Choose!

(Joshua 24:15) “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve,”

Amazingly we will serve something, even if I claim to be an atheist; I still serve all that supposedly represents “no god”. My life is driven by what I can see outside the realm of faith. Therefore I hanker after, let’s call them, ‘no gods’ that are seen. My house, my car, my banks balance etc. In fact I am in one of two camps, I am either in the camp of Jehovah or my father is the devil and I live with him.

(1John 3:8) “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

You might say that every Christians still sins, many are hypocrites, in fact Tyrone you have been a hypocrite in your life walking as a Christian. I will have to confess, your concern is so noted and it is true. However, I have repented of my sin and by the grace of God I no longer walk as I once did. Yes every Christian will still sin, but it will not be habitual sin, if that happens something is not in place, we must do some serious self examination and repent and seek forgiveness where necessary. Having said that we are also taught by John if we say we have no sin in our live then we are liars.

(1John 1:8) “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”The difference between the believer and a non believer is that the Christian has confessed and believed on the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice, he serves Him as Lord of their lives and because of this; his sin is covered and has been dealt with on the cross of Calvary. There was only “One” who could have ever paid the price for sin, yes the Lord Jesus (God) became a man and lived life on earth for thirty-three years, yet without sin in His life, he never once broke the law of God and therefore He became the only eternal sacrifice that God the Father would accept. In times passed the priest had to offer up a sacrifice for his sins and then for the sins of the people. Eventually this practise was no longer require by God and it ended, the Lord Jesus had now come and paid the ultimate sacrifice, it was a once and for all time sacrifice, never to be repeated, the bible puts it like this; (Hebrews 7:27) “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.”

So a Christian will sin but his sin is covered and forgiven because the Lord Jesus has paid the price for that sin, the penalty for all sin, past, present and future has been paid for by the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. The non believer on the other hand is already condemned because He has not believed in the only begotten son of God and he will therefore be judged by God for his sin.

(John 3:18) “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

You all get the picture; I trust is clear and easy to understand.

If you serve another god with another understanding of who God is, Mohammad, Buddha, the religion of Islam or Christianity in a religious form that will never bring forth life, in other words you are a vaccinated christian that never received the spirit of God and you have not been born again, you speak of the same Jesus in your church but you have absolutely no idea who He really is, you have been vaccinated from a young age and you never really got the real intended Christian life changing truth that will set a person free. Then I do not speak to you as it would be pointless, this message is for those who can see, only if you are able to see what your Saviour has achieved on your behalf on Calvary, will the question what Joshua poses to God’s people have any bearing in your life.

We all serve some form of god; the text that Joshua poses to his people, is very simply this; “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, chooses this day whom you will serve,” I do however realise, this will mean nothing to you if you have not personally seen the miracles of God in your life. I am not making reference to some con artist that stands up in the name of Jesus and pays a man to sit in a wheelchair and then deludes the simple to believe that he has been healed. This did happen! A mockery of Christianity runs riot in some circles but God knows who are His, His sheep hear his voice and will run to Him when He calls. Do you hear His voice in this text; “choose this day whom you will serve,” As for me and my house we will serve the Lord! It will be impossible for those who have not witnessed God in action in their lives to choose Him!

Joshua posed this question to a people who witnessed God saving them out of slavery, He fed then from the heaven with manna and then quails, and He brought the walls of Jericho down with a shout. He gave them the land of Shechem, the same land He had promised to their father Abraham. Miracle after miracle they witnessed, it was only after such a dramatic build up to their lives and because of that buildup God now says to them and to us, all who have tasted that the Lord is gracious, He says, “choose this day whom you will serve.” His appeal is to believers; Joshua was by example very clear throughout his life, who he would serve, but he now makes an open confession before all and he says, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” The Lord will bring all those who claim to belong to Him to a crossroads; today your name may be called, “choose this day whom you 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: whether it be your banks balances, maybe it is pride which God will resist, or whatever other form of idolatry that would want to keep you from a total commitment to the only true living God, Jehovah! “As for me and my house we will serve Jehovah.”

“Choose this day, now that the matter is laid thus plainly before you, speedily bring it to a head, and do not stand hesitating.” M.Henry

May God be merciful to all His children who resist His will, but may His will above all things take preference, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone