Choices

October 8, 2017             NOTES NOT EDITED

Choices

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

SIS--Choice, not chance, determines one's destiny.

Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees, is as well known for his turn of a phrase as he is turning the bases on one of his many home runs.  In fact, a term has been developed to describe Yogi’s unique phrases.  They are called, “Yogiisms.” Perhaps the most famous Yogi-isms is, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over!”  He also once said, “It’s déjà vu all over again.”  He once stunned a crowd by declaring, “The future sure ain’t what it used to be.”  Yogi once described a major league player who was a switch-hitter (batted both left and right handed), by saying, “He hits from both sides of the plate.  He’s amphibious.”  Yogi was quite philosophical by nature, which is how he got his nickname as a kid.  He once mused about life saying, “If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be.”  That’s deep.  Many yogi-isms were probably never spoken by Yogi, but it seemed fit to give him credit anyway.  In fact, Yogi himself once confessed, “I never said half the things I said.” 

One of my favorite yogi-isms declares, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”  Like many yogi-isms, they are profound in their simplicity.  In life, we come to many “forks in the road.”  The only way to have any hope of progress, is to make a choice.  Every choice has consequences, but the so does, making no choice at all.  Making no choice is perhaps the worst choice.

Years ago my pastor in a little church in Mira Loma, California preached a sermon titled, “Choice, Not Chance, Determines a Man’s Destiny.”  It was a simple country church with a pastor few would long remember, but that sermon has stuck with me for nearly 40 years now.

Life is a sum of all your choices.- Albert Camus

To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.- Kofi Annan

It is our choices ... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.- J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter)

Nothing impacts our lives so often, so subtly, or with such profound effect as the choices we make.  Every choice has a consequence.  There is no such thing as an insignificant choice.

For example:  I took a dare in 1974 right after graduating from high school. I'd just finished my first semester as a chemistry major at West Liberty State College, in West Virginia.  I was working at a filling station to pay my way through school.

One of our regular clients was the local Navy recruiter. One of my best friends also worked at the filling station.  The recruiter was always asking us to consider the Navy.  One day, my friend and my boss dared me to make an appointment with the recruiter.  I'm not sure why they thought that would be so interesting, but not much happens in a small town filling station.  I took the dare and made the appointment.  In just a few days, I was taking the oath of enlistment and heading for boot-camp in Orlando, Florida.  And, as they say, "The rest is history."

Had I not made that decision it would have been very unlikely I would have ever escaped the hills and hollows of West Virginia.  I would never have sailed around the world.  I would not have attended California Baptist College.  I would not have met the love of my life, I would not have the two wonderful kids I have.  I would not be standing here this morning telling you how very important even the most insignificant decision in life can be. Every decision starts a change reaction of consequences.

Today, we are going to look in on the Israelites as they stand on the edge of the Promised Land.  For 40 years they have been wandering in the desert because of a decision they made after leaving Egypt.  They chose to give into fear because of the challenges before them, rather than give into trust in the God that was with them.  That decision had huge consequences.  Now, God was setting before them another opportunity to choose.  Let's read about that choices:

15 See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.  16 For  I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live  and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not live long in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life  so that you and your descendants may live, 20 love the Lord your God, obey Him, and remain faithful  to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Moses now has come to the end of his ministry with the nation.  40 years before Moses had led a throng out of Egypt carrying with them all the treasures of their former home in exile.  Moses had faithfully guided these people (1-2 million or more) through the barest and meanest terrain on the earth.  Moses had compassionately cared for them and consistently taught them.  Now Moses set forth in summary the whole matter faith in one word, "choice."

Moses sets forth this final admonition in three parts to demonstrate the profound effect that our choices have upon our lives -- both temporal and eternal.

1.  Moses sets forth a CLEAR CHOICE (15; 11-14)

15 See, today I have set before you
life and prosperity, death and adversity.

Years ago, a man of dubious distinction said, “I want to make one thing perfectly clear!”  Being a politician, what followed that statement was clear as mud.

This is not the case in regard to a man—or woman’s—response to God.  The choices are clear:  either you are for Him, or you are against Him.  Devotion knows no middle ground.

It would be impossible to set forth the matter of God's full gospel any more clearly, or any more simply than this verse in Deuteronomy.  So often, much preaching is convoluted, rambling, and set forth for altogether the wrong reason -- that is to entertain, rather than enlighten.

