follow
God or not to follow God
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is a decision you will make.
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Nothing about your
life happens coincidentally
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or by proxy - meaning...
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No one decides to put you where
you don't willingly want to be.
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God has not
created us as slaves.
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Every one of us will be
either in the Kingdom of God
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or not in the Kingdom of
God because we have exercised
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the power of choice.
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Now it may seem very
elementary, but I need to make
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it very clear what choice is...
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CHOICE is an act of selecting
or making a decision when
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faced with two or
more possibilities.
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To have at least two
choices, you gotta choose one...
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To go to the left
or go to the right.
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To say "yes" or say "no."
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To plan or not to plan.
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Someone once said, "To fail
to plan is to plan to fail."
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To not say "yes" to God
is to choose to say "no."
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To even say "wait" to
God is the choice to say "no"
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to God for now.
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Synonymously, to choose means
to make a decision, to decide,
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to select, to consent, to pick
one, to follow through on an act
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that you desire,
to yield to a craving,
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to give in to an inclination.
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CHOICE is the most
powerful thing that God has ever
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gifted to humanity, POWERFUL!
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When I sat down this week
and began to go through notes
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of the last few
months, we don't only study,
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but we begin to
chronicle the things we study.
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We begin to look at our
notes, we begin to read,
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and I thank God for the servant
of the Lord, Ellen White,
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what do you say? Amen!
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A plethora of wisdom and
when you look at the Bible,
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and you look at from Genesis to
Revelation, you'll see in every
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story, even in the
book where God's name is
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not even mentioned,
choices are being made
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for or against the
plan and the will of God.
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Choice to me, as I've
looked at that - choice is more
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powerful than the
thundering waters gushing
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from the heights of the walls of
the Niagara, Upstate New York.
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Thundering walls,
thundering water gushing,
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crushing to the
earth, CHOICE is more
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powerful than that.
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God has not given
us choice to waste,
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but to use to make
decisions about our future,
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about our tomorrow.
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You see, because of
choice, develops an action...
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Follow me carefully...
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An action develops a habit,
a habit develops a character,
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and a character
determines your destiny.
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So something as simple
as a little choice to choose
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or not to choose, in
the end you will discover
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that your destiny can go back
to the simplicity of the choice
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you chose NOT TO or to make.
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When Joshua was standing there
with the children of Israel,
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he began to recount
how God had led them.
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You see, when you look at
the divisions of the Scripture,
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you have Genesis,
Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy,
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Leviticus - you have all
these five books of the Bible,
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then you have Joshua and
Judges and these books are
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chronological because when
God led the children of Israel
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out of Egypt, there were adults
among those that were delivered
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out of the bondage of
Egypt, but they were children,
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so when Moses took the
people of God to Mt. Sinai,
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and delivered to them
the law of God and they said,
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"All that the Lord
had said, we will do,"
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they made a choice to do
God's will, but what they did...
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they made a MENTAL
choice, but they never connected
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their hearts to the choice that
they had verbally committed.
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You see, to commit with
your mind and not put your life
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into it and not put your
heart into it, even the desire
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to do good - if that's
all you have is a desire
00:10:06.60\00:10:11.07
to do good and don't do
anything but have a desire,
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then you're going to do wrong.
00:10:14.34\00:10:17.58
So they had a desire to do good.
00:10:17.61\00:10:22.72
So Joshua now - the
children that came out of the
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land of Egypt, even the children
born during the wilderness
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sojourn, are now adults
and Joshua is standing on the
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border of the Promised
Land and he is saying to
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Israel, "Look at the history
of your fathers, look at the
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genealogy of your family line,
look at the things that have
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happened to them,"
this is not a Scripture,
00:10:49.51\00:10:52.08
this Scripture is not
actually in my script,
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but God just tapped me on the
forehead and said, "Go there."
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Come with me to
1 Corinthians 10,
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go there with me, 1
Corinthians 10, notice
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what the Apostle
Paul says to us...
00:11:01.59\00:11:06.23
Thank you Lord
for additional wisdom.
00:11:06.26\00:11:09.23
The Apostle Paul, 1
Corinthians 10:11...
00:11:09.26\00:11:18.87
We are told, the
Bible says now...
00:11:18.91\00:11:20.48
"Now all these things
happen to them as what?
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As examples."
00:11:23.58\00:11:25.51
"And they were
written for our what?"
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"Admonition."
00:11:28.42\00:11:29.75
Get this... "On whom the
ends of the ages have come."
00:11:29.78\00:11:35.06
So in other words, God
is saying, "If you pause for
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a moment"... and I'm
learning, you know sometimes
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we learn the hard way...
Come on somebody, say Amen.
00:11:41.43\00:11:43.10
Sometimes we
learn the hard way...
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I used to have this saying that
God has told me to go back to...
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I used to say, "I learn
from other people's mistakes,"
00:11:47.60\00:11:50.27
but you know that when
you live from day-to-day,
00:11:50.31\00:11:52.64
sometimes you feel that there
are days that you feel really
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godly and nothing could touch
you - you ever had those days?
00:11:55.94\00:12:03.72
But then there are those
days you wake up in the morning
00:12:03.75\00:12:05.45
and you said,
"What is wrong with me."
00:12:05.49\00:12:11.03
Am I right? Am I
telling the truth?
00:12:11.06\00:12:13.50
There are those days where
you say, "Lord, tell me I didn't
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just do that?"
00:12:17.87\00:12:23.91
You see, according
to the law of averages,
00:12:23.94\00:12:25.97
you're supposed to
make all the dumb choices
00:12:26.01\00:12:28.71
when you're
young. Amen... lights.
00:12:28.74\00:12:32.35
But sometimes, those
dumb choices tend to seep
00:12:32.38\00:12:37.55
into your life
even as you get old!
00:12:37.59\00:12:40.59
No Amen is
required, just listen...
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When you look at
the life of Abraham...
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Oh, I never forgot when
the servant of the Lord said,
00:12:48.50\00:12:51.17
that Abraham's greatest
choice, Abraham's greatest test
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came when
Abraham was an old man.
00:12:55.70\00:13:02.24
So don't ever get to the place
where you think you've been an
00:13:02.28\00:13:04.55
Adventist Christian so
long that you can't be tested...
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At every stage in your
walk with God, He's going to
00:13:08.78\00:13:13.49
bring the test NOT
to reveal you to Him,
00:13:13.52\00:13:16.79
but to reveal YOU to YOU!
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Because sometimes, I'll be
honest, sometimes we don't know
00:13:20.26\00:13:23.00
who we are. Can I get a witness?
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Sometimes you say, "Lord,
I know You didn't see that."
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And He said, "Yes I did."
00:13:31.57\00:13:34.01
And you say,
"Lord, please forgive me."
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And so as Joshua chronicled
the journey of the children of
00:13:37.75\00:13:43.82
Israel, he is saying to us
today, "That a single choice
00:13:43.85\00:13:47.59
has more impact on your
destiny - hear me carefully,
00:13:47.62\00:13:52.29
than ALL the forces that
hell can unleash against us."
00:13:52.33\00:13:57.10
You remember the quotation,
"The weakest saint is more
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powerful... the weakest
saint is more than a match
00:14:00.37\00:14:05.37
for - and I'm paraphrasing,
for Satan," more than a match.
00:14:05.41\00:14:10.91
When we get on our knees
and pray - the weakest saint is
00:14:10.95\00:14:14.02
more than a match and Paul
the Apostle says it this way...
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"for we are more than
conquerors through Him
00:14:18.45\00:14:21.62
who loved us."
00:14:21.66\00:14:23.22
So I'm getting to the
place in life where I'm saying,
00:14:23.26\00:14:25.56
"Okay Lord, I'm getting gray
and sometimes I see a little bit
00:14:25.59\00:14:30.50
of scalp peeking through...
Come on help me out somebody.
00:14:30.53\00:14:35.60
And I say, at this stage
in life, I should have a list
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of do's and don'ts - if you
don't have a list, get a list
00:14:42.48\00:14:52.35
because at some
point in our walk with God,
00:14:52.39\00:14:54.46
we've got to exercise
the intelligently informed
00:14:54.49\00:15:01.80
divinely supplied
decision- making to just decide
00:15:01.83\00:15:08.90
by God's grace, "I'm
going to do what's right."
00:15:08.94\00:15:15.21
The power of choice!
00:15:15.24\00:15:17.61
I was so moved... you see
the right focus informs the will
00:15:17.65\00:15:21.32
which results in
the right choice.
00:15:21.35\00:15:23.18
When I found this quotation,
I stood up and praised
00:15:23.22\00:15:26.25
God by myself at home.
