Choose Life!

Sermon notes from Thursday 26 September 2019

Matthew 7 verses 13 and 14, Deuteronomy 30 verses 11 - 20

There is a very annoying programme on television called The XFactor.  There were twins who appeared on this programme and became known as The Tuneless Twins.  They were from Dublin and every time they appeared they had tshirts with 2 words written on them "choose life"  Without knowing it these 2 words come directly from scripture  Of course the pro life campaign group also use this as a slogan.  God says to you tonight - choose life.  

Let`s put this passage in context.  God is leading his people, the children of Israel, directing them, endeavouring to take them on the right way.  He has put before them the choice - if you will follow me, obey my commands, walk in my statutes I wll bless you but if you do the opposite I will curse you.  On the one hand life and on the other hand wrath.  God`s blessing or God`s cursing.  Triumph over your enemies or haress them and have a difficult time.  Some more theologically aware people might say that the Old Testament was under law, God set the way before them.  The greatest sermon ever preached was the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus made it clear in that sermon that there are 2 ways.  Parallel teaching in the New that we have in the Old Testament.  God set before them the way of life and the way to enter in is at the strait gate.  Strait is not in the sense of a straight line.  It is strait in the sense of a constricted way.  If you had a big workshop with a sliding door and it gets off its rollers it would be very hard to move it, not easy to push.  What the design idea was that a smaller pedestrian door was cut into sliding door.  To get in through the door you have to bow you head, bend your knees, pull your shoulders in.  That is what Jesus meant when he said these words.  For an individual person to come face to face with sin, they must acknowledge Christ is the only Saviour, confess their sin, bow their knees and enter into the strait gate.  If you do you will come in to a narrow way that leads to heaven.  You can fly your kite on the broad way, bring all your friends because there is room for all, for all of your ideas and philosophies and enter in at the wide gate that leads to destruction.  In another part of the bible it is taught that the broad way leads to hell.   That is the choice explained - I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

The conditions outlined.  God set this before them, now he outlines the conditions they needed to know if they want to know God`s blessing on them.  "If you will turn and return" verse 3.  What does that actually involve?  For a private in the drill yard when his sergeant shouts at him to turn that means he needs to turn 90 degress.  That is what is meant by turning.  If the sergeant shouts to turn and return that would involve 180 degrees.  He would turn in the opposite direction of the way he was facing - it is what the New Testament means by repentance.  It really means an about turn.  We have this idea that all we have to do is say sorry for our sins.  That is not the absolute truth.  We must come to God in repentance and faith, doing an about turn.  Isaiah 53 "all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way."  Many people say "I just believe, I just think by doing this, going my own way that everything will be OK."  That is the very thing God calls us to turn from, to turn our back on our own way and go God`s way.  It means sincere repentance is the first thing.  Verses 10 and 11.  If you will obey the voice of the Lord.  It means implicit obedience - to obey the voice of God.  3 times here when he speaks to us, he wants our obedience.  That is what God calls us to do, to obey the voice of the Lord.  In 1  Samuel 15 we read of Saul`s disobedience.  The Lord told him to go out and utterly destroy the Amalekites.  Saul blames the people.  Through the prophet Samuel he is convicted - "what meaneth then this  bleating of the sheep in mine ears and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"  God said to him "to obey is better that sacrifice."  In other words he was saying "I don`t want your sacrifices nor the fat of your lambs, I do not want sacrifices, I want your obedience."  Turning from our own way, following God in his own way.    A hallmark or kite mark on it, that identifies the child of God.  Thirdly a wholehearted allegiance.  People in our part of the world are certainly complicent in their allegiance in following a football team.  Here`s what God says "if you repent, obey and love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul."  We are talking about consecrating our lives utterly and entirely to Christ.  To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.  A W Tozer speaking about the text "if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me" said "a man on the cross is facing in one direction, a man on a cross has no future plans of his own, no thoughts of turning back."  If you profess to be a Christian then the capital I is struck out.  You are facing in one direction.  Is that your purpose in living - glorifying God in your living?  Supreme purpose is to honour and glorify God, have got no future plans of their own.  Some people are building castles in the sky, going to do this and that God willing.  In the purposes of God what plans has God for me?  There should be no thought of turning back  That is what Jesus teaches - Matthew 22 verses 37 and 38.

The blessing that is promised.  Verse 3 why obey, respond and follow the Lord - "I will bring you back and have compassion on you."  When we surrender our lives to God, come in our brokenness, God has compassion on us.  It is of the Lord`s mercies that we are not consumed.  Our merciful God from everlasting to everlasting.  Justice is getting that which we deserve.  Mercy is not getting what we deserve.  Grace is getting what we don`t deserve.  If you will come to me I will bring you back and have compassion and mercy.  Verse 5 kindness and grace will do you good.  How many times younger people say "if I surrender my life to Christ he will take all the joy out of my life."  That is a lie from the devil himself.  "I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly, have it in all its fulness."  God wants to take us off the broad road that leads to hell and put us on the narrow way that leads to heaven.  1 Peter 3 verse 5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."  Not a dead hope but unto an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled.  What an inheritance we have.  "He will do you good"  Becoming a Christian is not killjoy but real joy and life.  The words "prosperity and riches" is talking about spiritual wealth.  Where you are rich toward God.  "Do not lay up treasure for yourselves on earth but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven."  This treasure in heaven is the real inheritance.  You may not be rich as far as the world is concerned but spiritual health is more important.  Growing in grace, manifested spirit in the Holy Spirit.  That is real.  Spiritual prosperity.  The blessing promised now.  "The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it."  Verse 15 God is saying to the children of Israel there are no excuses.  How many have said "why does God not send someone back from the grave to tell us what it is like."  He has - he has sent his only son into the world and will do it again one day.  Christ has been raised from the dead.  People say "I will see how it all pans out."  Scripture is clear about the word of faith which we preach - what is the word of faith we preach?  In Romans 10 verse 9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved."  That is the righteousness of God that is apart from the law.  Galatians 2 verse 16 "no flesh shall be justified."  Is it possible you have professed faith in Christ some time in the past but can now say "I am really struggling, some times I think I am a Christian and some times I think I am not."  You are struggling with assurance.  Yes it is so important that we believe in our hearts but confessing with our mouth is also important.  "that God hath raised him from the dead."  There is no such thing as a secret disciple.  Part of the assurance of our faith is in confessing Christ before men and the Holy Spirit witnesses with our spirit we really are the children of God.

The reality faced - verse 17.  "If your heart turn away" - that means I hear what you say, I know I need to be saved, I will do it some time later but not now.  Your heart is being drawn away so that you will worship other gods.  You will perish as a result.  When God speaks to us by the Holy Spirit we must repent and obey.  The choice is before us.  Turn away or obey his voice, opening the door.  A changed heart to worship him.  Verses 18 and 19 "choose life"  We are here with a capacity to choose life or reject Christ as Saviour - will we repent?  In repentance and obedience take Christ as Saviour and Lord or will we turn our own way?  I denounce unto you you shall surely perish.  Perish - a word in which you can hear the very hiss of hell.  Choose life!