There are other preachers who feel the need to dig deep enough into the text to find some obscure message that has nothing at all to do with the plain teaching of the gospel. Those who sermonize like they are before seminary class consider their message quite deep.

I had one professor tell us:  "The reason one cannot see the bottom of a sermon is not because it is so deep, but because it is so muddy."  He was referring to preachers who preach to "impress," rather than "inspire."

Not so with Moses:  he was clear as a bell.  The options before Israel were unmistakably simple.  In fact, Moses reminded the congregation of the absolute crystal clarity and profound simplicity of God's message in the verses before.  Look in verse 11ff:

11 “This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach. 12 It is not in heaven, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 13 And it is not across the sea, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 14 But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.

God's message is not a collection of propositions and ideas to be discussed, but a manual for living He expects us to follow.  

There are indeed some verses in the Bible (few actually) that take some effort to comprehend.  This last week I was reading in preparation for tonight's sermon from the Greek New Testament.  I was reminded of the great service scholarly translators have performed in giving us the many translations of the Bible we now have.  This is especially true when we study matters that are quite distant from our own place and time -- like buying meat sacrificed to idols.

Indeed, a few passages in the Bible out of the thousands may present a difficult climb to fully grasp their meaning.  Even fewer may be so obscure as to allude the grasp of even the best scholar.

But, the basic message of the gospel shines clearer than the most brilliant diamond -- life is a matter choosing between only two clear options:

God and the devil, His Way or your way, life and prosperity, or death and adversity.  In regard to the most profound issues of life, the options are crystal clear -- choose the way of life or the way of death.

To get Israel to see the importance of this issue, Moses also set forth:

2.  a SOLEMN WARNING (vss 17-19a)

17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not live long in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.

I very rarely venture far from my text when preaching by giving my impressions or speculations.  I do not count myself as possessing the gift of prophecy.  Yet, I feel very impressed at this moment to speak boldly as in, "thus sayeth the Lord":

My suspicion is that many--perhaps most--people who name themselves as part of the congregation of God are living under a curse and don't even realize it.  Most church members have never stopped to examine what God has said about "cursing and blessing."  Here in our passage Moses gives us a clear evaluation of both.

(1)  The Course of Blessing and Prosperity. 

In the first place Moses describes the course of  blessing as "real life."  Obviously, when Moses says, "I set before you life" he is not referring to physical life alone, because all his audience possessed that quality.  Moses was talking about "real life," or life with a special quality about it.

Real life for the Hebrews was synonymous with "prosperity."  This had to do with much more than wealth in a material sense.  Prosperity for a Jew meant absolute completeness.  It meant happiness.  It meant family.  It meant basic goodness, as David declared in his famous Psalm:

"And goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:6).

The course of blessing as Moses sets forth the biblical principle is "real life" in its most full and purposeful state.  There is something much sadder than death at the end of one's life, and that is to have never really lived in the first place.  The course of blessing is "real life."

Moses further expounds on the course of blessing referring to "increase."  Verse 16 says,

16 For  I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live  and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

Yahweh, Almighty God, does not know how to "add" when it comes to His blessings, He "multiplies."  The Word describes His manner of blessing as a "floodgate" opening up from heaven (as we learned a couple weeks ago).  The verse from Malachi is illustrative of how God "multiplies" His blessings to and upon His children:

Mal 3   10Test Me in this way,”  says the Lord of Hosts. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven  and pour out a blessing for you without measure. 

The New Living Translation brings out the meaning with even more clarity:

I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it!
Put me to the test!

I never want to deliver a corrupt gospel that implies that God's best gifts are material--as with the "health/wealth" preachers. Material blessings are like costume jewelry.  They sparkle and look nice, make a women feel snazzy, but they have little or no real value.

I never want to deliver a corrupt gospel that implies God is some kind of cosmic vending machine in which we deposit a select verse or two (out of context usually) and God delivers a treat.  No, that is not blessing in the "flood-gate" sense.

However, I do not want to deliver a corrupt gospel that implies God does not give us "great stuff."  He does bless us materially and physically and emotionally, as well as spiritually.  And, He does it in grand measure.  When God waters the garden of your life, He uses a fire hose.  The Course of Blessing involves "increase."

At the very core of the Course of Blessing is what Moses calls, "God's favor," or God's blessing.  Nothing means more to a child than to receive the "favor" of their father.

What a great tragedy--and downfall of our society--that one out of every two children in America will not grow up in the home with their birth father.  This has had a disastrous affect upon our society.