00:15:26.29\00:15:28.32
In the book, "Education,"
the servant of the Lord says,
00:15:28.36\00:15:31.29
"Everyone may place
his will on the side of the
00:15:31.33\00:15:35.13
will of God," everybody.
00:15:35.16\00:15:37.27
You got a will - the
focus though - get me,
00:15:37.30\00:15:41.90
what you focus on will
determine how you think,
00:15:41.94\00:15:45.77
and how you THINK
will determine how you ACT,
00:15:45.81\00:15:50.38
and how you ACT will determine
the outcome of your character,
00:15:50.41\00:15:54.12
and the outcome of your
character will determine
00:15:54.15\00:15:56.45
your destiny.
00:15:56.48\00:15:57.82
So the question is... I
begin today by saying...
00:15:57.85\00:16:00.12
"What are you focusing on?"
00:16:00.16\00:16:03.66
Because by
beholding, we become changed,
00:16:03.69\00:16:07.20
and this world is designed
in such a way that it wants
00:16:07.23\00:16:11.17
you to focus on the wrong thing.
00:16:11.20\00:16:14.20
I love what David said...
00:16:14.24\00:16:17.81
He made a covenant with his
eyes that he will put no evil
00:16:17.84\00:16:22.41
thing before him.
00:16:22.44\00:16:23.95
Job made a
covenant with his eyes.
00:16:23.98\00:16:28.48
And David said, "Lord,
open my eyes that I may behold
00:16:28.52\00:16:32.95
wonderful things."
00:16:32.99\00:16:35.42
And how amazing it is that
the last message to be given
00:16:35.46\00:16:39.46
is the message to Laodicea
which means - we need our eyes
00:16:39.49\00:16:44.30
to be anointed - spiritual
anointing because we don't
00:16:44.33\00:16:50.31
see the things that we
ought to see and sometimes,
00:16:50.34\00:16:52.57
we choose NOT to see
the things we ought to see.
00:16:52.61\00:16:54.81
Come on now... Yes, you get old,
00:16:54.84\00:16:56.18
but you know there are
certain movies you should
00:16:56.21\00:16:57.71
not be watching.
00:16:57.75\00:17:02.95
Certain places you should
not be going on the internet.
00:17:02.98\00:17:07.06
Certain things you should
not be writing on Facebook!
00:17:07.09\00:17:14.83
Some people think
that Facebook is the place
00:17:15.60\00:17:19.33
to put all their
business, not knowing that
00:17:19.37\00:17:22.27
what you put out there
is going to come back to you
00:17:22.30\00:17:25.37
pressed down, shaken
together and running over.
00:17:25.41\00:17:32.28
But why do we make
these kinds of choices?
00:17:32.31\00:17:35.18
Why do we choose to put
stuff on Facebook that will be a
00:17:35.22\00:17:39.35
witness against
us in the Judgment?
00:17:39.39\00:17:43.32
I've made a covenant, I
put a picture of my wife
00:17:43.36\00:17:46.29
and I on Facebook,
but I have almost all my
00:17:46.33\00:17:50.13
content is spiritual stuff.
00:17:50.17\00:17:51.83
I like to start
spiritual battles on Facebook,
00:17:51.87\00:17:54.37
and what I mean by that
is agitate people's minds to
00:17:54.40\00:17:58.21
think about truth and
point them back to Christ,
00:17:58.24\00:18:02.34
to let them know that we
can make decisions to choose
00:18:02.38\00:18:06.82
or not to choose.
00:18:06.85\00:18:08.68
We can make choices that
will impact our lives today
00:18:08.72\00:18:12.59
and our lives for eternity.
00:18:12.62\00:18:15.92
God, when He created
man, He created man with
00:18:15.96\00:18:20.53
the inalienable right
to make a decision between
00:18:20.56\00:18:24.90
what they're going to do and
what they're not going to do.
00:18:24.93\00:18:26.90
Some people think that
when God made Adam and Eve,
00:18:26.94\00:18:28.90
He made them perfect.
00:18:28.94\00:18:30.54
He made them... He
made them SIN-LESS,
00:18:30.57\00:18:35.84
but He did not take from
them the ABILITY to sin...
00:18:35.88\00:18:40.85
Because if God had taken
from them the ability TO sin,
00:18:40.88\00:18:46.12
then they would
have been robots.
00:18:46.15\00:18:48.72
But God created man
with free moral agency -
00:18:49.02\00:18:54.36
the ability to make decisions.
00:18:54.40\00:18:59.00
In other words,
intellectual choices
00:18:59.03\00:19:05.27
are not always
intelligent choices.
00:19:05.31\00:19:09.74
Did you hear what I just said?
00:19:09.78\00:19:11.38
Intellectual choices are
not always intelligent choices.
00:19:11.41\00:19:14.55
We are where we are because
we make intellectual choices.
00:19:14.58\00:19:18.39
We are what we are because
we make intellectual choices,
00:19:18.42\00:19:21.09
but intellectual choices are
not always intelligent choices.
00:19:21.12\00:19:27.10
A wise man who
messed up his life
00:19:27.13\00:19:34.37
wrote these following words...
00:19:34.40\00:19:36.00
Solomon said, "The way of a
fool is right in his own eyes,
00:19:36.04\00:19:40.28
but he who heeds
counsel is wise." Proverbs 12:15
00:19:40.31\00:19:45.31
When Paul the Apostle
chronicles the reason why the
00:19:54.42\00:19:57.23
antediluvian world
fell, he said, "They knew God,
00:19:57.26\00:20:00.70
but they chose not
to glorify Him as God."
00:20:00.73\00:20:03.77
They didn't like to
keep God in their knowledge.
00:20:03.80\00:20:06.33
They did not like to retain
God and professing themselves
00:20:06.37\00:20:09.80
to be wise, they became fools.
00:20:09.84\00:20:14.44
It always amazes me
that when people get degrees,
00:20:15.91\00:20:18.41
somewhere along the
way... I don't know how many
00:20:18.45\00:20:20.82
degrees it takes for you
to kick into foolish mode,
00:20:20.85\00:20:23.79
but somewhere along the
way, some people think that
00:20:23.82\00:20:25.65
they so educated that
they don't need God anymore.
00:20:25.69\00:20:29.02
And somehow the
devil also makes us think
00:20:31.99\00:20:34.63
at moments of our
lives... follow me carefully,
00:20:34.66\00:20:38.20
that the
pleasures of this world...
00:20:38.23\00:20:40.90
this is how the devil
works... he makes us think
00:20:40.94\00:20:43.61
that the pleasures of
this world are greater
00:20:43.64\00:20:47.04
than the pleasures
that we find in serving God.
00:20:47.08\00:20:51.75
I mean, what other
reason can you give for people
00:20:51.78\00:20:54.28
going down a path that
they know is going to lead them
00:20:54.32\00:20:57.12
to destruction, but they
go down that path anyway.
00:20:57.15\00:21:03.69
Isaiah says it
carefully, Isaiah 5:21...
00:21:03.73\00:21:06.33
The single act between
who we are and who we can be
00:21:12.90\00:21:16.77
is choice.
00:21:16.81\00:21:18.21
And I want to say this
carefully because right now
00:21:18.24\00:21:20.58
we're living in a
very fragile world.
00:21:20.61\00:21:22.18
The only thing more
powerful than an atomic bomb
00:21:22.21\00:21:25.71
is the choice
not to use one. Amen?
00:21:25.75\00:21:31.52
More powerful than an
atomic bomb is the choice
00:21:31.55\00:21:34.62
NOT to use it because
whether they know it or not,
00:21:34.66\00:21:37.36
there is no such thing
as limited nuclear exchange.
00:21:37.39\00:21:43.67
Have you heard that before?
00:21:43.70\00:21:45.03
Limited nuclear exchange.
00:21:45.07\00:21:47.37
I'll just shoot one
nuclear weapon you way,
00:21:47.40\00:21:49.50
and you just shoot one my
way and we'll call it a day.
00:21:49.54\00:21:53.58
Somebody ought to
pray that wisdom prevails
00:21:53.61\00:21:57.81
in the leaders of the world.
Come on, say Amen to that. Amen!
00:21:57.85\00:22:01.92
Choice is so
powerful, it is the checkbox
00:22:01.95\00:22:04.95
between life and death,
the thin line between failure
00:22:04.99\00:22:07.49
and success.
00:22:07.52\00:22:08.86
If you condemn it, if
you condemn the choice
00:22:08.89\00:22:11.89
that God has given to
you, if you use it wastefully,
00:22:11.93\00:22:16.16
you'll discover
that who you have become
00:22:16.20\00:22:18.90
is not who you wanted to be.
00:22:18.93\00:22:21.57
God is calling His people
back to making wise choices.
00:22:21.60\00:22:27.48
You remember the
story of Nebuchadnezzar...
00:22:27.51\00:22:30.45
Nebuchadnezzar chose to
continue to exalt himself.
00:22:30.48\00:22:34.72
He choose to continue to
contribute all of his successes
00:22:34.75\00:22:38.45
to the work that he had
done, and God had warned him
00:22:38.49\00:22:40.62
incessantly not to
exalt Himself, but He exalted
00:22:40.66\00:22:43.73
himself and when God ripped
Nebuchadnezzar from his golden
00:22:43.76\00:22:47.56
dishes and gave him a
7- year diet of grass.
00:22:47.60\00:22:50.77
After that 7 years, his reason
returned to him and I'm sure
00:22:50.80\00:22:54.60
somewhere along the way,
Nebuchadnezzar must have said,
00:22:54.64\00:22:57.91
"What was I thinking?"
00:22:57.94\00:23:03.38
Brothers and sisters, we
are on the borders of eternity.
00:23:03.41\00:23:06.05
We've got to make decisions
for eternity - what do you say?
00:23:06.08\00:23:09.62
Gotta make
decisions about eternity.
00:23:09.65\00:23:12.05
We cannot leave
our eternal destiny
00:23:12.09\00:23:14.46
in the hands of somebody else.
00:23:14.52\00:23:16.42
We cannot say,
"Well YOU choose for me."
00:23:16.46\00:23:19.46
Each one of us
must examine ourselves.
00:23:19.49\00:23:22.36
Each one of us
must mold our choices,
00:23:22.40\00:23:25.07
must choose our
focus, must influence our
00:23:25.10\00:23:28.44
own thoughts,
must get the proper
00:23:28.47\00:23:30.61
information because
nothing shapes our thoughts like
00:23:30.64\00:23:33.41
the information
that we embrace...
00:23:33.44\00:23:36.61
the things that we read;
00:23:36.64\00:23:38.51
the Bible that we
expose ourselves to.
00:23:38.55\00:23:41.98
The Bible says, "As a
man thinks in his heart...
00:23:42.02\00:23:44.52
what does it say? ... so is he.
00:23:44.55\00:23:49.39
When you look at
where you end up,
00:23:50.69\00:23:52.33
it comes down to
something as simple as...
00:23:52.36\00:23:54.26
CHOICE is born in the
mind before it is carried
00:23:54.30\00:23:58.57
out in the life.
00:23:58.60\00:24:01.14
We sit down and we
think about things...
00:24:01.17\00:24:02.97
I found myself
throughout life...
00:24:03.00\00:24:05.04
Sometimes did you ever
sit down and just think?
00:24:05.07\00:24:06.61
Somebody said, "What
are you thinking about?"
00:24:06.64\00:24:07.98
And you know what
you say? "Nothing."
00:24:08.01\00:24:10.68
You know, there is not
a moment of the day that
00:24:10.71\00:24:13.65
you're not
thinking about something.
00:24:13.68\00:24:15.58
You just don't want
other people to know
00:24:15.62\00:24:17.25
what you're thinking
about... am I telling the truth?
00:24:17.29\00:24:19.95
You sit there like
you stare in his face...
00:24:19.99\00:24:22.42
"Honey, what are you
thinking about?" "Nothing."
00:24:22.46\00:24:25.66
There's no nothing
moments in our minds.
00:24:25.69\00:24:33.54
We're always
thinking about something.
00:24:33.57\00:24:35.70
And unfortunately... I
want to add another component
00:24:35.74\00:24:39.47
to this - unfortunately
sometimes we're thinking of
00:24:39.51\00:24:43.98
how people need to change...
when God is saying to us
00:24:44.01\00:24:47.25
how WE need to change.
00:24:47.28\00:24:49.65
Sometimes we're
saying, I wouldn't be in the
00:24:49.68\00:24:53.52
mess I'm in if it
weren't for so and so.
00:24:53.56\00:24:55.36
NO! You wouldn't be in the
mess you're in if it wasn't
00:24:55.39\00:24:58.16
for YOU!
00:24:58.19\00:25:02.03
Go back to our first parents...
00:25:02.06\00:25:03.77
At the infancy of our
world, the power of choice was
00:25:03.80\00:25:06.97
the gift that God
had given to Adam.
00:25:07.00\00:25:08.70
Look at Genesis
2:16... God gave Adam the right
00:25:08.74\00:25:12.67
to choose - I didn't say
Eve because God gave Adam
00:25:12.71\00:25:15.78
stewardship.
00:25:15.81\00:25:17.15
He gave him
stewardship over all creation,
00:25:17.18\00:25:19.38
and the destiny of humanity
was based not on the choice
00:25:19.41\00:25:22.52
that EVE made, but on
the choice that ADAM made.
00:25:22.55\00:25:25.59
Well you couldn't
blame Eve, Adam had a choice.
00:25:25.62\00:25:29.62
God gave him the
right to make the choice.
00:25:29.66\00:25:31.33
Genesis 2:16...
00:25:32.89\00:25:40.24
Saying of every tree of
the garden you may what?
00:25:44.87\00:25:50.55
... freely eat.
00:25:51.31\00:25:52.68
In other words, the
choice to eat or not to eat
00:25:52.71\00:25:56.05
was Adam's, but not only
did God give him a choice,
00:25:56.08\00:25:59.92
he said - and this is
something that the devil does...
00:25:59.95\00:26:02.22
The devil says, "Is
there anything you can do?"
00:26:02.26\00:26:05.56
And GOD says, "You
can do ANYTHING BUT...
00:26:05.59\00:26:13.37
How amazing - the devil
makes the abundance of the good
00:26:13.40\00:26:19.71
choices of God - the
devil makes them look bad,
00:26:19.74\00:26:23.21
and the one BAD choice,
the devil makes it look good!
00:26:23.24\00:26:27.02
Isn't that amazing?
00:26:27.05\00:26:30.12
How does that happen?
00:26:30.15\00:26:32.19
If you follow the trek of
Eve, the tree was pleasant
00:26:33.46\00:26:37.83
to the eyes, a tree
desirable to make one wise.
00:26:37.86\00:26:43.00
It was good for
food, pleasant to the eyes,
00:26:43.03\00:26:45.53
a tree desirable
to make one wise.
00:26:45.57\00:26:47.80
She focused more on what
God told her NOT to partake of,
00:26:47.84\00:26:52.04
than what God told
her she COULD partake of.
00:26:52.07\00:26:56.24
It began with a focus
and when we focus on what God
00:26:56.28\00:27:00.78
tells us NOT to do...
One psychologist said,
00:27:00.82\00:27:04.42
(I don't know how true
this is, I'm not a psychologist,
00:27:04.45\00:27:07.32
but I take the psychologists
at their word because, you know,
00:27:07.36\00:27:10.63
they're supposed to
be the learned ones)
00:27:10.66\00:27:11.99
They said, "When you pray,
"Lord help me to stop smoking,"
00:27:12.03\00:27:15.23
... you know what they
said, "You're gonna smoke."
00:27:15.26\00:27:18.43
One said when you say, "Lord,
help me NOT to eat this donut,"
00:27:18.47\00:27:24.07
"You're going
to eat that donut."
00:27:24.11\00:27:28.61
Have you seen it in
your children, you say...
00:27:28.64\00:27:30.58
"Don't do
that," what do they do?
00:27:30.61\00:27:31.95
They do exactly what
you tell them not to do
00:27:31.98\00:27:35.08
because the human
nature we have LEANS
00:27:35.12\00:27:38.09
in the direction of disobedience
00:27:38.12\00:27:40.36
because that's
what we got from Adam.
00:27:40.39\00:27:41.86
God told Adam not to
eat, God informed Adam of the
00:27:41.89\00:27:45.79
consequences of
the wrong choice.
00:27:45.83\00:27:49.10
Look at verse 17, Genesis 2.
00:27:49.13\00:27:51.40
I spent a lot of
time on that text.
00:28:06.55\00:28:08.48
I'm not going to spend a lot
of time on that this morning,
00:28:08.52\00:28:11.72
I want to say it this
way, "Sin is not incidental."
00:28:11.75\00:28:15.46
Hear me carefully,
"Sin is not incidental."
00:28:15.49\00:28:17.69
Sin is the result of
the choice we make based on
00:28:17.73\00:28:21.70
our intentional
rejection of the information
00:28:21.73\00:28:25.40
that God has already given us.
00:28:25.43\00:28:28.24
Let me say that again,
it was a long sentence.