More than anything in the world (or out of this world) we should desire the "favor" of God upon our lives.

As I said before, I strongly suspect, (deep in my soul I am convinced) most people who sit regularly on pews throughout churches in America are living under a "curse."  Moses goes on to describe the

2.  Course of the Curse and Adversity

In contrast to the "real life" that comes with God's blessing, "real death" comes from living under the curse.  This does not refer to the moment our breath is gone and our soul separates from our body.  Real death refers to the eternal separation of our spirit from Almighty God.  In whatever way you describe hell, at its very worst is an eternity of separation from Almighty God and His goodness.  The Bible describes "real death" in the most horrible and disgusting manner possible (Mk. 9:44-48):

⁴² “But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me —it would be better for him if a heavy millstone  ^b were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ And if your hand causes your downfall, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life maimed  than to have two hands and go to hell—the unquenchable fire,  [⁴⁴ where Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]  ^g

⁴⁵ And if your foot causes your downfall,  cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame  than to have two feet and be thrown into hell— [the unquenchable fire,  ⁴⁶ where Their worm does not die,  and the fire is not quenched.]  ^m

⁴⁷ And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God  with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown  into hell,  ⁴⁸ where Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

In contrast to the "increase" that comes from God's multiplied provisions through the Course of Blessing, the Course of Cursing and Adversity brings multiplied decrease.  The spiral away from God is always a spiral away from fullness and light into a black hole of want.  The Course of Cursing manifests itself in constant desires that are never quenched or satisfied.  The curse perpetually diminishes everything it touches.  It shortens life and decreases pleasures. Verse 18 points out, especially in the New Living Translation, the diminishing nature of the curse:

You will not live a long, good life in the land
you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.

Over and over and over again I encounter people--I'm talking about church people--who are living a life of want and emptiness.  And . . . I don’t mean a life lacking in material stuff.  This is symptomatic of the Curse.  Everything money can buy . . . and none of what it can’t!

Finally, Moses describes the Course of Cursing as Divine Disfavor.  That's the essential meaning of the word, "curse."

Now, after examining this clear description of the course of life and blessing versus the course of death and cursing, Moses warning takes on a very solemn and weighty tone:

17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish.

The term "perish" is constructed in the Hebrew in a way to give emphasis to word.  It could be translated, "and perishing you will perish."  The word for perish many times implies destruction in a violent manner.  It also implies "waste and loss."  John the Apostle picks up on this idea in the most famous verse in all Scripture:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whosoever believes in Him need not PERISH, but can have everlasting life."

The penalty for a bad choice in regard to your relationship with God will bring horrible loss, violence, waste, and destruction in your life -- absolutely and of a certainty.

This was Moses' solemn warning to the Israelites. Moses continued to fill out his final instructions to the Israelites with 

3.  an URGENT APPEAL (19b-20)

Choose life  so that you and your descendants may live, 20 love the Lord your God, obey Him, and remain faithful  to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Our text brings us right back to the matter of "choice."  Choice, not chance, determines one's destiny."  A great idea, a high-minded philosophy, a deeply spiritual experience will all come to naught if you do not make the right "choice" in regard to Who you are going to serve in life.

Salvation and blessing doesn't "just happen."  Salvation and blessing come as the direct consequences of one's choices.  Elijah saw Israel wavering between serving the gods of wealth and prosperity (Baal), and serving the One True God.  Elijah called upon the people to:

"Choose, today, whom you will serve."

The urgent appeal to come to God in Christ is no general invitation -- neither in the N.T. nor the Old.  

 It is a specific, urgent appeal to decide now. Follow Moses appeal throughout this text:

v11:  "This command I give you TODAY."
v15:  "See, today, I have set before you life."
v16:  "For I am commanding you today."
v18:  "I tell you today."
v19:  "I call heaven and earth as a witness against you today."

Clearly, whatever God is calling you and I to decide—He intends for us to decide NOW—TODAY!

God is appealing to you to decide what you will do "some day," but what you will do "today."  I don't know that you have a tomorrow, or even long today, to decide on the important matters of life and prosperity.  Any time but right now may be "too late."

A wise, elderly gospel preacher once lamented the practice of no longer giving an urgent appeal to sinners.  He said,

Do you know why more men do not come to Christ? It is because men are not given an urgent, specific invitation. You get a general invitation from your friend, “Come around some time to my house and dine with me.” You do not go. But he says, “Come around today at four o’clock and bring your family and we’ll dine together.” And you say, “I will come.”  And you go. The world feels it is a general invitation to come around sometime and sit at the great gospel feast. Men do not come because they are not specially invited. It is because you do not take hold of them and say, “My brother, come to Christ. Come now–come now!”