00:28:28.27\00:28:30.24
Are you ready?
00:28:30.27\00:28:32.97
Sin is not incidental.
00:28:33.01\00:28:34.34
Sin is the result of the
choice we make based on the
00:28:34.38\00:28:39.21
intentional
rejection of the information
00:28:39.25\00:28:43.69
God has already given us.
00:28:43.72\00:28:47.16
You gonna die! I
reject that Lord.
00:28:47.19\00:28:50.89
I ain't gonna die.
00:28:50.93\00:28:52.26
You gonna die!
I'm not gonna die.
00:28:52.29\00:28:55.20
Intentional
rejection of what God already
00:28:55.23\00:28:58.30
told us is going to happen.
00:28:58.33\00:29:00.04
To confirm that, go to
James 4:17, look at this...
00:29:00.07\00:29:03.17
Confirmation of the statement...
00:29:03.20\00:29:05.47
The thesis is
confirmed in James 4:17.
00:29:05.51\00:29:08.11
Notice what the Bible says...
00:29:08.14\00:29:09.61
When you reject
information that God has...
00:29:09.64\00:29:12.81
When you intentionally
choose to ignore what God
00:29:12.85\00:29:16.82
told you is going to happen,
it's gonna happen anyway.
00:29:16.85\00:29:21.22
James says... "To him
who knows to do good...
00:29:24.33\00:29:26.70
(How does he
know? God told him.)
00:29:26.73\00:29:28.60
To him who knows to do
good and does not do it,
00:29:28.63\00:29:31.30
Together what?
00:29:31.33\00:29:32.83
To him it is sin."
00:29:32.87\00:29:37.74
So after Adam sinned,
God asked him a question
00:29:37.77\00:29:44.15
that exposes the
reality of information.
00:29:44.18\00:29:46.85
You see, God's word...
you might have God's word
00:29:46.88\00:29:50.99
on your shelf... Let me
say this, let tell you...
00:29:51.02\00:29:52.99
God's word on your
shelf can't keep you from sin.
00:29:53.02\00:29:55.69
God's word in your
heart can keep you from sin.
00:29:55.72\00:29:58.69
David says, "Thy word
have I hid in my... heart,
00:29:58.73\00:30:01.20
not in my glove
compartment, not in my trunk,
00:30:01.23\00:30:04.43
come on... not in my backpack.
00:30:04.47\00:30:07.57
It's amazing to me that...
okay I'm not going to go there.
00:30:07.60\00:30:12.21
Let me stick with the topic.
00:30:12.24\00:30:19.01
When you look at Genesis
3:11, God asked Adam a question
00:30:19.05\00:30:23.72
that exposes the reality
that Adam had information
00:30:23.75\00:30:27.02
that he rejected and he chose to
focus in a different direction.
00:30:27.06\00:30:31.23
Look at verse 11 of chapter 3...
00:30:31.26\00:30:33.70
"And he said - that is
God said, God came and found
00:30:33.73\00:30:38.90
Adam hiding behind a
bush... big old 17 foot man,
00:30:38.93\00:30:44.07
21 feet tall - trying to hide
behind a bush - can you see it?
00:30:44.11\00:30:50.11
And God said... He
knows where he is...
00:30:50.15\00:30:53.82
Adam, Adam - where ARE you?
00:30:53.85\00:30:58.55
You ever hear that
song on 3ABN radio...
00:30:58.59\00:31:00.62
Adam, Adam - where ARE
you? God knew where Adam was.
00:31:00.66\00:31:05.89
God wasn't
asking for a location,
00:31:05.93\00:31:08.26
God was asking for
a confession. Amen!
00:31:08.30\00:31:11.67
The same way He said to Elijah,
"Elijah, what doest thou here?"
00:31:11.70\00:31:16.07
Same thing He said to Jonah,
"What meanest thou, oh sleeper?"
00:31:16.10\00:31:19.21
When God asks you where
you are, God ain't asking for
00:31:19.24\00:31:22.01
GPS coordinates. Laughter Amen?
00:31:22.04\00:31:26.35
God is asking for heart
condition... Where are you?
00:31:26.38\00:31:29.52
Where are you on what I've said?
00:31:29.55\00:31:31.22
So He comes to
Adam... Let me go to Genesis.
00:31:31.25\00:31:36.69
I'm telling you to go
there and I ain't even there.
00:31:36.73\00:31:39.09
Genesis 3- "Where are you Adam?"
00:31:39.13\00:31:44.07
Big burly guy... can you
see this big muscle bound...
00:31:44.10\00:31:47.94
He was a prototype of
what every man wants to be.
00:31:47.97\00:31:55.51
Not tall, dark and
handsome, mega tall.
00:31:55.54\00:32:00.85
No clogged
arteries, perfect vision,
00:32:00.88\00:32:04.65
a fully operating mind -
had more in his mind than
00:32:04.69\00:32:09.59
we have in the most
advanced mainframes today!
00:32:09.62\00:32:13.80
Adam was instantly intelligent.
00:32:13.83\00:32:16.53
When God pointed to the
animals, God said to Adam,
00:32:16.56\00:32:20.10
"What is that?" Adam
said, "That's an elephant."
00:32:20.14\00:32:22.97
Adam didn't go to
school, God built into him
00:32:23.00\00:32:25.37
all the knowledge he needed.
00:32:25.41\00:32:26.98
Adam was more informed than us.
00:32:27.01\00:32:30.91
So God comes to Adam...
"Where are you?" End of verse 9
00:32:30.95\00:32:38.32
"Where are you?"
00:32:38.35\00:32:39.69
One of the symptoms that we
make bad choices is we hide.
00:32:49.56\00:32:54.07
We hide! Where
can you hide from God?
00:32:54.10\00:32:56.30
When I don't see
people come to church,
00:32:56.34\00:33:00.28
and they run out
of excuse vouchers,
00:33:06.08\00:33:08.82
they're hiding because
they have made a choice
00:33:08.85\00:33:13.05
that doesn't honor
God and now they're naked,
00:33:13.09\00:33:16.32
and they don't want to be seen.
00:33:16.36\00:33:19.06
But what's so
beautiful about this story is
00:33:19.09\00:33:21.66
God didn't wait for
Adam to come looking for HIM,
00:33:21.70\00:33:25.10
God, in His love, went
looking for Adam. Amen!
00:33:25.13\00:33:29.00
You see, when we mess up in our
lives, when we make bad choices,
00:33:29.04\00:33:32.67
God doesn't say,
"John, come to me."
00:33:32.71\00:33:35.68
He says, "John, where are YOU?"
00:33:35.71\00:33:38.21
He comes looking for us.
00:33:38.25\00:33:42.92
His love does not leave
us, even in the moments of bad
00:33:42.95\00:33:47.09
choices - His
love does not leave us
00:33:47.12\00:33:50.76
destitute, fallen and naked.
00:33:50.79\00:33:54.13
He came - "Where are you?"
00:33:54.16\00:33:55.80
And Adam comes out and I
like what he said in verse 11...
00:33:55.83\00:33:59.73
This is the key
that exposes the reality
00:33:59.77\00:34:02.60
that we intentionally
reject the information
00:34:02.64\00:34:05.34
God has given to us
and then we tune our ears
00:34:05.37\00:34:07.64
to a different voice - He says,
in verse 11, He said to Adam...
00:34:07.68\00:34:11.18
"Who told you? Get
this... Who told you?
00:34:11.21\00:34:14.35
Who have you been listening to?
00:34:14.38\00:34:15.82
What have you been listening to?
00:34:15.85\00:34:17.19
Who told you?
00:34:17.22\00:34:18.55
Where are you
getting your information.
00:34:18.59\00:34:20.26
Who told you
that you were naked?
00:34:20.29\00:34:22.39
Have you eaten from the
tree which I commanded you
00:34:22.42\00:34:25.79
that you should not eat?"
00:34:25.83\00:34:27.16
God knew all the
answers to the questions.
00:34:27.20\00:34:29.40
But God wasn't asking
questions for information,
00:34:29.43\00:34:32.60
God was asking
questions for repentance.
00:34:32.63\00:34:35.44
And Adam was at the place
that he could have repented,
00:34:35.47\00:34:38.47
but what did he say instead?
00:34:38.51\00:34:40.04
"The woman You gave me."
00:34:40.08\00:34:44.85
Men have been blaming
women for years... Amen scream.
00:34:47.52\00:34:54.96
Laughter!
00:34:54.99\00:34:58.99
Women, I want to apologize
on behalf of irresponsible men.
00:34:59.03\00:35:07.30
Now let me tell
you why I said that.
00:35:07.34\00:35:09.77
You think I'm making a
joke, I'm not making a joke.
00:35:09.80\00:35:11.81
God has called men to be
the priest of their homes.
00:35:13.54\00:35:16.85
When you ain't a priest of your
home, that's an insult to God.
00:35:16.88\00:35:20.12
God has called you to
lead your family in worship.
00:35:20.62\00:35:23.28
When you don't take
those responsibilities,
00:35:23.32\00:35:25.22
that's an insult to God.
00:35:25.25\00:35:27.06
God appointed Adam as the
priest and the steward of earth.
00:35:27.09\00:35:30.53
He chose not to take the lead,
00:35:30.56\00:35:32.36
so the woman took the lead.
00:35:32.39\00:35:34.13
Led him down the wrong path,
but he still had the choice.
00:35:34.16\00:35:39.33
And instead of saying,
"Lord, I blew it, forgive me,"
00:35:39.37\00:35:43.17
he blames God because
He wouldn't have a woman
00:35:43.20\00:35:47.74
unless God created her.
00:35:47.78\00:35:50.01
So he was saying, "God,
if you didn't create her,
00:35:50.05\00:35:52.11
I'd be all right." Laughter...
00:35:52.15\00:35:55.88
I think that where the
songwriter got the idea,
00:36:01.02\00:36:03.36
"It's me, it's
me, it's me, oh Lord,
00:36:03.39\00:36:05.46
standing in the need of prayer."
00:36:05.49\00:36:07.66
Don't ever blame your
bad choices on somebody else,
00:36:07.70\00:36:12.13
and eliminate
the word "mistake."
00:36:12.17\00:36:14.07
You know what a mistake is...
when you type C instead of D,
00:36:14.10\00:36:16.60
that's a mistake.
00:36:16.64\00:36:17.97
They don't make
"white-out" for the junk
00:36:18.01\00:36:21.28
you do in your life.
00:36:21.31\00:36:23.71
It's called
"repentance and confession,
00:36:23.75\00:36:28.58
and determination,
and determination by God's
00:36:28.62\00:36:30.95
grace not to do it
again." Amen somebody! Amen!
00:36:30.99\00:36:33.86
Some people got the idea...
and I'm going to be very,
00:36:33.89\00:36:35.46
I want to be very
intentional today...
00:36:35.49\00:36:37.66
Some people have the
idea that we're going to be
00:36:37.69\00:36:39.66
sinning up until the
hour that Jesus comes.
00:36:39.69\00:36:42.36
That's the wrong concept
of righteousness by faith.
00:36:42.40\00:36:47.77
You gonna blow out a
cigarette and ascend to heaven?
00:36:47.80\00:36:50.34
No, not in God's economy.
00:36:50.37\00:36:54.54
If you are the
seed... if the seed of God's
00:36:54.58\00:36:57.18
righteousness is in
you... He says, "My seed remains
00:36:57.21\00:37:00.72
in you and you cannot sin."
00:37:00.75\00:37:02.82
Do you know what that means?
00:37:02.85\00:37:04.19
He said, "He that has
this hope purifies himself,
00:37:04.22\00:37:07.46
even as He is pure."
00:37:07.49\00:37:08.82
When Peter asked for the
Lord to wash him totally,
00:37:08.86\00:37:12.29
the Lord said, "You are
already clean, I just need to
00:37:12.33\00:37:15.46
work on the areas that are Not
yet where I need them to be."
00:37:15.50\00:37:19.87
And rather than you thinking
of me talking about perfection
00:37:19.90\00:37:21.84
of humanity, I'm talking about
the righteousness of Christ
00:37:21.87\00:37:25.04
that SEES us... Thank you Jesus!
00:37:25.07\00:37:27.74
That sees us on a moment-by-
moment day-by-day basis
00:37:27.78\00:37:31.48
when we CHOOSE to serve God.
00:37:31.51\00:37:34.12
He sees us in the
righteousness of His Son.
00:37:34.15\00:37:38.75
And you can't walk around
saying, "Well, I'm gonna sin
00:37:38.79\00:37:40.59
today and not sin
tomorrow because, you know,
00:37:40.62\00:37:42.59
I need to do that and
I don't need to do this."
00:37:42.62\00:37:44.23
NO, you don't
need to do anything.
00:37:44.26\00:37:45.76
Listen to what
"Education," the book says...
00:37:45.79\00:37:47.20
The book "Education, p.23,
paragraph 1," here it is...
00:37:47.23\00:37:51.73
"Though created innocent
and holy, our first parents
00:37:51.77\00:37:57.47
were not placed beyond the
possibility of wrong-doing."
00:37:57.51\00:38:01.58
God might have
created them without the power
00:38:01.61\00:38:04.28
to transgress His
requirements, but in that case,
00:38:04.31\00:38:08.02
there could have been no
development of character.
00:38:09.75\00:38:12.49
Let me pause right here...
00:38:12.52\00:38:13.86
You know, the reason why
you got good and bad choices,
00:38:13.89\00:38:16.62
right and wrong choices,
light and dark choices...
00:38:16.66\00:38:19.09
is because God said, "You need
to develop who you want to be."
00:38:19.13\00:38:27.50
That's why folks that don't
decide to live right are not
00:38:27.54\00:38:31.71
going to be in the kingdom.
00:38:31.74\00:38:33.07
This idea that God is
going to save everybody is
00:38:33.11\00:38:35.98
a lie from the devil.
00:38:36.01\00:38:38.15
He's not putting people
that don't want to serve Him
00:38:38.18\00:38:41.18
in heaven because
heaven will be hell for them.
00:38:41.22\00:38:44.55
You gotta choose, you
gotta make a decision...
00:38:44.59\00:38:46.52
"I'm not gonna do that."
00:38:46.55\00:38:47.89
"God give me the
strength to do that."
00:38:47.92\00:38:49.32
And what you discover
is, when you lean your will
00:38:49.36\00:38:53.19
into God's will... the
servant of the Lord says,
00:38:53.23\00:38:55.90
"He immediately possesses us."
00:38:55.93\00:38:58.37
You want to talk about
spiritual possession...
00:38:58.40\00:39:00.07
when you allow yourself to lean
into God's will and like Jesus
00:39:00.10\00:39:04.74
left a wonderful
example, He said, "Not My will,
00:39:04.77\00:39:07.44
but what? Thine be done."
00:39:07.48\00:39:09.28
Every day you
gotta choose God's WILL!
00:39:09.31\00:39:12.51
But let me give you
even some better good news...
00:39:12.55\00:39:14.82
When you choose God's
will, God doesn't say,
00:39:14.85\00:39:18.05
"Now go ahead and
do that and do this."
00:39:18.09\00:39:19.95
Oh no, brethren,
that's not how it works!
00:39:19.99\00:39:22.46
God doesn't say, "Do
this and not do that."
00:39:22.49\00:39:26.16
God says, "All you gotta do
is choose to serve me." Amen!
00:39:26.19\00:39:32.80
And then God will come in and
both will and do. Amen somebody!
00:39:32.83\00:39:41.98
He'll WILL and DO.
00:39:42.01\00:39:44.15
I got proof for that.
00:39:44.18\00:39:45.98
The demoniac was under
the control of an evil spirit,
00:39:46.01\00:39:51.39
and the demoniac
did what the evil spirit
00:39:51.42\00:39:55.42
determined he would do.
00:39:55.46\00:39:57.53
When we are under the
control of the spirit of God,
00:39:57.59\00:40:00.90
there will be love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness,
00:40:00.93\00:40:05.20
meekness, patience.
00:40:05.23\00:40:07.77
We don't choose a fruit
and say, "I'm working on
00:40:07.80\00:40:09.87
the other ones."
00:40:09.90\00:40:11.24
Because in the single
fruit of the Spirit of God,
00:40:11.27\00:40:14.04
you got love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness,
00:40:14.08\00:40:19.11
meekness, patience.
00:40:19.15\00:40:22.32
God gave them the
power to choose so that they
00:40:22.35\00:40:27.02
could develop CHARACTER! Amen
00:40:27.06\00:40:30.06
Can I ask you...
"Doesn't it feel good
00:40:30.09\00:40:33.43
when you do right?" Yes!
00:40:33.46\00:40:35.60
Not supposed to go on feeling,
but it feels so good when
00:40:35.63\00:40:38.43
you could go
through the day and say,
00:40:38.47\00:40:39.80
"Lord, I did pretty good today!"
00:40:39.83\00:40:42.57
I don't even do
that... I say, "Lord, thank You
00:40:42.60\00:40:45.61
for working through me!"
00:40:45.64\00:40:47.74
Listen to this...