I've shown you how very important the choices are that we make in life.  No choice is insignificant--and certainly not the choice of whether to obey God fully or turn a deaf ear to His Word.  Do not put off for one more minute--not one more second--but right now heed the urgent appeal and "CHOOSE LIFE!"  Choose to become a fully obedient disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ no matter what it costs.  The matter is of utmost urgency.

Richard Baxter, the Puritan preacher of the 17th century conveys the urgency, the zeal of Christian witness when he said, "I preached as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men!"

Today Moses set before us two clear options.  He have given us the most solemn warning outlining the awful results of making the wrong choice.  Moses concluded his final instructions to Israel with an urgent appeal to make the choice now.

There is a time on everyone's clock marked not by a number, but by the words, "too late."  There will come a time--perhaps today--it will be too late to make the right choice and avoid eternal disaster.

Every choice sets a course for either blessing or cursing—there is no middle ground.   It is a matter of eternal, infinite folly to respond to God’s urgent appeal with lackadaisical, lukewarm apathy. 

Consider Adam and Eve's choice.  It seemed like such a small thing:  one bite from one apple from one tree.  Every bad thing that has ever happened or ever will happen is in some way connected to that "choice."

The choice God sets before us is a clear choice, an eternal choice, an urgent choice.  Choose life.  Choose prosperity.  Choose Christ.  Choose now.

On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts." One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me," said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence.

Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me."

He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off. Just around the bend, he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along. "Come here quick," said the boy. "You won't believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls."

The man said, "Beat it kid! Can't you see it's hard for me to walk?" When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery. Standing by the fence they heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me..."

The old man whispered, "Boy, you've been tellin' me the truth. Let's see if we can see the Lord." Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord. At last they heard, "One for you, one for me. That's all. Now let's go get those nuts by the fence, and we'll be done."

They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead of the kid on the bike.  

Today is the only day you have to “Choose” to live for Christ.  The Devil is looking for souls.

Choose wisely.  Choose now.

SOMETHING EXTRA

A STORY ABOUT URGENCY

We all know the story of the Titanic, how on April 14, 1912 an iceberg scraped the ships’s starboard side, ripping open six watertight compartments and leading to the death of over 1500 people.

On board the ship that night was John Harper and his much-beloved six-year-old daughter Nana. According to documented reports, as soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, John Harper immediately took his daughter to a lifeboat. It is reasonable to assume that this widowed preacher could have easily gotten on board this boat to safety; however, it never seems to have crossed his mind. He bent down and kissed his precious little girl; looking into her eyes he told her that she would see him again someday. The flares going off in the dark sky above reflected the tears on his face as he turned and headed towards the crowd of desperate humanity on the sinking ocean liner. As the rear of the huge ship began to lurch upwards, it was reported that Harper was seen making his way up the deck yelling "Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" It was only minutes later that the Titanic began to rumble deep within. Most people thought it was an explosion; actually the gargantuan ship was literally breaking in half. At this point, many people jumped off the decks and into the icy, dark waters below. John Harper was one of these people.

That night 1528 people went into the frigid waters. John Harper was seen swimming frantically to people in the water leading them to Jesus before the hypothermia became fatal. Mr. Harper swam up to one young man who had climbed up on a piece of debris. Rev. Harper asked him between breaths, "Are you saved?" The young man replied that he was not.

Harper then tried to lead him to Christ only to have the young man who was near shock, reply no. John Harper then took off his life jacket and threw it to the man and said "Here then, you need this more than I do..." and swam away to other people. A few minutes later Harper swam back to the young man and succeeded in leading him to salvation. Of the 1528 people that went into the water that night, six were rescued by the lifeboats. One of them was this young man on the debris. Four years later, at a survivors meeting, this young man stood up and in tears recounted how John Harper had led him to Christ. Mr. Harper had tried to swim back to help other people, yet because of the intense cold, had grown too weak to swim. His last words before going under in the frigid waters were "Believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." Does Hollywood remember this man? No. Oh well, no matter. This servant of God did what he had to do. While other people were trying to buy their way onto the lifeboats and selfishly trying to save their own lives, John Harper gave up his life so that others could be saved.

John Harper knew what it meant to live life with urgency.