"Their service would not have
00:40:49.44\00:40:53.62
been voluntary but
forced if God did not
00:40:53.65\00:40:56.32
give them the power to choose.
00:40:56.35\00:40:58.52
Therefore, He gave
them the power of choice,
00:40:58.55\00:41:00.76
the power to yield
or withhold obedience...
00:41:01.06\00:41:04.96
And before they could receive,
in fullness, the blessing
00:41:04.99\00:41:10.07
He desired to impart, their love
and loyalty must be tested."
00:41:10.10\00:41:18.07
You don't put somebody
in a leadership position
00:41:18.11\00:41:21.18
who hasn't been tested.
00:41:21.21\00:41:24.95
You don't drag somebody off the
street and make them the CEO.
00:41:24.98\00:41:31.79
So the question is... "What
is the purpose of this life?"
00:41:31.82\00:41:34.32
The purpose of the Christian
walk is character development,
00:41:34.36\00:41:38.43
and that's something
you gotta choose to do.
00:41:38.46\00:41:40.93
But if self is in the
way, then you'll be like
00:41:40.96\00:41:47.20
you'll be like a body
that's at odds with itself.
00:41:48.67\00:41:56.01
Some people have diseases
that fight against their own
00:41:56.04\00:42:01.12
immune system.
00:42:01.15\00:42:02.48
When we are out
of harmony with God,
00:42:02.52\00:42:05.09
SIN will fight against the
battle that is taking place
00:42:05.12\00:42:10.46
within us to put self to death.
00:42:10.49\00:42:13.73
We've got to put self to death;
only when self is put to death,
00:42:13.76\00:42:17.60
can we understand what it
means to live a single day
00:42:17.63\00:42:23.37
giving God the glory.
00:42:23.41\00:42:25.07
I've been talking to my
wife lately... we sit down and
00:42:25.11\00:42:26.71
we have some
serious conversations.
00:42:26.74\00:42:32.61
I looked into my wife's eyes
and said... yesterday, you know
00:42:35.98\00:42:39.55
we talk, we read our
Bibles and then we get
00:42:39.59\00:42:41.69
into these discussions!
00:42:41.72\00:42:43.06
I said, "Honey, you know
what? Here's the kind of life
00:42:43.09\00:42:45.19
I want to live... I
don't want to be a good
00:42:45.23\00:42:47.56
singer, I don't want
to be a good preacher,
00:42:47.60\00:42:50.07
I don't want to be a
good Bible study guy,
00:42:50.10\00:42:51.80
I want to be a good Christian."
00:42:51.83\00:42:54.04
And I said to her,
"Honey, it's been 34 years,
00:42:54.07\00:42:57.14
but here's the kind of life that
I have covenanted with God...
00:42:57.17\00:43:01.58
If I go to bed
tonight and don't wake up,
00:43:01.61\00:43:04.21
I'm gonna see you in
the first resurrection."
00:43:04.25\00:43:07.65
And we both sat and
stood there and cried together.
00:43:07.68\00:43:12.35
That's the kind of life...
that's the kind of assurance
00:43:12.39\00:43:15.66
you want to have - that if
you close your eyes tonight,
00:43:15.69\00:43:18.66
and tomorrow
morning didn't come for you,
00:43:18.69\00:43:21.26
you made a choice TODAY.
00:43:21.30\00:43:23.40
You made a choice when? Today.
00:43:23.43\00:43:25.43
Let me show you
how simple it is...
00:43:25.47\00:43:26.80
When you make a choice
to serve God and you repent,
00:43:26.84\00:43:30.61
He cleanses you
from ALL unrighteousness.
00:43:30.64\00:43:34.14
He imputes to you and imparts
to you His righteousness...
00:43:34.18\00:43:37.91
that's why the thief on
the cross who never gave a
00:43:37.95\00:43:40.58
Bible study has the
guarantee that when Jesus comes
00:43:40.62\00:43:43.99
He will be with him in paradise.
00:43:44.02\00:43:46.32
You don' t have to live
45 months in good-standing.
00:43:46.35\00:43:51.63
You gotta be in
standing with God TODAY!
00:43:51.66\00:43:53.86
Joshua says, "Choose you
today whom you will serve."
00:43:53.90\00:43:59.63
And I want to make it
even clearer, we don't choose
00:43:59.67\00:44:01.10
the circumstances of life,
but we choose how we respond
00:44:01.14\00:44:04.87
to the circumstances of life.
00:44:04.91\00:44:07.04
In "Ministry of Healing," p.176,
listen what Ellen White says...
00:44:07.08\00:44:11.35
God's servant... "God has
given us the power of choice.
00:44:11.38\00:44:15.58
It is ours to exercise, but
I love what she says here...
00:44:15.62\00:44:19.25
"We cannot change our
hearts, don't stay home
00:44:19.29\00:44:23.29
trying to get clean and
present yourself before God
00:44:23.32\00:44:26.90
because you can't clean you up."
00:44:26.93\00:44:29.20
We cannot change our hearts.
00:44:29.23\00:44:30.77
We cannot control our
thoughts, now you know why...
00:44:30.80\00:44:33.67
your thoughts are
all over the place.
00:44:33.70\00:44:36.50
We cannot control our impulses.
00:44:36.54\00:44:38.24
We cannot
control our affections.
00:44:38.27\00:44:40.68
We cannot make ourselves
pure, fit for God's service,
00:44:40.71\00:44:44.91
but here's what she says,
"But we can choose to serve God.
00:44:44.95\00:44:50.02
We can give Him our will and
then He will work in us to will
00:44:50.05\00:44:56.02
and to do according
to His good pleasure.
00:44:56.06\00:45:01.36
Thus, our whole
nature will be brought under
00:45:01.40\00:45:05.60
the control of Christ."
00:45:05.63\00:45:08.74
Isn't that good news?
00:45:08.77\00:45:10.54
You trying to fix your thoughts.
00:45:10.57\00:45:12.01
You're trying to
control your impulses.
00:45:12.04\00:45:13.54
You're trying to
change your affections.
00:45:13.58\00:45:14.91
You're trying to clean your
heart... you CANNOT do that!
00:45:14.94\00:45:18.68
Some folks say, "Give me
time so I clean some things up."
00:45:18.71\00:45:21.58
That's like saying,
"I have a bad heart,
00:45:21.62\00:45:23.35
let me work on my heart
before I have heart surgery."
00:45:23.39\00:45:26.69
That ain't gonna work!
00:45:26.72\00:45:30.76
You see, the power of
life is in God's hands,
00:45:30.79\00:45:32.39
but the power of
choice is completely in ours.
00:45:32.43\00:45:35.73
Look at Deuteronomy 30:19...
Go there quickly with me.
00:45:35.76\00:45:39.17
Deuteronomy
30:19, the Lord says...
00:45:39.20\00:45:42.94
Therefore... look at God's
goodness... what does He say?
00:45:55.25\00:45:58.09
Gotta choose life!
00:46:03.96\00:46:05.29
My brother - he's dead
now, I have a real brother
00:46:05.33\00:46:08.63
that is by birth and by
blood, but I had a brother
00:46:08.66\00:46:11.60
that was by association.
00:46:11.63\00:46:13.17
I was raised by an
Adventist lady who adopted a son
00:46:13.20\00:46:16.00
in Trinidad and
brought him over to America.
00:46:16.04\00:46:17.97
He was the only brother I knew,
but he'd fall with alcoholism.
00:46:18.01\00:46:21.41
When he got alcohol in
him, you had to plug your ears
00:46:21.44\00:46:26.31
with cotton, there was not a
profane word he couldn't find,
00:46:26.35\00:46:31.12
and, he became violent.
00:46:31.15\00:46:32.69
He lived in Queens,
Pastor C.A. he lived in Queens.
00:46:32.72\00:46:36.79
We lived in Brooklyn.
00:46:36.83\00:46:38.16
Whenever he got drunk,
he'd get on the A-train
00:46:38.19\00:46:40.23
and he was supposed to
switch at West 4th Street
00:46:40.26\00:46:43.26
for the F-train... no, sorry,
Jay Street and Borough Hall
00:46:43.30\00:46:46.20
Pastor C.A. knows
what I'm talking about
00:46:46.23\00:46:47.74
for the other train.
00:46:47.77\00:46:49.10
One night, he woke up
and he said to the conductor,
00:46:49.14\00:46:55.71
"When is this train
going to leave the station?"
00:46:55.74\00:47:00.58
The conductor said,
"You've been on this train for
00:47:00.62\00:47:02.45
3-1/2 hours - we've been at
this same stop 3 times already."
00:47:02.48\00:47:09.82
There's a lesson in this story.
00:47:13.76\00:47:16.46
The stops of the
train were determined
00:47:16.50\00:47:19.50
before he got on board.
00:47:19.53\00:47:22.17
So if you don't want to stop
at a certain place in your life,
00:47:22.20\00:47:25.37
don't make the
choice to get on board!
00:47:25.41\00:47:28.64
Did you hear what I said?
00:47:28.68\00:47:31.71
In other words,
don't make a bad choice
00:47:31.75\00:47:34.92
expecting good results.
00:47:34.95\00:47:38.15
Don't decide against God
expecting God to bless you.
00:47:38.19\00:47:42.82
Don't say I'm
gonna live in darkness,
00:47:42.86\00:47:44.53
and you wonder why
God ain't pouring out
00:47:44.56\00:47:46.39
blessings in your life.
00:47:46.43\00:47:48.96
Don't say, "Lord, I am
NOT gonna follow Your word,"
00:47:49.00\00:47:52.10
and expect God to
bless you through His word.
00:47:52.13\00:47:54.90
We gotta make choices!
00:47:54.94\00:47:56.87
I don't know of any parent
that's gonna say to the child
00:47:56.91\00:48:00.41
that comes in the house
with a gun sticking out the back
00:48:00.44\00:48:02.64
pocket - "Give me the car
keys," and the parent says,
00:48:02.68\00:48:04.48
"Here they are."
00:48:04.51\00:48:07.62
Gun sticking
out the back pocket.
00:48:07.65\00:48:09.52
"I need your car, I'm gonna rob
00:48:09.55\00:48:10.89
a bank tonight,
give me the keys."
00:48:10.92\00:48:12.25
"Here they are on the table!"
00:48:12.29\00:48:13.62
"When you're done,
I'll just bring it back
00:48:13.66\00:48:15.09
without any holes in it."
00:48:15.12\00:48:16.46
We don't reward
children for disobedience,
00:48:17.96\00:48:20.26
and God does not
reward us either...
00:48:20.30\00:48:22.56
But what you need to
know, on the other hand
00:48:22.60\00:48:24.97
when we choose to serve
God, no matter what situation
00:48:25.00\00:48:28.20
you're in - thank you
Jesus, God can deliver you! Amen
00:48:28.24\00:48:32.74
Daniel ended up in the
lion's den because of obedience,
00:48:32.77\00:48:35.71
but Daniel's
testimony from the king,
00:48:35.74\00:48:38.55
he said, "He will
deliver us from your hand."
00:48:38.58\00:48:41.45
The Hebrew said, "The God
we serve is able to deliver us,
00:48:41.48\00:48:45.59
even if He chooses not to, we
are gonna choose to serve him."
00:48:45.62\00:48:50.16
Why do bad things
happen to good people?
00:48:50.19\00:48:52.99
God doesn't always
reverse your health situation,
00:48:53.03\00:48:55.96
but you got a guarantee
of the first resurrection...
00:48:56.00\00:48:58.50
that's good enough for me! Amen!
00:48:58.53\00:49:00.60
Ellen White says
in "Steps to Christ,"
00:49:00.64\00:49:04.41
"Desire for goodness
and holiness are right
00:49:04.44\00:49:06.47
as far as they go,
but if you stop here,
00:49:06.51\00:49:09.04
you will avail nothing.
00:49:09.11\00:49:10.45
Many will be lost while hoping
and desiring to be Christians,
00:49:10.48\00:49:14.78
they do not come to the point
of yielding the will to God.
00:49:14.82\00:49:19.25
They do not NOW
choose to be Christians."
00:49:19.29\00:49:24.96
You gotta choose
to be a Christian.
00:49:24.99\00:49:26.39
You can't hope one day
00:49:26.46\00:49:28.30
that you're going
to get in the kingdom.
00:49:28.33\00:49:29.66
What I like is the
next quotation from the book
00:49:29.70\00:49:32.67
"Child Guidance," I
hope you don't mind me
00:49:32.73\00:49:35.00
reading some
inspired quotations to you...
00:49:35.04\00:49:38.47
"Child Guidance,"
p.209, listen to this...
00:49:38.51\00:49:40.94
I thank God for
this... "Everyone may place his
00:49:40.98\00:49:44.51
will on the side of the
will of God and may choose
00:49:44.55\00:49:48.45
to obey Him and by
thus linking himself with
00:49:48.48\00:49:52.15
divine agencies... Oh
Lord, HE may stand where
00:49:52.19\00:49:56.22
nothing can force
him to do evil." Amen!
00:49:56.26\00:50:00.63
Nothing! How much? Nothing!
00:50:00.66\00:50:07.67
When you put on the whole
armor of God in the morning,
00:50:09.30\00:50:12.94
when you get up and you
start the day on your knees,
00:50:12.97\00:50:16.48
and in God's word
and you're fortified...
00:50:16.51\00:50:19.28
Ellen White says, "Only
those who are fortified by the
00:50:19.31\00:50:22.02
word of God will stand
in the last great conflict."
00:50:22.05\00:50:24.75
You cannot
ignore light and wonder
00:50:24.79\00:50:27.32
why you're walking in darkness.
00:50:27.36\00:50:29.79
You can ignore God's
voice and wonder why you
00:50:29.82\00:50:33.33
fall every time -
you gotta make choices.
00:50:33.36\00:50:35.70
You MAKE choices - why
not make the RIGHT choice?
00:50:35.73\00:50:42.50
He says if it seems evil
to you to serve the Lord,
00:50:43.57\00:50:46.44
look at your ancestors;
look at our 40-year journey;
00:50:46.47\00:50:50.18
look at what God
has done in your life;
00:50:50.21\00:50:52.21
look at where you are
today; look at how God has
00:50:52.25\00:50:54.75
delivered you; look at
how He has provided for you;
00:50:54.78\00:50:56.85
look at that in spite
of the bad choices you made
00:50:56.89\00:50:59.55
you're still alive
to make a good one!
00:50:59.59\00:51:05.53
If it seems evil to
you, choose for yourselves
00:51:08.83\00:51:12.20
this day whom you
will serve, whether the God
00:51:12.23\00:51:16.10
which your father served
or the gods of the Amorites
00:51:16.14\00:51:19.31
in whose land you
dwell, but today I want to make
00:51:19.34\00:51:21.18
a declaration... "But
as for me and my house,
00:51:21.21\00:51:23.04
together... we
will serve the Lord."
00:51:23.08\00:51:27.18
We will serve the Lord.
00:51:27.22\00:51:29.32
Just recently, my wife
and I were getting on a plane
00:51:29.35\00:51:32.55
to come back home...
I always laugh when they
00:51:32.59\00:51:35.62
do this... and I said,
"Honey, I'm gonna use that
00:51:35.66\00:51:38.73
in my sermon," they
said, "Everybody is checked
00:51:38.76\00:51:43.87
in and we're about the close
the doors - if St Louis is not
00:51:43.90\00:51:51.17
your final destination,
this is a good time to get off."
00:51:51.21\00:51:55.28
Come on
somebody... remember that?
00:51:55.31\00:51:57.15
If St. Louis is not
your final destination,
00:51:57.18\00:52:00.25
this is a GOOD TIME to get off!
00:52:00.28\00:52:05.79
Oh I'm gonna
appeal... if where your head is
00:52:05.82\00:52:07.69
is not what you want
your final destination to be,
00:52:07.72\00:52:13.86
today is a good time to get off.
00:52:13.90\00:52:16.53
Is there somebody here
today, as Jill plays softly,
00:52:16.56\00:52:21.17
that wants prayer this morning.
00:52:21.20\00:52:22.97
They want to come down and
say, "Father, I need a better
00:52:23.00\00:52:26.57
final destination
and I want to be nearer
00:52:26.61\00:52:30.91
to you than I've been before.
00:52:30.95\00:52:32.28
And TODAY I'm
exercising my power to choose.
00:52:32.31\00:52:39.09
I don't want to postpone,
nor do I want to forfeit
00:52:39.15\00:52:46.59
the life that You have for me.
00:52:46.63\00:52:49.46
I don't want to choose
death, I want to choose life,
00:52:49.50\00:52:53.44
and I'm gonna make
that choice today...
00:52:53.47\00:52:55.90
And if my eyes close tonight,
and I don't get up tomorrow,
00:52:55.94\00:53:03.45
I want to be in
the first resurrection.
00:53:03.48\00:53:06.58
Is there somebody here
today that's smart enough
00:53:06.61\00:53:10.49
to choose that destiny?
00:53:10.52\00:53:13.39
That road I'm choosing
today, I'm choosing today.
00:53:13.42\00:53:22.23
God is saying to you
today, there's the door
00:53:22.26\00:53:26.30
I want you to walk through,
but the other choice is death.
00:53:26.33\00:53:28.70
I'm calling you
today to choose life.
00:53:29.54\00:53:32.14
And sometimes we choose
death because we don't know
00:53:32.17\00:53:36.44
what it means to choose
life and there's a door there
00:53:36.48\00:53:38.58
waiting for us to walk through.
00:53:38.61\00:53:40.25
I heard a story that
just so revolutionized my life
00:53:40.28\00:53:43.62
about a general
of a Persian army,
00:53:43.65\00:53:48.09
and he would always give
his prisoners a choice of
00:53:48.12\00:53:51.23
their method of death.
00:53:51.26\00:53:52.59
He said, "firing
squad or the black door?"
00:53:52.63\00:54:01.17
Most of them chose the firing
squad because they didn't know
00:54:01.20\00:54:05.07
what was behind the
black door and they said,
00:54:05.11\00:54:06.64
"Man, if they
ain't showing it to me,
00:54:06.68\00:54:08.38
it's got to be worse
than the firing squad."
00:54:08.41\00:54:10.15
Well what could be
worse than being shot dead?
00:54:10.18\00:54:14.42
But the prisoners were
never told what was behind the
00:54:14.45\00:54:16.69
black door, so they
chose the firing squad.
00:54:16.72\00:54:20.92
Somebody came to
the general and said,
00:54:20.96\00:54:22.46
"What's behind the black door?"
00:54:22.49\00:54:23.83
He said, "Freedom."
00:54:23.86\00:54:30.20
He said, "In all my
years of being a general,
00:54:30.23\00:54:32.37
I only know a few men
that were brave enough
00:54:32.40\00:54:35.40
to choose the unknown.
00:54:35.44\00:54:39.04
Today I'm asking
you, God is asking you
00:54:39.07\00:54:42.11
to commit the
unknown to the known God.
00:54:42.14\00:54:46.28
God is not asking you to
figure out how you gonna live,
00:54:46.31\00:54:48.42
God is saying
today, "Choose life,"
00:54:48.45\00:54:51.85
it's behind this door...
00:54:51.89\00:54:54.32
"Behold, He's standing at
the door today and knocking."
00:54:54.36\00:55:00.36
Somebody has gotta
make eternal decisions.
00:55:00.40\00:55:02.33
Somebody has gotta say,
"The devil wants to hold
00:55:02.36\00:55:05.20
some of you in your seat."
00:55:05.23\00:55:06.74
He wants to say to some
of you, "You can't do it,
00:55:06.77\00:55:09.70
you can't do it,
you can't do it."
00:55:09.74\00:55:11.81
"You messed up, you can't
do it - look at your life,
00:55:11.84\00:55:14.34
you can't do it" -
that's the devil talking to you.
00:55:14.38\00:55:16.81
Say, "Lord, I rebuke that."
00:55:16.85\00:55:19.35
"I know I could do
it by Your strength,
00:55:19.38\00:55:20.78
I'm not too dirty to
stand up, I'm not too unworthy
00:55:20.82\00:55:24.22
to give my life to the Lord."
00:55:24.25\00:55:25.59
If you think you're unworthy,
that's why God wants you to
00:55:25.62\00:55:28.19
stand - so He can make
you, by His righteousness,
00:55:28.22\00:55:30.56
worthy today.
00:55:30.59\00:55:32.43
So if you ain't standing
up, I'm encouraging you now
00:55:32.46\00:55:34.83
to stand up...
Stand up for Jesus,
00:55:34.86\00:55:37.37
break the
shackles that bind you.
00:55:37.40\00:55:39.83
Break the shackles that
have been holding you for years.
00:55:39.87\00:55:43.81
You don't have to worry
about what's behind the door,
00:55:43.84\00:55:47.28
just say, "Lord, I know what
the firing squad is going to be,
00:55:47.31\00:55:50.55
it's certain death...
I'm going to put my life
00:55:50.58\00:55:54.82
in your hand and walk
through the door that I don't
00:55:54.85\00:55:57.49
know about."
00:55:57.52\00:56:01.19
The door of uncertainty
leads to a certain God...
00:56:01.22\00:56:03.89
Our heads are bowed,
our eyes are closed...
00:56:03.93\00:56:07.16
Father in Heaven,
We've been choosing all our
00:56:07.20\00:56:12.37
lives - all of our lives
we've been making choices,
00:56:12.40\00:56:19.94
and frankly, some of
us are sick of ourselves,
00:56:19.97\00:56:22.88
but when we look at the
choices we've made when we
00:56:22.91\00:56:25.75
look back at the ridiculous
decisions, the crazy choices,
00:56:25.78\00:56:28.72
the things that, if we had
a chance to do all over again,
00:56:28.75\00:56:32.75
we would NEVER MAKE THAT CHOICE.
00:56:32.79\00:56:36.22
We've argued with ourselves,
we've beat ourselves up,
00:56:36.26\00:56:39.49
we have been
angry with ourselves,
00:56:39.53\00:56:43.06
but today, Lord, this is
not a beat-me-up session,
00:56:43.10\00:56:46.33
this is a
standup-for-Jesus session.
00:56:46.37\00:56:49.50
God is not condemning
you anymore than He condemned
00:56:49.54\00:56:52.47
the woman, anymore than
He condemned the paralytic,
00:56:52.51\00:56:55.91
anymore than He
condemned those who come to Him.
00:56:55.94\00:56:58.65
"Whoever comes to Me," He says,
"I will in no wise cast out."
00:56:58.68\00:57:04.95
So Father, today, today
Lord Jesus, we're standing
00:57:04.99\00:57:09.82
because this is the
best choice we can make...
00:57:09.86\00:57:12.69
to put our lives in the
hand of a God who wants us to be
00:57:12.73\00:57:14.93
in His kingdom by His
side walking in a perfect
00:57:14.96\00:57:17.80
sinless environment and
being blessed in every step
00:57:17.83\00:57:22.00
we take in this life - to live
with the assurance of salvation,
00:57:22.04\00:57:26.21
to live with the assurance
that "I am saved by Your grace."
00:57:26.24\00:57:31.35
Possess us today,
Lord, may Your Holy Spirit
00:57:31.38\00:57:35.45
come in and turn us
inside-out, filter us.
00:57:35.48\00:57:40.46
File us down -
there's only one desire...
00:57:40.49\00:57:45.66
Joshua said it, "But
as for me and my house,
00:57:45.69\00:57:48.23
we will serve the Lord."
00:57:48.26\00:57:51.50
I'm so glad, Lord, I
don't know how to figure out
00:57:51.53\00:57:53.84
how to do that -
You're going to come in,
00:57:53.87\00:57:55.37
You're going to possess me,
You're going to work Your will
00:57:55.40\00:57:57.54
in me and then You're
going to work it through me.
00:57:57.57\00:58:01.31
I'm no good Father, but
You are nothing but good.
00:58:01.34\00:58:06.61
I'm unrighteous, but You
are nothing but righteousness.
00:58:06.65\00:58:12.35
So today I throw myself
on Your mercy, on Your grace,
00:58:12.39\00:58:16.96
on Your goodness.
00:58:16.99\00:58:18.63
As Your people stand here today,
Lord, we've made a decision...
00:58:18.66\00:58:21.60
Heaven has recorded it and
hell has taken notice of it.
00:58:21.63\00:58:27.47
But when we leave this
place of worship today,
00:58:27.50\00:58:29.60
help us not to leave
trying to figure out that
00:58:29.64\00:58:31.67
we have to do the next
thing, but we leave here today
00:58:31.71\00:58:35.04
determined that now
we're giving You the power
00:58:35.08\00:58:37.98
to do what we
could NEVER HAVE DONE!
00:58:38.01\00:58:41.58
And we have the assurance
that He who has begun a
00:58:41.62\00:58:44.72
good work in us is
going to complete it.
00:58:44.75\00:58:47.82
Father, continue working
that we may see You in peace.
00:58:47.86\00:58:52.29
So as we are dismissed, Father,
bless us, keep us, guide us,
00:58:52.33\00:58:56.46
strengthen us and may
Your kingdom be furnished with
00:58:56.50\00:59:00.84
souls saved by grace
because we have chosen today
00:59:00.87\00:59:06.68
to serve You.
00:59:06.71\00:59:09.94
This we pray,
this we thank You for,
00:59:09.98\00:59:13.82
this we give You the glory for.
00:59:13.85\00:59:16.32
In Jesus Holy and
precious name we pray... Amen
00:59:16.35\00:59:20.96